To the Last Man
Encyclopedia
To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War (2004) is a historical novel written by Jeff Shaara
about the experience of a number of combatants in World War I
. The book became a national best seller and received praise from people such as General Tommy Franks
.
The novel is based on the arrival of General John J. Pershing
with American troops on the Western Front
in 1917. Moving in a new direction from Shaara's previous novels, the book focuses not only on generals but also on the everyday American doughboys, including the experiences of a character named Roscoe Temple, and a chapter about a new British recruit who refills the ranks, only to be killed during an attack on the German trenches several hours later.
The book also profiles aviation aces such as Germany's Manfred von Richthofen
and America's Raoul Lufbery
.
Jeffrey Shaara
Jeffrey M. "Jeff" Shaara is an American novelist, the son of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara.Jeffrey Shaara was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida...
about the experience of a number of combatants in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The book became a national best seller and received praise from people such as General Tommy Franks
Tommy Franks
Tommy Ray Franks is a retired general in the United States Army. His last Army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States Armed Forces operations in a 25-country region, including the Middle East...
.
The novel is based on the arrival of General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
with American troops on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in 1917. Moving in a new direction from Shaara's previous novels, the book focuses not only on generals but also on the everyday American doughboys, including the experiences of a character named Roscoe Temple, and a chapter about a new British recruit who refills the ranks, only to be killed during an attack on the German trenches several hours later.
The book also profiles aviation aces such as Germany's Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
and America's Raoul Lufbery
Raoul Lufbery
Gervais Raoul Lufbery was aFrench-American fighter pilot and flying ace in World War I. Because he served in both French aviation, and later the United States Army Air Service in World War I, he is sometimes listed as a French ace and sometimes as an American ace, though all but one of his 17...
.