I've read several books about the Great War by Robert B. Asprey (most recently The German High Command at War: Hindenburg and Luddendorff Conduct WWI) and most of them dealt with the conflict at an operational or strategic level. However, the 2nd edition of At Belleau Wood focuses specifically on the fighting tactics and battles of the American 2nd Division in the Marine Campaign during June 1918. Asprey does a wonderful job of framing the conflict and then setting up the protagonists for the reader. Individual commanders such as Major General Bundy and Colonel Catlin, Colonel Neville, General Pershing, General Foch, and General Luddendorff seem to come alive as he recount the famed battle from old staff achieves, personal interviews, and first hand accounts. I felt like I was actually witnessing the unfolding of the battle as units stumbled into each other through mustard gas, HE shells, and machine gun fire. You could almost feel the desire and pure guts of the United States Marine Corps to take woods out of German hands as Aspey's account of the fighting progresses. He also offers blunt and insightful analysis of both the American and German officers concerning their decisions on the battlefield (his criticism of the atrocious high Marine Corps casualty rates is particularly damning). The book also gave me ideas for gaming Belleau Wood, since his clear writing style and illustrated battle maps lend itself well to wargaming scenarios. I just don't feel like I can do justice to At Belleau Wood other than recommend reading it and find out about the AEF's nearly forgotten involvement in northern France that tipped the balance against Luddendorf's drive to Paris and eventually sealed Germany's defeat in WWI. Book Review: The Spanish Civil War and The Legion Condor Back to Dispatch Apr. 99 Table of Contents Back to Dispatch List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by HMGS Mid-South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com