Retreat, A Story Of 1918( Series - The Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War )

Retreat is based on the authors combat experiences as a British Fifth Army artillery officer during the massive German advance in March 1918. The book centers on the British retreat as experienced by an egotistical chaplain ill suited to combat. The soldiers have little interest in religion and the pacifist priest is useless in their environment. Juxtaposed against the chaplain is a battle-fatigued officer who maintains his courage in the face of insurmountable odds through an empowering sense of national duty. In this theater of battle, the author describes the cruel injustices of the war as he knew it and the inadequacies of religion to address the harsh circumstances on the front.