Catastrophe 1914

Max Hastings tells the story of the opening year of the First World War, from the breakdown of diplomacy to the battles of the Marne, Ypres and Tannenberg, before the fighting bogged down in the trenches. He holds Germany and Austria-Hungary primarily to blame and rejects the claim that the war was not worth its cost, arguing that Europe's freedom depended on Germany's defeat. The book covers French troops going into action in red and blue uniforms, a British holding action in August, the first battle of Ypres, and the fighting in Serbia, East Prussia and Galicia. Hastings blends the views of generals and statesmen with those of peasants, housewives and soldiers from seven nations.

James Mattis included it on the list of favorite books in an appendix to Call Sign Chaos.