The German Army in the Spring Offensives 1917

The German Army in the Spring Offensives 1917 PDF Author: Jack Sheldon
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783463457
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 414

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Book Description
After the great battles of 1916, the Allied Armies planned to launch massive attacks North and South of the Somme. The German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in March 1917 forced the new French CinC General Nivelle to rethink and the French embarked on a major attack in the Aisne area and along the Chemin des Dames, with the British conducting large scale diversionary operations around Arras. The French suffered disastrously and, rendered incapable of further offensive operations, it fell to the British to step up the pressure, which they did albeit at a terrible price. This latest work by expert Jack Sheldon describes the event of Spring 1917 from the defenders' perspective. In particular it reveals the methods the Germans used to smash the French attacks and Oberst Fritz von Lossberg's transformation of the defences in the Arras front. Actions described in detail are the bitter battles around Monchy Le Preun, the Roeux Chemical works and Bullecourt as well as the capture of Vimy Ridge.

The German Army in the Spring Offensives 1917

The German Army in the Spring Offensives 1917 PDF Author: Jack Sheldon
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783463457
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 414

Get Book Here

Book Description
After the great battles of 1916, the Allied Armies planned to launch massive attacks North and South of the Somme. The German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in March 1917 forced the new French CinC General Nivelle to rethink and the French embarked on a major attack in the Aisne area and along the Chemin des Dames, with the British conducting large scale diversionary operations around Arras. The French suffered disastrously and, rendered incapable of further offensive operations, it fell to the British to step up the pressure, which they did albeit at a terrible price. This latest work by expert Jack Sheldon describes the event of Spring 1917 from the defenders' perspective. In particular it reveals the methods the Germans used to smash the French attacks and Oberst Fritz von Lossberg's transformation of the defences in the Arras front. Actions described in detail are the bitter battles around Monchy Le Preun, the Roeux Chemical works and Bullecourt as well as the capture of Vimy Ridge.

The First World War

The First World War PDF Author: Michael Howard
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199205590
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
This Very Short Introduction provides a concise and insightful history of the Great War--from the state of Europe in 1914, to the role of the US, the collapse of Russia, and the eventual surrender of the Central Powers. Examining how and why the war was fought, as well as the historical controversies that still surround the war, Michael Howard also looks at how peace was ultimately made, and describes the potent legacy of resentment left to Germany.

A Battle Too Far

A Battle Too Far PDF Author: Don Farr
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781912174928
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Fought in support of a French offensive intended to win the war, the Battle of Arras resulted in heavy losses for little gain after a promising start.

With Our Backs to the Wall

With Our Backs to the Wall PDF Author: David Stevenson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674063198
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 747

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Book Description
With so much at stake and so much already lost, why did World War I end with a whimper-an arrangement between two weary opponents to suspend hostilities? After more than four years of desperate fighting, with victories sometimes measured in feet and inches, why did the Allies reject the option of advancing into Germany in 1918 and taking Berlin? Most histories of the Great War focus on the avoidability of its beginning. This book brings a laser-like focus to its ominous end-the Allies' incomplete victory, and the tragic ramifications for world peace just two decades later. In the most comprehensive account to date of the conflict's endgame, David Stevenson approaches the events of 1918 from a truly international perspective, examining the positions and perspectives of combatants on both sides, as well as the impact of the Russian Revolution. Stevenson pays close attention to America's effort in its first twentieth-century war, including its naval and military contribution, army recruitment, industrial mobilization, and home-front politics. Alongside military and political developments, he adds new information about the crucial role of economics and logistics. The Allies' eventual success, Stevenson shows, was due to new organizational methods of managing men and materiel and to increased combat effectiveness resulting partly from technological innovation. These factors, combined with Germany's disastrous military offensive in spring 1918, ensured an Allied victory-but not a conclusive German defeat.

The Western Front 1917-1918

The Western Front 1917-1918 PDF Author: Andrew Wiest
Publisher: Amber Books Ltd
ISBN: 1906626138
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
With the aid of over 300 photographs, complemented by full-colour maps, The Western Front 1917–1918 provides a detailed guide to the background and conduct of the conflict on the Western Front in the final years of World War I.

Western Front 1917-1918

Western Front 1917-1918 PDF Author: John Grehan
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 178159323X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
From the moment the German army moved quietly into Luxemburg on 2 August 1914, to the Armistice on 11 November 1918, the fighting on the Western Front in France and Flanders never stopped. There were quiet periods, just as there were the most intense, savage, huge-scale battles.??The war on the Western Front can be thought of as being in three phases: first, a war of movement as Germany attacked France and the Allies sought to halt it; second, the lengthy and terribly costly siege warfare as the entrenched lines proved impossible to crack (late 1914 to mid-1918); and finally a return to mobile warfare as the Allies applied lessons and technologies forged in the previous years.??As with previous wars, British Commanders-in-Chief of a theatre of war or campaign were obliged to report their activities and achievements to the War Office in the form of a despatch and those written from the Western Front provide a fascinating, detailed and compelling overview of this part of the First World War.??This volume concludes with Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig's fascinating despatch, originally published in 1919, on the execution of the fighting on the Western Front

The German 1918 Offensives

The German 1918 Offensives PDF Author: David T. Zabecki
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134252250
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
This is the first study of the Ludendorff Offensives of 1918 based extensively on key German records presumed to be lost forever after Potsdam was bombed in 1944. In 1997, David T. Zabecki discovered translated copies of these files in a collection of old instructional material at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He presents his findings here for the first time, with a thorough review of the surviving original operational plans and orders, to offer a wealth of fresh insights to the German Offensives of 1918. David T. Zabecki clearly demonstrates how the German failure to exploit the vulnerabilities in the BEF’s rail system led to the failure of the first two offensives, and how inadequacies in the German rail system determined the outcome of the last three offensives. This is a window into the mind of the German General Staff of World War I, with thorough analysis of the German planning and decision making processes during the execution of battles. This is also the first study in English or in German to analyze the specifics of the aborted Operation HAGEN plan. This is also the first study of the 1918 Offensives to focus on the ‘operational level of war’ and on the body of military activity known as ‘the operational art’, rather than on the conventional tactical or strategic levels. This book will be of great interest to all students of World War I, the German Army and of strategic studies and military theory in general.

The German Army on the Western Front, 1917–1918

The German Army on the Western Front, 1917–1918 PDF Author: David Bilton
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473814596
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 427

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Book Description
This highly illustrated book covers the German retreat from the Somme, through the defensive battles of 1917, the Kaiserschlacht (Kaiser's Battle) of early 1918, to the final Allied offensive from August to the end of the War. The post-Armistice events are also covered as the implications of defeat sunk in on an exhausted nation and its shattered army. Each phase is analysed from the German point of view giving an original angle. The photographs vividly demonstrate life and events both at the front line in the trenches as well as in the rear echelons. This book will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers. Its highly illustrated nature is ideal for the general reader while its rare photographs and unusual angle will make it collectable by the more specialist reader.

The 1917 Spring Offensives

The 1917 Spring Offensives PDF Author: Yves Buffetaut
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781597641821
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
This book is devoted to the crucial World War I battles of the spring of 1917. It covers the successful defence of Verdun, and the complete failure of the French offensives of April 1917 which resulted in plummeting morale founded on the hopes of a quick victory.

Vimy Ridge and Arras

Vimy Ridge and Arras PDF Author: Peter Barton
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1459711394
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
In April 1917, Allied guns pounded German positions near Arras with almost three million shells. During the early stages of the succeeding offensive, British and Canadian troops achieved unprecedented advances, capturing a huge swathe of enemy territory, including the famous Vimy Ridge. After the initial shock, however, the Germans quickly recovered to employ inspired battlefield tactics that crushed all hope of breakthrough, despite the injection of Australian military flair. The ultimate cost in human life was immense, with an average daily casualty rate 40 per cent greater than the Somme and almost double that of Passchendaele -- making it hour for hour the most treacherous British offensive of the First World War. It stands alone as an example of missed opportunity, wasted lives, defective leadership and poor communication. Yet the determination and doggedness shown by the troops on both sides was breathtaking. In this major new account, Peter Barton showcases over 50 rediscovered British and German panoramic photographs of the battlegrounds. Taken at huge personal risk by specialist photographers, they reveal what no other photographs can -- the view beyond the trench parapet -- and a view not seen for over 90 years. Also included are many unpublished testimonies, letters, and memoirs, with stunning mapping, plans and diagrams throughout.