Bryan J Dickerson

To The Fallen Bryan J Dickerson

In the chaotic weeks following the June 1914 assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austria-Hungarian Empire and his wife Sophie by Serbian terrorists, the major powers of Europe lined up in their respective belligerent alliances supporting either Austria-Hungary or Serbia. The leaders of Europe had no idea what they were in for. Few could have foreseen not only the length of the struggle into which they were to cast themselves but the unimaginable carnage that that struggle would unleash. Estimates vary as to the total number of deaths attributable to the First World War but it would be fairly accurate to say that about 10 million soldiers died as a result of combat or disease and another 11 million civilians perished as well . In his book To The Fallen, military historian and author Bryan J. Dickerson offers a series of short essays and reflections upon the First World War, focusing upon the military service members who paid the ultimate cost for the arrogance, poor judgment and belligerence of their respective senior political and military leaders. While it is impossible to know the names and stories of all those who died, we should make every effort to remember some of their names and learn some of their stories. While this book contains the names of several thousand service members who died in the war, they represent just a fraction of the total number who died.