Battle for the Escaut 1940

Battle for the Escaut 1940
Author: Jerry Murland
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2016-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1473852617

On 10 May 1940 the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), under the command of Lord Gort, moved forward from the Franco-Belgian border and took up positions along a 20-mile sector off the River Dyle, to await the arrival of the German Army Group B. Their expected stay was considerably shorter than planned as the German Army Group A pushed its way through the Ardennes and crossed the Meuse at Sedan, scattering the French before them. Little did the men of the BEF realize that the orders to retire would result in their evacuation from Dunkirk and other channel ports. The line of the River Escaut was seen as the last real opportunity for the Allied armies to halt the advancing German Army, but the jigsaw of defense was tenuous and the allied hold on the river was undone by the weight of opposing German forces and the speed of the armored ÔBlitzkriegÕ thrust further south. As far as the BEF were concerned, the Battle for the Escaut took place on a 30-mile sector from Oudenaarde to BlŽharies and involved units in a sometimes desperate defense, during which two Victoria Crosses were awarded. This book takes the battlefield tourist from Oudenaarde to Hollain in a series of tours that retrace the footsteps of the BEF. With the help of local historians, the author has pinpointed crucial actions and answered some of the myriad questions associated with this important phase of the France and Flanders campaign of 1940.

The Duke of York's Flanders Campaign

The Duke of York's Flanders Campaign
Author: Steve Brown
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2019-12-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526742705

“A superb read . . . destined to become the go-to book for anyone interested in this long-neglected period of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.” —The Napoleon Series To crush the French Revolution, the armies of the First Coalition gathered round France’s borders, the largest of which was assembled in Flanders. Composed of Anglo-Hanoverian, Dutch, Hessian, Prussian and Imperial Austrian troops, its aim was to invade France and restore the nobility to what was considered their rightful place. Opposing them was the French Armée du Nord. In command of the Anglo-Hanoverian contingent was the son of George III, the Duke of York. The campaign was a disaster for the Coalition forces, particularly during the severe winter of 1794/5 when the troops were forced into a terrible and humiliating retreat. Britain’s reputation and that of its military leaders was severely diminished, with the forces of the Revolution sweeping all before them on a tide of popularism. Yet, from this defeat grew an army that under the Duke of Wellington would eventually crush the Revolution’s greatest general, Napoleon Bonaparte. Of the Flanders Campaign, Wellington, who fought as a junior officer under the Duke of York, remarked that the experience had at least taught him what not to do. Napoleon Series research editor Steve Brown has produced one of the most insightful, and much-needed studies of this disastrous but intriguing campaign, with particular focus on the British Army’s contribution. With copious maps and nineteen appendices including detailed orders of battle, he concludes this important work with an analysis that draws striking, and significant comparisons with the Flanders campaigns of 1914 and 1940. How history repeats itself . . .

The Golden Spurs of Kortrijk

The Golden Spurs of Kortrijk
Author: Randall Fegley
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2010-06-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0786480548

The Franco-Flemish region of medieval Flanders was a locus of important trade routes in the 13th and 14th centuries. Located in a prime position between the Holy Roman Empire and the North Sea (present-day northern Belgium), the urban centers of the region were surpassed in population only by the city-states of central and northern Italy. This positioning afforded the Flemish citizens of the region great prosperity and they formed guilds to protect their rights, regulate their working hours and standardize their wages. These guilds produced a cohesive unit of people eager to retain the rights they had gained. In 1302, French cavalry faced the determined Flemish soldiers on foot at Kortrijk (Courtrai). This book analyzes the battle that ensued, its origins, consequences and legacy. It also examines the everyday lives of the inhabitants of Flanders; urban dwellers, knights, nobles, women and others. This is the first major English-language study of the historic 14th century battle between the French and the Flemish, a conflict whose repercussions linger in modern Belgium. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

The Battle of Neuve Chapelle

The Battle of Neuve Chapelle
Author: Geoffrey Bridger
Publisher: Leo Cooper Books
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN:

Neuve Chapelle a lost battlefield is now opened up for the explorer to learn more about the actions that took place there. In Early 1915, the British decided to take the offensive for the first time in the war against German positions in Northern France. The initial objective was a bulge, about one mile across, in their lines at Neuve. Events which took place here early in 1915 are described in detail and show why this almost forgotten battle set the course of the war.

The Battles of French Flanders

The Battles of French Flanders
Author: Jon Cookset
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2015-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1473824036

The battles fought by the British army in 1915, in the second year of the First World War, are less well known than those fought immediately after the outbreak of war in 1914 and those that followed in 1916 which culminated in the Battle of the Somme. But the fighting at Aubers Ridge, Festubert, Neuve Chapelle and Loos was just as severe – as was the 1916 battle at Fromelles – and the battlefields are just as interesting to explore today. This volume in the Battle Lines series is the perfect guide to them.?Expert guides Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland take visitors over a series of routes that can be walked, biked or driven, explaining the fighting that occurred at each place in vivid detail. They describe what happened, where it happened and why and who was involved, and point out the sights that remain for the visitor to see. Their highly illustrated guidebook is essential reading for visitors who wish to enhance their understanding of warfare on the Western Front.

Neither Up Nor Down

Neither Up Nor Down
Author: Philip Ball
Publisher: From Reason to Revolution
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-04-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781913118907

A Military history of the 1793-95 campaign in Flanders and the Netherlands

Fighting in Flanders

Fighting in Flanders
Author: Mélanie Morin-Pelletier
Publisher: Canadian Museum of History
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2015-03-04
Genre: History
ISBN:

Explores how Canadian soldiers in Belgium during the First World War have to adapt to significant challenges--from the first use of poison gas in the Second Battle of Ypres to the hellish mud of Passchendaele.