Download or read book The BEF Campaign on the Aisne 1914 written by Jerry Murland and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2013-01-19 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The river Aisne featured prominently in August 1914 during the Retreat from Mons and in September was the scene of bitter fighting when the BEF re-crossed it in their unsuccessful attempt to dislodge the German Army entrenched along the Northern Crest.The fighting was hugely costly to the BEF, which had already fought three major engagements and marched over 200 miles in a month. The three British Corps lost over 700 officers and some 15,000 men. Little wonder one officer wrote that he felt he was in the company of ghosts.Historian Jerry Murland places the Aisne battles in their context, both from the BEF and German viewpoints. He highlights the early deficiencies and unpreparedness of the British Army staff and logistics organization as well as friction among the command structure, all of which hampered effective operations.

Download or read book Battle on the Aisne 1914 written by MURLAND JERRY and published by . This book was released on 2022-08-30 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Aisne 1914 written by Paul Kendall and published by History Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Battle of Aisne fought during September 1914 was a savage engagement and a complete shock for the soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force who were trained to fight mobile wars. This book retells the story of the first Battle of Aisne, featuring diaries and letters from the soldiers who fought in the campaign.

Download or read book The British Campaign in France and Flanders 1914 written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published by . This book was released on 1916 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Fire and Movement written by Peter Hart and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-01 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatic opening weeks of the Great War passed into legend long before the conflict ended. The British Expeditionary Force fought a mesmerizing campaign, outnumbered and outflanked but courageous and skillful, holding the line against impossible odds, sacrificing themselves to stop the last great German offensive of 1914. A remarkable story of high hopes and crushing disappointment, the campaign contains moments of sheer horror and nerve-shattering excitement; pathos and comic relief; occasional cowardice and much selfless courage--all culminating in the climax of the First Battle of Ypres. And yet, as Peter Hart shows in this gripping and revisionary look at the war's first year, for too long the British part in the 1914 campaigns has been veiled in layers of self-congratulatory myth: a tale of poor unprepared Britain, reliant on the peerless class of her regular soldiers to bolster the rabble of the unreliable French Army and defeat the teeming hordes of German troops. But the reality of those early months is in fact far more complex--and ultimately, Hart argues, far more powerful than the standard triumphalist narrative. Fire and Movement places the British role in 1914 into a proper historical context, incorporating the personal experiences of the men who were present on the front lines. The British regulars were indeed skillful soldiers, but as Hart reveals, they also lacked practice in many of the required disciplines of modern warfare, and the inexperience of officers led to severe mistakes. Hart also provides a more accurate portrait of the German Army they faced--not the caricature of hordes of automatons, but the reality of a well-trained and superlatively equipped force that outfought the BEF in the early battles--and allows readers to come to a full appreciation of the role of the French Army, without whom the Marne never would have been won. Ultimately Fire and Movement shows the story of the 1914 campaigns to be an epic tale, and one which needs no embellishment. Through the voices and recollections of the soldiers who were there, Hart strips away the myth to offer a clear-eyed account of the remarkable early days of the Great War.

Download or read book The Campaign of the Marne 1914 written by Sewell Tappan Tyng and published by . This book was released on 1935 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Details the opening campaigns of the First World War on the western front in 1914, the defense of Paris by the French Armies and the British Expeditionary Force, the decisions of the German and French commanders von Kluck and Joffre, and the retreat of the German Army after the battles of the Ourcq, the two Morins, the Aisne and the Marne.

Download or read book The Campaign of 1914 in France and Belgium written by George Herbert Perris and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Challenge of Battle written by Adrian Gilbert and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-02-20 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winston Churchill described the opening campaign of World War I as 'a drama never surpassed'. The titanic clash of Europe's armies in 1914 is one the great stories of 20th-century history, and one in which the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) played a notable part. Previous assessments of the BEF have held to an unshakeable belief in its exceptional performance during the battles of 1914. But closer examination of the historical record reveals a force possessing some key strengths yet undermined by other, significant failings. Within an authoritative and well-paced campaign narrative, Challenge of Battle re-evaluates the Army's leadership, organization and tactics. It describes the problems faced by commanders, grappling with the brutal realities of 20th-century warfare, and explains how the British infantry's famed marksmanship has to be set against the inexperience and tactical shortcomings of the BEF as a whole. However, it also demonstrates the progress made by the British during 1914, concluding with the successful defence of Ypres against superior enemy forces. The author examines the fateful decisions made by senior officers and how they affected the men under their command. Making full use of diaries, letters and other contemporary accounts, he builds a compelling picture of what it was like to fight in the battles of Mons, Le Cateau, the Aisne and Ypres. In this timely new book, Adrian Gilbert clears away the layers of sentiment that have obscured a true historical understanding of the 1914 campaign to provide a full, unvarnished picture of the BEF at war.

Download or read book 1914 written by H. W. Carless-Davis and published by Leonaur Limited. This book was released on 2011-03-11 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The counter attacks that saved the Allied cause This concise book contains two accounts, by H. W. Carless-Davis and A. Neville Hilditch, of the conflicts of the first year of the Great War, brought together in one value for money volume because the short length of each account means that it is improbable that either would be republished individually in modern times. Each account includes a campaign overview, illustrations and maps, dispatches and in some cases first hand accounts from those who fought. The Battle of the Marne essentially halted the advance of the invading German Army in early September 1914. It brought to an end a successful, month long offensive by the Germans and was considered by many to be 'the Miracle of the Marne, ' because at the point they were halted the Germans were all but at the outskirts of Paris. The massive Allied counter attack by six French and one British field armies rolled the Germans back to the north-east . Eventually the Germans turned at bay and were attacked by the pursuing allies on the Aisne. The principal outcome of these engagements was an end to fluidity of warfare in Europe until the final stages of the war. In its stead would be the gruelling stalemate of attrition which was the trench warfare of 'the Western Front.' The second piece concentrates on a particularly notable engagement around Troyon which will be of particular interest to those who are fascinated by the more detailed aspects of the campaign. Available in softcover and hardcover with dustjacket.

Download or read book The Marne 15 July 6 August 1918 written by Stephen C. McGeorge and Mason W. Watson and published by . This book was released on with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Chronicles of the Great War written by Peter Simkins and published by Continental Enterprises Group. This book was released on 1997 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the daily life of front line soldiers during WWI.

Download or read book Trial by Fire written by Nikolas Gardner and published by Praeger. This book was released on 2003-08-30 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While existing accounts of this period have elevated the exploits of the British soldiers on the battlefield to almost legendary status, the operations of the British Expeditionary Force in the dramatic opening campaign of the First World War remain poorly understood. Based on official unit war diaries, as well as personal papers and memoirs of numerous officers, this study sheds significant new light on the retreat from Mons in August 1914, the advance to the River Aisne in September, and the climactic First Battle of Ypres in October and November. In addition, Gardner provides important insights into the ideas and values of British officers in the initial stages of the war. Beyond explaining the conduct of the 1914 campaign, Gardner analyzes the initial stages of the learning curve experienced by British officers as they grappled with an unaccustomed type of warfare, including the unprecedented scale and intensity of the conflict as well as the advent of trench warfare. He also demonstrates the impact of rivalries among senior officers on the operations of the army. As a whole, the study adds depth to our understanding of command in European armies during the First World War.

Download or read book The Western Front 1914 Trilogy written by Edmund Dane and published by . This book was released on 2013-12 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique 1914 trilogy in one special edition This Leonaur special edition, published to coincide with the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, collects three of Edmund Dane's well regarded, concise histories of warfare Never before published in this form, this substantial trilogy covers events from the outbreak of hostilities in late July, 1914, to the battle of Neuve Chapelle in early March, 1915-approximately the first six months of the conflict. Germany had long planned this war. It had its well equipped army's inexorable advance mapped out in every detail, taking into account the French fortifications along it's borders and the terrain to be traversed. German commanders decided to march through the northern flank of Belgium and present this as a 'fait de complete' to the Belgians, sweetened by terms they thought would not be refused. However, the Belgians and their small archaic army, fought back. This resistance, a story of unparalleled bravery and tenacity has been substantially forgotten due to the world-wide carnage that followed. The German Army did, of course, advance through Belgium, into France and towards Paris. The French Army fought as it stubbornly retired and the small regular British Army was quickly transported to the battle line. The B. E. F stood and fought at Mons, but could not endure the seemingly endless supply of German troops thrown at it or the vast superiority in well-served artillery at the disposal of the invaders. A dogged retreat to the Marne was fought, with actions around Le Cateau that saved the British Army from annihilation. The British and French armies turned before Paris and counter-attacked driving the Germans north over the Marne and Aisne. Towards the end of the year the Germans stood at the First Battle of Ypres-a pivotal engagement that marked the beginning of the war of stalemate. From this point on the great armies of the Western Front would gain little on the tortured battleground of blood, mud and wire. Neuve Chapelle was the first of many offensives that defined the conflict-typified by an appalling loss of life for no significant gain. The days of mobility were over and the armies began to dig into the ground for the long haul to 1918. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

Download or read book The 1914 Campaign August October 1914 written by Daniel David and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book From Boer War to World War written by Spencer Jones and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British Expeditionary Force at the start of World War I was tiny by the standards of the other belligerent powers. Yet, when deployed to France in 1914, it prevailed against the German army because of its professionalism and tactical skill, strengths developed through hard lessons learned a dozen years earlier. In October 1899, the British went to war against the South African Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State, expecting little resistance. A string of early defeats in the Boer War shook the military’s confidence. Historian Spencer Jones focuses on this bitter combat experience in From Boer War to World War, showing how it crucially shaped the British Army’s tactical development in the years that followed. Before the British Army faced the Boer republics, an aura of complacency had settled over the military. The Victorian era had been marked by years of easy defeats of crudely armed foes. The Boer War, however, brought the British face to face with what would become modern warfare. The sweeping, open terrain and advent of smokeless powder meant soldiers were picked off before they knew where shots had been fired from. The infantry’s standard close-order formations spelled disaster against the well-armed, entrenched Boers. Although the British Army ultimately adapted its strategy and overcame the Boers in 1902, the duration and cost of the war led to public outcry and introspection within the military. Jones draws on previously underutilized sources as he explores the key tactical lessons derived from the war, such as maximizing firepower and using natural cover, and he shows how these new ideas were incorporated in training and used to effect a thorough overhaul of the British Army. The first book to address specific connections between the Boer War and the opening months of World War I, Jones’s fresh interpretation adds to the historiography of both wars by emphasizing the continuity between them.

Download or read book Aisne 1914 written by Jerry Murland and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 1914 Battle of the Aisne, officially from 12 15 September, came about as a result of the German retirement from the Battle of the Marne, which took place further south as the huge conscript armies of France and Germany jostled for position almost within sight of Paris. By the time the British arrived on the Aisne the battle line stretched some 150 miles from Noyon in the west to Verdun in the east and it was only along a tiny fifteen mile sector in the middle that the The British Expeditionary Force was engaged. However, it fought bitter engagements, which took place in difficult conditions and casualties were heavy. The Aisne fighting was the final attempt by the allies to follow through from the success of the Marne. It also marked the successful establishment by the Germans of a sound defensive line on this part of the front.As seen in 'Scale Military Modelling Monthly'.

Download or read book Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914 1919 written by G.W.L. Nicholson and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2015-11-01 with total page 709 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Colonel G.W.L. Nicholson's Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919 was first published by the Department of National Defence in 1962 as the official history of the Canadian Army’s involvement in the First World War. Immediately after the war ended Colonel A. Fortescue Duguid made a first attempt to write an official history of the war, but the ill-fated project produced only the first of an anticipated eight volumes. Decades later, G.W.L. Nicholson - already the author of an official history of the Second World War - was commissioned to write a new official history of the First. Illustrated with numerous photographs and full-colour maps, Nicholson’s text offers an authoritative account of the war effort, while also discussing politics on the home front, including debates around conscription in 1917. With a new critical introduction by Mark Osborne Humphries that traces the development of Nicholson’s text and analyzes its legacy, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919 is an essential resource for both professional historians and military history enthusiasts.