The Hindenburg Line

1997-01-28
 |  History
The Hindenburg Line

Author: Peter Oldham

Publisher: Pen and Sword

ISBN: 9780850525687

Category: History

Page: 209

View: 136

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The Hindenburg Line, or Siegfriedstellung, achieved almost mythical status in the minds of the British public: the strongest defence system the world had then seen, scientifically designed by fortification experts with only one aim, to keep at bay the British Army. So pleased and delighted were the British that church bells were rung when the Line was pierced at Cambrai in November 1917. The new wonder-weapon, the Tank, had shown itself to be capable of great deeds and British Generals were seen to be capable of showing the Germans what Tommy could do when properly organised. The initial elation was followed by disappointment as the Germans fought back and the Hindenburg defences were retaken when the Germans used "defence-in-depth" and "elastic-defence", both new concepts to the British who were to learn from their mistakes. The British were to witness triumph and joy again, when, towards the end of the Great War, the Hindenburg Line was to be broken by men from the Midlands. This book examines the reasons for the German's decision to fall back to a strong defence line while their Navy starved Britain into submission, and the "burnt earth" policy of devastation in the area evacuated. The design and layout of the Hindenburg Line, and the Battles for its possession in 1917 and 1918, are given: with numerous maps covering different sectors and the struggles for each village and farm, together with the part played by many British Regiments. The maps contain information on how to find all remaining vestiges of both German and British defences in the region, most of which are rarely visited and many of which have not been seen by British eyes for many years. No book since the Great War has examined this area in such detail, nor has any single account contained so much for the battlefield visitor to see. The sites of individual acts of bravery, including the winning of many Victoria Crosses are featured, and existing locations of battle lines, headquarters, artillery observation and machine gun posts are also included, together with an absorbing narrative which also guides the armchair reader.

The Hindenburg Line

2016-10-18
 |  History
The Hindenburg Line

Author: Patrick R. Osborn

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 9781472814791

Category: History

Page: 68

View: 837

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Covering the development of the Hindenburg Line and the climactic battles that took place around it, this highly illustrated volume is for history enthusiasts and World War I fans alike.

Flesquieres–Hindenburg Line

2008-03-05
 |  History
Flesquieres–Hindenburg Line

Author: Nigel Cave

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

ISBN: 9781783460144

Category: History

Page: 160

View: 972

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The third in a trilogy of books, the others being Cambrai -The Right Hook and Bourlon Wood by the same authors covering the battle for Cambrai in November 1917. It covers the defense against the German counter strike, the defense of the Flesquieres Salient against the Kaiserschlact in March 1918 and its recapture in Sept/Oct 1918 all key elements in great Allied advance to victory. This book and guide to the Battle for Flesquieres Ridge tells of the onslaught by 470 tanks and infantry battalions which smashed through the Hindenburg line to the great surprise of the Germans who thought it invincible. So successful was the initial assault that for the first time in the war church bells rang out and the face of land warfare was changed forever. The story illustrates the indomitable spirit of British infantry who in spite of being outnumbered and outgunned, and frustrated by political interference, still managed to thwart Ludendorff's last drive for the Channel Ports. They were then in a position to force him back eastwards, breaking through the reinforced Hindenburg Line once again before final victory in November 1918.

British Expeditionary Force: Advance to Victory

2018-07-30
 |  History
British Expeditionary Force: Advance to Victory

Author: Andrew Rawson

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

ISBN: 9781526723413

Category: History

Page: 240

View: 315

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This is the story of the British Expeditionary Forces part in the opening days of the Advance to Victory. It starts with the contribution to the Battle of Fre-en-Tardenois in July; the counter-offensive which pushed the Germans back to the River Marne.Fourth Armys attack on 8 August was called the Black Day of the German Army, but it was only the beginning of 100 days of campaigning. The narrative follows the advance as it expands across the Somme, the Artois and the Flanders regions. Time and again the British and Empire troops used well-developed combined arms tactics to break through successive lines of defence. By the end of September, all five of the BEFs armies had reached the Hindenburg Line and were poised for the final advance.Each stage of the two month battle is given the same treatment, covering the details of the most talked about side of the campaign; the BEFs side. Over fifty new maps chart the day by day progress of the five armies and together with the narrative, explain the British Armys experience during the opening stages of the Advance to Victory. The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counter-attacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the beginning of the Advance to Victory and learn how the British Army had mastered the art of attack.

St Quentin

2000-09-12
 |  History
St Quentin

Author: Philip Guest

Publisher: Pen and Sword

ISBN: 9781473818521

Category: History

Page: 160

View: 739

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After the First World War, how many thousands of British families would have proud or bitter reason to remember the name St Quentin? At least eight Divisions, 23 Brigades, 74 Battalions an enormous number of fighting men, a weight of experience, courage, defeat and victory, all to be traced through these fields and villages round the city. There is much to honour here: exhausted British troops marching south in the Retreat from Mons in August 1914, resistance attacks on the Hindenburg Line in 1917, desperate feats of arms in the final German onslaught in the Spring of 1918. Many impressive individual and collective achievements, captured guns, Victoria Crosses richly earned. The ancient city itself suffered too - bombardment by French and British artillery, its citizens subjected and exploited by the occupying German forces, then evacuated ahead of the withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line - before its final liberation in October 1918. The book gives details of positions, redoubts, attacks, lines of advance and retreat, with many illustrations provided from local sources. Most of the positions described can still be traced and the sites of some epic events located.

Frankforce and the Defence of Arras 1940

2017-10-30
 |  History
Frankforce and the Defence of Arras 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

ISBN: 9781473852709

Category: History

Page: 192

View: 826

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There is no other city in France that has the same associations in time of conflict that the British have with Arras. Since the campaigns of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in the early 18th century, British soldiers have fought in and around Arras, occasionally as an enemy but, more often, as defenders of French and Allied democracy. Battlefield visitors to the area will immediately recognize the names of towns and villages that were as significant to the men of Marlboroughs army as they were to those who fought in the First and Second World Wars.This book serves both as guide to the Second World War battlefields that surround the city and its environs as well as detailing the actions of the British armored attack of 21 May 1940. The book looks at the strategic situation that led up to the famous Arras counterstroke and, using material that has not been published before, examines the British and German actions between 20 and 23 May. The only Victoria Cross action that took place during this time is looked at in detail; as is the fighting that took place in Arras and during the breakout.Despite its shortcomings, the counterstroke achieved the essential element of surprise and caused widespread alarm amongst the German command and hit Rommels 7th Panzer Division at precisely the moment when his armored units were ahead of the infantry and gunners. The British infantry fought well and both the Durham battalions were fortunate that their commanding officers and senior NCOs were men who had already fought in one conflict and possessed the determination to rally their less experienced junior ranks and fight on regardless. Such was the case with the two tank battalions, although sadly they lost both their commanding officers and over half the tanks that went into the engagement. The attack did enable the British to tighten their hold on Arras albeit temporarily and, as is often cited, built doubts in the minds of German High Command as to the speed of their advance and contributed to the subsequent Hitler halt order of 24-27 May.The author has gone to some lengths to track down accounts from those individuals who served in the area during May 1940 and fought the enveloping tide of the German advanceThe book is supported by three car tours, one of which takes the visitor along the tragic path taken by the Tyneside Scottish on 20 May and two walking routes, which concentrate on Arras.137 black and white photographs (integrated) and a number of maps derived from regimental histories; and six tour maps provide the battlefield visitor with illustrations of the battlefields as they were in 1940 and as they are today.

The Battles of St Albans

2013-09-09
 |  History
The Battles of St Albans

Author: Peter Burley

Publisher: Pen and Sword

ISBN: 9781473819030

Category: History

Page: 160

View: 107

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St Albans is unique in having been the site of two pivotal battles during the Wars of the Roses, yet this is the first book-length account to have been published. It offers a gripping account of the fighting, and of the politics and intrigue that led to it, and it incorporates the results of the latest research. The authors also plot the events of over 500 years ago onto the twenty-first century landscape of St Albans so that the visitor can retrace the course of each battle on the present-day ground.

Wilfred Owen

1998-08-12
 |  History
Wilfred Owen

Author: Philip Guest

Publisher: Pen and Sword

ISBN: 9781473820784

Category: History

Page: 160

View: 717

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This is a guide to the battlefields that inspired the young and sensitive poet, whose poems are probably the twentieth century's best-known literary expressions of experience of war. Detailed maps, military diaries, photographs and modern roads guide the visitor through the battlefields. Owen's letters are used extensively, together with his poetry, linking specific places events, vividly describing the suffering of the trench.

Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge

2011-10-05
 |  History
Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge

Author: Carl Shilleto

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

ISBN: 9781783830206

Category: History

Page: 144

View: 186

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This battlefield guide is the companion work to Merville Battery & The Dives Bridges. Together, these two books form the fully revised and updated edition of the previous best selling Battleground Europe Series book Pegasus Bridge & Merville Battery.This book examines, in great detail, the attack by 2 Oxf Bucks and engineers of the British 6th Airborne Division, in six gliders, on the Caen Canal and River Orne bridges in the early hours of D-Day, 6 June 1944. It also describes part of the battle for the village of Bnouville by 7 Para and Ranville by 13 Para. It was the combination of these actions that allowed the link-up between the commandos and airborne troops on D-Day. Thereby, forming a bridgehead to help secure the eastern flank of the greatest combined military operation in history; Operation OVERLORD.In addition to explaining how these objectives were achieved, this battlefield guide relates the battles to the area as it is today. The book contains details of the museums, memorials, cemeteries and associated organizations. All of which will unravel the history of the area to the visitor and armchair traveler alike.To further aid the battlefield tourist, GPS data is also provided for either satellite navigation by vehicle or for viewing on Google Earth.

Hitler's Atlantic Wall

2013-02-19
 |  History
Hitler's Atlantic Wall

Author: Paul Williams

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

ISBN: 9781783036660

Category: History

Page: 176

View: 196

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This well-illustrated book describes the massive effort that the occupying Nazi forces put into the construction of the Eastern section of the Atlantic Wall. While the D-Day invasion was unaffected by the fortifications in this area, they still posed a significant threat. This came from the mighty gun batteries (such as Batteries Todt and Lindemann) that threatened Channel shipping and the South Coast of England, and, while isolated from the main Allied advance, the Festung ports of Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk were denied to Allied use. This was of major strategic significance as the lines of supply were becoming ever longer and more vulnerable.Using rare archive material, this book takes the reader on a fascinating journey along the coast that Hitler was wrongly convinced would be the site of the Allied landings. Hitlers Atlantic Wall Pas de Calais tells the history of how and why the giant batteries were built, the origins of their weaponry and the ingenious engineering and military operations that defeated them finally.