Author: Antonio Garcia Publisher: Helion and Company ISBN: 1804516155 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 324
Book Description
In Botha, Smuts and the Great War 1914–1918 authors Antonio Garcia and Ian Van Der Waag conducted painstaking research in South Africa and the United Kingdom to produce this, first-of-a-kind volume on the wartime roles of South African prime minister, General Louis Botha and his deputy General Jan Smuts. These very different men appealed to different audiences. Botha’s nuance and emotional intelligence complemented Smuts’s intellectualism. Thrown into a world conflagration in August 1914 and facing internal rebellion and the threat posed by German troops on the borders, they led South Africa’s Union Defence Force. Both Botha and Smuts commanded in the field. Steadily, the South African army they commanded – benefiting from wartime training, sometimes in the field – gained resilience, experience, and battle-hardiness, adapting to the conditions of the campaigns and the demands of the tasks. South Africa’s campaigns were complex and divergent, starting with the invasion of neighbouring German South West Africa – to neutralise enemy radio stations and so aid the security of the South Atlantic. Suddenly suspended following the outbreak of the Afrikaner Rebellion, the campaign recommenced in January 1915. Following its conclusion, an infantry brigade, raised for Western Front service, was diverted to Egypt before facing near annihilation at Delville Wood. Simultaneously, a large South African force, fighting alongside British, African and Indian forces, overcame German resistance in East Africa whilst a brigade of field artillery and later the Cape Corps served in Egypt and Palestine. Moreover, approximately 6,500 South Africans served in the British Army, Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force and in the Royal Navy. Although lionised during the war by a British public hungry for heroes, there is a different side to Botha and Smuts. Shunned by Afrikaner nationalists at the time, they have remained divisive figures. Responsible for the enactment of the Land Act of 1913, which shaped South Africa’s socio-economic and political landscape. Botha’s statues in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria were vandalised on a number of occasions between 2015 and 2022, and there were recent calls for Smuts’s statues to be removed. Behind Botha’s charming, attractive façade, and Smuts’s stoic machine, were two very human, imperfect, and quite probably inconsiderate, men. Together they provide a wonderful lens through which to examine the potent forces of the early twentieth-century world and the country they hoped to forge. Myopic compatriots had constrained their plans; but it was the outbreak of war in 1914 that offered the most significant opportunities and brought the most adverse challenges. They fought insurmountable odds, and achieved great victories, at home and abroad, but also made startling errors and, ultimately, in classical fashion risked being crushed by the weight of the world they tried to create.
Author: Richard Steyn Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers ISBN: 1868429237 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 387
Book Description
In A Man Apart Richard Steyn once again brings to life a South African icon. Louis Botha was the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, a union he did much to create in the decade after the devastation of the Anglo-Boer War. During the war Botha was a brilliant young Boer general who through his battlefield strategy won significant victories over the British in the early stages of the war. When the weight of British arms overwhelmed the Boers, Botha along with Smuts did much to encourage peace between English and Afrikaner and led the country to Union in 1910 and dominion status. Botha was a big-hearted and generous man who showed magnanimity in his dealings with all, including former enemies. He led the South African troops to victory and the capture of German South West Africa – prior to this he had to put down a revolt of pro-German Afrikaners. At the Peace of Versailles, representing South Africa, he pleaded unsuccessfully for magnanimity towards the Germans. Botha was a globally respected figure – he and Smuts effectively operated as a double act in South Africa and on the international stage before Botha's untimely death in August 1919 at only 57. In A Man Apart this tragically short life is illuminated in full.
Author: Antonio Garcia Publisher: Helion ISBN: 9781911628941 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
The First Campaign Victory of the Great War provides an insightful account of South Africa's First World War German South West Africa campaign and combines the fields of military theory and military history in a novel campaign history. In analysing the campaign through the lens of "manoeuvre warfare theory" the work adds a new and unique dimension
Author: John Terraine Publisher: A&C Black ISBN: 1448214106 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 259
Book Description
It did not need a Fort Sumter cannonade to set the world in flames in 1914, only the pistol shots of an assassin. The Great War 1914-1918, written by one of the leading military historians of his time, John Terrain, thoroughly examines the political, economical and social triggers which led to the eruption of WWI, as well as the progression of the war itself through various campaigns and battles which resulted in the final victory of the Entente Powers. The Great War 1914-1918, first published in 1965, is a brilliant and comprehensive narrative and stands as an authoritative record in its own right.
Author: Spencer C. Tucker Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1135506949 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 814
Book Description
Focuses on a great watershed event The First World War was one of the great watershed events of the 20th century, not only costing millions of live but also disrupting existing social order, precipitating dramatic changes in the methods of waging warfare, and teaching victors new lessons about the treatment of vanquished foes. Provides valuable perspective Now a new reference work helps to put this momentous historical milestone in perspective. Designed as a companion to Garland's The United States in the First World War, this new encyclopedia concentrates on non-U.S. aspects of the conflict. Its more than 600 alphabetically arranged, detailed entries offer information and insights on such topics as the perceived and underlying causes of war, diplomatic efforts to stop the slaughter, the shortsighted and ultimately disastrous peace terms, and a host of other subjects vital to a full understanding of the events. The Encyclopedia covers all major campaigns and battles, surveys weapons and devices of war, and examines the roles played in the events by statesmen, politicians, religious and military leaders, and prominent citizens. Covers key participants and concerns Also included are biographies of individuals profoundly affected by the war who played major roles in history, such as De Gaule, Hitler, appraisals of military medicine, infantry tactics, the use of artillery, naval blockades, and other subjects; and surveys of such diverse topics as art, literature, and music in the war, camouflage, censorship, propaganda, the creation of Yugoslavia, the Jewish Legion, codebreaking, women in the war, and much more. Each entry is followed by a bibliography for pursuing inquires in depth and a subject index provides easy access.
Author: Anne Samson Publisher: Tsl Publications/Gwaa ISBN: 9781913294342 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 284
Book Description
Contains original material on an under-researched period in British and South African history. An unusual approach - writing colonial history from the perspective of all the countries involved, this work sheds new light on greater historical processes of British and German rivalry in Africa and the development of an independent South Africa. The East African campaign has held little place in national memory - for Britain, it has been a 'romantic' side-show whilst for South Africa, a reminder of its failure to unite the two dominant white races and acquire the port of Delagoa Bay in Portuguese East Africa. Using new material gained from original research, Anne Samson reassesses the importance of the campaign to the young South African dominion in attempting to prove its coming of age and pursue its imperial desires. "Britain, South Africa and the East African Campaign" is a comprehensive study from multiple perspectives of the key players that will illuminate this under-researched period in colonial history.
Author: Charles Messenger Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1135959706 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 985
Book Description
This book contains some 600 entries on a range of topics from ancient Chinese warfare to late 20th-century intervention operations. Designed for a wide variety of users, it encompasses general reviews of aspects of military organization and science, as well as specific wars and conflicts. The book examines naval and air warfare, as well as significant individuals, including commanders, theorists, and war leaders. Each entry includes a listing of additional publications on the topic, accompanied by an article discussing these publications with reference to their particular emphases, strengths, and limitations.
Author: John Buchan Publisher: Good Press ISBN: Category : History Languages : en Pages : 1182
Book Description
In 'THE GREAT WAR COLLECTION', John Buchan takes readers on a comprehensive journey through some of the most pivotal battles and events of World War I. The book combines detailed accounts of The Battle of Jutland, The Battle of the Somme, and Nelson's History of the War into one volume, providing a rich tapestry of military strategy, bravery, and sacrifice. Buchan's writing style is both informative and engaging, drawing readers into the heart of the action while also reflecting on the broader historical significance of these events within the context of the war. This collection is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of World War I from a military perspective. Bringing together these nine books, Buchan provides a thorough and insightful look at the Great War, making it a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts alike.
Author: David Forsyth Publisher: Edinburgh University Press ISBN: 1474402747 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 256
Book Description
This volume emerged from an international research colloquium jointly organised by National Museums Scotland and the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies, University of Edinburgh, funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Historians and museum curators from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa were invited to join with their Scottish counterparts to consider the functioning, and the meaning, of 'military Scottishness' in different Commonwealth countries and in Britain from the late Victorian period to the present day, with a particular focus on the impact of the First World War. Another key objective was to throw light on the 'hidden' culture of social networking which potentially operated behind local regiments and military units amongst Scotland's global diaspora. This edited collection provides a comparative overview of the nineteenth century emergence of military Scottishness and explores how the construction and performance of Scottish military identity has evolved in different Commonwealth countries over the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In particular, it looks at the ways in which Scottish volunteer regiments in Commonwealth countries variously sought to draw upon, align themselves with or, at certain key moments, redefine the assertions of martial identity which Highland regiments represented.
Author: Bill Nasson Publisher: Bloomsbury USA ISBN: 9780340614273 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 320
Book Description
The South African War rounded off the British conquest of Southern Africa. Only now, a hundred years later, are some of the more baleful legacies of the war being addressed. This new history is an up-to-date account of the military struggle in South Africa including the whole web of miscalculations and shattered illusions that surrounded it which spread far beyond the battlefields.
Author: Antonio Garcia
Author: Richard Steyn
Author: Antonio Garcia
Author: John Terraine
Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Author: Anne Samson
Author: Charles Messenger
Author: John Buchan
Author: David Forsyth
Author: Bill Nasson