First World War Books

Book SynopsisThe moving story of the 1918 Red Cross Pearl Necklace Appeal, and the women who donated pearls in soldiers’ memory

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisWith the centennial of the First World War rapidly approaching, historian and bibliographer James T. Controvich offers in The United States in World War I: A Bibliographic Guide the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference bibliography yet published. Organized by subject, this bibliography includes the full range of sources: vintage publications of the time, books, pamphlets, periodical titles, theses, dissertations, and archival sources held by federal and state organizations, as well as those in public and private hands, including historical societies and museums. As Controvich's bibliographic accounting makes clear, there were many facets of World War I that remain virtually unknown to this day. Throughout, Controvich's bibliography tracks the primary sources that tell each of these storiesand many others besidesduring this tense period in American history. Each entry lists the author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, and page count as well as descriptive information concerning illustrations, plates, ports, maps, diagrams, and plans. The armed forces section carries additional information on rosters, awards, citations, and killed and wounded in action lists. The United States in World War I: A Bibliographic Guide is an ideal research tool for students and scholars of World War I and American history.Trade ReviewThe 100th Anniversary of World War I is quickly approaching and with will come renewed interest in the “war to end all wars.” James Controvich, an esteemed and seasoned writer of historical biographies offers the reader the United States in World War I: A Bibliographic Guide. Controvich has an excellent record of publishing bibliographies on military history and has even won several major awards for reference works. This book puts itself forward as “the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference bibliography (on the topic) published." It garners its information from vintage publications to federal and state materials, archival materials, to the most recent dissertations (primary and secondary). Organized by subject, each individual entry lists the author, title, place of publication, date of publication, and page. It covers Diplomatic, Economic, Government and Non-Government agencies, the different branches of the Armed Services, and State Histories just to name a few. The appendixes and index are most useful too. Overall, this reference book is a good value and definitely significant to the serious World War I scholar; it is also well organized and easy to use. This title is recommended. * American Reference Books Annual *The upcoming WW I centennial is stimulating renewed interest in and a wave of research and publication on the conflict that many say defined the 20th century. This new bibliography, which covers all aspects of the US experience in the war from 1914 to 1918, seeks to fill the need for finding aids that assist with original research and with identifying work already done. Controvich, a prolific bibliographer on 20th-century US military history, is well qualified for such an undertaking. Topically organized, the book's chapters cover American diplomacy, economic issues, the war's impact on American society, each branch of the armed forces, US government agencies, and nongovernmental service organizations. Entries list bibliographic information such as author, title, and publisher, and descriptive information on illustrations, maps, and more. This source will be particularly useful for readers with an interest in unit histories, the activities of service organizations, and the contributions of individual states. The book features a rich collection of contemporary government and organizational reports. Included is an alphabetical name/subject index by page numbers; an author index would have been helpful. This source is too ponderous and expensive for public libraries, but should be in every academic library that supports large military collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. * CHOICE *With many libraries purging their collections of World War I materials, only larger research facilities like the Library of Congress have retained older works. Just by helping researchers know what exists, Controvich hopes to facilitate hands-on research in libraries and wean researchers off their reliance on more easily available digitized resources… The guide offers multiple benefits, therefore, for academic scholars, genealogists, teachers, and students… Overall, it deserves a place on library shelves as a quality scholarly reference work that will aid researchers in producing new works to commemorate the war’s centennial. * Journal of Military History *[T]he author, award-winning researcher James Controvich, has dug up material I've not come across in almost a quarter of a century of my own digging. I have included the table of contents below for your own perusal. However, what is really a treat for the dedicated WWI enthusiast is flipping through the pages and discovering delicious works on such topics as: life aboard an American battleship assigned to the 6th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet; the nuts and bolts of the Selective Service system; Elihu Root's mission to Russia; internment camps in the U.S.; and a list of titles on Pershing's Second Army and its aborted and overlooked offensive of November 1918. Great stuff! * WorldWar1.com *

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Book SynopsisAlthough tanks have become a symbol of military power, the first tanks were created as a temporary solution to the deadlock created by trench warfare. This book covers the design and development of tanks during the First World War, describing the types that were used in action and the most important battles in which they fought.Table of Contents1) The Landships Committee 2) The tank in action 3) French and German tanks 4) 1918 5) Conclusion 6) Further reading 7) Places to visit

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Book SynopsisSet during the heroism and heartbreak of World War I, and in an occupied France in an alternative timeline, Sarah Adlakha's Midnight on the Marne explores the responsibilities love lays on us and the rippling impact of our choices.France, 1918. Nurse Marcelle Marchand has important secrets to keep. Her role as a spy has made her both feared and revered, but it has also put her in extreme danger from the approaching German army.American soldier George Mountcastle feels an instant connection to the young nurse. But in times of war, love must wait. Soon, George and his best friend Philip are fighting for their lives during the Second Battle of the Marne, where George prevents Philip from a daring act that might have won the battle at the cost of his own life.On the run from a victorious Germany, George and Marcelle begin a new life with Philip and Marcelle's twin sister, Rosalie, in a brutally occupied France. Together, this self-made family naviga

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Book SynopsisOsprey is proud to reissue this historically significant publication, which offers a unique insight into perceptions of how to wage war in 1914.In this fascinating little book, Baden-Powell uses his extensive military experience and memories of service in Africa to distill soldiering down to ''the four C-s'': Courage, Common sense, Cunning and Cheerfulness. With observations gleaned from his campaigns against the Zulus, the Ashanti and the Boers during the period 18761910 (and even from conversations with the German Kaiser), B-P discusses all aspects of military service from digging trenches and earth-works to inculcating cheerfulness in your men. This period document gives a unique insight into the mindset of the British officer in 1914; advocating a training system that encapsulated Edwardian values,conventional military thinking and centuries of army tradition. Quick Training For War is a perfect example of the type of war the British expected to fig

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Book SynopsisThe inspiration for the film Testament of Youth, this book from Mark Bostridge (Vera Brittain''s biographer) tells the story of a remarkable woman and her extraordinary account of the destructive power of war.In the midst of her studies at Oxford when war broke out across Europe, Vera Brittain left university in 1915 to become a V.A.D (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurse, treating soldiers in London, Malta and Etaples in France. The events of the First World War were to have an enormous impact on her life. Four of Brittain''s closest friends including her fiancé Roland Leighton and her brother Edward Brittain MC were killed in action, sparking a lifelong commitment to pacifism.In 1933 she published Testament of Youth, the first of three books dealing with her experience of war. In equal measures courageous, tragic and deeply fascinating, Testament of Youth is one of the most compelling and important works of war literature ever to have been written by a British Table of ContentsList of illustrations Foreword 1 Provincial Young Ladyhood 1893-1914 2 Love and War 1914-1915 3 To the Bitter End 1916-1918 4 Didn't Women Have Their War As Well? 1918-1933 5 From Book to Film 1934-2014 Afterword: Ipplepen 269: The Tragic Fate of Edward Brittain Chronology Gazetteer of Places Associated with Vera Brittain and Testament of Youth Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisJuly 1918. A band of Allied Royal Flying Corps airmen are determined to escape Germany's harshest POW camp. Their plan will become the most ambitious mass breakout attempt of the Great War.Trade ReviewEntertaining . . . very little is known about the escape artists of World War I, but Bascomb's suspenseful and well-researched book could change that * Daily Mail *Fascinating * Daily Express *Terrific . . . [a] stirring story * Mail on Sunday *A remarkable piece of hidden history, told perfectly . . . brims with adventure, suspense, daring, and heroism * David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon *It's riveting reading, but more than that, it's inspiring * Candice Millard, author of Hero of the Empire *Absorbing * Choice Magazine *A remarkable piece of hidden history, told perfectly...brims with adventure, suspense, daring, and heroism * David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon *

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Book SynopsisThis text is one of the few surviving eyewitness sources on the Assyrian genocide during the First World War, written by a seminarian living in greater Tur Abdin (the southeast of today's Turkish state). It is translated and annotated by a master of Syriac with an in-depth knowledge of modern Assyrian history.

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Book SynopsisMoving and inspired book ... An evocative and deeply affecting requiem for what might have been.' - Douglas Smith, author of Rasputin and Former PeopleA World on Edge reveals Europe in 1918, left in ruins by World War I. But with the end of hostilities, a radical new start seems not only possible, but essential, even unavoidable. Unorthodox ideas light up the age like the comets that have recently passed overhead: new politics, new societies, new art and culture, new thinking. The struggle to determine the future has begun.The sculptor Käthe Kollwitz, whose son died in the war, was translating sorrow and loss into art. Ho Chi Minh was working as a dishwasher in Paris and dreaming of liberating Vietnam, his homeland. Captain Harry S. Truman was running a men’s haberdashery in Kansas City, hardly expecting that he was about to go bankrupt – and later become president of the United States. Professor Moina Michael was about to invent the 'remembrance poppy', a symbol of sacrifice that will stand for generations to come. Meanwhile Virginia Woolf had just published her first book and was questioning whether that sacrifice was worth it, while the artist George Grosz was so revolted by the violence on the streets of Berlin that he decides everything is meaningless. For rulers and revolutionaries, a world of power and privilege was dying – while for others, a dream of overthrowing democracy was being born.With novelistic virtuosity, historian Daniel Schönpflug describes this watershed year as it was experienced on the ground – open ended, unfathomable, its outcome unclear. Told from the vantage points of people, famous and ordinary, good and evil, who lived through the turmoil and combining a multitude of acutely observed details, Schönpflug composes a brilliantly conceived panorama of a world suspended between enthusiasm and disappointment, and of a moment in which the window of opportunity was suddenly open, only to quickly close shut once again.Trade Review‘Outstanding . . . a wonderfully stimulating guide to a world that knew it had changed utterly but was fearful about where it was heading.’ * Evening Standard *With great care, a marvellous eye for detail and a highly accomplished style, [Daniel Schönpflug] reveals this time anew and allows readers to rediscover the twentieth century and themselves. A masterpiece. -- Philipp Blom, author of Fracture: Life and Culture in the West, 1918–1938Historian Daniel Schönpflug gives us a kaleidoscope of sparkling stories . . . elegantly composed and beautifully written. -- Alexander Gallus * Die Zeit *For a brief moment a century ago the end of the Great War offered peace and the prospect of a bright new social order to a dark, ravaged Europe. In his moving and inspired book, historian Daniel Schönpflug recreates how these days were experienced by the people who lived them—their struggles, dreams, and desires—and traces the elusive fate of their noble visions. An evocative and deeply affecting requiem for what might have been. -- Douglas Smith, author of Rasputin and Former PeopleThis turbulent era left its mark on the biographies of people fromall walks of life. Schönpflug introduces readers to all theseindividual stories so vividly you could almost think they onlyhappened a few moments ago. -- Sibylle Lewitscharoff, author of Blumenberg

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Book Synopsis1918 proved to be the Allies’ year of victory, but what a monumental effort it was! From the moment Germany launched its all-out Spring offensive to win the war, British and Empire troops fought a tenacious and often last-ditch rearguard action. The Germans gambled with their best, battle-hardened men in one desperate offensive after another, searching for a decisive breakthrough that never came. In those dark days of March, April and May 1918, Allied troops were tested as never before, their morale placed under microscopic scrutiny, their will to win examined and re-examined. Once again, the soldiers tell their story, giving their own perceptive thoughts and profoundly moving insights while never forgetting the humour that helped them survive. And when the tables were turned in August, there began a campaign that would throw the enemy across the old ruptured battlefields of 1916 and 1917 and beyond, into open untouched countryside in the full bloom of summer. It took a hundred days of relentless fighting to reach Mons, the Belgian town where it had all started four years before. A century on, best-selling First World War historian Richard van Emden builds on the success of his previous books, The Somme and The Road to Passchendaele, with this next volume including an extraordinary collection of soldiers’ photographs taken on their illegally-held cameras. Utilising an unparalleled collection of memoirs, diaries and letters written by the men who fought, Richard tells the riveting story of 1918, when decisive victory was grasped from near catastrophe.

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Book Synopsisn War Fever, celebrated sports historians Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith explore the monumental changes taking place in Boston during the Great War through the stories of three men: Karl Muck, the German conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Charles Whittlesey, a Harvard Law Student who was called to service and became an unlikely leader; and perhaps the most famous baseball player of all time, the Red Sox's Babe Ruth. Each was cast into the turmoil of the war, and each emerged as a public figure of one sort or another: one a villain, one a hero, one an athlete.Throughout the war, Bostonians lived on high alert; fearing an attack on the city's harbor, mines were anchored in the bay and a wire net stretched across the channels to prevent German submarines from encroaching. In an ethnically diverse city, fraught with tension between interventionists and pacifists, the war unleashed intolerance, hostility, and xenophobia.Karl Muck, after allegedly refusing to perform the "Star-Spangled Banner" at a symphony concert, was detained by federal agents and accused of espionage. His arrest soon became a national scandal as he was labeled a "dangerous enemy alien" and sent to an internment camp in Tennessee. Across the Atlantic, on the Western Front, Charles Whittlesey won overnight fame when he refused to surrender the makeshift battalion he commanded to the Germans. Dubbed by newspapers as "the Lost Battalion," Whittlesey and his men symbolized their country's iron resolve in one of the war's bloodiest battles. And for George Herman Ruth, perhaps the most famous German-American at the time, the war was transformative, paving the way for his metamorphosis from the most dominant left-handed pitcher in the game to the sport's greatest slugger.Together, the stories of these three men reveal how a city and a nation confronted the havoc of a new world order, the struggle to endure the war, and all its unforeseen consequences. At once a gripping narrative of American culture in upheaval and a sweeping account of the conflict, War Fever is narrative history at its best.

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Book SynopsisIn War Fever, celebrated sports historians Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith explore the monumental changes taking place in Boston during the Great War through the stories of three men: Karl Muck, the German conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Charles Whittlesey, a Harvard Law Student who was called to service and became an unlikely leader; and perhaps the most famous baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth. Each was cast into the turmoil of the war, and each emerged as a public figure of one sort or another: one a villain, one a hero, one an athlete.Throughout the war, Bostonians lived on high alert; fearing an attack on the city's harbor, mines were anchored in the bay and a wire net stretched across the channels to prevent German submarines from encroaching. In an ethnically diverse city, fraught with tension between interventionists and pacifists, the war unleashed intolerance, hostility, and xenophobia. Together, the stories of these three men reveal how a city and a nation confronted the havoc of a new world order, the struggle to endure the war, and all its unforeseen consequences. At once a gripping narrative of American culture in upheaval and a sweeping account of the conflict, War Fever is narrative history at its best.

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Book SynopsisTwentyoneyearold Leonhard Rempe volunteered to serve Germany in 1914. By the time World War One ended, he had seen action on both major fronts, witnessed the war from the back of a horse and the cockpit of plane, and amassed one of the more unique records of anyone in the Kaiser’s army. From German Cavalry Officer to Reconnaissance Pilot is his remarkable story. Rempe initially served as a cavalryman in the 35th (1st West Prussian) Field Artillery of the XX ArmeeKorps, fighting in several bloody and significant battles against the Russians on the Eastern Front. In 1916, he exchanged his spurs for the cockpit and transferred to the Western front. Flying specially built planes for reconnaissance work was dangerous duty, but Rempe relished his time in the open cockpits, flying at altitudes high and low to provide detailed intelligence information for the German army. He met and knew many of the pilots who flew in both fighter and reconnaissance planes, including Manfred von Richthoven—the Red Baron. Unlike so many of his fellow pilots, Rempe survived several crashes, and was shot down over Reims, France, in March of 1918. At war’s end, Rempe returned to a defeated Germany in the midst of turmoil and revolution and served briefly in a Freikorps (Free Corps) regiment dedicated to preserving the new government in Weimar against German Communists. Seeking a new beginning, he arrived at Ellis Island in the spring of 1923 to start his life as an American. He brought with him flight reports, other miscellaneous documents, and scores of remarkable photographs documenting his wartime service, most of which are published here for the first time. During 1956, the last year of his life, Rempe penned a brief memoir of his World War One service which, together with the photographic record, forms the basis of From German Cavalry Officer to Reconnaissance Pilot. Using primary and secondary sources Dr. Paul Rempe provides insight into the grim realities of Leonhard’s war while his father’s own memoir recalls his special comradeship with his fellow soldiers and airmen. From German Cavalry Officer to Reconnaissance Pilot adds substantially to the growing literature of the First World War, and paints a unique and compelling portrait of a young German caught up in the deadly jaws of mass industrialized war.Trade ReviewIn an age where so many World War I histories simply rehash well-known material, From German Cavalry Officer to Reconnaissance Pilot is a fresh and insightful look into those violent times by a man who lived them.” * Misc US Reviewer *

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Book SynopsisBy the end of World War I, 45,000 Australians had died on the Western Front. Some bodies had been hastily buried mid-battle in massed graves; others were mutilated beyond recognition. Often men were simply listed as 'Missing in Action' because nobody knew for sure.Lieutenant Robert Burns was one of the missing, and now that the guns had fallen silent his father wanted to know what had become of his son. He wasn't the only one looking for answers. A loud clamour arose from Australia for information and the need for the dead to be buried respectfully. Many of the Australians charged with the grisly task of finding and reburying the dead were deeply flawed. Each had his own reasons for preferring to remain in France instead of returning home. In the end there was a great scandal, with allegations of 'body hoaxing' and gross misappropriation of money and army possessions leading to two highly secretive inquiries. Untold until now, Missing in Action is the compelling and unexpected story of those dark days and darker deeds and a father's desperate search for his son's remains.

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Book SynopsisAdolf Hitler, writing in Mein Kampf, was scathing in his condemnation of German propaganda in World War I, declaring that Germany failed to recognise that the mobilization of public opinion was a weapon of the first order. This, despite the fact that propaganda had been regarded by the German leadership, arguably for the first time, as an intrinsic part of the war effort. In this book, David Welch fully examines German society - politics, propaganda, public opinion and total war - in the Great War. Drawing on a wide range of sources - posters, newspapers, journals, film, Parliamentary debates, police and military reports and private papers - he argues that the moral collapse of Germany was due less to the failure to disseminate propaganda than to the inability of the military authorities and the Kaiser to reinforce this propaganda, and to acknowledge the importance of public opinion in forging an effective link between leadership and the people.Trade Review"This is the most important book about German information policy, including censorship, 1914-18, ever written. David Welch has written a brilliant book about the uses of propaganda by Germany in World War I to instruct, uplift and control domestic opinion in a time of total war." David Culbert, Professor of History, Louisiana State University, USA. "..throws fresh light not only on the propaganda history of the Great War, but also on why the German people were able and willing to sustain their support for their government's war effort. David Welch has made yet another significant contribution to the history of the Twentieth Century - the people's century, the century of total war and of the communications revolution." Philip M. Taylor (1954-2010), Professor of International Communications, University of Leeds, UK ."..its contribution to the growing historiography of the First World War and its social, cultural and intellectual impact is clear. This book will appeal to general readers in European history as well as specialists in German history or the First World War and is now among the important works dealing with the origins of propaganda as a factor in modern politics." Vejas Liulevicius, "Journal of Modern History"."..[an] extraordinarily wide-ranging, intelligent and authoritative study...an outstanding piece of historical scholarship. Throughout the book, Welch sustains a complex and subtle analysis that provides his readers with an entirely new understanding of both the devastating German experience of the First World War on the home front and the ill-considered domestic policies that were, to such a large extent, responsible for their experience." Nicholas Reeves, "Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television"Table of ContentsPreface to the paperback edition Introduction Days of Decision: Germany on the Eve of War The Mobilization of the Masses War Aims The Crucible of War Dissenting Voices: Pacifism, Feminist Ferment and the Women’s Movement War Aims Again Civilians ‘Fall-In’ Defeat and revolution Conclusion: ‘The Sins of Omission’

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Military History Matters Book of the Year Award 2019 By August 1918, the outcome of the Great War was not in doubt: the Allies would win. But what was unclear was how this defeat would play out - would the Germans hold on, prolonging the fighting deep into 1919, with the loss of hundreds of thousands more young lives, or could the war be won in 1918? In The Last Battle, Peter Hart, author of Gallipoli and The Great War, and oral historian at the Imperial War Museum, brings to life the dramatic final weeks of the war, as men fought to secure victory, with survival seemingly only days, or hours away. Drawing on the experience of both generals and ordinary soldiers, and dwelling with equal weight on strategy, tactics and individual experience, this is a powerful and detailed account of history's greatest endgame.Trade ReviewThis superbly written history demonstrates conclusively the skill and professionalism of the British Army in 1918. -- Simon Shaw * Mail on Sunday *A superb account of the tactics that finally brought victory on the Western Front. The Last Battle pays just tribute to the allied military achievement of 1918, too often forgotten in our preoccupation with earlier horrors. -- Max Hastings * The Times *Thought provoking, erudite, yet eminently readable and entertaining: Peter Hart is a historian and author at the peak of his powers -- Richard van EmdenA fantastic book...If you're going to read one book on 1918 for this centenary, there's no doubt that Peter's book is it. -- Paul Reed * World at War *A thoroughly readable, yet authoritative, account of one of the most dramatic periods of 20th Century history, one which deserves to be far better known. It deserves a place on the bookshelf of every serious student of the Great War and I cannot recommend it too strongly. -- Jack Sheldon, author of The Germany Army on the Somme 1914-1916Peter Hart has a happy knack of blending a high-level of abstraction (the politics, grand strategy and operational) with the personal and minute, and making it work for the reader... The narrative is highly educational and The Last Battle certainly makes for a good read. -- Chris Baker * The Long, Long Trail *Well written, with an exceptional collection of personal narratives, this book provides a fascinating look at the last four months of World War I. -- Jerry D. Lenaburg, Senior Military AnalystThis is an excellent highly readable book that should appeal to all students of military history and a worthy addition to the author's previous titles. -- Stephen McGreal, HistorianA consistent writer who has the skill of a fine storyteller...Hopefully we will see more from Peter in good time, and if you are wise enough to read The Last Battle, it should lead you to his earlier work. You will not be disappointed. -- Mark Barnes * War History Online *Arguably the most significant book produced in the centenary year of the Armistice and is a masterfully written and constructed work...a book which is not only more than praiseworthy but is one which will stand as the definitive work on perhaps the most important period of the entire war. -- Andy Saunders * Britain at War *A superb account of the tactics that won the First World War on the Western Front. * Sunday Times Culture *Peter Hart, in his commendable book...offers us a first-class analysis as to why the British Army succeeded operationally...One of the best books, among the very large number that the First World War centenary has produced, at describing how soldiers actually think and feel, written by a historian who has a rare intuition for his subject. -- Barney White-Spunner * Country Life *At last we have a book that really does these events justice...Hart skilfully navigates the reader through the rival national narratives that each claim credit as architects of the final victory...Hart has delivered a well balanced, enlightening history that enables the reader to make sense of an exciting but potentially confusing chapter of the war. -- Mike Peters * Soldier Magazine, Pick of the Month *Hart is an accomplished historian displaying a sound knowledge of the war, its challenges and difficulties, and the manner in which they were overcome. Like his other books, The Last Battle: Endgame on the Western Front,1918 embraces the human face of war within a largely operational narrative that is balanced and fair in its commentary, and gives credit where credit is due... Once picked up, it will be hard to put down. * Brigadier Chris Roberts *A superb account of the tactics that won the First World War on the Western Front. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisWhen war broke out in 1914 conscription seemed unnecessary; there was no shortage of volunteers ready to lay down their lives for England. In this book Caroline Dakers explores exactly what 'England' meant to the men and women who fought, died, survived. She suggests that, with a little subliminal help from literature, art and propaganda, the British volunteer, whether factory worker, farm hand or public school boy, felt that he was fighting for a vision of 'old England' - village, church, meadow and carthorse, rather than city, factory, commerce and motor car. Drawing on a wide range of unpublished papers and family archives, Dakers recreates the world of the countryside at war, through chapters on agriculture (literally 'the home front'), and life and death in the manor house, vicarage, school and farm. And while all this was being fought for, the French countryside was being smashed into a quagmire. This is the most complete picture yet of the impact of the World War I on rural England; a war which, if only in the ubiquitous village war memorials, still reverberates today.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface to the Paperback Edition Introduction Over by Christmas Writers and Artists in the Countryside In the Manor House In the Village On the Farm: The Fight for Food In Foreign Fields Aftermath: The Countryside at Peace References Bibliography Inde

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Book SynopsisThough largely invisible in histories of the First World War, over 550,000 men in the ranks of the Indian army were non-combatants. From the porters, stevedores and construction workers in the Coolie Corps to those who maintained supply lines and removed the wounded from the battlefield, Radhika Singha recovers the story of this unacknowledged service. The labour regimes built on the backs of these ‘coolies’ sustained the military infrastructure of empire; their deployment in interregional arenas bent to the demands of global war. Viewed as racially subordinate and subject to 'non-martial' caste designations, they fought back against their status, using the warring powers’ need for manpower as leverage to challenge traditional service hierarchies and wage differentials. 'The Coolie's Great War' views that global conflict through the lens of Indian labour, constructing a distinct geography of the war--from tribal settlements and colonial jails, beyond India's frontiers, to the battlefronts of France and Mesopotamia.Trade Review'The Coolie’s Great War is a tough read; not only because of its subject matter but also because of the extensive research and details pulsating through its pages. Bloated with archival accounts and evidence, the book does a commendable service in honouring the ones whose blood, sweat, and tears slid into the unknown.' -- The Daily Star

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Book SynopsisCan you crack the toughest codes of the 20th century? Imperial War Museums have created a cryptographic challenge worthy of the finest minds of Bletchley Park and Room 40. This is your chance to prove that you have the code-breaking skills to rank among them.There are hundreds of head-scratching ciphers included in Code-Breaking Puzzles certain to keep you entertained for hours, alongside 20th-century military history puzzles and crosswords perfect for the armchair general. For those who need a helping hand, the book also includes a brief history of cryptography, along with tips and tricks to help you make the connections you need to decrypt and solve the puzzles.Whether you are a military history buff or a lateral-thinking lover, good luck: your country needs you!Table of ContentsOver 100 coded puzzles to crack, as well as a series of quizzes testing your knowledge of modern warfare, and historical explanations of the history of codes and the greatest decipherers to have ever lived. More than 100 maps and images are included throughout to provide challenging picture and map-reading puzzles as well.

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Book SynopsisGerman Infantry Regiment 66 fought in most of the great battles on the Western Front in the First World War: Le Cateau, First Marne, Arras 1915, the Somme, Chemin des Dames 1917, the German March 1918 offensive, Chemin des Dames 1918, Second Marne and the Siegfried Line. This is the official regimental history, written in 1930 by Major Dr Otto Korfes, an officer in the regiment for most of the war and a Reichsarchiv historian.The German 66th Regiment in the First World War presents a unique insight into the German Army during the Great War, showcasing a perspective all too often ignored. Translated by German Army expert Terence Zuber, it includes maps and pencil sketches by the famed German war artist Döbrich-Steglitz. Containing a viewpoint that will add balance to anyone’s knowledge of the events of 1914–1918, this volume is a must-read for military historians and enthusiasts alike.

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Book SynopsisShortly after Japan's surrender in August 1945, a huge bonfire was built at the headquarters of Kwantung Kempeitai in Changchun, Northeast China. Hundreds of boxes of files were lost to the flames over the following days, but the unexpected arrival of Soviet soldiers prompted the Japanese to hastily bury some of them. These were unearthed by construction workers in 1953 and eventually handed over to archivists in the early 1980s. This book contains more than four hundred images of these original Japanese documents alongside English translations. They provide new insights into Japanese military activity during the occupation of China and Java during the second world war, with a focus on the following topics: The Nanjing Massacre “Comfort Women” Transfer of Prisoners to Unit 731 Forced labour Atrocities committed by Japanese troops Invasion through immigration in Northeast China Suppression of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army American and British prisoners of war

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Book SynopsisDuring his long and extraordinary life, Winston Churchill was a central figure in almost all of the tumultuous events of the first half of the twentieth century. He was a soldier, writer and politician and, after the Second World War, he became one of the world's greatest statesmen. But his reputation rests on his role as a war leader and, in particular, on the period between May 1940 and July 1941, when Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany. Since his death in 1965, a few dissenting voices have cast him as, amongst other things, an opportunist and war-monger. But, as flawed as he undoubtedly was, most modern historians and politicians still hold him in the highest regard. In order to gain a better understanding of this remarkable man, this book looks at some of the key moments in Churchill's life, including his role in the British Army's last cavalry charge in the Battle of Omdurman and his escape from a prisoner of war camp during the Boer War. It then focuses on those momentous times when Churchill's courage and force of character almost single-handedly dragged Britain back from the brink of defeat in the Second World War and onwards towards an eventual Allied victory, making him, in the eyes of many people, one of the greatest of all Great Britons...Trade Reviewfocuses on those momentous times when Churchill's courage and force of character almost single-handedly dragged Britain from the brink of defeat in WWII and onwards towards an eventual Allied victory * Best of British Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe First World War, lasting just four years, from 1914 to 1918, was without parallel, the first true global conflict in which all of the earth's great powers participated. A Short History of the First World War tells the story of this cataclysmic event describing the background to war, the international rivalries and conflicts of the previous decades that led to the nations of Europe forming virtual armed camps, the relentless build-up of military and naval hardware that characterized the early years of the 20th century and the great figures that tried to prevent conflict or enthusiastically pushed for it. A Short History of the First World War provides a superb introduction to the events of this epochal conflict.

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Book SynopsisImages of WWI in the popular consciousness normally involve the bloody attrition of trench warfare, the miles of mud, the shattered earth, the tangled miles of barbed wire. However there was another significant arena of war - the battle for control of the sea. In 1914 at the beginning of the war, Britain's maritime supremacy had remained unchallenged for around a hundred years. Many expected another Battle of Trafalgar but advances in technology saw a very different kind of warfare with the widespread use of mines, submarines and torpedoes. This book examines the events that led to war and the naval arms race between Britain and Germany. It traces the events of the war at sea looking at the major battles as well as the effects of unrestricted submarine warfare and the sinking of the Lusitania. It also profiles key figures such as Fisher, Beatty, Tirpitz and Graf von Spee.Trade ReviewThis A5-sized hardback book traces the naval arms race between Britain and Germany prior to World War 1, * Ships Monthly *

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive directory lists historic locations in Dublin on a street-by-street basis, describing events during the tumultuous decade from the 1913 Dublin Lockout, through the 1916 Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence, until the end of the Irish Civil War. It is being reissued by The Lilliput Press with an extensively revised and expanded introduction by the author, to better contextualize the events of the period covered. Entries have been supplemented with further research. It is uniquely illustrated from a Dublin City Archive postcard collection.

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Book SynopsisThe Offaly War Dead, a comprehensive list of those from Co. Offaly who died during the First World War, is the fourth in this series, following the successful The Tipperary War Dead, The Wicklow War Dead and The Wexford War Dead. The men honoured in The Offaly War Dead died during the First World War or following it, while in the service of the British Army, the Australian Army, the New Zealand Army, the American Army, the Indian Army, the Canadian Army, the South African Army, the Royal Navy or the British Mercantile Marine. Such a list, combined with intricate data and never-before-seen correspondence and photographs, is an essential addition to any local historian or military enthusiast’s bookshelf.

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Book SynopsisAnglo-German naval rivalry before 1914 had been expected to culminate in a cataclysmic fleet action in the North Sea once war was declared, a battle upon which the outcome of the war would depend: yet the two fleets met only once, at Jutland in 1916, and the battle was far from conclusive. In his own account of the war in the North Sea, first published in 1920, Admiral Scheer, the German commander at Jutland, gives his own explanation for the failure of either fleet to achieve the decisive victory expected of it, particularly the failure of his own operation plans that resulted in the battle of Jutland. This book is an invaluable account of one of the most important theatres of the First World War, written by one of its most senior commanders.

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Book SynopsisRecollections of an Unsuccessful Seaman was written in 1928/1929 by George Leonard Noake, who wanted to keep himself occupied for the rest of his days after learning of his incurable illness from which he died, aged 42 years, in 1929. Born in 1887, he joined the nautical training establishment, H.M.S. Conway, in 1903 and then served an apprenticeship at sea until 1908 when his detailed memoirs commence with him sailing as a second officer in the European/West African trade. After going ashore to work on a farm between 1913 and 1915, he returned to the mercantile marine in 1915 during the First World War to sail in a number of ships carrying horses, grain and coal. He survived not only being torpedoed in the English Channel, but also making 112 trips between England and Europe on a ship carrying war materials. Subsequently joining one of the largest tankers in the world, he endured a hazardous passage without a naval escort through the Channel to Rosyth to deliver safely the precious oil cargo before hostilities ended. The narrative of his wartime experiences are both harrowing and humorous. The tanker continued to trade in peacetime between Mexico and South America before eventually returning to Hull, where he signed-off to see his family after being away for seven months. War reparations had him travelling out to the East as a passenger to sail as second officer on board a German vessel bound for Europe, where the Depression after the war gave him no hope for further seagoing employment. Borrowing money from a relative in 1921 he bought into a farm before becoming a haulage contractor. On the verge of bankruptcy in 1923, he escaped his creditors by joining a ship bound for Australia as a quartermaster. Luck was on his side and upon his return home, he became master of a `Glasgow Puffer' that had been converted to carry oil. He remained in the employ of the National Benzole Company to take command of three coastal tankers before accepting work as a chief officer on a ship trading in the Mediterranean. His seagoing career as a chief officer ended in 1927 when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Readers of this poignant portrayal of life in the 1900s, not only at sea but also ashore, will be thoroughly entertained and moved by the author's experiences and humour. Leonard Noake was undoubtedly a true character, a person who enjoyed more than a tipple or two, a strong supporter of the fledgling unions being born in that era and an unrelenting critic of shipping magnates and their shareholders. The last chapter of the book has been published without correction or editing to permit the reader to make his/her own judgement of Len, his heartfelt style of writing and his passionately held beliefs.Trade Review`Readers of this poignant portrayal of life at sea and ashore in the first part of the 20th century will be both entertained and moved. What shines through the pages is his constant `can do’ attitude and humour. A totally fascinating story of seafaring one hundred years ago with 30 pages of watercolour sketches and photographs’. The Cadet -------------------- BOOK OF THE MONTH `...it is a true unpretentious insight into the life in the mercantile marine some 90 years ago and has been magnificently edited by his great-nephew, David Creamer. Sometimes harrowing, but often humorous, this is a true gem and a poignant portrayal of life at sea and ashore in the 1900s'. Sea Breezes -------------------- `Penned with warmth and humour, this is an engaging tale of one of the genuine war heros of the age - one of those unknown seamen who signed for voyage after voyage into war torn seas to quite literally save Britain'. Julian Stockwin -------------------- `Readers of this poignant portrayal of life in the first quarter of the 20th century, not only at sea but also ashore, will be thoroughly entertained and moved by the author's experience and humour. Here is an amazing collection of a seafarer's tales. ...is a valuable contribution to the literature of the British Mercantile Marine. In particular it is one of the best of its type and a valuable link with our forefathers' seafaring days: 1903-1927'. Paul Ridgeway, Africa Ports & Ships -------------------- `The narrative of his wartime experiences is both harrowing and humorous. The rest of life is covered in a well written manner. ...a great insight into life at sea in the early part of the 20th century. This is a very good book and I would very highly recommend it to our readers'. Shipping Today and Yesterday -------------------- `...an amazing collection of a seafarer's tales. Recollections of an Unsuccessful Seaman is a valuable contribution to the literature of the British Mercantile Marine'. IFSMA Newsletter -------------------- `BOOK OF THE MONTH! A vivid Voice from our past. His fascinating accounts of serving onboard a remarkable range of vessels in war, peace and the Great Depression years contain many parallels with the present day... The book includes a wonderful selection of photographs, paintings and drawings he made during his time at sea. A kind of oral history, it all adds up to a rare, powerful and very direct account of the often grim realities of seagoing life a century ago'. Telegraph, Nautilus International -------------------- `...it was fascinating to read an extraordinary book...that offers a more intimate picture of the merchant seaman's war. He paints fine word pictures of life at the rough end of the merchant service, as an officer on horse-transports bringing remounts across the Atlantic to the front in France. His wit, laconic attitude and a cheerful demeanour shine through this book, which really does shine a light on merchant seafaring at this traumatic time. Along with the heroism of the combatants, we should remember the merchant mariners, the Armistice Day'. Lloyd's List -------------------- `...record a world now long since lost in the mists of time. The writer of the notebooks and diaries had a very keen eye for detail'. In Depth

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Book SynopsisRosslyn Wemyss' life and career was both fascinating and brilliant - a most distinguished admiral who is very little known. As the Allied Naval Representative at the Armistice negotiations on 11th November, 1918, he left an indelible mark on the life of this country when he was responsible, with Marshal Foch, for the creation of Armistice Day. The negotiations took place in a railway carriage at Compiegne in France when the decision was made at 5.30 am to cease hostilities on land, in the air and sea at 11 am on that day. One of the most illustrious of Scottish admirals, he was a member of the Clan Wemyss, whose ancestral seat is Wemyss Castle in Fife, overlooking the Firth of Forth. Rosslyn joined the Navy at the age of 13 in 1877, at the same time as Prince George, the younger son of the Prince of Wales, they became lifelong friends. After they left Dartmouth they joined their first ship together and sailed around the world for the next two years. In his early career, this friendship found him posted to serve on two ships for Royal Tours abroad and on two of the Royal Yachts. In 1915, by then a Rear Admiral, he was sent to create a naval base at Mudros, to serve the Gallipoli campaign and was in command of the landings and then the evacuation of all the troops. The evacuation was so successful that only one man was lost from the approximately 140,000 who were taken off the beaches. From there, he was sent to Port Said to command the East Indies and Red Sea Station. For the next 18 months, the main thrust of his command was supporting the Arab Revolt and helping T.E. Lawrence and the Arabs, under Emir Feisal, to oust the Turks from all the ports on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. Without his support, the Arab Revolt would have collapsed and the legend of Lawrence of Arabia would not have been created. In 1917 he returned to the United Kingdom to become Deputy First Sea Lord, stepping up to the post of First Sea Lord at the end of the year. As First Sea Lord, he represented British naval interests at the Versailles Peace Conference. Through Rosslyn's rich archive of letters and reports and his own words, this book gives a wonderful insight into the life of a man who became one of the most popular and senior officers in the Royal Navy at the time, and who was known throughout the Navy as 'Rosy'.

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Book SynopsisWritten just after the heat of battle and in the language of the time, this extraordinarily moving account expresses in a brutally honest and personal way the ordinary soldier's experience of one of the most horrific series of battles ever fought. Fleurbaix, Bapaume, Beaumetz, Lagnicourt, Bullecourt, The Menin Road, Villers-Bretonneux, Péronne and Mont St. Quentin. Downing describes the mud, the rats, the constant pounding of the guns, the deaths, the futility, but also the humour and heroism of one of the most compelling periods in world history. His writing is spare, beautiful in its clarity and heart-breakingly vivid. Quite simply the finest and most graphic description of these actions ever written. Anyone with an interest in war and the ordinary person's struggle to survive must read this book

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Book SynopsisIn 2000 aircraft restorer Guy Black of Aero Vintage located the hulks of at least two Airco DH9 bombers in a remote part of India – hidden away in what had been a Maharaja’s elephant stable at his palace in Bikaner, Rajasthan. They were truly remarkable finds, and extremely rare examples of a near-extinct and important WWI aircraft type – none of which had survived in Britain. Recognising their importance to the UK’s aviation heritage, and excited by the challenge of restoration, Guy set about negotiating their purchase and returning them back to England. Here the whole intriguing story is told – fully illustrated step-by-step – from discovery to recovery, through to research, restoration, re-construction and first flight, all in fascinating, meticulous detail. Also covered is the account of the restoration of the first DH9 to be completed, now housed as a non-flying exhibit at the IWM Duxford.

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Book SynopsisThe Versailles Settlement does not enjoy a good international reputation: despite its lofty aim to settle the world's affairs at a stroke, it is widely considered to have set the world on the path to a second major conflict within a generation. Woodrow Wilson's controversial principle of self-determination amplified political complexities, and the war and its settlement bear significant responsibility for national borders and related conflicts in the Middle East. Furthermore, other objectives of the peacemakers, such as global disarmament and minority protection, are yet to be realised. This book, revised and updated with new material to mark the centenary of the First World War, sets the consequences - for good or ill - of the Paris Peace Treaties into their longer term context and argues that the responsibility for Europe's continuing interwar instability cannot be wholly attributed to the peacemakers of 1919-23.Trade Review'..shrewd, incisive and learned, a masterpiece of analytical narrative by a notable authority on the international relations of the period.' - Jonathan Sumption, The Spectator

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Book SynopsisDecember 1905: Foreign Minister Edward Grey enters into secret talks with the French about sending British forces to their aid in the event of a German attack. The details were only revealed to the Cabinet and Prime Minister in 1911, by which point the 'hidden perspective' was firmly entrenched, and Britain all but obliged to stand by France in the event of a war. Yet dissenting voices remained, and diplomatic missions to Germany were still underway as late as August 1914. In this scholarly and eloquent work, former Foreign Secretary David Owen argues that the outbreak of war in 1914 was far from inevitable, instead representing eight years of failed diplomacy. The importance of transparent government is particularly relevant in a year in which Sir John Chilcot's Iraq Inquiry is published.Trade Review"The history of the First World War has been exhaustively studied in relation to events of the fateful structure of the alliances. The area in between, the impact of the tactical management of diplomacy on the inevitability of war, has received inadequate attention. David Owen has filled that gap. He explains in lucid detail how Britain s abandonment of its splendid isolation in favor of entente with France and an understanding with Russia deprived the international system of any flexibility. Britain, heretofore the balancer of the balance of power, transformed itself into a direct participant in the power politics of the Continent. This decision, taken essentially in secret by military staffs, was all the more fateful because it induced rigidity in two ways. In their strategic planning, France and Russia counted on British support; Germany half-convinced itself of British neutrality. In every previous conflict, the consciousness that Britain might intervene on either side had inspired caution in both. Now, Britain weakened its capacity to induce restraint by being taken for granted by one side even as the other discounted its deterrence. David Owen s book should be essential reading for contemporary statesmen; it is a story of how overreaction to immediate problems can lead to eventual disaster." --Henry Kissinger 'Countless new books and articles are analysing the origins of the War and the military convulsions that followed. David Owen makes a powerful contribution in his new book, 'The Hidden Perspective: The Military Conversations of 1906-1914'. He looks through the keen operational eye of a former Foreign Secretary at the high-level manoeuvrings of London and other European capitals ... [arguing] that they took on a life and logic of their own, discouraging other political and military options that might have been far more effective - and far more wise. Readers of Diplomat will enjoy - and be startled by - many details Lord Owen gives us about diplomacy as practised a century and more ago.' - Charles Crawford, Diplomat Magazine

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