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Author: Ian Ronayne
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783461322
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 216
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Book Description
“A graphic and moving account of an artilleryman’s experience on the Western Front. An interesting book for those who like artillery and WWI” (English Heritage). If the First World War had not happened when it did, Channel Islander Clarence Ahier would almost certainly have led a mostly unremarkable life. But it did, and in October 1915, at just twenty-three-years-old, Clarence left his home and volunteered to join the British Army. He would spend the next two and half years serving as an artilleryman on the Western Front. Now this in itself is not remarkable—millions of other young men did the same thing. But Clarence did do something that set him apart from almost all his contemporaries: from the very beginning of his time at the front, he kept a meticulously written journal. Having lain unnoticed for years, the journal was recently discovered in a collection of dusty ephemera handed to a local history society. It consists of around twenty-five thousand words with a focus on Clarence’s experience during the Battle of the Somme, in the fighting around Ypres, and, after he was wounded for the second time, the journey to India and his time there as a member of the garrison. Additional explanatory text by Ian Ronayne puts Clarence’s experiences in the context of the wider war that would transform him—and the world. “A very useful introduction to the Great War . . . An excellent read.” —War History Online
Author: Ian Ronayne
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783461322
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 216
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Book Description
“A graphic and moving account of an artilleryman’s experience on the Western Front. An interesting book for those who like artillery and WWI” (English Heritage). If the First World War had not happened when it did, Channel Islander Clarence Ahier would almost certainly have led a mostly unremarkable life. But it did, and in October 1915, at just twenty-three-years-old, Clarence left his home and volunteered to join the British Army. He would spend the next two and half years serving as an artilleryman on the Western Front. Now this in itself is not remarkable—millions of other young men did the same thing. But Clarence did do something that set him apart from almost all his contemporaries: from the very beginning of his time at the front, he kept a meticulously written journal. Having lain unnoticed for years, the journal was recently discovered in a collection of dusty ephemera handed to a local history society. It consists of around twenty-five thousand words with a focus on Clarence’s experience during the Battle of the Somme, in the fighting around Ypres, and, after he was wounded for the second time, the journey to India and his time there as a member of the garrison. Additional explanatory text by Ian Ronayne puts Clarence’s experiences in the context of the wider war that would transform him—and the world. “A very useful introduction to the Great War . . . An excellent read.” —War History Online
Author: John Hulton
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473823722
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 250
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Book Description
The Great War will always be synonymous with trench warfare and the mass slaughter inflicted by machine guns on the helpless but gallant infantry. There is a good reason for this view as the machine guns took a terrible toll, and the infantry's experiences continue to fascinate and appal people today. But one aspect of the fighting that gets insufficient attention is the artillery. Histories of the major battles often reduce the role of the big guns to a few paragraphs, and this has created a seriously distorted impression of the reality of the fighting. A better balance needs to be struck, and that is the intention of John Hutton's new book on the gunners of 1914.??He tells the story of the war as the gunners themselves saw it, focusing on the first few months of warfare which were fundamental to the conduct of the campaign. The gunners may not have always shared the trench experiences of the infantry in the front line, but they were in the thick of the action, and success or failure depended on them. The personal testimonies of those who served with and supported the guns provide a vital insight into the colossal tragedy and drama of the war from the artilleryman's point of view.
Author: C. E. Crutchley
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
ISBN: 9781783461783
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
In 1914 there were only two machine guns supporting a British infantry battalion of 800 men, and in the light of the effectiveness of German and French machine guns the Machine Gun Corps was formed in October 1915. This remarkable book, compiled and edited by C E Crutchley, is a collection of the personal accounts of officers and men who served in the front lines with their machine guns in one of the most ghastly wars, spread over three continents. The strength of the book lies in the fact that these are the actual words of the soldiers themselves, complete with characteristic modes of expression and oddities of emphasis and spelling. All theatres of war are covered from the defence of the Suez Canal, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia in the east to France and Flanders, the German offensive of March 1918 and the final act on the Western Front that brought the war to an end. SELLING POINTS: * A harrowing story of the types of combat used in World War I * Pulls together the experiences of different people who served, helping yo to understand what these men went through 8 pages of b/w plates
Author: Ian Ronayne
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473843030
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 351
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Book Description
After training at St John's Wood in London and in Exeter, Alexander Douglas Thorburn was posted to the BEF in France, joining the 2/22nd London (Howitzer) Battery, Royal Field Artillery as a subaltern officer. After service in the Vimy Ridge sector, with his division, the 60th (2/2nd London) Division, he crossed the Mediterranean to join the British Army in Salonika. Following a further move in mid-1917, Thorburn arrived in Palestine where he saw service with the 74th (Yeomanry) Division during the advance on Jerusalem. A final move in 1918 took the now Captain Thorburn back to the Western Front to take part in the Advance to Victory during the closing months of the war. After the war, Thorburn wrote an account of his military service between 1916 and 1918, recording his experiences in France, Greece and Palestine as well as his initial training in England. He also wrote a series of observations on life as a gunner during the First World War. Both the account and observations were published as a book, Amateur Gunners, in 1933 by William Potter of Liverpool. Today, the book is out of print. In addition to the book, of which a small number of copies still exist of course, there are an extensive series of private letters written by Thorburn while on active service to his mother, father and other relatives. The letters are in the possession of Thorburn's only grandson. Together, the book and letters offer a fascinating insight into the life of a First World War artillery officer. Lucidly written in a candid style, Thorburn shows excellent observation, description and narration skills. While Amateur Gunners itself is worthy of reprint, when combined with Thorburn's private letters and historical context from author Ian Ronayne, this book offers a unique look at a gunner's experience during the Great War.
Author: Ward Schrantz
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
ISBN: 1574417614
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 536
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Book Description
Despite their extensive service in World War I, few members of the Kansas-Missouri 35th Division left lengthy memoirs of their experiences in the American Expeditionary Forces. But Ward Loren Schrantz filled dozens of pages with his recollections of life as a National Guard officer and machine gun company commander in the “Santa Fe” Division. In A Machine-Gunner in France, Schrantz extensively documents his experiences and those of his men, from training at Camp Doniphan to their voyage across the Atlantic, and to their time in the trenches in France’s Vosges Mountains and ultimately to their return home. He devotes much of his memoir to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, in which the 35th Division suffered heavy casualties and made only moderate gains before being replaced by fresh troops. Schrantz provides a valuable “common soldier’s” view of why the division failed to live up to the expectations of the A.E.F. high command. Schrantz also describes the daily life of a soldier, including living conditions, relations between officers and enlisted men, and the horrific experience of combat. He paints literary portraits of the warriors who populated the A.E.F. and the civilians he encountered in France. Schrantz’s small-town newspaper experience allowed him to craft a well-written and entertaining narrative. Because he did not intend his memoir for publication, the Missourian wrote in an honest and unassuming style, with extensive detail, vivid descriptions, and occasional humor. Editor Jeffrey Patrick combines his narrative with excerpts from a detailed history of the unit that Schrantz wrote for his local newspaper, and also provides an editor’s introduction and annotations to document and explain items and sources in the memoir. This is not a romantic account of the war, but a realistic record of how American citizen-soldiers actually fought on the Western Front.
Author: David Hutchison
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1785893238
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 344
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Book Description
The Young Gunner describes the history of the Royal Field Artillery in France and Flanders in the Great War, including the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The book is based on the letters and journals of Second Lieutenant Colin Hutchison who joined the army aged 19 just before the war started. He found himself in command of a single gun in battle in 1914, a section of guns in 1915, a battery of six guns in 1916, and a brigade of 24 guns by the end of the war. He tells the story of front line action in thirteen battles on the Western Front, including Mons 1914, Ypres 1915, The Somme 1916, Passchendaele 1917 and Ypres 1918. His personal stories are inspiring, but more importantly his letters and journals describe, in a consistent style, not only life on the front line with the artillery, but also the details of his tactical deployment in battle. David explains, from his perspective, why so many men died unnecessarily in that war, and why the changes in tactical thinking he saw as necessary to achieve success and to prevent casualties were so slow to be adopted. One cannot understand the battles of the First World War without understanding the artillery. This book, with copious factual footnotes and helpful maps, gives new insights into many of the battles, and also covers all aspects of the field artillery at war on the Western Front, with the final chapter drawing together the tactical developments year on year. The Young Gunner will appeal to readers of military history, and in particular to those interested in the stresses and experiences of any one of the 140,000 men who served in the Royal Field Artillery in the First World War.
Author: Josette Dermody Wingo
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
The engaging story of a navy Wave, from basic training and gunnery school to the author's subsequent posting as a gunnery instructor in California.
Author: Adam Makos
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0804176736
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432
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Book Description
THE NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER “A band of brothers in an American tank . . . Makos drops the reader back into the Pershing’s turret and dials up a battle scene to rival the peak moments of Fury.” —The Wall Street Journal From the author of the international bestseller A Higher Call comes the riveting World War II story of an American tank gunner’s journey into the heart of the Third Reich, where he will meet destiny in an iconic armor duel—and forge an enduring bond with his enemy. When Clarence Smoyer is assigned to the gunner’s seat of his Sherman tank, his crewmates discover that the gentle giant from Pennsylvania has a hidden talent: He’s a natural-born shooter. At first, Clarence and his fellow crews in the legendary 3rd Armored Division—“Spearhead”—thought their tanks were invincible. Then they met the German Panther, with a gun so murderous it could shoot through one Sherman and into the next. Soon a pattern emerged: The lead tank always gets hit. After Clarence sees his friends cut down breaching the West Wall and holding the line in the Battle of the Bulge, he and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fallen brothers: the Pershing, a state-of-the-art “super tank,” one of twenty in the European theater. But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack. That’s how Clarence, the corporal from coal country, finds himself leading the U.S. Army into its largest urban battle of the European war, the fight for Cologne, the “Fortress City” of Germany. Battling through the ruins, Clarence will engage the fearsome Panther in a duel immortalized by an army cameraman. And he will square off with Gustav Schaefer, a teenager behind the trigger in a Panzer IV tank, whose crew has been sent on a suicide mission to stop the Americans. As Clarence and Gustav trade fire down a long boulevard, they are taken by surprise by a tragic mistake of war. What happens next will haunt Clarence to the modern day, drawing him back to Cologne to do the unthinkable: to face his enemy, one last time. Praise for Spearhead “A detailed, gripping account . . . the remarkable story of two tank crewmen, from opposite sides of the conflict, who endure the grisly nature of tank warfare.” —USA Today (four out of four stars) “Strong and dramatic . . . Makos established himself as a meticulous researcher who’s equally adept at spinning a good old-fashioned yarn. . . . For a World War II aficionado, it will read like a dream.” —Associated Press
Author: Donald Nijboer
Publisher: Erin, Ont. : Boston Mills Press
ISBN: 9781550464863
Category : Aerial gunnery
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Through Patterson's remarkable photography and Nijboer's interviews with veterans, "Gunner" allows readers to imagine what it must have been like to be an air gunner in the Second World War. 150 color photos plus historical b&w photos.
Author: Paul Lintier
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
This work presents the personal narrative of a French writer and volunteer during the First World War. Paul Lintier followed a straightforward, concise manner, devoid of any fancy literary style, with intriguing descriptions of the incidents. The commendable patience, the great spirit, the intelligence and fearless devotion with the plain, simple bravery, and all qualities of the French Race are found in this book. Excerpt from the book "Blood, money, and more and more blood! And then we have so often heard people say: "Now there'll be war," and nevertheless we remained at peace. And it will be so this time. Europe is not going to become a shambles because an Austrian Archduke happens to have been murdered."
