Captain Otto Schwink

Ypres 1914: An Official Account Published by Order of the German General Staff. Captain Otto Schwink

The full title of this book is "The Battle of the Yser and of Ypres in the Autumn 1914" and it gives equal coverage to both. It was written by a Captain Otto Schwink, a General Staff Officer, in 1917 - too close in time to the operations it describes to have permitted proper research and so provide a more objective account. It was intended primarily for public consumption and was how the German General Staff wished the campaign to be seen. Nevertheless, it is interesting to read the other side's point of view and balance is to some extent restored by the series of footnotes provided throughout the narrative by our own Historical Section (Military Branch).*