Toward the Flame: A Memoir of World War I

Toward the Flame: A Memoir of World War I
by Hervey Allen

Toward the Flame: A Memoir of World War I
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Book Summary Information

Author: Hervey Allen
Introduction: Steven Kirk Trout
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-06-01
ISBN: 0803259476
Number of pages: 282
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780803259478
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of Toward the Flame: A Memoir of World War I

Book Review: Poignant and climactic memoir from the AEF in 1918
Summary: 5 Stars

"Toward the Flame" by Hervey Allen is a groundbreaking work in the field of combat memoirs. Allen is perhaps one of the first men to have made an attempt to relay the awful reality of modern warfare to the public. Allen first published his book in 1926 when the conflict was still relatively fresh in the country's psyche, as well as his own. He stated his purpose for writing in the very first pages of the book and I felt that it set the tone for the reader and established his motives for retelling his experience.

Many books and articles that were written during World War I or shortly after did not come close to expressing the thoughts and memories of many WW I veterans. For various reasons, the public did not have a clear picture of what the American Expeditionary Force had been through during the fateful campaigns of 1918. I am familiar with certain titles that were popular as the war ended such as "The Glory of the Trenches" and "Private Peat", which depicted the war in romanticized terms. These certainly bordered on propaganda and gave very little hint of the suffering and horror that was standard place in the trenches.

In Allen's introduction he states his reasons for writing are almost in response to the generally accepted tales of war. He wanted to tell people the real story, free of any type of propaganda that was so prevalent and destructive during the WW I era. He also was suffering from Post traumatic stress and nightmares, which he readily admits contributed to his desire to put the chaotic memories into words and perhaps expel some of the horrors in a literary catharsis. I have found that when the author admits he is writing in large part to straighten the events out in his own mind (thus putting the horrors into the past), the book has a candid and haunting aspect that leaves the reader with a poignant story of war's frustration and misery. Allen's memoir is just such a book. I do believe it to be one of, if not the finest personal narratives of World War I from an American perspective. That said, it is not without a few minor omissions or structural problems, but these are quite few and do not detract from the raw power of Allen's story.

He begins and ends the book very abruptly; these were minor problems for me, but it could have been a deliberate literary device to give the story a vivid dream like quality as the author's powerful imagery hits the reader straightaway. Allen states that he is a lieutenant in the 28th Infantry Division, a unit made of Pennsylvania National Guard regiments. He is a member of the 111th Infantry regiment, but this is never stated by the author. He omits nearly all historically relevant details or analysis that was not available to him while he was fighting. This is a very interesting choice as it prevents the reader from tying in the story with the larger picture of the war, but gives the book an "on the ground" feeling that is only created in the best memoirs.

The first two thirds of the book is typical of the Army's "hurry up and wait" policy as Allen's unit engages in forced marches only to be held in reserve for days at a time, the only exception being a brief stint in "Death Valley" on the Marne River where the troops get their first dose of shell shock. One of the great strengths of the book was the buildup in suspense as Allen nears the front and the carnage comes closer and closer. It really creates such a climactic ending, the likes of which I've never quite read as he relays the tragedy of the battle for Fismes and Fismette on the Vesle River. Even though the combat segment is relatively short, it ranks among the best day by day retellings of war from a personal standpoint. An amazingly crafted climactic tale of the AEF in 1918.

Summary of Toward the Flame: A Memoir of World War I

Considered by many to be the finest American combat memoir of the First World War, Hervey Allen?s Toward the Flame vividly chronicles the experiences of the Twenty-eighth Division in the summer of 1918. Made up primarily of Pennsylvania National Guardsmen, the Twenty-eighth Division saw extensive action on the Western Front. The story begins with Lieutenant Allen and his men marching inland from the French coast and ends with their participation in the disastrous battle for the village of Fismette. Allen was a talented observer, and the men with whom he served emerge as well-rounded characters against the horrific backdrop of the war.
 
As a historical document, Toward the Flame is significant for its highly detailed account of the controversial military action at Fismette. At the same time, it easily stands as a work of literature. Clear-eyed and unsentimental, Allen employs the novelist?s powers of description to create a harrowing portrait of coalition war at its worst.

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