After the first few months of World War I, the Western Front consisted of a relatively static line of trench systems which stretched from the coast of the North Sea southwards to the Swiss border. To try to break through the opposing lines of trenches and barbed wire entanglements, both sides employed huge artillery bombardments followed by attacks by tens of thousands of soldiers. Battles could last for months and led to casualties measured in hundreds of thousands for attacker and defender alike. After most of these attacks, only a short section of the front would have moved and only by a kilometer or two. After Gallipoli, Australians were moved to fight in France on the western Front, in battles including the Battle of the Somme. On the first day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme, 60,000 Allies were casualties, including 20,000 deaths. The principal adversaries on the Western Front, who fielded armies of millions of men, were Germany to the East against a western alliance to the West consisting of France and the United Kingdom with sizable contingents from the British Empire, especially the Dominions. The United States entered the war in 1917 and by the summer of 1918 had an army of around half a million men which rose to a million by the time the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. For most of World War I, Allied Forces, predominantly those of France and the British Empire, were stalled at trenches on the Western Front. With the last few men who served in World War I now dying out, and the 90th anniversary of the Armistice coming in November 2008, there is no better time to reevaluate this controversial war and shed fresh light on the conflict. With the aid of numerous black and white and color photographs, many previously unpublished, the World War I series recreates the battles and campaigns that raged across the surface of the globe, on land, at sea and in the air. The text is complemented by full-color maps that guide the reader through specific actions and campaigns.

Winston Churchill did not describe General Sir Charles Monro in the most glowing terms. Referring to Monro's brave decision to recommend a withdrawal from the Gallipoli disaster, Churchill said: 'He came, he saw, he capitulated.' Monro was one of a handful of senior officers selected to command a division with the British Expeditionary Force in 1914 and also led a corps on the Western Front as the war progressed. After Gallipoli he was instrumental in supporting the war effort from India as commander-in-chief and was directly involved in the aftermath of the Amritsar massacre by Brigadier General Dyer. His earlier life included distinguished service on the North West Frontier and in South Africa, and he was responsible for dramatically improving tactics within the army. Loyal to Empire brings to life the interesting character of General Monro, perhaps the least well known of all the British First World War commanders, and reassesses the legacy of his important military contributions.

The First World War was a watershed in world history. Tragic but far from futile, its origins, events and legacy have roused impassioned debate, creating multiple interpretations and confusion for those encountering the period for the first time. Synthesising the latest scholarship, acclaimed historian Gary Sheffield cuts to the heart of the conflict. He explores such key issues as: - the causes of war- the great battles on land, sea and in the air- the search for the peace and peace settlements- the political, social and economic consequences- the impact of 'total war' on the belligerents and the individual- and the place of the Great War in the history of warfare Accessible and authoritative, this is the ultimate introduction for anyone wanting a clear understanding of what happened and why.

'Well written and persuasive ...objective and well-rounded....this scholarly rehabilitation should be the standard biography' **** Andrew Roberts, Mail on Sunday 'A true judgment of him must lie somewhere between hero and zero, and in this detailed biography Gary Sheffield shows himself well qualified to make it ... a balanced portrait' Sunday Times 'Solid scholarship and admirable advocacy' Sunday Telegraph Douglas Haig is the single most controversial general in British history. In 1918, after his armies had won the First World War, he was feted as a saviour. But within twenty years his reputation was in ruins, and it has never recovered. In this fascinating biography, Professor Gary Sheffield reassesses Haig's reputation, assessing his critical role in preparing the army for war.

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel exerted an almost hypnotic influence not only over his own troops but also over the Allied soldiers of the Eighth Army in the Second World War. Even when the legend surrounding his invincibility was overturned at El Alamein, the aura surrounding Rommel himself remained unsullied. In this classic study of the art of war Rommel analyses the tactics that lay behind his success. First published in 1937 it quickly became a highly regarded military textbook, and also brought its author to the attention of Adolph Hitler. Rommel was to subsequently advance through the ranks to the high command in the Second World War. As a leader of a small unit in the First World War, he proved himself an aggressive and versatile commander with a reputation for using the battleground terrain to his own advantage, for gathering intelligence, and for seeking out and exploiting enemy weaknesses. Rommel graphically describes his own achievements, and those of his units, in the swift-moving battles on the Western Front, in the ensuing trench warfare, in the 1917 campaign in Romania, and in the pursuit across the Tagliamento and Piave rivers. This classic account seeks out the basis of his astonishing leadership skills, providing an indispensable guide to the art of war.

Wellington is a giant because he was one of the greatest military commanders in British history, an important figure in the emergence of Britain as a great imperial power, a man who dominated British society and politics for 35 years. He was the only one of Napoleon's contemporaries who can be mentioned in the same breath as a general - a master of logistics, politics and coalition warfare as well as strategy, operations and tactics. The book's focus is on Wellington's military career, and it looks at all of these aspects, placing them in the context of the military and political developments of the time. It explores Wellington's personality - a key to understanding his success - and briefly examines his post-Waterloo career as a politician. It concludes that Wellington was not only a military genius, but an icon whose fame endures to our own time.

Today, just as he was a century ago, Field-Marshal Sir Henry Wilson is an archetypal 'love him or hate him' character. An agile mind, a sharp, witty and sometimes wicked tongue, and the author of diaries full of the kind of coruscating remarks that a modern tabloid newspaper editor only dreams of. Wilson enjoyed hobnobbing with politicians as much as with his fellow soldiers, often to the chagrin of both 'frocks' and 'brasshats'. The former, so the accepted narrative goes, found him pliable, naive and ready to do their bidding. The latter, we are told, found him untrustworthy, mendacious and shallow. Yet in his lifetime Henry Wilson's many genuine admirers included leading figures in both the political and military establishments. Unlike many of his peers, Wilson was unable to present evidence in his own defence in the Battle of the Memoirs which followed the Great War. Soon after his death at the hands of Irish republican assassins his reputation was ruined by the publication of a biography based on his outspoken diaries. Wilson's enemies had their suspicions confirmed, his friends too often found themselves criticised in his late-night scribblings. More recent scholarship has examined Wilson's interventions in the cause of Irish Unionism and revealed a 'political soldier' willing and able to fight for this in the corridors of power. This study concentrates instead on Wilson's impact on the development and execution of British military policy during the Great War. Wilson's contribution to the British Army's preparations for war is familiar to military historians, his role in shaping policy in the final 18 months of the conflict deserve greater attention. In 1917 Wilson disagreed with the costly attritional strategy of both Sir Douglas Haig, the commander of the British forces in France, and Sir William Robertson, the government's principle military adviser at the War Office. It was a scepticism shared by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George who found Wilson's views refreshingly different. As a result, Wilson effectively put paid to a new British offensive in early 1918 and was instrumental in setting up the Supreme War Council, designed to better co-ordinate Allied military strategy. He then dominated the work of this body, setting its strategic priorities and putting in place structures which eased the adoption of unity of command on the Western Front. As this study shows, Wilson was neither the dupe of politicians, nor the hapless hand-maiden to greater military minds than his. Instead, his diplomatic skills helped preserve the brittle Anglo-French alliance, both in the early stages of the war and towards its end. His period as Chief of the Imperial General Staff from February 1918 saw him successfully walk the tightrope between politicians and military leaders and maintain fragile civil-military relations. In the aftermath of the conflict, Wilson helped shape Britain's imperial future, for better and for worse.

The Allied campaign in Mesopotamia began in 1914 as a relatively simple operation to secure the oilfields in the Shatt al-Arab delta and Basra area. Initially it was a great success, but as the army pressed towards Baghdad its poor logistic support, equipment and command left it isolated and besieged by the Turks. By 1916 the force had not been relieved, and on 29 April 1916 the British Army suffered one of the worst defeats in military history. In Kut 1916, Patrick Crowley recounts this dramatic battle story of blunders, sacrifice, imprisonment and escape. PATRICK CROWLEY is a historian and battlefield tour guide. He recently retired after thirty-four years' service in the Queen's Regiment and Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. He was awarded the American Meritorious Service Medal for his service in Iraq. His other publications include A Guide to the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, Kut 1916 and Loyal to Empire (The History Press, 2016).

On 1 July 1916, after a stupendous 7-day artillery preparation, the British Army finally launched its attack on the German line around the River Somme. Over the next four and half months they continued to attack, with little or no gain, and with horrendous losses to both sides. This book, written by the world's foremost expert in the subject, describes in chilling detail everything from the grand strategy to the experience of the men on the ground. Illustrated throughout, it is a stunning and absorbing depiction of the horror that was the Somme in 1916.

In 1918, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) played a critical role in defeating the German army and thus winning the First World War. This 'Hundred Days' campaign (August to November 1918) was the greatest series of land victories in British military history. 1918 also saw the creation of the Royal Air Force, the world's first independent air service, from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Until recently, British histories of the First World War have tended to concentrate on the earlier battles of 1916 and 1917 and often underplayed this vitally important period. Changing War fills this significant gap in our knowledge by providing in-depth examinations of key aspects of the operations of the British Army, the Royal Air Force and its antecedents in the climactic year of the First World War. Written by a group of established historians and emerging scholars it sheds light not only on 1918, but on the revolutionary changes in warfare that took place at that time.

This is a broad ranging reader in the growing subject of War Studies. It includes respected contributors, with each chapter set out clearly and with contextual background. War Studies is an increasingly popular subject at degree, masters and doctorate level, as well as aspects of it being taught at A level. Here at last is a subject reader that will provide authoritative and thought provoking pieces of scholarship in an accessible form. Topics covered include Strategic Theory and the History of War (Daniel Moran), The Uses and Abuses of Clausewitz (Eric Alterman), Victory Misunderstood - what the Gulf War Tells Us About the Future of Conflict (Stephen Biddle), Early American Ways of War - 1600 - 1815 (John Shy) and Was the Civil War a Total War? (Mark Neeley). There is no accepted definition of War Studies for it is a particular blend of military history, international relations and contemporary security. Thus this reader purposefully gives broad coverage to the subject. Each topic is covered by one of two significant articles or book chapters with an introduction from the editor to provide context. There will also be a general introduction, explaining the growth and development of this area of study.

Gary Sheffield is one of the most versatile and stimulating of military historians at work today. For 25 years, in a series of perceptive books and articles, he has examined the First World War from many angles - from the point of view of the politicians and the high command through to the junior officers and other ranks in the front line. Morale and Command presents in a single volume a range of his shorter work, and it shows his scholarship at its best. The range of his writing, the insights he offers and the sometimes controversial conclusions he reaches mean this thought-provoking book will be indispensable reading for all students of the First World War and of modern warfare in general.

In 1918, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) played a critical role in defeating the German army and thus winning the First World War. This 'Hundred Days' campaign (August to November 1918) was the greatest series of land victories in British military history. 1918 also saw the creation of the Royal Air Force, the world's first independent air service, from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Until recently, British histories of the First World War have tended to concentrate on the earlier battles of 1916 and 1917 and often underplayed this vitally important period."Changing War" fills this significant gap in our knowledge by providing in-depth examinations of key aspects of the operations of the British Army, the Royal Air Force and its antecedents in the climactic year of the First World War. Written by a group of established historians and emerging scholars it sheds light not only on 1918, but on the revolutionary changes in warfare that took place at that time.

This is a broad ranging reader in the growing subject of War Studies. It includes respected contributors, with each chapter set out clearly and with contextual background. War Studies is an increasingly popular subject at degree, masters and doctorate level, as well as aspects of it being taught at A level. Here at last is a subject reader that will provide authoritative and thought provoking pieces of scholarship in an accessible form. Topics covered include Strategic Theory and the History of War (Daniel Moran), The Uses and Abuses of Clausewitz (Eric Alterman), Victory Misunderstood: what the Gulf War Tells Us About the Future of Conflict (Stephen Biddle), Early American Ways of War: 1600 - 1815 (John Shy) and Was the Civil War a Total War? (Mark Neeley). There is no accepted definition of War Studies for it is a particular blend of military history, international relations and contemporary security. Thus this reader purposefully gives broad coverage to the subject. Each topic is covered by one of two significant articles or book chapters with an introduction from the editor to provide context. There will also be a general introduction, explaining the growth and development of this area of study.