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Books > History > World history > From 1900 > First World War
Experiences of the momentous fleet battle of the Great War at sea
In the English-speaking world the Great War maintains a tenacious grip on the public imagination, and also continues to draw historians to an event which has been interpreted variously as a symbol of modernity, the midwife to the twentieth century and an agent of social change. Although much 'common knowledge' about the war and its aftermath has included myth, simplification and generalisation, this has often been accepted uncritically by popular and academic writers alike. While Britain may have suffered a surfeit of war books, many telling much the same story, there is far less written about the impact of the Great War in other combatant nations. Its history was long suppressed in both fascist Italy and the communist Soviet Union: only recently have historians of Russia begun to examine a conflict which killed, maimed and displaced so many millions. Even in France and Germany the experience of 1914-18 has often been overshadowed by the Second World War. The war's social history is now ripe for reassessment and revision. The essays in this volume incorporate a European perspective, engage with the historiography of the war, and consider how the primary textural, oral and pictorial evidence has been used - or abused. Subjects include the politics of shellshock, the impact of war on women, the plight of refugees, food distribution in Berlin and portrait photography, all of which illuminate key debates in war history.
During World War One, the Ottoman Empire, one of the largest and longest-lasting empires in history, faced severe challenges to its structure and existence, which eventually resulted in its dissolution. "Among The Ottomans" introduces two unique diary accounts written by two generations of the same family in the declining years of the Ottoman Empire. Written in the heart of the crumbling Ottoman Empire, Marie Lyster's World War One diaries describe the political and social climate of Constantinople as Allied troops swept through Turkey, wreaking havoc on the country's infrastructure and forcing residents, regardless of their national affiliations, to endure the hardships of war. Just 200 miles away in the Dardanelles, her son Henry was fighting with the Allies against the Turks. Following the Allied retreat in 1915, he was posted to Salonika in northern Greece, where he worked with the 'Comitajis' as they fought the Bulgarians. Later, as the Military Governor of Eastern Thrace, he witnessed the rise of Turkish Nationalism and the struggle for control of the fragmented pieces of the fallen empire. Published for the first time, these two diaries provide an unprecedented account of the Great War's impact across generations and geographical borders and a unique insight into the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
Many World War II exploits took place away from the spotlight. Raymond Miller brings his gift to the story of Service and Duty. How he chose to leave Purdue University, ROTC, a basketball team and parents behind to help bring a dictator to heel as co-pilot of a B-17G Flying Fortress Bomber. On Raymond's second combat mission he nearly lost his life from a piece of shrapnel to the throat and shattered breast bone. After surgery and rehab he resumed to co-pilot twenty more combat missions encountering the best the Germans could throw against them. They'd leave out to fly a mission over hostile territory not knowing when they might be hit or knowing if they would return. There were flights where the crews gulp to alleviate fear, for they felt there were no havens of security in an Allied victory that at times seemed importable. Raymond Miller feels honored to have been able to serve his country. Raymond's story gives a compelling glimpse of three brothers' value that characterized their early years and their United States Army Air Corps years of dedication. Raymond says, "I feel blessed for God has been good to me.
Organised chronologically by type, German Aircraft of World War I offers a highly-illustrated guide to the main types of aircraft used by the German Air Force during World War I. The book offers a comprehensive survey of German aircraft, from the Albatros B.1 and Fokker E.II of the early years, to the more sophisticated Fokker D.VII and Junkers CL.1 of the final months of the war. All the major and many minor types are featured, including monoplanes, biplanes, single-seater fighters, two-seater fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, night bombers, giant bombers and floatplanes. This includes both well-known and lesser- known models, such as the LVG and Pfalz single-seater fighters, the Gotha and Zeppelin Staaken large bombers, AEG ground attack aircraft, and the Albatross, Halberstadt and Brandenburg two-seater biplanes. Each featured profile includes authentic markings and colour schemes, while every separate model is accompanied by exhaustive specifications. Packed with 110 full-colour artworks with detailed specifications, German Aircraft of World War I is a key reference guide for military modellers and World War I enthusiasts.
World War I has come down to us in indelible images--those of
airplane bombers, bleak-eyed soldiers, stern-faced commanders, and
the ruins of countless villages. But soldiers themselves also took
photographs on the battlefield, and many of their striking images
were transformed into postcards that were sent home to family and
friends or collected as war mementos. "Postcards from the Trenches"
gathers a number of these postcards to create a striking visual
history of World War I.
The women of the Red Cross at war
Attack
Indian Army lances in the high passes
After the collapse of the Romanov dynasty in February 1917, Russia was subject to an eight month experiment in democracy. Sarah Badcock studies its failure through an exploration of the experiences and motivations of ordinary men and women, urban and rural, military and civilian. Using previously neglected documents from regional archives, this text offers a history of the revolution as experienced in the two Volga provinces of Nizhegorod and Kazan. Badcock exposes the confusions and contradictions between political elites and ordinary people and emphasises the role of the latter as political actors. By looking beyond Petersburg and Moscow, she shows how local concerns, conditions and interests were foremost in shaping how the revolution was received and understood. She also reveals the ways in which the small group of intellectuals who dominated the high political scene of 1917 had their political alternatives circumscribed by the desires and demands of ordinary people.
Through a detailed examination of newspaper coverage from 1899-1914, this book seeks to understand the vicarious experience of warfare held by Edwardians at the outset of the First World War. The attitudes towards and perceptions of war held by those who participated in it or encouraged others to do so, are crucial to our understanding of the origins of the First World War. Taking into account media history, cultural studies, and military history, the author argues that the press depicted war as distant and safe; beneficial and desirable and even as some kind of sport or game.
The Titanic. The Britannic. The Olympic. They are some of the most famous ships in history, but for the wrong reasons. The Olympic Class liners were conceived as the largest, grandest ships ever to set sail. Of the three ships built, the first only lost the record for being the largest because she was beaten by the second, and they were both beaten by the third. The class was meant to secure the White Star Line's reputation as the greatest shipping company on earth. Instead, with the loss of both the Titanic and the Britannic in their first year of service, it guaranteed White Star's infamy. This unique book tells the extraordinary story of these three extraordinary ships from the bottom up, starting with their conception and construction (and later their modification) and following their very different careers. Behind the technical details of these magnificent ships lies a tragic human story - not just of the lives lost aboard the Titanic and Britannic, but of the designers pushing the limits beyond what was actually possible, engineers unable to prepare for every twist of fate, and ship owners and crew who truly believed a ship could be unsinkable. This fascinating story is told with rare photographs, new computer-generated recreations of the ships, and unique wreck images that explore how well the ships were designed and built. Simon Mills offers unparalleled access to shipbuilders Harland & Wolff's specification book for the Olympic Class, including original blueprints and - being made widely available for the first time - large fold-out technical drawings showing how these extensive plans were meant to be seen.
""Fever of War" adds an important dimension to knowled of the
influenza pandemic of 1918-1919." aIt is a must read for anyone interested in military or health care history.a--"Nursing History Review" Fever of War is well written, meticulously researched, and poses
much food for thought.a "Prof. Byerly's superb research and writing bring to life an
event that held the world in its terrible grasp for more than a
year. Compelling and enlightening, "Fever of War" is well worth the
reading." "This is a well-written, well-researched book that generally
statys tightly on topic"--H-War "Byerly's book provides a wealth of fascinating detail. Everyone
with an interest in the 1918-19 pandemic will profit from reading
it"--Journal of the History of Medicine "A significant contribution to both military, social, and
medical history. . . . Fills a void and provides a valuable
corrective to a literature that ignored the role of the army in
creating conditions that maximized mortality, glorified the role of
the military, and provided explanations that shifted responsibility
to individual and racial susceptibilities." "In this lucid, well-focused book, Byerly (Univ. of Colorado)
examines the 1918 influenza pandemic as experienced by the American
Expeditionary Force. In writing this important analysis, Byerly
joins scholars such as Alfred Crosby, whose classic study America's
Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918 remains the benchmark,
and John Barry, whose The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the
Deadliest Plague inHistory focuses on the role of public health.
Byerly's prose is exceptionally clear and elegant. Highly
recommended." a" Fever of War" is handsome, readable, and extensively
researched.a "In this era of threats of anthrax, smallpox, SARS, and bird
flue, are we any less assured of our ability to conquer disease
than the generation of 1918? Perhaps Byerly's account of the great
influenza epidemic is a clarion call to wake us from our own
hubris." aByerlyas book provides a wealth of fascinating detail. Everyone
with an interest in the 1918a19 pandemic will profit from reading
it.a aa]a significant contribution to both military, social, and medical historya].fills a void and provides a valuable corrective to a literature that ignored the role of the army in creating conditions that maximized mortality, glorified the role of the military, and provided explanations that shifted responsibility to individual and racial susceptibilities.a--"American Historical Review" ""Fever of War" is an outstanding addition to the literature on
U.S. participation in World War I . . . based on exhaustive
research and thorough engagement with the published scholarship in
medical, military, and social history. An important book whose
fluently written exposition is well balanced between rigorous
analysis and sensitive attention to the human beings--doctors and
victims alike--who worked and suffered through the pandemic." ""Fever of War" is handsome, readable, and extensively
researched...It is awell-priced and wonderful addition to the
historical literature and highly recommended to anyone with an
interest in the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919." ""Fever of War" makes a powerful argument. One cannot walk away from the book without grasping the significant, tragic impact of influenza on U.S. troops in WWI, and how difficult that impact was for the nation's citizens to bear." --"Boulder Daily Camera" The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed more people in one year than the Great War killed in four, sickening at least one quarter of the world's population. In "Fever of War," Carol R. Byerly uncovers the startling impact of the 1918 influenza epidemic on the American army, its medical officers, and their profession, a story which has long been silenced. Through medical officers' memoirs and diaries, official reports, scientific articles, and other original sources, Byerly tells a grave tale about the limits of modern medicine and warfare. The tragedy begins with overly confident medical officers who, armed with new knowledge and technologies of modern medicine, had an inflated sense of their ability to control disease. The conditions of trench warfare on the Western Front soon outflanked medical knowledge by creating an environment where the influenza virus could mutate to a lethal strain. This new flu virus soon left medical officers' confidence in tatters as thousands of soldiers and trainees died under their care. They also were unable to convince the War Department to reduce the crowding of troops aboard ships and in barracks which were providing ideal environments for the epidemic to thrive.After the war, and given their helplessness to control influenza, many medical officers and military leaders began to downplay the epidemic as a significant event for the U. S. army, in effect erasing this dramatic story from the American historical memory.
The Gambardier: the Experiences of a Battery of Heavy Artillery on the Western Front During the First World War The First World War with the big guns Gambardier is a title-not completely complimentary-for a heavy or siege artilleryman. It was bestowed most usually by his comrade (but rival) of the field artillery. This is the story of a young officer-a Gambardier-from the outbreak of the Great War to its end on the Western Front. In this compelling and unusual book, we experience life on campaign, the tension and danger of Observation Posts (O. Ps), the brutality of counter barrages from the enemy-the German artillery, and the humour and incident of life amongst a small group of men thrown together in adversity. The big guns themselves are the real characters of this book, and the author provides a fascinating and compelling detail about their various types, their rate of fire, their ammunition, transportation and maintenance.
In August of 1945, some 200,000 people died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki from two nuclear weapon explosions during Nuclear War I. This book details the following historical events that led to Nuclear War I: Fermi and Szilard worked on nuclear fission at Columbia University in 1939. Plutonium-239 was discovered in 1940. Einstein informed President Roosevelt of possible German uranium bombs. Fermi built the world's first nuclear reactor in 1942, to manufacture plutonium. General Groves and Oppenheimer led the U.S. effort to build atomic bombs as part of the Manhattan Project. Soviet spies infiltrated the Manhattan Project. The Trinity Test on July 16, 1945, was the world's first nuclear explosion. The Pope (1943) and many scientists spoke against the use of nuclear weapons. Truman became President on April 12, 1945 and first learned of the Manhattan Project. The B-29 bomber was selected to deliver atomic bombs to Japan. On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb (uranium) was exploded over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. For three days (August 6th to the 9th) hope abounded that Japan would surrender but preparations for more nuclear war continued. On August 9, 1945, an atomic bomb (plutonium) was exploded over the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Emperor Hirohito survived a coup by angry military officers and Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945.
Imprisoned in a remote Turkish POW camp during the First World War, two British officers, Harry Jones and Cedric Hill, cunningly join forces. To stave off boredom, Jones makes a handmade Ouija board and holds fake seances for fellow prisoners. One day, an Ottoman official approaches him with a query: could Jones contact the spirits to find a vast treasure rumoured to be buried nearby? Jones, a lawyer, and Hill, a magician, use the Ouija board - and their keen understanding of the psychology of deception-to build a trap for their captors that will lead them to freedom. The Confidence Men is a nonfiction thriller featuring strategy, mortal danger and even high farce - and chronicles a profound but unlikely friendship. |
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