The German view on the First World War

As we approach the centenary of the First World War, historian Alexander Watson, author of Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918, offers a German and Austro-Hungarian perspective on the events of 1914–18 and explains how the Central Powers were overcome by the Allies. Meanwhile, we continue our series of extracts from interviews with veterans of the war, this time focusing on the month the conflict broke out.