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In four and a half years of fighting on the Western Front during the First World War a few battles stand out from the rest. They had a decisive impact on the course of the conflict, and they still define the war for us today. For the French, the Battle of Verdun, fought between February and December 1916, was one of the greatest of these. That is why the selection of contemporary photographs Ian Sumner has brought together for this volume in the Images of War series is so important and revealing. They show the strained, sometimes shocked faces of the soldiers, record the shattered landscape in which they fought, and give us an in into the sheer intensity of the fighting. At the time, and ever since, the battle has been portrayed as a triumph of French tenacity and heroism that is encapsulated in the famous phrase ‘They shall not pass’. These photographs remind us, in the most graphic way, what that slogan meant in terms of the devastating personal experience of the men on the Verdun battlefield. REVIEWS a helpful and informative addition to the Images of War series, and with archive photos that make a good job of illustrating the blasted landscape which today is peaceful, covered with grassland and forest and forts such as Douaumont and Vaux are opened as museums for the public to visit while the National Ossuary and the huge graveyard in front of it symbolize the number of soldiers killed in the battle. Modeling Ian Sumner’s Images: [i]The French Army At Verdun[/i] is an excellent overview of the battle from an author with a good track record of books on the French side of the Great War. There are brief chapter introductions but some good photo captions. The photographs themselves are well chosen and show both the French and German side of the battle. The air photos clearly show the destruction the bombardments caused and give an in into the hell of Verdun: highly recommended. WW1 Centenary - Paul Reed