The Mons Myth: A Reassessment of the Battle - Hardcover

Zuber's detective work is brilliantly thorough and provides thought-provoking new evidence. --The Financial Times, 15 March 2010

Zuber has made a stimulating and valuable contribution to the history of World War I. --www.warbooksreview.com

Rarely, if ever, has either battle been described in English from the German perspective. Using German tactics manuals and regimental histories, The Mons Myth does just that. --Britain at War, April 2010

Conventional histories of the Battles of Mons and Le Cateau describe how, although the British were massively outnumbered, precise and rapid rifle fire mowed down rows of German troops: the staggering casualties inflicted made both British victories, and set the stage for the Battle of the Marne. But neither encounter has ever been described in English from the German point of view. Using German tactics manuals and regimental histories, Terence Zuber re-examines the battles at Mons and Le Cateau, subjecting British tactics to a critique that goes beyond admiration for rapid rifle fire and presenting new and startling perspectives, showing how the Germans employed a high degree of tactical sophistication in conducting combined-arms operations. The odds were, in fact, even, and German casualties never reached the levels described in the standard histories. 'The Mons Myth' is the first history of these battles to take this approach in ninety years, and completely changes our understanding of what actually happened.