Synopses & Reviews
What was life really like for the ordinary soldier, sailor, airman, and civilian during World War I? Was it different for the British, French, and Americans than it was for the Germans? This work brings to life the military and civilian experiences of ordinary people on both sides of the war. Rich with information not available elsewhere, this engagingly written narrative focuses on the real details of living in wartime: how men were recruited and trained, the equipment they used, what they ate, trench warfare as a way of life, and the phenomenon of combat.
The life of seamen and the novel experience of the first airmen provide contrast to the life of the soldier in the trenches. Also described are the medical system for treating casualties, the life of a prisoner of war, and the experience of military nurses and the first women in uniform. This book also details how life on the home front changed in myriad ways, including the education of schoolchildren, the fevered prosperity of a wartime economy, and the change in women's traditional roles from homemaker to essential laborer.
Review
[H]eyman's book is an engagingly written encyclopedia of the details, small and large, that define the period. For the generl reader curious about daily life for Germans, French, British, and Americans during World War 1, the book will prove an easy if cursory introduction.The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Synopsis
What was life really like for the ordinary soldier, sailor, airman, and civilian during World War I? Was it different for the British, French, and Americans than it was for the Germans? This work brings to life the military and civilian experiences of ordinary people on both sides of the war. This narrative focuses on how men were recruited and trained, the equipment they used, what they ate, trench warfare as a way of life, and the phenomenon of combat.
Synopsis
This engagingly written narrative focuses on the real details of living in wartime.
About the Author
NEIL M. HEYMAN is Professor of History at San Diego State University and Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Policy, United States Naval War College. He is a specialist in modern European history and military affairs. He has written two earlier books on World War I, Biographical Dictionary of World War I (co-author with Holger H. Herwig