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The Great War Diaries of Brigadier Alexander Johnston, 1914–1917
by Edwin Astill"Alexander Johnston went over to France in August 1914 as the signals officer for 7 Infantry Brigade. He went on to serve in that capacity with 3rd Division before becoming, in turn, Brigade Major, Commanding Officer 10th Battalion Cheshire Regiment and finally Officer Commanding 126 Infantry Brigade. Throughout he proved himself to be a brave, resourceful and determined soldier. He was always close to the front line, yet his signals and staff duties gave him insights into the conduct of the war at higher levels. Therein lies the value of this diary. Many of the major engagements of the war are covered. He took part in Mons, Le Cateau and the subsequent retreat and advance to the Aisne. The diary provides valuable insights into the battle of La Bassee and the trench warfare of 1915. As a Brigade Major he was kept busy in 1916 with both holding the line (in the face of intensive enemy mining operations) and the Somme battle. By 1917 his work in command of 10th Cheshire Regiment showed positive results in the battalions performance at Messines and gained him promotion to Brigadier General. Within days of taking command he was up at the front line where he was badly wounded. But for the wound Johnston may well have gained even higher command and wider acclaim for his services. The diary is an important addition to the literature of the Great War. "
The Great War Explained: The Essential Starting Point For All Who Want To Understand The First World War
by Philip StevensThis is much more than just another book to add to the thousands on The Great War. It sets out to fill a gap. Written for the layman by a layman (who is also an articulate and experienced battlefield guide) it summarizes the key events and contributions of key individuals, some well, others unknown but with a story to tell.To get a true picture of this monumental event in history, it is necessary to grasp the fundamentals, be they military, political, social or simply human. The slaughters at Verdun, Somme and Passchendaele are no more than statistics without the stories of those that fought, drowned and died there.It is designed to capture the imagination and feed the mind of that ever increasing number of people who seek a better understanding of The Great War.
Great War Fighter Aces, 1916–1918: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Norman FranksBy the close of 1916, the air war over France was progressing amazingly. The Royal Flying Corps, the French Air Force and the opposing German Air Service, were all engaged in fierce aerial conflict and the Allied air forces were following a particularly successful if aggressive policy. They were taking the war to the Germans by constantly crossing the massive trench system that stretched from the North Sea to the Swiss border. With observation and bombing aircraft requiring constant protection from the German fighter Jastas, the fighter aces on both sides soon gained publicity and fame as a result of their daily engagements. This book explores the many ways in which fighter pilots developed tactics in order to outdo the opposition in the fight for allied victory. In so doing, they achieved high honors on account of their prowess in the skies. It also looks at the development of militarized flight during the course of these key years, revealing how each side constantly endeavored to improve their aircraft and their gunnery.By early 1918 the Americans were also starting to take part in the war against Germany, and any number of US citizens were joining both the French Air Service as well as manning their own Aero Squadrons. This publication covers the development of American air combat, whilst also recording the efforts of some of their ace pilots flying both British and French aircraft with precision and skill.
The Great War for Civilisation
by Robert FiskA sweeping and dramatic history of the last half century of conflict in the Middle East from an award-winning journalist who has covered the region for over thirty years, The Great War for Civilisation unflinchingly chronicles the tragedy of the region from the Algerian Civil War to the Iranian Revolution; from the American hostage crisis in Beirut to the Iran-Iraq War; from the 1991 Gulf War to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. A book of searing drama as well as lucid, incisive analysis, The Great War for Civilisation is a work of major importance for today's world.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Great War for Peace
by William Mulligan"The war to end all wars" rings out a bitter mockery of the First World War, often viewed as the seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century, the crucible from which Soviet, Fascist, and Nazi dictatorships emerged. Today's conventional wisdom is that the Great War attuned the world to large-scale slaughter, that post-war efforts directed by the Treaty at Versailles were botched, that unbridled new nationalisms made the Second World War inevitable. This provocative book refutes such interpretations, arguing instead that the first two decades of the twentieth century--and the First World War in particular--played an essential part in the construction of a peaceful new order on a global scale. Historian William Mulligan takes an entirely fresh look at the aspirations of statesmen, soldiers, intellectuals, and civilians who participated in the war and at the new ideas about peace that were forged. While the hope for ultimate peace may have legitimized and even intensified the violence of the war, it also broadened conventional ideas about international politics and led to the emergence of such institutions as the League of Nations and the International Labour Organization. The experience of the First World War reinforced humanitarian concerns in political life and focused attention on building a better and more peaceful world order, Mulligan shows. Such issues resonate still in the political and diplomatic debates of today.
The Great War Handbook: A Guide for Family Historians & Students of the Conflict
by Geoff BridgerGeoff Bridgers The Great War Handbook answers many of the basic questions newcomers ask when confronted by this enormous and challenging subject not only what happened and why, but what was the Great War like for ordinary soldiers who were caught up in it. He describes the conditions the soldiers endured, the deadly risks they ran, their daily routines and the small roles they played in the complex military machine they were part of. His comprehensive survey of every aspect of the soldiers life, from recruitment and training, through the experience of battle and its appalling aftermath, is an essential guide for students, family historians, teachers and anyone who is eager to gain an all-round understanding of the nature of the conflict. His authoritative handbook gives a fascinating insight into the world of the Great War - it is a basic book that no student of the subject can afford to be without.
The Great War Illustrated 1914: Archive and Colour Photographs of WWI
by William LangfordFirst of a series of five titles which will cover each year of the war graphically. Countless thousands of pictures were taken by photographers on all sides during the First World War. These pictures appeared in the magazines, journals and newspapers of the time. Some illustrations went on to become part of post war archives and have appeared, and continue to appear, in present-day publications and TV documentary programmes many did not. The Great War Illustrated series, beginning with the year 1914, will include in its pages many rarely seen images with individual numbers allocated and subsequently they will be lodged with the Taylor Library Archive for use by editors and authors.Gt War Illustrated 1914 covers the outbreak of hostilities, the early battles, the war at sea, forming of the great trench line stretching from the coast to the Swiss border and ends with the Xmas truce. Some images will be familiar many will be seen for the first time by a new generation interested in the months that changed the world for ever.
The Great War Illustrated - 1915: Archive and Colour Photographs of WWI (The Great War Illustrated)
by William Langford Jack HolroydThe second in a series of five titles, which will cover each year of the war graphically. Countless thousands of pictures were taken by photographers on all sides during the First World War. These pictures appeared in the magazines, journals and newspapers of the time. Some illustrations went on to become part of post-war archives and have appeared, and continue to appear, in present-day publications and TV documentary programmes many did not. The Great War Illustrated series will include in its pages many rarely seen images with individual numbers allocated and subsequently they will be lodged with the Taylor Library Archive for use by editors and authors.The Great War Illustrated 1915 covers the 1915 Gallipoli campaign and the battles that commenced on the Western Front that year. Some images will be familiar many will be seen for the first time by a new generation interested in the war that changed the world forever. With over 1,000 painstakingly restored images, this will be a definitive picture reference book on 1915 and will appeal to enthusiasts, collectors and student of the period alike.
The Great War Illustrated - 1917: Archive and Colour Photographs of WWI (The Great War Illustrated)
by William Langford Jack HolroydFourth in a series of five titles which will cover each year of the war graphically. Countless thousands of pictures were taken by photographers on all sides during the First World War. These pictures appeared in the magazines, journals and newspapers of the time. Some illustrations went on to become part of post-war archives and have appeared, and continue to appear, in present-day publications and TV documentary programmes many did not. The Great War Illustrated series, beginning with the year 1914, will include in its pages many rarely seen images with individual numbers allocated, and subsequently they will be lodged with the Taylor Library Archive for use by editors and authors.The Great War Illustrated 1917 covers the battles at Arras, Passchendaele and Cambrai, the use of aviation and the role of the tanks. Some images will be familiar, and many will be seen for the first time by a new generation interested in the months that changed the world for ever.
The Great War Illustrated 1918: Archive and Colour Photographs of WWI
by Roni WilkinsonThe final book in a series of five titles which graphically cover each year of the war. Countless thousands of pictures were taken by photographers on all sides during the First World War. These pictures appeared in the magazines, journals and newspapers of the time. Some illustrations went on to become part of postwar archives and have appeared, and continue to appear, in present-day publications and TV documentary programs - many did not. The Great War Illustrated series, beginning with the year 1914, includes in its pages many rarely seen images with individual numbers allocated, and subsequently they will be lodged with the Taylor Library Archive for use by editors and authors.While some of the images in The Great War Illustrated 1918 will be familiar, many will be seen for the first time by a new generation interested in the months that changed the world for ever.
The Great War in Belgium and the Netherlands: Beyond Flanders Fields
by Christophe Declercq Felicity RashThis book addresses the many avenues that are still left unexplored when it comes to our understanding of the First World War in the Low Countries. With the ongoing the centenary of the Great War, many events have been organized in the United Kingdom to commemorate its military events, its socio-political consequences, and its cultural legacy. Of these events, very few have paid attention to the fates of Belgium or the Netherlands, even though it was the invasion of Belgium in August 1914 that was the catalyst for Great Britain declaring war. The occupation of Belgium had long-term consequences for its people, but much of the military and social history of the Western Front concentrates on northern France, and the Netherlands is largely forgotten as a nation affected by the First World War. By opening the field beyond the military and beyond the front, this collection explores the interdisciplinary and international nature of the Great War.
The Great War in History
by Jay Winter Antoine ProstThis is the first major study of German attitudes towsrds England during the Great War, 1914–1918, continuing the story of Anglo-German antagonism where previous studies have ended. In particular it focuses on the extremity of anti-English feeling in Germany in the early years of the war, and on the attempt by writers, propagandists and cartoonists to redefine Britain as the chief enemy of the German people and their cultural heritage. New material is also offered concerning the development of an extreme rightist network in Munich and Berlin during the war years, which used anti-English feeling as a focus for attacking the supposedly defeatist government of Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg. Such views formed the background to the disastrous decision to begin unrestricted submarine warfare against England in January 1917; and they also contributed to the ideological polarization of German politics at a crucial juncture in European and world history.
The Great War in the Middle East: A Clash of Empires (Routledge Studies in First World War History)
by Robert Johnson James E. KitchenTraditionally, in general studies of the First World War, the Middle East is an arena of combat that has been portrayed in romanticised terms, in stark contrast to the mud, blood, and presumed futility of the Western Front. Battles fought in Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Arabia offered a different narrative on the Great War, one in which the agency of individual figures was less neutered by heavy artillery. As with the historiography of the Western Front, which has been the focus of sustained inquiry since the mid-1960s, such assumptions about the Middle East have come under revision in the last two decades – a reflection of an emerging ‘global turn’ in the history of the First World War. The ‘sideshow’ theatres of the Great War – Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Pacific – have come under much greater scrutiny from historians. The fifteen chapters in this volume cover a broad range of perspectives on the First World War in the Middle East, from strategic planning issues wrestled with by statesmen through to the experience of religious communities trying to survive in war zones. The chapter authors look at their specific topics through a global lens, relating their areas of research to wider arguments on the history of the First World War.
Great War Lives: A Guide for Family Historians
by Paul ReedThe Great War was a key event of the twentieth century and it is one of the most popular and rewarding areas for historical research—and for family historians. More records than ever are available to researchers whose relatives served during the war, and Paul Reeds new book is the perfect guide to how to locate and understand these sources—and get the most out of them.In fascinating detail he follows the stories of twelve service men who fought and died in the Great War a rifleman, an infantry officer, a tunneller, a gunner, a Royal Marine, a naval rating, an airman, and others. He describes their wartime careers and shows how they fitted into the armed forces. He looks at what they did, at their lives in the front line, in the rear areas, on leave, and at the conditions they endured and the experiences they had. And he demonstrates how the research was done and how the lives of these individuals were reconstructed—the methods that were used, the sources that were consulted.Paul Reeds informative and accessible book will be essential reading and reference for anyone who wants to find out about the Great War and is keen to understand the part an ancestor played in it.
A Great War - More Worthy Of Relation Than Any That Had Preceded It: The Peloponnesian War As A Rosetta Stone For Joint Warfare And Operational Art
by Cmdr Kevin M. McGowanThe study of military history is a vital component of Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) as a complement to the study of Joint Doctrine. The Joint Military Operations Historical Collection (JMOHC) illustrates principles of Joint Doctrine and Joint Force Employment through historical and modern example of U.S. Joint Force Operations.Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War is recognized dogmatically as a definitive text with regard to the study of National Strategy and Policy, international relations, and political science. In addition to being the first true military historian, many regard Thucydides as the father of the study of International Relations, and the first writer in the intellectual tradition of Realism. This paper proposes that Thucydides history of the 27 year long Peloponnesian War is not only important to Strategic level of military studies, but is equally applicable to the military studies at the Operational level of war. Thucydides history is the first account of complex Joint Military Operations (JMO) in a major conflict between the joint forces (land and sea) of multi-national coalitions fighting in multiple theaters (sometimes simultaneously) across multiple domains. This paper will demonstrate that the fundamentals of Joint Force Employment were clearly validated in the Peloponnesian War as the outcome at key decisive points (Major Operations) was ultimately determined by superior (or inferior) operational execution when examined within the frameworks of the Principles of War and Center of Gravity at the Operational level.Finally, this paper will draw conclusions as to which principles of Joint Force Employment were the most determinant in the Peloponnesian War and draw lessons learned based upon these conclusions as to the enduring importance of the Principles of War and Operational Art for Joint Force Planning and Joint Force Employment in the modern era.
The Great War on the Western Front: A Short History
by Paddy GriffithThe war on Western Front from 1914 to 1918 remains one of the notoriously great tragedies of the twentieth century. Most people hold it in their minds as a milestone in modern history, yet many of them know less about this devastating clash of nations than they would like—and they would be interested to discover more. Paddy Griffith's short history of the conflict has been written with them in mind. It provides an accessible primer to an enormous and fascinating subject. His account is aimed at an English-speaking readership, and he concentrates on the part played by British Expeditionary Force and the Americans in the conflict. The French and German perspectives are also explained and the wider political and strategic evolution of the war as a whole is laid out as essential background.
The Great War Syndicate
by Frank R. StocktonIn the spring of a certain year, not far from the close of the nineteenth century, when the political relations between the United States and Great Britain became so strained that careful observers on both sides of the Atlantic were forced to the belief that a serious break in these relations might be looked for at any time, the fishing schooner Eliza Drum sailed from a port in Maine for the banks of Newfoundland.
The Great War Through Picture Postcards
by Guus de VriesDuring World War I, the picture postcard was the most important means of communication for the soldiers in the field and their loved ones at home, with an estimated 30 billion of them sent between 1914 and 1918. A Postcard from home offered the soldier in the trenches a short escape from their daily hell, while receiving a postcard from the man on the front-line was literally a sign of life. These postcards create a vivid record of life at home and abroad during the Great War, both from the messages they carries and the pictures on the cards themselves. The dipiction of war on the contemporary postcards is extremely diverse: The ways in which the postcards depict the war differs greatly; from simple enthusiasm, patriotism and propaganda to humour, satire and bitter hatred. Other portray the wishes and dreams (nostalgia, homesickness and pin-ups) of the soldiers, the technological developments of the armies, not to mention the daily life and death on the battlefield, including the horrific reality of piles of bodied and mass-graves Altogether, this extraordinarily vivid contemporary record of the Great War offers a unique and details insight on the minds and mentality of the soldiers and their families who lived and died in the war to end all wars.
Great War, Total War: Combat and Mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918
by Roger Chickering Stig Förster Christof Mauch David LazarThis volume analyzes the First World War in light of the concept of "total war," particularly the systematic erosion of the distinction between the military and civilian spheres. Leading scholars from Europe and North America explore the efforts of soldiers and statesmen, industrialists and financiers, professionals and civilian activists to adjust to the titanic, pervasive pressures that the military stalemate on the western front imposed on belligerent and neutral societies.
The Great War: Walk in Hell (The\great War Ser. #Bk. 3)
by Harry TurtledoveThis is second part of the Great War trilogy (after American Front) and the 4th volume in Harry Turtledove's epic alternative history of the USA, in which the South is victorious in the American Civil War. It began with The Guns of the South, continues How Few Remain and goes on in Turtledove's American Empire and Settling Accounts sequences. It's 1915, the Great War is intensifying, and the time of darkness has come. The slaves of the south have risen against their masters, taken on the creed of Bolshevism and are attacking the Confederacy from within. But the United States remains pinned between their weakened southern rival, and their other bitter enemy, Canada. But both Presidents - Theodore Roosevelt of the Union and staunch Confederate Woodrow Wilson - are stubbornly determined to lead their nations to victory, at any cost. Meanwhile the new and poisonous weapons of tanks, gas and planes are starting to make their presence felt at the front. It's total war for the first time in human history and it's ordinary people on both sides who are the ones to begin suffer . . . 'The wizard of If.' Chicago Sun-Times 'The standard-bearer for alternate history.'USA Today
The Great War With Russia — The Invasion Of The Crimea - A Personal Retrospect: Of The Battles Of The Alma, Balaclava, And Inkerman And Of The Winter Of 1854-55, &c. [Illustrated Edition]
by Sir William Howard Russell[Illustrated with over two hundred and sixty maps, photos and portraits, of the battles, individuals and places involved in the Crimean War]"The journalist William Howard Russell (1820-1907) is sometimes regarded as being the first war correspondent, and his reports from the conflict in the Crimea are also credited with being a cause of reforms in the British military system. This account of his time there, first published in 1858 and expanded in this 1895 edition, explains how Russell was sent by The Times of London in 1854 to join British troops stationed in Malta. He spent the next two years witnessing some of the key moments of the war, including the battle of Balaclava and the ill-fated Charge of the Light Brigade. His newspaper reports of the fighting and of the living conditions for the troops were widely read and very influential. In this retrospective work, Russell gives a more personal narrative of his experiences, making this an important account of one the most brutal wars of the nineteenth century."-Cambridge Ed.
The Great Waterloo Controversy: The Story of the 52nd Foot at History's Greatest Battle
by Gareth GloverThis groundbreaking historical study resolves a hotly debated conundrum with a newly uncovered firsthand account of the Battle of Waterloo.As the battle reached its momentous climax, Napoleon’s Imperial Guard marched towards the Duke of Wellington’s thinning red line. Having never before tasted defeat, it was now sent reeling back in disorder. The British 1st Foot Guards were honored for this historic victory by being renamed the Grenadier Guards. But while the 52nd Foot also contributed to the defeat of the Imperial Guard, it received no comparable recognition.The ensuing controversy has continued down the decades and remains a highly contentious subject. But now, thanks to the previously unpublished journal of Charles Holman of the 52nd Foot, Gareth Glover sheds vital new light on those final, fatal moments.Using these journals and other firsthand accounts, Glover pieces together the most likely sequence of events as well as their immediate aftermath. Who did Wellington honor at the time? How did the Foot Guards gain much of the credit in London? Was there an establishment cover-up? Were the 52nd robbed of their glory? The Great Waterloo Controversy is the definitive answer to these questions.
The Great Waterloo Controversy: The Story of the 52nd Foot at History's Greatest Battle
by Gareth GloverThis groundbreaking historical study resolves a hotly debated conundrum with a newly uncovered firsthand account of the Battle of Waterloo.As the battle reached its momentous climax, Napoleon’s Imperial Guard marched towards the Duke of Wellington’s thinning red line. Having never before tasted defeat, it was now sent reeling back in disorder. The British 1st Foot Guards were honored for this historic victory by being renamed the Grenadier Guards. But while the 52nd Foot also contributed to the defeat of the Imperial Guard, it received no comparable recognition.The ensuing controversy has continued down the decades and remains a highly contentious subject. But now, thanks to the previously unpublished journal of Charles Holman of the 52nd Foot, Gareth Glover sheds vital new light on those final, fatal moments.Using these journals and other firsthand accounts, Glover pieces together the most likely sequence of events as well as their immediate aftermath. Who did Wellington honor at the time? How did the Foot Guards gain much of the credit in London? Was there an establishment cover-up? Were the 52nd robbed of their glory? The Great Waterloo Controversy is the definitive answer to these questions.
Great Western, Grange Class Locomotives: Their Design and Development (Locomotive Portfolios)
by David MaidmentThe renowned British railroad historian delivers &“a well-illustrated account of the rationale behind Collett&’s construction of this 80 strong class&” (West Somerset Railway Association). English railway engineer George Jackson Churchward proposed a 5ft 8in wheeled 4-6-0 for mixed traffic duties in 1901 and it was seriously considered in 1905, but it took until 1936 before his successor, Charles Collett, realized the plan by persuading the GWR Board to replace many of the 43XX moguls with modern standard mixed traffic engines that bore a remarkable likeness to the Churchward proposal. David Maidment has written another in his series of &“Locomotive Portfolios&” for Pen & Sword to coincide with the construction of a new &“Grange&” at Llangollen from GW standard parts to fill the gap left by the total withdrawal and scrapping of one of that railway&’s most popular classes—to their crews at the very least. As well as covering the type&’s design and construction, the author deals comprehensively with the allocation and operation of the eighty locomotives and in particular has researched their performance and illustrated it with many examples of recorded logs from the 1930s as well as in more recent times. As in previous volumes, the author has added his own personal experiences with the engines and has sourced more than 250 photos, over 40 of which are in color. &“Superbly researched . . . another extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to . . . British Railroading History collections.&” —Midwest Book Review &“Granges worked off-region quite widely, so this is not just a book for the copper-capped chimney brigade; enthusiasts for whom these capable machines are favorites will definitely want this volume on the bookshelf.&” —Railway Modeller
The Great Western Railway in the First World War
by Sandra GittinsIn August 1914 the GWR was plunged into war, the like of which this country had never experienced before. Over the years that followed life changed beyond measure, both for the men sent away to fight and the women who took on new roles at home. Not since 1922 has the history of the GWR in the First World War been recorded in a single volume. Using modern data-bases and enjoying greater access to archives, Sandra Gittins has been able to produce a complete history which traces the GWR from the early, optimistic days through the subsequent difficult years of the Great War, including Government demands for war manufacture, increased traffic and the tragic loss of staff. From GWR ships and ambulance trains to the employment of women, every part of the story is told, including the saddest of all, which is represented by a Roll of Honour.