The desperate stand against overwhelming enemy forces undertaken by Smith-Dorrien's II Corps on 26 August 1914 is one of the iconic actions fought by the old BEF. See our summary. Trumpeted at the time as a serious defeat of the enemy, Le Cateau became a totem for the Old Contempibles. Later, British commander in chief Sir John French would bitterly criticise Smith-Dorrien for his actions, in his polemic autobiographical "1914" and the battle (or more accurately, the command decisions that led to it) remains controversial.
Nigel Cave, editor of the Battleground Europe series and author of several works in the series, has on this occasion teamed up with Jack Sheldon to provide an absorbing and valuable guidebook to the battle and battleground. Jack seems to be cornering the market in providing an English language view from the German side, which is a refreshing development and going some way to providing a broader perspective and correcting some British myths.
The format of the book will be familiar to anyone who has seen a Battleground Europe edition. Small format, paperback, lots of photographs and maps. A text sketch of the history of the battle, with several invidual stories and anecdotes thrown in; followed by suggested tour routes around the area and some sound advice for travellers.
The fluid nature of the retreat from Mons in August 1914, of which Le Cateau was but one incident (if a large and vital one), means that the area of ground covered by this book is quite large. The Le Cateau area is of wide open, rolling country with splendid views. It can be bitter in the winter wind, with icy rain whipping your face. In August 1914 it was sunny and hot. When you are there it is quite easy to imagine the gunners, toiling away under a torrent of German shellfire - and by and large it is easy to put yourself physically where they were, for this is an easy battlefield to navigate. The folds in the ground and the church spires tell you all you need to know and armed with the maps in this book you will not go far wrong. Le Cateau itself is a small and rather uninteresting town but has plenty of cafes, restaurants and other amenities for the tourist.
A good and worthwhile addition to the series: perhaps one of the better ones.
Now, who will write the 1918 guide to Le Cateau? In a much larger attack known as the Battle of the Selle, Haig's army took a huge step towards the defeat of the enemy. Not as personal, not perhaps as engaging as the tale of derring-do by the Old Contemptibles, but arguably far more important.
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