This is an astonishingly comp-rehensive and forensic anatomy of
how and why the armies fought, of their weapons, equipment and
tactics, for over four long and bloody years on a battlefield
that stretched from the Belgian coast to the Swiss frontier.
Alongside the British Army, full coverage is given to Britain’s
allies – France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South
Africa, India and the United States – as well as the Germans. It
includes masses of intricate full colour maps and diagrams,
illustrating particular offensives, battles, raids or tactics,
the configurations of trench formations or the trajectory of
mortar bombardments. But this conflict was also the first to be
chronicled from the start by photography, and the book does it
full justice with over 200 resonant and remarkable archive
images, many rarely seen. These are complemented with modern
colour photographs showing how historic battlefields look
nowadays.
New - Large format, 528pp, numerous colour & b/w
photos, illustrations & maps
Le Cateau (26-27
August 1914) was the second major action fought by the BEF in the
Great War. Lieutenant-General Horace Smith-Dorrien decided that he
had to make a stand in the vicinity of Le Cateau and there his men
took on elements of four German corps at considerable cost. The
battle undermined the already fraught relationship between Smith-Dorrien
and the BEF's commander, John French. In this action no less than
five Victoria Crosses were won, three of them in one howitzer
battery and two by men of the 2nd King's Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry.
New in card cover - 256pp, numerous
b/w illustrations & maps
After three years of war, Europe was weary of the stalemate and
the terrible slaughter on the Western Front. The Russian Front
had collapsed and the United States had abandoned her neutral
stance and joined the Allies, so the stage was set for what
would be the last year of the Great War. Barrie Pitt describes
the savage battles that raged unceasingly along the Western
front, from the German onslaught of 21st March 1918 through the
struggles in Champagne and the Second Battle of the Marne, to
the turning point in August and final Allied victory.
New in card cover - 318pp, 44 b/w illustrations, 15 maps, 3 Trench Diagrams
An evocative portrait of the English county during the First World
War, the book reveals the huge turmoil in the county caused by the
war, including the mobilization of troops, the requisitioning of
animals, the care of casualties, and the shortages of food. The
author also describes how the Home Front also became the front
line of enemy air raids – the first use of aerial bombing in a
global conflict – and the effect of this on the population,
reveals the effect on this rural county brought about by huge
losses among its youth.
New in d/w - Large format, 160pp,
c300 b/w photos & illustrations
The author
paints a portrait of Hitler's unit, The Bavarian List Regiment,
during World War I to rewrite the story of his military service.
He refutes Hitler's account and so challenges the historical
argument that the war led naturally to Nazism. The regiment
consisted largely of conscripts and Hitler served with scores of
Jews, including noted artist Albert Weisberger. The men shunned
Private Hitler as a "rear area pig" and Hitler himself was still
unsure of his political views when the war ended in 1918. Through
the stories of comrades, the author demonstrates how and why
Hitler aggressively policed the myth of his wartime experience.
