"The most important book on military history I've read in 5-years. If I could buy a copy for every member of Parliament, I would." -- Justin Maciejewski DSO MBE, Director of the National Army Museum "Both [authors] are former soldiers, Dannatt having ended his career as chief of the general staff; and they bring their military perspective to their account of this vitally important period. As such their work is highly useful.an interesting and well-researched study of a crucial episode." -- Simon Heffer, The Sunday Telegraph "A compelling history." -- The Sunday Times "The meat of this book looks at the squandering of the very lessons that delivered victory." -- The Critic "[A] thought provoking book.

Robert Lyman is one of the surest, most astute and diligent of military historians writing today." --Allan Mallinson, The Spectator "Powerful and well-researched, Victory to Defeat is a superb example of how history can explain the present and inform the future. Highly recommended." -- Lloyd Clark, author of 'The Commanders' "An unflinching account of how the British Army threw away the hard-earned lessons of the Western Front, only to face defeat and ruin in France in 1940, which sends out a powerful message for our time: we must think deeply about war and warfighting, and support our fighting men and women with all that they need, if we are not to risk another seismic failure on the battlefield. An essential and urgent book." -- Professor Nick Lloyd FRHistS, author of 'The Western Front' "Their analysis is succinct, scholarly, convincing, and, with the largest war since 1945 raging in Europe today, timely. It covers strategy, tactics, resources and capabilities, as one would expect, but also ranges far outside military explanations for the debacle, and will be the standard work on the subject for many years to come." -- Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny' "What makes "Victory to Defeat" particularly worth reading is its relevance today.

The book shows what happens when a military neglects its core function - defense of a nation and the ability to project power against peer rivals. The book is a cautionary tale about the results of making secondary goals, such as today's pursuit of equity and climate change by the US Military, its main focus." -- Ricochet "A captivating must-read history of the mismanagement of the war-winning British army." -- ARGunners "The book gives ample evidence of missed opportunities, proof of siloed and sidelined expertise, and the certainty that another large war wouldn't happen again in Europe." -- Library Journal "Dannatt and Lyman tell an engaging history of the British army, 1918 to 1940, that offers many lessons in "the failure of both political and military leadership and disfunctionality between the two." The prose is straightforward and engaging, with facts and not sermons." -- New York Journal of Books.