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 The Mons Myth

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Triceratops
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Triceratops

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Join date : 2012-01-05

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PostSubject: The Mons Myth   myth - The Mons Myth EmptyThu 12 Dec 2013, 10:21

by Terence Zuber.

myth - The Mons Myth 9780752452470_p0_v1_s260x420

A reassessment of the Battles of Mons and Le Cateau in August 1914. Both battles are part of British national mythology, the regulars of the "Old Contemptibles" and their practice of rapid fire mowing down Germans in droves, so much so, that the Germans thought they were facing an army of machine guns. Not according to Zuber. At no time did the Germans think they were facing a machine gun army, and though they were impressed by British rapid fire it was what they had expected from long term professional soldiers, and was good in comparison to the woeful musketry of the French and Belgians. As for the phrase by the Kaiser that the BEF was a contemptible little army, here is what the Germans actually thought:(summary)

The British Expeditionary Force is a first rate opponent. The officer corps is drawn from the best classes, is united and has excellent morale. Individual marksmanship and use of the terrain are good, fire control deficient. The cavalry is very good at dismounted combat,but it's equitation is not quite good enough for coordinated movements of large bodies or for the mounted charge. The horse and field artillery are justifiably considered to be the elite. Movements of large bodies of troops are are conducted slowly and ponderously; the senior leadership shows deficiencies.


The first part of the book covers pre-1914 training and tactics in the German Army, something which has been sadly lacking in English, the book is worth reading for this alone. THen moves onto to examine the operations of the Germans, especially First Army, in Belgium and France. Zuber was an American professional soldier stationed in Germany, gaining a PhD in History from the University of Warzburg, and took advantage of his geographic location to examine the records of the German regimental histories in looking at Mons and Le Cateau. Both, he asserts, were clear cut German victories, in taking the British positions and in inflicting casualties. At Mons, the Germans lost 1900 men (not the 6,000 of the British Official History) and at Le Cateau lost 2,900 to the BEF's 7,800.

With the centennial of the First World War, and Mons & Le Cateau, approaching, this is definitely a book worth reading.
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LadyinRetirement
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PostSubject: Re: The Mons Myth   myth - The Mons Myth EmptyThu 12 Dec 2013, 12:49

I shall have to see if I can get this on library loan, Trike. Looks  like it might be an interesting read.  Now I  know I  posted on the "Ypres Time" thread so hope I'm not having a "senior moment" and repeating myself.  My mother had a cousin called Mons.  Mum had a story that when Mons got his call up papers in World War II his Mum came round to see my grandma in a very perturbed state.  Next time Grandma saw Mons's Mum she said "Oh, he's on mine-sweepers, he'll be alright".  Of course mine-sweepers were very dangerous places to work but my Mum came from the North-Welsh coast.   Mons got through the war safely though my Mum did lose a cousin on her father's side.  A great-uncle of mine who was invalided out in World War I was handed a white feather by a little dear after his convalescence. It was a sad story.  He re-enlisted before anybody could stop him and was fatally shot in France .......
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PostSubject: Re: The Mons Myth   myth - The Mons Myth EmptyFri 13 Dec 2013, 09:11

Mine was a library copy as well LiR. Good stories about your relatives, thanks.

Trike.
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PostSubject: Re: The Mons Myth   myth - The Mons Myth EmptyFri 12 Sep 2014, 09:03

The latest addition to dinosaur bookshelves;

myth - The Mons Myth Catastrophe-Europe-Goes-to-W

Hastings, as usual, is very readable. The book examines the run up to the beginning of the war and the diplomatic & military decisions made by each country. It then follows the course of the fighting from August to December 1914.

Hastings agrees with Zuber that the German casualties at Mons have been overstated, though I was surprised to find that Zuber's book is not in the bibliography.

It is sometimes said that victory goes to the side which makes the fewest mistakes. All the armies of 1914 made mistakes, though the Austro-Hungarians were in a league of their own when it comes to blundering ineptitude.
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