Overview

Full Product Details

9780340819784

Table of Contents

Reviews

'The Hinges of Battle is more or less a sequel to Durschmied's previous book and is just as readable. The Hinges of Battle should have a wide readership' -- Nicholas Fearn, Independent on Sunday PRAISE FOR THE HINGE FACTOR: 'His tales of mayhem and confusion can be gripping, informative and genuinely idea-provoking. He reveals again and again, the casual impact of happenstance.' -- Independent 'This entertaining book considers the errors and incidents that have shaped the world as we know it rather than as we planned it might be.' -- The Times 'Gripping, riveting. Fascinating. Even when you're sure you know what happened and whodunit, Erik Durschmeid provides another twist.' -- Scotsman 'Erik Durschmeid's revelations are wholly captivating.' -- Manchester Evening News

'The Hinges of Battle is more or less a sequel to Durschmied's previous book and is just as readable. The Hinges of Battle should have a wide readership' -- Nicholas Fearn, Independent on Sunday PRAISE FOR THE HINGE FACTOR: 'His tales of mayhem and confusion can be gripping, informative and genuinely idea-provoking. He reveals again and again, the casual impact of happenstance.' -- Independent 'This entertaining book considers the errors and incidents that have shaped the world as we know it rather than as we planned it might be.' -- The Times 'Gripping, riveting. Fascinating. Even when you're sure you know what happened and whodunit, Erik Durschmeid provides another twist.' -- Scotsman 'Erik Durschmeid's revelations are wholly captivating.' -- Manchester Evening News

The Hinges of Battle is more or less a sequel to Durschmied's previous book and is just as readable. The Hinges of Battle should have a wide readership - Nicholas Fearn, Independent on Sunday PRAISE FOR THE HINGE FACTOR: 'His tales of mayhem and confusion can be gripping, informative and genuinely idea-provoking. He reveals again and again, the casual impact of happenstance.' - Independent This entertaining book considers the errors and incidents that have shaped the world as we know it rather than as we planned it might be. - The Times Gripping, riveting. Fascinating. Even when you're sure you know what happened and whodunit, Erik Durschmeid provides another twist. - Scotsman Erik Durschmeid's revelations are wholly captivating. - Manchester Evening News

An eclectic collection of military incompetence and fortunate or unfortunate twists of fate; that is the best way to describe this fascinating and refreshing approach to some of history's most famous battles. It begins with the defeat of Attila the Hun (as a result of the 'divide and rule' principle), then moves on to the trickery used to gain access to the besieged Constantinople in 1453 (through a hole in the wall used by the beggars of the city), and how Napoleon was able to avoid defeat at Ulm partly because of a mix up with calendars (the Russian calendar was several days out of kilter with that of the rest of Europe). The vainglorious Custer and his 7th Cavalry were annihilated because Custer was inept, arrogant and believed his adversary barely worthy of his attention. He split his forces, thereby reducing his ability to withstand the braves of the tribes that had come together to resist the invader. Durschmied approaches familiar conflicts in a refreshingly simple way, asking: at the crucial moment, why did events take a certain turn? Stalin duped his allies as well as Hitler at Stalingrad, amassing a huge army to encircle the German 6th Army at the very moment the Germans were within a few hundred yards of the banks of the river Volga. Hitler forbade any attempt to break out and his General, von Paulus, was too weak a character to disobey. Consequently, one of the best ever German armies (nearly 300,000 strong) was condemned to death or captivity. As the author reasons, sometimes stupidity or arrogance can be as harmful when no action is taken. The most harrowing story is kept until last, and does not follow the chronology of the other accounts. This is a clever move ? almost a strategic manoeuvre for maximum impact. Durschmeid describes the virtual annihilation of a British Army retreating from Kabul in the winter of 1842. It is a harrowing tale of ill-clad and poorly supplied troops and camp-followers slaughtered as they crossed enemy-controlled territory, and of desperate last stands against overwhelming odds; a sober reminder of the mettle of the Afghan tribesmen. The British commander, General Elphinstone, should have known better than to trust the word of an unscrupulous tribal leader that his force would be allowed safe passage. As a result of his folly, just a single, half-dead doctor survived out of an original force numbering nearly 5000. The selection of several watershed moments in military history is well balanced; instead of a simple recounting of events, the author provides a fresh viewpoint that offers insights into how battles can be decided by a quirk of fate, a clever manoeuvre, arrogance or incompetence, deception, bravery, and sometimes by doing nothing. This is the fourth book by Durschmied that takes as a starting point a crucial moment in a battle or campaign. The formula is a good one and leaves the reader wanting to read the other three in the series. A rare find from this former TV war correspondent, and an excellent read. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Erik Durschmied was born in Vienna in 1930. After the Second World War he emigrated to Canada. A television war correspondent for the BBC and CBS, Durschmied covered every major crisis, from Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Belfast, Beirut, Chile, to Cuba and Afghanistan. Winner of numerous awards, Newsweek wrote 'Durschmied is a supremely gifted reporter who has transformed the media he works in.' And in Le Monde: 'He's survived more battles than any living general.' Erik has just been appointed Professor of Military History at The Military Academy of Austria. He lives in Paris and Provence with his family.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available