Amiens to the Armistice

Amiens to the Armistice
Author: J. P. Harris
Publisher: Potomac Books
Total Pages: 376
Release: 1998
Genre: History
ISBN:

A study of the '100 Days' campaign of the British Expeditionary Force, from 8 August to 11 November 1918. The author's aim is to rescue the campaign from the relative obscurity into which it has fallen and give it a central place in British military history and the development of the art of war.

The Day We Won The War

The Day We Won The War
Author: Charles Messenger
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2008-09-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0297856189

How the British, ANZACs and Canadians finally broke the German army on the most decisive day of the Great War. The British attack at Amiens was the most decisive day of the Great War. In earlier offensives, a gain of a few hundred yards counted as a 'victory', but this time our troops advanced seven miles in a day and broke clean through the German defences. The long agony on the Western Front was nearly over. Spearheaded by tanks and armoured cars and supported by the RAF, the attack was led by the Australian and Canadian Corps, with British and French troops on the flanks. Elaborate deception measures were employed to ensure surprise. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, as well as eyewitness accounts, this book describes how the attack was conceived, the preparations, and the actual assault itself, as well as what happened on the subsequent days and how Amiens paved the way for the final victorious Allied advance.

The Amiens Truce

The Amiens Truce
Author: John D. Grainger
Publisher: Boydell Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781843830412

In 1801 Britain and Bonaparte made an armistice, which became the Treaty of Amiens in March 1802. In the brief period of peace which followed, British attitudes underwent a major change, so that when war began again in May 1803 there was little or no dissent from the view that the war had to be fought to a finish and Bonaparte's power destroyed. This was partly the result of Bonaparte's underhand methods during negotiations; but it was also due to the conclusion reached by the many British visitors to France during the interval of peace that Bonaparte was extremely dangerous, anger at his stealthy political advances in Europe and America, and outrage at his detention and imprisonment of British civilians when war began again. The attitude of the British government headed by Henry Addington, and in particular the diplomatic methods of the Foreign Secretary Lord Hawkesbury (later the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool) were decisive in countering Bonaparte's methods; they receive their due in this first detailed examination of events, based on original materials.

Amiens 1918

Amiens 1918
Author: Alistair McCluskey
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008-06-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781846033032

Through the spring of 1918 of World War I (1914-1918), Germany had been on the offensive on the Western Front but had failed to break the Allies at any point. In July they had been forced back from the river Marne and were once again on the defensive. The Allies were now ready to increase the pressure. The Amiens area was selected and preparations were made in great secrecy with diversionary activity at other points on the line. 32 divisions were involved (twelve French, eight British, five Australian, four Canadian and one American) supported by over 500 tanks and overwhelming airpower. The first day saw an Allied advance of 5 miles across a 12-mile front, with over 27,000 German casualties. Progress was then less spectacular but by the time the battle ended on August 11 Germany had lost 75,000 men, and suffered a severe blow to morale. Amiens was notable for its successful application of the new combined-arms tactics, fully integrating infantry, artillery, armor and airpower at the commencement of the Allies' final, war-winning offensive. Published on the 90th anniversary of the battle, this book sets the strategic scene and clearly describes the fighting, highlighting the significance of the newly developed methods of war and detailing the troop movements that brought about the breakthrough and rapid advance that was achieved.

From the Somme to Victory

From the Somme to Victory
Author: Peter Simkins
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2014-10-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1473841046

Peter Simkins has established a reputation over the last forty years as one of the most original and stimulating historians of the First World War. He has made a major contribution to the debate about the performance of the British Army on the Western Front. This collection of his most perceptive and challenging essays, which concentrates on British operations in France between 1916 and 1918, shows that this reputation is richly deserved. He focuses on key aspects of the army's performance in battle, from the first day of the Somme to the Hundred Days, and gives a fascinating insight into the developing theory and practice of the army as it struggled to find a way to break through the German line. His rigorous analysis undermines some of the common assumptions - and the myths - that still cling to the history of these British battles.

Hundred Days

Hundred Days
Author: Nick Lloyd
Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2014-01-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0465074928

Describes the difficult and bloody four-month battle that tipped the stalemate on the Western Front in favor of the Allies in 1918 and drove back the Germans, bringing World War I to an end.

Changing War

Changing War
Author: Gary Sheffield
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2013-10-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 144110125X

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.

The Road to the Armistice 1918

The Road to the Armistice 1918
Author: Richard J. Connors Ph.D.
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Total Pages: 103
Release: 2018-08-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1480987107

The Road to the Armistice 1918 By: Richard J. Connors Ph.D. The Road to the Armistice 1918 is a meticulously researched presentation of the major events in one of the most important years in world history. Richard J. Connors Ph.D. details the famed battles, the personalities and political machinations that finally brought World War I to a close. This is a concise compendium of information and a somber reminder of the great costs and great heroism that marked the “War to End All Wars”—during its centennial. Connors dedicates this book to the Men and Women of the American Battle Monuments Commission.

The Meuse Heights to the Armistice

The Meuse Heights to the Armistice
Author: Maarten Otte
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2022-01-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 152679618X

The Americans had considerable initial success when they launched their huge offensive against the Germans in the Meuse-Argonne in the last days of September 1918. However, not everything went smoothly and the attack became bogged down, held up by the several lines of the Hindenburg System and logistical challenges. A major additional obstacle was the presence of batteries of German artillery on the high ground on the right bank of the Meuse, almost untroubled by any significant assaults by the allied forces. These guns created severe problems for the American commanders and their troops. Eventually sufficient resources were allocated for an American-French attack on the right bank, with the aim of removing the German artillery and pushing the Germans off the Meuse Heights, part of the renewed offensive on the Left Bank and the Argonne Forest. The action often took place over ground that had already seen ferocious fighting during the Battle of Verdun in 1916 and the French offensive of late summer 1917. It also involved the very difficult achievement of getting large bodies of troops over the River Meuse and its associated canal. The terrain is rugged and, even then, quite heavily wooded. The American and French troops often had to fight uphill and in the face of German defences that had been developed over the previous twelve months. On the other hand, the quality of the defending troops was not high, as Germany faced so much pressure in other sectors, and included a significant number of Austro-Hungarian troops. Popular opinion tends to be dismissive of the fighting quality of these Austrian troops who, in fact, performed well. The tours take the visitor over some beautiful countryside, with stunning views over the Meuse and the Woevre Plain. There are significant vestiges of the war still to be seen, including numerous observation bunkers and shelters as well as trenches. An unusual feature of the area are the traces of part of the Maginot Line, notably bunkers (some of which are very large) and the rail infrastructure to support it, sometimes making use of lines that the Germans built during the First World War. One of these tours follows the fate of Henry Gunther, officially the last American soldier to be killed in action in the Great War. There is substantial myth about Gunther; the facts surrounding his death are examined, as well as placing his last action on the ground. There is a tour dedicated just to him.