The Story of the Great War, Volume 6: History of the European War from Official Sources

In Short

This historical record functions as a comprehensive, journalistic chronicle of the Great War’s most volatile period. It synthesizes official communiqués, frontline reports, and political dispatches to detail the grinding battles of the Somme and Verdun, the collapse of the Russian monarchy, and the entry of the United States into the fight. By focusing on the mechanical and human costs of modern attrition, the narrative captures the desperate, industrial nature of the conflict. It serves as a vital artifact, reflecting how the war’s events were framed for a contemporary audience while the outcome remained uncertain. Its enduring value lies in its granular account of the transition from a localized European struggle to a decisive, world-altering confrontation that reshaped the twentieth century.

The Story

The narrative opens in the autumn of 1916, amidst the muddy, harrowing stalemate of the Somme. The reader is thrust into a landscape where the rhythm of the war is measured by the incremental capture of ridges, redoubts, and villages like Eaucourt l'Abbaye. The text documents the introduction of "tanks" as a new, experimental element of warfare, designed to clear trenches and break the deadlock that had paralyzed the Western Front for months. The Allied advance, while grueling, is framed as a successful war of attrition, with the British and French forces reporting tens of thousands of German prisoners and the gradual exhaustion of enemy divisions.

Simultaneously, the Eastern Front experiences its own surge of violence. Russian forces under General Lechitsky push into Galicia, crossing rivers and capturing fortified towns like Stanislau. However, this momentum is fragile. The narrative shifts to the Balkans, where Rumania enters the fray, only to face a rapid, crushing German counter-offensive that forces the evacuation of Bucharest and the surrender of vital oil-producing regions. The war’s geographic scope expands as the narrative details the brutal, high-altitude struggle in the Italian Dolomites, where soldiers fight not only the enemy but the precarious, vertical geography of the mountains.

As 1917 begins, the focus shifts to the political foundations of the warring powers. The narrative details the disintegration of the Russian Empire, describing the internal rot caused by the "dark forces" surrounding the Czar, the rise of the Provisional Government, and the eventual struggle between constitutionalists and radical revolutionaries. This political chaos renders the Russian military effort increasingly ineffective, leading to a period of neglect and eventually, a chaotic rout in the face of German pressure.

Against this backdrop of global upheaval, the United States moves from the periphery to the center of the conflict. The narrative meticulously tracks the diplomatic friction caused by Germany’s decision to resume unrestricted submarine warfare, a move that effectively nullifies previous pledges and forces the Wilson Administration to act. The account of President Wilson’s address to Congress is presented as a dramatic, somber climax, marking the end of American isolationism.

The final sections describe the rapid, intensive industrial and military mobilization of the United States. The text outlines the creation of the Board of Exports Control, the arming of merchant vessels, and the rigorous training of American troops in trench warfare, bayonet drills, and the heavy burdens of the modern soldier. By the end of the volume, the war is no longer a localized series of battles but a unified, desperate global mobilization, with the United States fully committed to the struggle against the German Empire. The narrative concludes with the sense of a massive, unstoppable momentum toward a final, decisive reckoning.

How It Unfolds

The attrition of the Somme The Allied forces engage in a relentless, slow-motion struggle to capture fortified ridges and trenches. The arrival of tanks and the systematic exhaustion of German divisions are presented as the primary drivers of this grueling campaign.

Expansion into the Balkans Rumania’s entry into the war brings the conflict to new regions, but the country is quickly overwhelmed by German forces. The fall of Bucharest and the destruction of oil fields highlight the brutal efficiency of the Central Powers.

The collapse of the Czar Internal political decay in Russia reaches a breaking point, leading to the overthrow of the monarchy. The subsequent rise of the Provisional Government and the influence of revolutionary radicals create a volatile vacuum that paralyzes the Russian military.

The end of neutrality Germany’s move toward unrestricted submarine warfare destroys the remaining ties of peace with the United States. President Wilson’s address to Congress serves as the final, dramatic pivot point that formalizes the American entry into the conflict.

Mobilization for a world war The United States transitions into a state of total war, implementing export controls and rapid military training. The narrative follows the deployment of destroyers to combat submarines and the preparation of the American Expeditionary Force for the European theater.

The People

The account is populated by individuals who represent the competing forces of the era. President Woodrow Wilson serves as the central moral and political figure; he begins the period attempting to navigate "mirages of peace," but is eventually forced by German aggression to present a formal indictment against the Imperial Government. His evolution reflects the broader American shift from neutrality to active belligerence.

In Russia, the figures represent a decaying old order clashing with new, radical forces. Protopopoff, the Minister of the Interior, is depicted as an antagonist who attempts to suppress the nation, while Rasputin and the Czarina serve as the shadowy, destabilizing influences that accelerate the monarchy's collapse. Grand Duke Nicholas Michailovitch emerges as a tragic, dissenting voice within the Imperial family, openly challenging the court’s corruption at the risk of his own life.

On the front lines, the leadership is often collective or obscured by the scale of the conflict. General Lechitsky is highlighted for his aggressive Russian offensive in Galicia, representing the tactical potential of the Russian army before the revolution. Meanwhile, in the diplomatic realm, Ambassador Gerard becomes a symbol of the failing peace, as he is held incommunicado in Berlin while the German government attempts to manipulate him into signing protocols that would protect German interests in the event of open war. These individuals are caught in a tide of events, their personal desires for peace or power ultimately superseded by the mechanized, unyielding momentum of the global conflict.

In Its Own Voice

The text emphasizes the physical reality of the Eastern Front, where the combat was marked by constant, incremental territorial shifts.

The Russians on that day crossed the Koropiec, drove their opponents out of their fortified positions, and themselves occupied the left bank up to the point of its juncture with the Dniester.

The book captures the stark, dangerous conditions faced by soldiers in the Italian Alps, where nature was as much an enemy as the opposing army.

Every stretcher bearer here finds himself continually exposed to the peril of falling over a precipice together with his wounded.

The text reflects the desperation of the German government's diplomatic posture when it finally abandoned the pretense of avoiding war with the United States.

The Imperial Government, in order to serve the welfare of mankind in a higher sense and not to wrong its own people, is now compelled to continue the fight for existence, again forced upon it, with the full employment of all the weapons which are at its disposal.

What It's Really About

This work is fundamentally an argument about the inevitability of global involvement in the face of industrial-scale aggression. It seeks to demonstrate that the Great War could not remain a contained regional tragedy, given the reach of modern military technology and the interconnectedness of world trade. The book explores the tension between legalistic neutrality and the grim reality of a conflict that ignores international norms.

The underlying question is one of legitimacy: who bears the responsibility for the expansion of human suffering? The narrative consistently frames the Central Powers, particularly Germany, as the primary aggressors who, by rejecting peace and utilizing "all weapons at [their] disposal," forced a reluctant world into total war. It is a study of how political systems—whether the decaying autocracy of Russia or the democratic framework of the United States—are strained and eventually shattered or transformed by the unrelenting demands of a modern, industrialized, and seemingly endless battle.

Why Read It Today

Reading this volume feels like stepping into a time machine, offering an unfiltered look at how the war was understood while it was still being fought. It is not a polished, retrospective analysis but a dense, contemporary report that moves with the frantic, disjointed energy of the front lines and the tense corridors of diplomacy. Readers who enjoy primary-source accounts or those who want to understand the specific, step-by-step progression of the war will find it fascinating. It provides a unique, "you-are-there" perspective on the transition from the old world to the modern era.

However, the book is not without its difficulties. It is intensely detailed, often reading like a laundry list of troop movements, captured guns, and tonnage lost at sea. The prose is functional rather than literary, reflecting the journalistic standards of the 1910s. Furthermore, the period attitudes are starkly present; the text often employs the patriotic and occasionally jingoistic tone typical of official war histories of that era. There are also gaps and inconsistencies, as noted in the text, where the fog of war obscured the reality for the contemporary writer. Despite these challenges, it remains a powerful document of human endurance and systemic collapse. It forces the reader to confront the reality that for the people living through these years, the outcome of the war was not a foregone conclusion but a terrifying, daily uncertainty. It is a dense, challenging read, but one that rewards the patient observer with a vivid, visceral understanding of how the world descended into, and eventually climbed out of, the wreckage of the Great War.