Author: Philip Warner Publisher: Wordsworth Editions ISBN: 9781840222296 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 270
Book Description
"On 25th September 1915, and for a few days afterward, the small town of Loos, between Lens and La Bass?e in Northern France, became the centre of one of the most intense and bloody battles of the First World War ... Philip Warner's narrative is vividly brought to life through the words of survivors from all parts of the line: the infantry, the gunners, the officers, and including extracts from the letters and diaries of Sir John French ... Through their accounts and diaries of the time, they reveal one of the most horrific tales of war yet told as well as the heroism and determination that in the end tipped the scales to victory"--Page 4 of cover.
Author: Niall Cherry Publisher: Helion ISBN: Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 392
Book Description
The year of 1914 had been a difficult one for the British Expeditionary Force, the war that had started in August had not been over by the expected time of Christmas. Additionally many of its original members had become casualties and replacements were difficult to find. 1915 did not go much better, the BEF was still a minor player with only a relatively small number of divisions compared to the many in the French Army. The culmination of several attacks by the BEF in 1915 was the attack in the Loos sector in September where in a mining area north of Arras, the largest British offensive of the war thus far took place. Forced into an offensive in an area which as one senior commander put it was on 'most unfavorable ground', the BEF suffered heavy casualties and little material gain. Probably for these reasons the 1915 battles have been largely ignored and there has been a dearth of decent publications on Loos. Helion and Co Ltd are therefore pleased to announce the publication of a major new work Most Unfavourable Ground. The Battle of Loos 1915 by Niall Cherry. Most Unfavourable Ground offers a detailed look at the planning, execution and aftermath of the fighting. As well as using official records and reports, numerous personal stories have been woven into the account. The author's grandfather was present at Loos as a Chemical Corporal with the Royal Engineers gas units and this major new work reflects the author's passion for the subject. Key sales points: A major new work on an oft-neglected and overlooked offensive launched by the British forces in 1915, Draws on a large number of personal accounts in addition to official sources to provide a rich and detailed account, Includes much information about overlooked aspects of the Battle, including the British use of gas, and medical facilities, Features a large number of rare photographs, a comprehensive selection of maps and an extensive number of statistical tables.
Author: Gordon Corrigan Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 230
Book Description
In many ways 1915 is the forgotten year of First World War studies, and yet it saw the British and the French make repeated attempts to find methods that would release them from the stalemate that had existed since the end of First Ypres in the winter of 1914. These attempts to break through the German lines culminated in what to the British was the Battle of Loos, the largest deployment of the British Army so far in this war. At this stage the British were, on land, the junior partner in a coalition, and in the greater scheme of things, Loos was but a minor distraction in a much larger strategy, but as part of the development of the British way of waging war it was important. Loos saw the first use by the British of gas, a weapon banned in future conflicts, so terrible was it (erroneously) thought to be; the first use of the New Armies, Britain's first truly citizen army, and the realisation that it would be some time yet before they could be deployed with any confidence; and it was the final straw that led to the dismissal of Sir John French and his replacement by Sir Douglas Haig as Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force. Gordon Corrigan uses contemporary accounts, war diaries and his own knowledge of the ground to chart the course of the battle, and assess the competence of commanders and the capabilities of men and equipment in what was, in many ways, the last hurrah of the old regular army.
Author: Patrick MacGill Publisher: Birlinn Publishers ISBN: Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 164
Book Description
Patrick MacGill enlisted with the London Irish Rifles in 1915 and The Great Push is the resultant work, written during the Battle of Loos. This story recounts the fear, resilience, humour, and fatalism of those who fought at the raw edge of one of the most terrifying wars ever to have been waged.
Author: Alan Clark Publisher: Random House ISBN: 1448104025 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 234
Book Description
The landmark exposé of incompetent leadership on the Western Front - why the British troops were lions led by donkeys On 26 September 1915, twelve British battalions – a strength of almost 10,000 men – were ordered to attack German positions in France. In the three-and-a-half hours of the battle, they sustained 8,246 casualties. The Germans suffered no casualties at all. Why did the British Army fail so spectacularly? What can be said of the leadership of generals? And most importantly, could it have all been prevented? In The Donkeys, eminent military historian Alan Clark scrutinises the major battles of that fateful year and casts a steady and revealing light on those in High Command - French, Rawlinson, Watson and Haig among them - whose orders resulted in the virtual destruction of the old professional British Army. Clark paints a vivid and convincing picture of how brave soldiers, the lions, were essentially sent to their deaths by incompetent and indifferent officers – the donkeys. ‘An eloquent and painful book... Clark leaves the impression that vanity and stupidity were the main ingredients of the massacres of 1915. He writes searingly and unforgettably’ Evening Standard
Author: Philip Warner
Author: Niall Cherry
Author: Gordon Corrigan
Author: Infantry School (U.S.)
Author: Patrick MacGill
Author: Patrick MacGill
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Author: Alan Clark