Thirteen Days

Jan 12, 2025 2:16 PM

Author:Clive Ponting

Thirteen Days

At the end of WWI, Germany was demonised. The Treaty of Versailles contained a 'war guilt' clause pinning the blame on the aggression of Germany and accusing her of 'supreme offence against international morality'. Thirteen Days rejects this verdict. Clive Ponting has made a thorough study of the incredibly complex diplomatic documents. His interpretation also rejects the thesis that Europe in 1914 had reached such a boiling point that war was bound to erupt and the theory that the origins of the War lay in a mighty arms race. He argues that the War occurred primarily because of the situation in the Balkans, while he gives full weight to Austria-Hungary's desire to cripple Serbia instead of negotiating, and to Russia's militaristic programme of expansion.

Clive Ponting begins with a dramatic recreation of the assassination in Sarajevo on 28 June. He then examines how things spiralled out of control during the weeks that led to war. The tension builds as his story criss-crosses the capital cities of Europe and describes developments day by day, and, latterly, hour by hour.

The First World War destroyed the old Europe. During four years of fighting nearly nine million soldiers were killed and twenty-one million wounded; over ten million civilians died. By the end of the War, three great European empires - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia - had disintegrated. Why did the War happen? In 1914, the states of Europe had been at peace for forty years, and every diplomatic dispute had been resolved peacefully.

Thirteen Days describes failures of communication, fateful decisions and escalating military moves; it is an extraordinary narrative of personalities and diplomacy in the dying weeks of an era in which telephone networks were in their infancy and governments relied on telegrams in code and face-to-face meetings of ambassadors.

Reviews

It is a hugely difficult feat of juggling, but Ponting somehow manages to keep all the balls in the air. His methodical approach and lively style result in a very clear account of an otherwise confusing period of frenetic diplomacy

—— Scotland on Sunday

Compelling revisionist history

—— Sunday Tribune

[A] fascinating picture of double-dealing, misread signals of intent and naked self-interest which afflicted every major capital over a crucial period

—— Glasgow Herald

Engaging and inspiring

—— Publishers Weekly

Exceptional...Written like the very best thriller, it draws the reader into the exclusive world of the combat crew in a unique and truly gripping way

—— John Nichol

Vulcan 607 deserves to become an aviation classic

—— Len Deighton

One helluva great flying story. The gripping narrative reads like a suspense thriller, yet every word is true

—— Stephen Coonts

Absolutely riveting ... takes you right into the planning rooms and cockpits ... Don't miss this one!

—— Dale Brown

Vulcan 607 grips like a two-spar fin torsion box structure, whatever your gender

—— Evening Standard

Rowland White tells this splendid story with panache

—— Daily Telegraph

All politicians need to read honest accounts of war - at no time more than now - and Patrick Hennessey's The Junior Officers' Reading Club is one of the very best

—— David Cameron, Observer, Books of the Year

A vivid account of a rollercoaster tour of duty . . . testosterone-charged, expletive-splattered

—— Phil Jacobson, Daily Mail

A compelling read . . . Hennessey's book ought to be read by all officers that have yet to experience combat . . . He has written an important portrait of contemporary warfare and the nature of battle - a portrait that can claim a line of descent from Sassoon's Memoirs of an Infantry Officer

—— Will Pike, British Army Review

An honest acknowledgment of the darkness within us, of the unwelcome emotions that combat can bring about ... Smart and funny ... The Junior Officers' Reading Club is a humdinger

—— Jonathan Yardley , Washington Post

There have been many books about the Battle of Britain but few as exhaustive - and readable - as this scholarly account

—— Choice Magazine

Facts and figures say a great deal, but the most compelling accounts come from those who featured in the battle. Like any good author, Holland allows the participants to tell the story in their own words

—— The Good Book Guide

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