First World War Books

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Book SynopsisThe first book on this prestigious and exceptional liner, the pinnacle of ship-building in her day

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Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of the 1907 RMS Mauretania, the then-most-famous liner in the worldTrade Review[Pride of the North Atlantic is] an exceptional volume, noteworthy for its engaging and fact-packed style.[QE2: A Ship for All Seasons] keeps the historical record moving along . . . a first-class tome.[RMS Titanic: Owner’s Workshop Manual] comes through loud and clear that the authors know ships from stem to stern.

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Book SynopsisA volume in the BATTLEGROUND EUROPE series, a battlefield guide which draws upon material in national and local archives, documentary evidence, personal reminiscence and British and German unit histories of the Somme battlefield during World War I.

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Book SynopsisAn addition to the BATTLEGROUND EUROPE series published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Passchendaele, which gives details of the attacks and provides a guide to the battlefield as it stands today, illustrated with maps and 'then and now' photographs.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1959, this volume covers the history of the Service which has been through the centuries the first, and often the last line of British defence, and the spearhead of Britianâs imperial expansion. In the book Professor Lewis puts the Royal Navy into its true perspective in history in general and maritime history in particular. He shows its origin in the Crownâs personal sea-force, still blended with, and largely reliant upon the United Kingdomâs total sea-force; and relates how it emerged as the principal fighting element in her sea-strength; principal, but not sole fighting element, because the reserves of the Royal Navy are an integral part of the entire Navy.

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Book SynopsisDaniel Larsen reveals the dramatic role of British codebreaking during the First World War - leading to a revolutionary re-interpretation of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's diplomacy, British Prime Ministers H.H. Asquith's and David Lloyd George's war leaderships, British intelligence, and the Anglo-American economic relationship during the war.Trade Review'This ground-breaking book transforms our understanding of British policy and American mediation during the First World War, incorporating the missing dimension of spies, codes and intelligence, together with new insights from economic history. It corrects many of the distortions in our current understanding of this crucial conflict.' Richard J. Aldrich, author of GCHQ: The Uncensored Story of Britain's Most Secret Intelligence Agency'Dr Larsen challenges assumptions both about how to write international history and about the events of 1914-1917. Using the tools of political, diplomatic, economic and intelligence history, he analyses the failed American mediation attempts, and argues that long-held historical beliefs are entirely wrong. It is a very stimulating book.' Kathleen Burk, author of The Lion and the Eagle: The Interaction of the British and American Empires 1783-1972'A bold reinterpretation of Britain and America in the Great War, probing anew whether the struggle had to be fought to a finish. It reconsiders Woodrow Wilson's mediation efforts in 1914-17 and offers revisionist portraits of Asquith and Lloyd George.' David Reynolds, author of Island Stories: Britain and its History in the Age of Brexit'Daniel Larsen provides us with by far the best account of Anglo-American relations in the crucial months preceding America's entry into the First World War. Challenging received interpretations, compellingly argued, and eloquently written, it blends finance and secret intelligence with diplomacy and high politics.' David Stevenson, author of 1917: War, Peace, and Revolution'Fascinating … helps to redress the balance, away from howitzers and trenches, and towards understanding.' Peter Hitchens, The Mail on Sunday'A memorable lesson in the sheer contingency of history and how the lives and deaths of millions can depend on the decisions of a few men.' Oliver Moody, The Times'… invaluable, gripping and entertaining …' Simon Heffer, Daily TelegraphTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The First Year of War (August 1914–August 1915); 2. Strategy (August–December 1915); 3. Negotiations (January–March 1916); 4. Deliberations (March–May 1916); 5. The Gamble (June–August 1916); 6. The Knock-out Blow (September–October 1916); 7. The Fall of Asquith (October–December 1916); 8. Peace Moves (December 1916–January 1917); 9. The Zimmermann Telegram and Wilson's Move to War (February–April 1917); Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThe 4th and 5th Battalions, the Norfolk Regiment were formed in the early days of The Great War as part of the Territorial Force and deployed with 54th (East Anglian) Division to Gallipoli in 1915. Most significantly the 1/5th Battalion was unique in that it contained The Sandringham Company, the only unit to be raised entirely from a Royal Estate.Tragically the Company, along with King George V's Agent Captain Beck, disappeared without trace on 12 August 1915, presumed to have been overcome by their Turkish adversaries.The Battalion was rebuilt and saw out the ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign being evacuated to Egypt in December 1915. Thereafter the Norfolks served with distinction in Palestine as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.The Author has compiled a fascinating history of these Battalions' distinguished service using contemporary records and personal accounts illustrated with a splendid selection of photographs. The result is a fitting tribute to the memory of these brave vo

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Book SynopsisFirst book to tell the modern story of the American volunteers in the Foreign Legion - from an outsiders viewpoint.

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Book SynopsisThe first in-depth study of the tactic of raiding, its development, value and contribution to ultimate victory.

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Book SynopsisThe casual visitor to Carlisle Cathedral will notice massive sandstone walls, a magnificent ceiling, and the exquisite Flemish carving of the Brougham Triptych. Less obvious is a brass memorial tablet on the North Wall. It commemorates a man who would probably have preferred it not to be noticed. He was at one time a diffident schoolmaster at Bentham, near Lancaster, and an unassuming country vicar at Hutton Roof, near Kirkby Lonsdale. At the age of fifty-four, he was to become the most decorated non-combatant in the First World War: decorations won not in hot blood and anger, but in cool tenacious courage. He was to die only a few daysbefore the Armistice. This book tells his story. In the modern world, where selfishness and greed dominate, it is a story of comradeship, unselfishness and an incredible heroism which should never be forgotten. Above all, it is the story of one man's Christian witness which even the most skeptical agnostic or confirmed atheist must respect.

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Book SynopsisThe Royal Marines had the distinction of serving in every major land campaign of the First World War, as well as participating in most minor ones. They also served afloat as an element of the Royal Navy. For the greater part, the morale and esprit de corps of the formation was second to none, wherever its men found themselves and whatever challenges they faced. This new history examines the participation of the corps in actions such as the Defence of Antwerp, the Gallipoli landings, the Battle of the Somme, the Zeebrugge Raid and the Allied intervention in North Russia. It covers the Marines in action aboard ship at the Dardanelles and Jutland, and throws a spotlight on the little-known Royal Marines presence in the West Indies. Flying Marines operated with the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps, often with noted bravery. Wherever possible the words used are those of the men who were there, and these eye-witness accounts (some never before published) offer an immediacy and

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Book Synopsis''Masterful research, impeccable detail, with a beautifully flowing narrative of which Churchill himself would have been proud.'' - Professor Peter Caddick-AdamsFrom his earliest days Winston Churchill was an extreme risk taker and he carried this into adulthood. Today he is widely hailed as Britain's greatest wartime leader and politician. Deep down though, he was foremost a warlord. Just like his ally Stalin, and his arch enemies Hitler and Mussolini, Churchill could not help himself and insisted on personally directing the strategic conduct of World War II. For better or worse he insisted on being political master and military commander.Again like his wartime contemporaries, he had a habit of not heeding the advice of his generals. The results of this were disasters in Norway, North Africa, Greece and Crete during 194041. His fruitless Dodecanese campaign in 1943 also ended in defeat. Churchill's pig-headedness over supporting the Italian campaign in defiance of the RiTrade ReviewThis well-researched, well-written and soundly argued book is a real addition to the avalanche of books on Winston Churchill, illuminating where the military views came from that were so profoundly to affect the twentieth century and beyond. * Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny' *Masterful research, impeccable detail, with a beautifully flowing narrative of which Churchill himself would have been proud. * Professor Peter Caddick-Adams *A lively and compelling account of a remarkable military-political career. As eye-opening as it is comprehensive, Tucker-Jones brings to life Churchill’s experience of combat and military command and charts the course that made him such a great warlord. Balanced and judicious, this book shows us the full measure of the man – his mistakes, blunders and defeats, as well as the glorious victories. * Professor Geoffrey Roberts *This is a thoroughly recommended book and important to appreciate its focus and scope as a welcome addition to the Churchill library. * Aspects of History *A well-researched and well-argued offering that looks at some of [Churchill's] most controversial decisions and how they were influenced by his experiences in the First World War. * Soldier *Throughout the book the author offers a well-balanced opinion, & he is critical, but fair, when pointing out some of Churchill's mistakes. -- Simon Dalton * History Book Chat *Table of ContentsForeword by Andrew Roberts Introduction Prologue: Death or Glory List of Maps List of Illustrations PART ONE: BAPTISM OF FIRE 1. Soldiers of the Queen 2. Frontier Wars 3. Great Escape 4. The Sakabulas PART TWO: FALL AND RISE 5. A Haunting Lesson 6. ‘Cat on Hot Bricks’ 7. Winston’s Mercenaries PART THREE: WORLD ORDER OR DISORDER 8. Flying Police 9. Troubled Emerald Isle 10. Beneath the Sphinx 11. Nazism or Communism PART FOUR: THE WARLORD RETURNS 12. Master and Commander 13. His Finest Hour 14. Strategic Dilemma 15. Old Foes 16. Hitting Back 17. ‘Bands of Brothers’ PART FIVE: GLOBAL JUGGLING ACT 18. Mediterranean Showdown 19. An American Friend 20. Joan of Arc 21. Courting the Red Czar 22. Loss of Faith 23. India in Revolt PART SIX: WAR OF WILLS 24. Strained Relations 25. Second Front Now 26. ‘Death Wish’ 27. Miracle of Deliverance 28. ‘The Whole Scene’ Epilogue: Gone Painting Winston Churchill’s Military Career at a Glance: 1895–1945 Notes and References Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA revelatory and wide-ranging exploration of HMS Britannic--her life at sea and on the seabed--by the owner of her wreck. Launched in 1914, two years after the ill-fated voyage of her sister ship, RMS Titanic, the Britannic was intended to be superior to her tragic twin in every way. But war intervened and in 1915 she was requisitioned as a hospital ship. Just one year later, while on her way to collect troops wounded in the Balkans campaign, she fell victim to a mine laid by a German U-boat and tragically sank in the middle of the Aegean Sea.There her wreck lay, at a depth of 400 feet, until it was discovered 59 years later by legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau. In 1996 the wreck was bought by the author of this book, Simon Mills.Exploring the Britannic tells the complete story of this enigmatic ship: her construction, launch and life, her fateful last voyage, and the historical findings resulting from the exploration of tTrade ReviewLavishly illustrated...harrowingly honest, Exploring the Britannic is a beautiful and often moving reflection on history, warfare, undersea exploration, friendship, courage and tragedy. * The Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIn this book the metre gauge networks established before the First World War are examined. A companion volume to Narrow Gauge in the Arras Sector by the same authors.

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Book SynopsisThe Welsh at War trilogy is the culmination of over twelve years of painstaking research by the author into the Welsh men and infantry units who fought in the Great War. These units included the four regular regiments-the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, South Wales Borderers Welsh Regiment and Welsh Guards-as well as the Territorial Monmouthshire Regiment, the Yeomanry regiments: the Denbighshire Hussars, Pembroke Yeomanry, Montgomeryshire Yeomanry, Glamorgan Yeomanry and Welsh Horse Yeomanry and their amalgamation into service battalions for the regular regiments during 1917. Welsh troops fought with great courage in every theatre of the war-the Western Front, Aden, China, Gallipoli, Egypt, India, Italy, Salonika and in Palestine-and as well as the casualties who were suffered during these campaigns, many men gained recognition for acts of gallantry. The three volumes, split chronologically, cover all of the major actions and incidents in which each of the Welsh infantry regiments took part, as well as stories of Welsh airmen, Welshmen shot at dawn, Welsh rugby players who fell, Welsh gallantry winners and the Welshmen who died in non-Welsh units, such as the Dominion forces and other units of the British armed forces. While chronicling a history of the war through the events and battles that Welshmen took part in, the stories of many individual casualties are included throughout, together with many compelling photographs of the men and their last resting places. Volume III-'Through Mud To Victory'-'Third Ypres And The 1918 Offensives'-records the stories of the Welsh troops involved in the Third Battle of Ypres, from the Welsh battalions of the 19th (Western) Division at Messines Ridge, through the storming of the Pilckem Ridge by the 38th (Welsh) Division and the Guards Division; and the Welsh troops who fought in the final offensives at Passchendaele Ridge. The actions of Welsh troops during the Battle of Cambrai carry through to the final winter of the war and the volume records the sufferings of Welsh troops fighting during the desperate German 'Kaiserschlacht', offensives of the spring of 1918; and carries through the summer of 1918, when the 38th (Welsh) Division moved back to the Somme, to the actions of Welsh troops during the 100 Days Offensive which finally ended the war. The volume also covers the stories of the final battles in Italy, Salonika and Palestine, which saw Welsh troops play a large part.

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Book SynopsisLlewelyn Wyn Griffiths Up to Mametz, published in 1931, is now firmly established as one of the finest accounts of soldiering on the Western Front. It tells the story of the creation of a famous Welsh wartime battalion (The Royal Welsh Fusiliers), its training, its apprenticeship in the trenches, through to its ordeal of Mametz Wood on the Somme as part of 38 Division. But there it stopped. General Jonathon Riley has however discovered Wyn Griffiths unpublished diaries and letters which pick up where Up to Mametz left off through to the end of the War. With careful editing and annotation, the events of these missing years are now available alongside the original work. They tell of an officers life on the derided staff and provide fascinating glimpses of senior officers, some who attract high praise and others who the author obviously despised. The result is an enthralling complete read and a major addition to the bibliography of the period. Llewelyn Wyn Griffiths was born into a Welsh speaking family in Llandrillo yn Rhos, North Wales. He joined the Civil Service as a Tax Surveyor. Aged 24 on the outbreak of War, he was accepted for a commission in the 15th (1st London Welsh) Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and served in the Battalion or on the staff for the rest of the War. Returning to the Inland Revenue he was responsible for the pay-As-You-Earn tax system, retiring in 1952. He filled many distinguished appointments, such as the Arts Council, and was a regular broadcaster. Awarded an Honorary DLitt by the University of Wales, he was holder of the CBE, OBE, Croix de Guerre and an MID. He died in 1977.

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Book Synopsis_Cambrai Campaign 1917_ is an account of the British Expeditionary Force s battles in November and December of 1917\. It starts with the plan to carry out a tank raid on the Hindenburg Line at Cambrai. The raid grew into a full scale attack and Third Army would rely on a different style of attack. The preliminary bombardment would be done away with and the troops would assemble in secret. Predicted fire had reached such a level of accuracy that 1,000 guns could hit targets without registration. Meanwhile, over 375 tanks would lead the infantry through the Hindenburg Line, ripping holes in the wire and suppressing the enemy. The study of the German counter-attack ten days later, illustrates the different tactics they used and the British experience on the defensive. Each stage of the battle is given equal treatment, with detailed insights into the most talked about side of the campaign, the British side. It explains how far the Tank Corps had come in changing the face of trench warfare. Over forty new maps chart the day by day progress of each corps on each day. Together the narrative and the maps provide an insight into the British Army s experience during this important campaign. The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counter-attacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the Cambrai campaign and learn how the British Army s brave soldiers fought and died fighting to achieve their objectives.

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Book SynopsisA visit to the battlefield of Verdun is usually dominated by the forts of Douamont and Vaux, the museum at Fleury and the striking, huge Ossuary, Although this gives a flavour of the horrific fighting that took place in the area, particularly in 1916, the visitor will be hard pressed to get much more than an impression from such places.This book seeks to guide the battlefield pilgrim into parts of the battlefield that get rarely visited by means of a series of walks, a number of which include the major sites. The four tours have been carefully walked. All are practicable for a reasonably healthy adult; the tours vary in length, most taking a half day to complete and the longest (the last) a day. In a twist to the usual walks to be found in the Battleground series, Christina makes full use of the numerous field graves and isolated memorials that are to be found on the Verdun battlefield, a number of which will bring visitors to the most visited sites. In the course of these walks many physical remnants will be found, such as gun positions, bunkers and trench systems, the significance of which is fully explained. The walks have not been chosen at random: by following these the tourer will get a far greater understanding of why the fighting at Verdun developed as it did and why such places as Fort Vaux were so significant to both sides. The field graves and memorials to the combatants, very often of individuals, provide an opportunity to give their story and the unit action in which they were fighting when they were killed. Verdun is a battlefield where the story of units and individuals can easily become lost in the horror of the incessant fighting that raged over ten months; and over ground which is extremely difficult to read because of the post war forestation programme. Profusely illustrated and with excellent mapping, a hallmark of Christina Holstein's books, a visitor who follows the walks in this book will be left with a far clearer idea of the men who fought and died here and of the features of the battlefield and their significance in this battle that so challenged the endurance of the armies of two nations.

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Book SynopsisUnlike the popular view, the French army did not cease offensive operations after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive of spring 1917 and the subsequent mutinies. Nor did the fighting at Verdun come to an end in 1916. The successful French counter offensives at the end of that year led to preliminary planning for a two Army operation in 1917 to break out of the Verdun salient and recapture the strategically very significant Briey coal basin. The French Army mutinies of May and June 1917 led to a more limited version of the plan being implemented, with the aim of establishing new lines for a break out in 1918. The need to rebuild morale in the French army meant that nothing was left to chance. The immense logistical effort of this late summer 1917 campaign and the detailed planning and careful training at all levels brought success to an army weary of war but determined to win. The industrial nature of the preparations, the spectacular numbers of guns and the first appearance of the Americans at Verdun presage the campaigns of 1918 and the final Allied victory. Once more Christina Holstein, the premier expert in Britain of the battlefields around Verdun, leads the reader around the various vital points of this largely unknown battle of 1917, one which was vital for the rebuilding of a French army that played such a notable part in the victorious allied campaign of 1918. As for all the books in the Battleground Europe series, it is profusely illustrated and mapped using contemporary and modern material, supported by clear maps to support each of the tours.

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Book SynopsisDuring World War One the Scandinavian countries played a dangerous and sometimes questionable game; they proclaimed their neutrality but at the same time pitched the two warring sides against one another to protect their import and export trades. Germany relied on Sweden, Norway and Denmark for food and raw materials, while Britain needed to restrict the flow of these goods and claim them for herself. And so the battle for the North Sea began. The campaign was ferociously fought, with the Royal Navy forced to develop new tactical thinking, including convoy, to combat the U-boat threat. Many parts of Scandinavia considered that the War had 'missed' the region, and that it was just a distant 'southern thunder'; Much of that thunder was over the North Sea. This new book tells this little-known, and often ignored, story from both a naval and a political standpoint, revealing how each country, including the USA, tried to balance the needs of diplomacy with the necessities of naval warfare. Starting from the declaration of a British blockade and its impact and reception in Scandinavia, the narrative progresses to cover the struggle to prevent supplies reaching Germany, the negotiations to gain preferential British access to Scandinavian trade and the work of the sailors, both of the merchant marine and Royal Navy who had to make the system function. By the end of 1916, the British-Scandinavian trade was so important that a new system of convoyed vessels was developed, not without much Admiralty infighting, leading to the growth of naval operations all along the East Coast of Britain in places such as Immingham, Lerwick and Mehil. Two years later, the Germans, desperate to break the tightening stranglehold, even brought out their big-gun ships to hunt and disrupt the Scandinavian convoys, and at one point US Navy battleships were perilously close to engaging with the High Sea Fleet as a result. Detailed analysis and first-hand accounts of the fighting from those who took part create a vivid narrative that demonstrates how the Royal Navy helped to bring about Germany's downfall and protect Britain's vital Scandinavian supply lines.

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Book SynopsisOver the course of many years Richard Pursehouse has painstakingly unravelled the story of a First World War prisoner of war camp which held captured German personnel in the very heart of the English countryside. He first became aware of the existence of the camp while walking over Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, finding sewer covers in what appeared to be uninhabited heathland. Intrigued, the author set out to investigate the mystery and discovered that the sewers were for two Army camps - Brocton and Rugeley - that had been constructed for soldiers training during the First World War. What he also found, however, was that the Brocton Camp site also included a segregated autonomous prisoner of war camp. With the aid of an old postcard, Richard was able to identify the exact location and layout of the long-lost camp. His research continued until he had accumulated an enormous amount of detail about the camp and life for its prisoners. He found a file by the Camp Commandant, Swiss Legation correspondence, stories in newspapers, letters and diaries, and received photographs from interested individuals. Amongst his finds was a box holding scores of fascinating letters sent home by an administration clerk while he was working at the camp. During his investigations, Richard also learned of attempted murders and escapes (including the only escapee to make it back to Germany), deaths, thefts - and a fatal scandal. The letters, documents and diaries reveal how the prisoners coped with incarceration, as well as their treatment, both in terms of camp conditions and their medical needs. He has also established a definitive answer to the 'myth' that some of the prisoners assisted in building the nearby Messines terrain model. The model was a post-battle training tool to instruct newly-arrived New Zealand troops, which also provided a visual explanation of how they had defeated the Germans in the Battle of Messines in June 1917. The result is a unique insight into what life was like inside a British Prisoner of War camp during the First World War.

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Book SynopsisThe book examines the impact which the Great War had on the Public Schools and the sacrificial contribution made to the victory which came in 1918. The war consumed about a fifth of all the public schoolboys who fought, while the survivors were scarred by the loss of so many friends. Based largely on source material from school archives and histories, it moves from the naive excitement of the summer of 1914 to the many moving stories that emerge from the carnage of the Western Front. It looks at school life in those war years, boys with their futures on hold and the prospect of death always very close, Headmasters and staff devastated by the loss of so many young lives. About one distinguished Headmaster, who died in January 1919, it was said that the War killed him as straightly and surely as if he had fallen at the front". The book ranges across many topics including the selflessness and pride of Public Schools across the British Empire and in Ireland; the role of the Officers Training Corps in militarising a generation; the letters written from the Front to teachers; the pride taken by schools in the Victoria Crosses etc won by Old Boys; the statistical terms in which the Public Schools contribution can be measured; the ways in which schools commemorated the war, and still do so today. Finally the legacy of the war is examined, both the effect on the schools themselves but also the contribution made by writers and artists to the disillusionment of the inter-war years.

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Book SynopsisBadges of the Regular Infantry, 1914-1918 is based on over thirty years research in museums, archives and collections. It is an exhaustive study of the development of the battalion, brigade and divisional signs of the twelve divisions that formed the regular army during the Great War. It also looks at the badges of those battalions left behind to guard the Empire. While the divisional signs are well known, there has been no authoritative work on the signs worn by the infantry battalions. The book will illustrate the cap and shoulder titles used, as well as cloth signs worn to provide easy recognition in the trenches. Each regular and reserve battalion of a regiment has a listing, which provides a brief history of the unit and detailed information on the badges worn. It is profusely illustrated and contains much information, like why a shape or colour was chosen, when it was adopted, what size it was, whether it was worn on a helmet, what colour the helmet was and even what colours were used on horse transport; the majority of this rich and detailed information has never been published before. What helps make the information accurate and authoritative is that much of it comes from an archive created at the time and from personal correspondence with hundreds of veterans in the 1980s, many of whom still had their badges and often had razor-sharp recollections about wearing them. The book also provides some comments from these veterans. Using the illustrations will allow many of those unidentified photos in family albums to come to life.

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Book SynopsisThe First World War brought peoples from five continents to support the British and French Allies on the Western Front. Many were from colonial territories in the British and French empires, and the largest contingents were Indians and Chinese - some 140,000\. It is a story of the encounter with the European 'other', including the civilian European local populations, often marred by racism, discrimination and zenophobia both inside and outside the military command, but also lightened by moving and enduring 'human' social relationships. The vital contribution to the Alles and the huge sacrifices involved were scarcely recognised at the Paris Peace Conference in 1918 or the post-war victory celebrations and this led to resentment - see huge media coverage in 2021\. The effect of the European 'other' experience enhanced Asian political awareness and self-confidence, and stimulated anti-imperialism and proto-nationalism. This is a vivid and original contribution to imperial decline from the First World War. and the originality of the work is enhanced by rare sources culled from original documents and 'local' European fieldwork - in French, German and Flemish.

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Book SynopsisGeneral Hans von Seekt (1866-1936) was the military counterpart of the Weimar Republic, both attempted to restore Germany's international acceptance and security following defeat in World War I and the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. And the failure of both led eventually to the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany. Hans von Seekt was from the traditional German officer caste, served with distinction on the war and became Chief of the Army Command at the Reichewehr Ministry of the Weimar Republic and Germany's 'supreme soldier'and major military strategist. His role was to re-build the shattered German army in face of the punitive terms of post-war settlement imposed by the victorious Entente Powers which drastically reduced its strength and imposed crippling financial conditions. He aimed to build a modern and efficient military - a new German army - with a main strategy of peaceful defence purposes, and to re-introduce Germany into the community of nations. This original and far-sighted policy was opposed by the movement seeking revenge for defeat - a 'stab in the back' - led principally by his rival, General Erich Ludendorff, whose aim was re-build the once-mighty German imperial army as a major international force. The failure of von Seekt's experiment was mirrored by the fall of the Weimar Republic, and the rise of rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany.

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Book SynopsisAbove the mud and misery of the trenches and the endless slugging matches of the First World War another contest was played out with all the military glamour, chivalric values and deadly outcome of a mediaeval, knightly tournament. This was the battle in the air between the first primitive aircraft and the intrepid aviators who flew them. This image of air war is brought nobly to light in the memoirs of Ernst Udet, the German ace of aces, whose impressive wartime record was second only to the legendary Red Baron. Written in a jaunty, Boys Own style Udet paints a romantic picture of his experiences and captures what perhaps many young pilots must have felt as they flew off each day to duel with the enemy, the elements and an unreliable technology. Ace of the Black Cross also illustrates the way in which war and defeat left this young generation of tough, spirited, individuals rootless and restless. After the war Udet used his flying skills to give displays to crowds of gawping onlookers, a circus act that left him frustrated and resentful. In 1941, disillusioned and depressed, he shot himself. On the wall before he died he scrawled a message for Gring: Iron man, you have betrayed me.

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Book SynopsisFlight Lieutenant Thomas Tommy' Rose, a First World War fighter ace, was a pioneer of private flying. He installed and managed the UK's first fuel pump for private aviation at Brooklands before becoming Sales Manager for Phillips and Powis Aircraft Ltd. The chief flying instructor at several early flying schools, Tommy became the Chief Test Pilot for Miles Aircraft and was the winner of air races and pageants. He was undoubtedly a pilot who could always be relied on to amaze the onlookers with his fast, accurate stunts and low-level flying. Mentioned in Despatches in 1916 and awarded the DFC in 1918, Tommy was attacked in his aircraft several times, yet his astonishing ability at the controls of his aircraft enabled him to land without serious injury. By the time of the Armistice, Tommy had been credited with eleven kills'. He continued to demonstrate these skills after the war and though this true trailblazer was widely known in his glory days during the early part of the twentieth century, little is remembered about him today. Yet Tommy Rose achieved the most incredible feats of aviation and was considered one of the finest pilots of his era, completing over 11,200 flying hours up to 1949. In the 1930s, Tommy took the Imperial Airways route through East Africa, to set up a new world record on the UK to Cape Town passage, beating Amy Mollison (Johnson) who took the shorter course down the west coast. He also won the King's Cup Air Race in 1935. Tommy flew many of the early RAF fighters from Maurice Farman to the Spitfire Mk.IX, and, from late 1939, when he was appointed Chief Test Pilot for Phillip & Powis Aircraft Ltd at Woodley (forerunners of Miles Aircraft Ltd), he test flew all Miles monoplane training and target towing aircraft, leaving in January 1946. His last position was as General Manager of Universal Flying Services Ltd at Fairoaks Aerodrome in Surrey. The result of decades of research by the author, through this book the life and adventures of one of history's most accomplished and daring aviators can finally be told.

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Book SynopsisIn the past, while visiting the First World War battlefields, the author often wondered where the various Victoria Cross actions took place. He resolved to find out. In 1988, in the midst of his army career, research for this book commenced and over the years numerous sources have been consulted. _Victoria Crosses on the Western Front -The Final Advance in Flanders and Artois_ is designed for the battlefield visitor as much as the armchair reader. A thorough account of each VC action is set within the wider strategic and tactical context. Detailed sketch maps show the area today, together with the battle-lines and movements of the combatants. It will allow visitors to stand upon the spot, or very close to, where each VC was won. Photographs of the battle sites richly illustrate the accounts. There is also a comprehensive biography for each recipient, covering every aspect of their lives, warts and all, parents and siblings, education, civilian employment, military career, wife and ch

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Book SynopsisThe story of First World War deserters who were shot at dawn, then pardoned nearly a century later has often been told, but these 306 soldiers represent a tiny proportion of deserters. More than 80,000 cases of desertion and absence were tried at courts martial on the home front but these soldiers have been ignored. Andrea Hetherington, in this thought-provoking and meticulously researched account, sets the record straight by describing the deserters who disappeared from camps and barracks within Great Britain at an alarming rate. She reveals how they employed a range of survival strategies, some ridding themselves of all connection with the military while others hid in plain sight. Their reasons for desertion varied. Some were already living a life of crime whilst others were conscientious objectors who refused to respond to their call-up papers. Boredom, protest, troubles at home or physical and mental disabilities all played their part in men deciding to go on the run. Andrea Hetherington's timely book gives us a vivid insight into a hitherto overlooked aspect of the First World War.

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Book SynopsisMany believe that World War I was only fought "over there," as the popular 1917 song goes, in the trenches and muddy battlefields of Northern France and Belgium - they are wrong.There was a secret war fought in America; on remote railway bridges and waterways linking the United States and Canada, aboard burning and exploding ships in the Atlantic Ocean, in the smoldering ruins of America's bombed and burned-out factories, munitions plants and railway centers and waged in carefully disguised clandestine workshops where improvised explosive devices and deadly toxins were designed and manufactured. It was irregular warfare on a scale that caught the United States woefully unprepared.This is the true story of German secret agents engaged in a campaign of subversion and terror on the American homeland before and during World War I.Trade Review...excellently researched and gripping. […] A mix of stunning revelation, to those previously uninitiated, and expertly told detail that explains and enhances through a well-crafted and logical flow; this book’s appeal will range from period enthusiasts to those who are simply looking for an exciting and historically accurate account. * Liam FitzGerald-Finch QGM, Former British Army Ammunition Technical Officer 25/06/2021 *Table of ContentsChapter 1: The War Room Chapter 2: First Target: The Welland Canal Chapter 3: Bombing the Vanceboro Bridge Chapter 4: The Cigar Bomb Plot Chapter 5: A Gentleman Spy Chapter 6: The Detroit Cell Chapter 7: The Riverside Garage Chapter 8: Swindlers, Scoundrels, and Saboteurs Chapter 9: Bopp’s Gang Chapter 10: TNT Chapter 11: The American Front Chapter 12: The Hoboken Bunch Chapter 13: Black Tom Island Chapter 14: The Munitions of War Conspiracy Chapter 15: Dynamite Charlie Chapter 16: Kingsland Chapter 17: Declaration of War

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Book SynopsisEdwin Lutyens' Memorial to the Missing of the Somme at Thiepval in Northern France, visited annually by tens of thousands of tourists, is arguably the finest structure erected by any British architect in the twentieth century. It is the principal, tangible expression of the defining event in Britain's experience and memory of the Great War, the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916, and it bears the names of 73,000 soldiers whose bodies were never found at the end of that bloody and futile campaign. This brilliant study by an acclaimed architectural historian tells the origin of the memorial in the context of commemorating the war dead; it considers the giant classical brick arch in architectural terms, and also explores its wider historical significance and its resonances today. So much of the meaning of the twentieth century is concentrated here; the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing casts a shadow into the future, a shadow which extends beyond the dead of the Holocaust, to the Gulag, to the 'disappeared' of South America and of Tianenmen. Reissued in a beautiful and striking new edition for the centenary of the Somme.Trade Review[a] moving and eloquent book * Literary Review *as a piece of architectural analysis it is impressive * The Spectator *Stamp has provided an invaluable, detailed and illuminating study * Guardian *the value of Stamp's book lies in its eloquent account of the genius of the vision of Edward Lutyens ... who created in the Monument to the Missing at Thiepval the central metaphor of a generation's experience of appalling loss. * Observer *This book is a gem...an eloquent, moving lament for the futile waste and industrialised killing of the First World War, and indeed of the 20th Century - an elegy which resonates powerfully today. * Sunday Telegraph *Much, much more than architectural history, for here, encapsulated in marmoreally angry prose, is an account of that collective act of mass murder, without parallel in history, known as the Great War. An unforgettable, passionate book. -- A.N. Wilson * Evening Standard *Perfectly formed and beautifully written, this book is a minor masterpiece, a paragon of its genre. It will move all but the hardest heart to tears at the folly, and the glory, that is man. -- Ross Leckie * The Times *

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Book SynopsisIn the years after the First World War, thousands of men who had fought on the battlefields were drawn back to the Western Front. For the former soldier, these journeys of remembrance offered a chance to pay homage to their past and to see what peace looked like in those places where they had only known war. Pilgrimage to the Western Front gathers together the first-hand accounts of veterans as they retrace their wartime footsteps and stand again at the scenes where they lived through history's bloodiest conflict. The fascinating reports reveal what they found on their return and their reflections and memories of places still healing from the devastation of the war years. Discover their emotions and what greeted the battle-scarred men as they revisited old haunts, met former friends and foes, and confronted their past. Illustrated with remarkable archive images of the destruction of post-war France and Belgium, many drawn from the collection of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this volume features fifty personal stories spanning each of the interwar years. Join those who witnessed the Great War on a poignant voyage back to the Western Front and see a world recovering from one great conflict and edging towards another.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Acknowledgements; Glossary of terms; 1919; 1920; 1921; 1922; 1923; 1924; 1925; 1926; 1927; 1928; 1929; 1930; 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934; 1935; 1936; 1937; 1938; 1939; References; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Isle of Wight went to war in August 1914 along with the rest of Britain. German waiters were arrested. The tourist trade slumped. Foreigners were denounced and lads from all walks of life flocked to the Colours. Then came privations, losses, hospitals full of the sick and crippled. After conscription was brought in tribunals were set up to catch draft-dodgers. Thousands of pounds were raised for the war effort and lectures, rallies and the local press all did their bit to keep morale high. There are no official figures for the Island's war dead, but 300 of the Isle of Wight Rifles fell on one day at Gallipoli in August 1915. The original plan to commemorate the dead was to erect a cross in Winchester but that changed so that every Island parish had a memorial of its own. Ex-Islanders from as far away as Australia and Canada volunteered to fight for king and country in this war to end all wars.

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Book Synopsis*Shortlisted for the 2019 Mountbatten Award* "We went up on deck and were looking around when the awful crash came. The ship listed so much that we all scrambled down the deck and for a moment everything was in confusion. When I came to myself again I glanced around but could find no trace of Mr Prichard. He seemed to have disappeared." - Grace French The sinking of the Lusitania is an event that has been predominantly discussed from a political or maritime perspective. For the first time, The Lusitania Sinking tells the story in the emotive framework of a family looking for information on their son's death. On 1 May 1915, the 29-year-old student Preston Prichard embarked as a Second Class passenger on the Lusitania, bound from New York for Liverpool. By 2pm on the afternoon of 7 May, the liner was approaching the coast of Ireland when she was sighted by the German submarine U-20\. A single torpedo caused a massive explosion in the Lusitania's hold, and the ship began sank rapidly. Within 20 minutes she disappeared and 1,198 men, women and children, including Preston, died. Uncertain of Preston's fate, his family leaped into action. His brother Mostyn, who lived in Ramsgate, travelled to Queenstown to search morgues but could find nothing. Preston's mother wrote hundreds of letters to survivors to find out more about what might have happened in his last moments. The Lusitania Sinking compiles the responses received. Perhaps sensing his fate, Prichard had put his papers in order before embarking and told a fellow student where to find his will if anything happened to him. During the voyage, he was often seen in the company of Grace French, quoted above. Alice Middleton, who had a crush on him but was too shy to speak to him throughout the entire voyage, remembered that he helped her in reaching the upper decks during the last moments of the sinking: "[The Lusitania] exploded and down came her funnels, so over I jumped. I had a terrible time in the water, 41/2 hours bashing about among the wreckage and dead bodies... It was 10.30 before they landed me at the hospital in an unconscious condition. In fact, they piled me with a boat full of dead and it was only when they were carrying the dead bodies to the Mortuary that they discovered there was still life in me."Trade ReviewA fascinating, excellently-written reassessment of the sinking of the iconic liner Lusitania using the letters, diaries and memoirs of those who were extremely fortunate to survive. Anthony Richards is at his best in this ground-breaking history. - Richard van Emden

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Book SynopsisThe first half of the 20th century saw the birth of the aeroplane and its development as an instrument of war and commerce. Within five decades, contraptions barely able to take to the air had given way to jet-powered aircraft flying near the 'sound barrier', a rate of technological advance unparalleled in any other field. It was the period when Great Britain's aviation industry was established and grew to its zenith, fueled by the demands of two world wars and the growth of the airlines. These requirements generated a plethora of aircraft designs, some of which became house-hold names, while others failed to make the grade. British Aviation: The First Half-Century chronicles the wide variety of aircraft produced in Great Britain before 1950. With over 170 period images, carefully colourised, this book goes through the aircraft of the first half-century, portraying them in their full glory once more.

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Book SynopsisIn 1915, the Turkish government systematically organised the wholesale slaughter of a complete race, the Armenians. Under the cover of World War I, through the secret organisation of unofficial gangs of Kurds, released prisoners, German officers and Turks who had lost their lands in the war against the Balkans, over 1 million Armenians were murdered, starved, raped and left to die. Following the War, as the Nationalist movement began to rise up from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, the allies tried to persecute the perpetrators of the genocide, in a series of trials where the term 'crimes against humanity' was first used, Turkey was allowed to hide its recent history. It has remained hidden ever since. As the nation attempts to enter the European Union, the question of 1915 has become ever more important with the arrest of writers such as Orhan Pamuk, and the introduction of Turkey into the EU.Trade ReviewThe first lucid and comprehensive study of a historical fact - the Armenian Genocide of 1915. * Morning Star *

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Book SynopsisWhen they met at a motorcycle club in 1912, Elsie Knocker was a thirty year-old motorcycling divorcee dressed in bottle-green Dunhill leathers, and Mairi Chisholm was a brilliant eighteen-year old mechanic, living at home and borrowing tools from her brother. Little did they know, theirs was to become one of the most extraordinary stories of the First World War.In 1914, they roared off to London 'to do their bit', and within a month they were in the thick of things in Belgium driving ambulances to distant military hospitals. Frustrated by the number of men dying of shock in the back of their vehicles, they set up their own first-aid post on the front line in the village of Pervyse, near Ypres, risking their lives working under sniper fire and heavy bombardment for months at a time. As news of their courage and expertise spread, the 'Angels of Pervyse' became celebrities, visited by journalists and photographers as well as royals and VIPs. Glamorous and influential, they were having the time of their lives, and for four years, Elsie and Mairi and stayed in Pervyse until they were nearly killed by arsenic gas in the spring of 1918. But returning home and adjusting to peacetime life was to prove even more challenging than the war itself.Trade ReviewA compelling story of famous but forgotten heroines: two exceptional Edwardian ladies in the front line mud and mayhem of World War I -- Kate AdieDiane Atkinson has uncovered the lives of two extraordinary women who brought medical comfort and relief to the wounded of World War I. Her book is as absorbing as it is thorough, as entertaining as it is warm-hearted. A terrific story -- Joan BakewellThe true story of best friends Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm who, when the First World War broke out, set up a first aid post on the Western Front. Their courage frequently made the headlines in Britain and both were awarded medals for their bravery. This biography is a fitting tribute to their role on the frontline -- Charlotte Vowden * Daily Express *A terrific, true story, brought vividly to life * Mail on Sunday *Brilliantly readable * Lancashire Evening Post *

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Book SynopsisIt hardly seems credible today that a nineteenyear- old boy, just commissioned into the Seaforth Highlanders, could lead a platoon of men into the carnage of the Battle of the Somme. Or that, as the machine gun bullets whistled past and shells exploded, he could maintain his own morale to lead a platoon, keeping its discipline and cohesion, in spite of desperate losses. Norman Collins, the author of this superb memoir, was this remarkable man.Using Norman's own words, Last Man Standing follows him from his childhood in Hartlepool to his subsequent service in France. The book also covers such shattering events as the German naval assault on Hartlepool in December 1914 when, as a seventeen-year-old, Norman was subjected to as big a bombardment as any occurring on the Western Front at that time. Norman's love for, and devotion to, the men under his command shine out in this book and his stories are gripping and deeply moving. They are illustrated by a rare collection of private photographs taken at or near the front by Norman himself, although the use of a camera was strictly proscribed by the Army. Most of the images have never been published before.Trade ReviewThis fantastic little WWI book is a must for any budding historians. Collins was underage when he joined the Seaforth Highlanders and was a 19-year-old officer when he led at the battle of the Somme. This book contains extracts from his diaries and a remarkable personal collection of photographs which lend this account a poignancy and immediacy which is often breathtaking. - Scottish Field This is a harrowing tale of battle, loss and the horrors of war. - Scotland Magazine

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Book SynopsisShowcasing IWM's extensive collection, this book includes works from the major artists of the time such as John and Paul Nash, Orpen, Spencer and Singer Sargent as well as other artists who are less familiar to us today. With an introductory essay by the late Roger Tolson, former Head of Art at Imperial War Museums, this book offers an insight into the huge range and power of wartime art during the First World War.

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