The Donkeys: A History of the British Expeditionary Force in 1915 by: Alan Clark
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Publisher: Pimlico
Release date: 12th December, 1991
Media: Paperback
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Rating: 
- ALL THE KING`S HORSES & ALL THE KING`S MEN ...
BRILLIANT
1 of the classic works on the 1914-1918 War.
The literary equivalent of a 5.9" bombardment which shifts up a gear at points to a barrage to reveal a vital area of the hidden history of war that you will only find brief allusions to in the official narratives.
The internal personal & political culture of the Britsh Army`s General Staff & its corrosive effect on operations is dragged out into the light in defiance of the powerful - & up until then broadly successful - endeavours by its former members post-war to bury it.
Devastatingly well written, incisive, gliding effortlessly from the confusions & chaos of the front line Sectors to the careerist political games well behind the line of the British Expeditionay Force`s most senior General Staff echelon in France in 1915.
It is the author`s lasting testament. If only he had gone on to produce another 6 works of this calibre rather than pursuing a minor political career he would now be 1 of the great writers of England`s contemporary martial story.
Ajax Bardrick, Surrey, England. 20.3.2010.
Rating: - Entertaining read, a polemic rather than a history
If you read this as a polemic - something that puts forward the case agaist the British generals, an opening sally rather than the last word on the subject, this is an entertaining and somewhat convincing book. Although current historiography is very much on the side of the British generals (as other reviews show) there is a case to answer for the terrible waste of life, despite the eventual success of the army. The descriptions of the offensives are very good. I enjoyed the outlining of the political machinations between British army and politicians, and the french.
Rating: 
- Appalling - Full of myths and nonsense debunked for 20 years
Professor Michael Howard summed this book up as "a worthless history", Dr John Bourne; the University of Birmingham justly cites it as "preserving historical writing about the Great War in its ridiculously protracted adolescence". This is generous. Clark is an agenda driven politician with an appalling grasp of the First World War.
Firstly, Clark lied about the title. The German General he claimed attached this phrase to the British Army had not said that at all. Clark admitted this before his death.
The British Army was a Colonial police force in 1914, with a core of highly trained men. By 1918 it was the most sophisticated Army in the World. British Generals began a learning curve in 1914 which reached its peak in 1918. Most of them had never commanded above Division level before. They were learning on the job. The Battles of Loos, Neuve Chappelle, the Somme and Ypres were a part of this learning process. The British Armies had not operated in such masses since Napoleon. They did not have the experience of the French or Germans. But within four years had matched and surpassed them in terms of tactics and technical quality.
The inconvenient truth for Clark is - the Allies won and the British played a vital part. He dismisses this as a result of numbers, and blockade. In fact it was three massive attrition damage done to the German Army on the Western Front that forced Germany to seek an armistice. It was the losses at the Somme, which force the German economy to move to total war in order to stave off defeat that was the driving force for the collapse.
There is much more: But Clark's 'work' is not scholarly or academic it just plays on casualties and the "six inches of ground won". Claiming Chateaux Generals threw away thousands of lives "doing the same thing" - utter nonsense.
For those who want to become academics - try reading Gary Sheffield's Forgotten victory.
Rating: - Money-making from poor history
Alan Clarke was not a historian. He just needed some money for his castle and his philandering. So hid did zero research and dashed of this tripe.
With its catchy title and telling people what they wanted to hear, plus a few generous revies from friends, it did very well.
Clarke repaired his castle and the graves and legacy of great men (5.8 million of them) were danced on merrily.
A dreadful book, completely beneath contempt.
Rating: 
- Always astounds me
Alan Clark (loathed) writes this piece and is the last person you would think of criticising the generals .
But this is what you get and it is as good an indictment you will get .
It is not written by some anti war revisionist but somebody who sees it for what it is.
The arguement that the archives are now open does not wash with me ,there is far to much evidence.
Read a genuine letter recently after the Battle of Loos and the quote was ''our artillery failed to break the wire ,same old problem as before''
So why was the same tactic used at the Somme .
This book is a triumph.
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