At The Supreme War Council

This book was written by an officer who was at the very heart of the Supreme War Council - as an Assistant Secretary - and it is therefore very much an eye-witness account of a crucial period of the Council's existence. The book starts with a measured account of the foundation of the Council, then it deals with the putting together of the Plan of Campaign for 1918; and finally it deals with the Battle of St. Quentin in early 1918. There are three Appendices. One about the relationship between Robertson, Maurice and Repington; then one about the unity of command in 1917; and finally one with extracts from Gough's Confidential Report on the battle. Finally, there is a splendid fold-out map showing the state of the whole of the Western Front, by divisions, at the start of the Battle of St. Quentin. This may be a small book - less than 200 pages - but for a student of the maturing of command on the Western Front, it is invaluable.