General Sarrail, Rene Vanlande - Armée d’Orient, WWI, 2 First Editions incl. Signed Copy Complete with map & Original Publisher’s - 1920-1939

A scarce and historically important lot of two first-edition books documenting the history and memory of the Armée d’Orient, the French field army that operated on the Macedonian (Salonika) Front during World War I.

The Armée d’Orient was formed in September 1915 following the invasion of Serbia by German, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian forces. Deployed to Salonika (Thessaloniki), it became the backbone of the Allied presence in the Balkans. In August 1916, all Allied troops on the front were unified under French command as the Allied Army of the Orient (AAO). After years of trench warfare, the front was decisively broken in September 1918, following the Battle of Dobro Pole, leading to Bulgaria’s collapse and contributing to the end of the war.

This lot brings together two complementary perspectives: an insider military memoir by the army’s commander and a later interwar commemorative work reflecting on the historical significance of the campaign.

1. General Maurice Sarrail – Mon commandement en Orient

Publisher: Ernest Flammarion, Paris

Year: 1920

Edition: First Edition

Pages: 424

Dimensions: 18.5 cm × 12 cm

Binding: Original softcover

Condition: Good vintage condition with typical age-related wear. Please refer to the images.

Written by General Maurice Sarrail (1856–1929), commander of the Armée d’Orient, this first-hand account offers a detailed and often controversial view of the Salonika campaign. Sarrail, a politically progressive officer in a largely conservative army, commanded a multinational Allied force amid intense diplomatic tension in Greece, where King Constantine was pro-German and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos pro-Allied. The book is a key primary source for understanding the political, military, and strategic complexities of the Macedonian Front.


2. René Vanlande – Soldats d’Orient, vous aviez fait une Europe nouvelle

Publisher: J. Peyronnet, Paris

Year: 1939

Edition: First Edition

Signature: Hand-signed and dedicated by the author

Illustrations: Includes a folding map at the end of the volume, 'Europe Centrale et Orientale en 1914'

Pages: 260

Dimensions: 19 cm × 12 cm

Binding: Original softcover

Condition: Good vintage condition with light age-related wear. Please refer to the images.

A commemorative interwar work paying homage to the Armées d’Orient and their role in shaping post–World War I Europe. Written in 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, the book reflects the French republican memory of WWI, emphasizing the Balkans campaign and the symbolic importance of French military presence in Eastern Europe.

This copy is signed and dedicated to Mademoiselle Van der Elst, a relative of Joseph Julien Marie Ignace van der Elst (1896–1971), Belgian diplomat, writer, and art collector. The lot includes the original publisher’s envelope clipping with sender and recipient details and period postage stamps, enhancing its provenance and historical interest.

Significance

Together, these two first editions form a coherent and highly collectible documentary ensemble on the Armée d’Orient and the Macedonian Front, combining:

A contemporary military memoir (1920)

A later commemorative reflection (1939)

A signed and well-documented copy with provenance

An excellent lot for collectors of World War I history, French military campaigns, Balkan history, and interwar commemorative publications.

Shipping

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