The Swordbearers

By Correlli Barnett,

Book cover of The Swordbearers: Supreme Command in the First World War

Book description

Interprets the major events of World War I through an analysis of the actions and characters of four supreme commanders, Ludendorff, Petain, Jellicoe, and Moltke

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Swordbearers as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Published almost sixty years ago, this compelling study of four senior commanders who served (mostly) on the Western Front remains as fresh as when it was first written. Barnett’s prose is exquisite, bringing us directly into the world of Helmuth von Moltke, John Jellicoe, Philippé Pétain, and Erich Ludendorff, telling us how they coped (or not) with the enormous stresses and strains they encountered as ‘supreme commanders’. It is a stunning portrait of men (and their command systems) at war. 

If you love The Swordbearers...

Ad

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor By FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan. The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced, it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run the…

Want books like The Swordbearers?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Swordbearers.

Browse books like The Swordbearers

Book cover of The Marne, 1914: The Opening of World War I and the Battle That Changed the World
Book cover of Foch in Command: The Forging of a First World War General
Book cover of The First Day on the Somme

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,605

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Swordbearers, you might also like...

Book cover of The Forest Knights

The Forest Knights By J. K. Swift,

The greatest underdog story of the medieval age.

A wild land too mountainous to be tamed by plows. A duke of the empire, his cunning overshadowed only by his ambitions. A young priestess of the Old Religion, together with a charismatic outlaw, sparking a rebellion from deep within the forests.…

Book cover of The Lion and the Fox: Two Rival Spies and the Secret Plot to Build a Confederate Navy

The Lion and the Fox By Alexander Rose,

From the author of Washington’s Spies, the thrilling story of two rival secret agents — one Confederate, the other Union — sent to Britain during the Civil War.

The South’s James Bulloch, charming and devious, was ordered to acquire a clandestine fleet intended to break Lincoln’s blockade, sink Northern…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Western Front (WW1), World War 1, and presidential biography?

World War 1 939 books