Fields of War: Fifty key Battlefields in France and Belgium

by: Robert Mueller

Published by: French Battlefields

Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali

Fields of War is across between a book on military history and a travel guide. Each battle starts with a description of the battle, and is followed by a description of a tour of the battlefield. Battle descriptions are concise and well footnoted for the interested reader. The tour has clear directions, and travel directions are highlighted by being placed in boxes. The tour description describes what one can expect to see (landmarks and monuments). Landmark and monument names are in bold. The battlefield tour part of the book is clearly written to provide easy travel directions – especially for one who is driving alone and needs a handy reference.

Of the fifty battles, only the first twelve do not pertain to either of the World Wars. Battles from other wars include The Franco-Prussian War (four battles), the French Revolution and Napoleon (two battles), War of Spanish Succession (three battles) and the Hundred Year War (three battles). The oldest battle listed is the Battle of Crecy fought in 1346. Surprising omissions are the Roman battles against the Gaul (such as the Battle of Alesia) and the Viking raids – especially the siege of Paris in 882 – 886.

While a book that limits itself to only fifty battlefields would inevitably suffer from the errors of omission, this one focuses the majority of the time on the two World Wars, hence limiting its appeal to those who specialize in either World War I or World War II. Which ever battles that are covered, are covered well. However in this reviewer’s opinion, the book would be more valuable if it covered some of the more ancient conflicts as well.

Armchair Interviews says: Unique look at battlefields.