by Peter Hart
43. IWM DOCS: W. Kerr, typescript account, pp. 106–7.
44. IWM DOCS: G. V. Rose, typescript account, ‘Three Years and a Day’, p. 119.
45. Tank Museum, Bovington: C. Rowland, typescript account.
46. Ludendorff, Ludendorff’s Own Story, p. 326.
47. D. Haig, quoted in Sheffield and Bourne, Douglas Haig, pp. 445–6.
48. Ludendorff, Ludendorff’s Own Stor y, p. 332.
49. D. Haig, quoted in Edmonds, Military Operations France and Belgium, 1918 Vol. IV, appendix XX, p. 588.
50. M. Timberlake, quoted in J. L. McWilliams and R. James Steel, The Suicide Battalion (Stevenage: Spa Books, 1990), p. 163.
51. E. Rickenbacker, Fighting the Flying Circus (New York: Frederich Stokes Co., 1919), p. 232.
52. Rickenbacker, Fighting the Flying Circus, pp. 233–4.
53. http://www.htc.net/~dermody/yankww1.htm C. Dermody, ‘A Yank in the First World War’ (transcribed by L. McCauley).
54. M. Maverick, quoted in Hallas, Doughboy War, pp. 266–7.
55. M. Maverick, quoted in Hallas, Doughboy War, pp. 266–7.
56. IWM DOCS: G. K. Parker, typescript account, p. 29.
57. US National Archives: Schleicher quoted in translation by F. W. Norton, Testimony of German Officers and Men, the Origins of War Legends: An Investigation of the Alleged Feat of Sgt York, October 8, 1918, pp. 12–13.
58. P. von Hindenburg, quoted in J. Lee, The Warlords (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1919), pp. 375–6.
59. Ludendorff, Ludendorff’s Own Story, pp. 375–6.
60. IWM DOCS: T. H. Westmacott, typescript letter, 7/11/1918.
61. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~brett/cmgc/cmgc_cgf_letters.html Trent University Archives: C. G. Frost, Letter, 17/11/1918.
62. IWM DOCS: R. G. Dixon, typescript account, ‘The Wheels of Darkness’, pp. 138–9.
63. E. Brec, quoted in Sumner, They Shall Not Pass, p. 211.
64. R. Stumpf, The Private War of Seaman Stumpf (London: Leslie Frewin, 1969), pp. 427–8.
19. A World Without War?
1. W. Churchill, quoted in M. Gilbert, Winston S. Churchill, Vol. III, 1914–1916 (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1971), p. 201.
2. A. von Tirpitz, My Memoirs, Vol. I (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1919), p. 377.
3. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig on the ‘Features of the War’, London Gazette, 8 April 1919.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I AM A FIRM BELIEVER that no one human can master the Great War in its totality and several historians have been crucial in guiding me through some of the areas where I have not had the good fortune (or ability) to carry out original research. For me the series of British Official Histories of the War are always a firm starting point. Not perfect by any means, but certainly a solid grounding. I recommend for the Eastern Front a small coterie of authors including Nik Cornish, The Russian Army and the First World War (Stroud: Spellmount, 2006), G. Irving Root, Battles East: A History of the Eastern Front of the First World War (Baltimore: Publish America, 2007), John Lee, The War Lords: Hindenburg and Ludendorff (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005) and Norman Stone, The Eastern Front, 1914–1917 (London: Penguin Books; 2nd revised edition, 1998). The German side of events is brilliantly exposed by Robert T. Foley in his German Strategy and the Path to Verdun: Erich von Falkenhayn and the Development of Attrition, 1870–1916 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005). Jack Sheldon has written a wonderful series of books all of which I recommend without hesitation, including The German Army at Ypres 1914 (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2010), The German Army on Vimy Ridge, 1914–1917 (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2008), The German Army on the Western Front 1915 (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2012), The German Army on the Somme 1914–1916 (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2007), The German Army at Passchendaele (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2007) and The German Army at Cambrai (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2009). These are the sources of many of the German accounts which give us the feel of the other side of the wire. I would like to give special thanks to Jack who has been unstintingly helpful throughout. Although I do not share all his views, the works of Terence Zuber are very thought-provoking. In writing this book I have become convinced by the immensity of the French contribution to the war and am grateful to several authors. English sources are distressingly few, but I have made good use of Anthony Clayton, Paths of Glory (London: Cassell, 2005), Robert Doughty, Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005) and Ian Sumner, They Shall Not Pass: The French Army on the Western Front, 1914–1918 (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2012). But as my French reading skills have been slowly improving I found the books of Jean-Claude Delhez absolutely invaluable. It behoves all British students of Great War history to read La Bataille des Frontières : racontée par les combattants (Thonne-la-Long: J.-C. Delhez, 2007) and Le jour de deuil de l’armée française (Thonne-la-Long: J. C. Delhez, 2011). It really is worth the effort and once you’ve managed it, one thing is certain: the Battle of Mons will never seem quite as important again after exposure to the knowledge of the devastating slaughter suffered by the French. For American sources I am grateful for the work of James Hallas, Doughboy War: The American Expeditionary Force in WWI (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2009) and Douglas Johnson and Rolfe Hillman, Soissons, 1918 (Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 1999).
It is always difficult to get the tone right with personal thanks, as it is so easy to annoy with faint praise or perhaps an ill-chosen pleasantry. I would like therefore to start by thanking Bryn Hammond and George Webster for their mild encouragement. I am also indebted to my chum John Paylor who, once again, proof-read an early version of the text. Unfortunately, this means I now hold him entirely responsible for all remaining errors. My old university chum Rob Massey was kind enough to check my French translations, demonstrating the enduring superiority of medieval historians over their less gifted military-minded brethren. Thanks also to my agent Ian Drury, whose sterling efforts keep me in work as an author. My colleagues at the Imperial War Museum have been wonderful and I would particularly mention Tony Richards, Richard McDonough, Richard Hughes and Simon Offord. At Profile, Daniel Crewe and Penny Daniel have been great to work with, while Sally Holloway is a marvel at translating my mangled prose into English. Thanks too, to Martin Lubikowski for the maps.
Lastly, I would thank my lovely wife, Polly Napper (apparently known to almost everybody as ‘Long-suffering Polly’), and our two adorable children, Lily and Ruby Hart, both of whom seem to take after her in both temperament and looks! Collectively they have had a lot to put up with while I have been writing this book.
Peter Hart
East Finchley, January 2013
Picture Credits
All the photos in this book come from the Imperial War Museums huge collections which cover all aspects of conflict involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the start of the 20th century. These rich resources are available online to search, browse and buy at www.iwmcollections.org.uk. In addition to Collections Online, you can visit the Visitor Rooms where you can explore over eleven million photographs, thousands of hours of moving images, the largest sound archive of its kind in the world, thousands of diaries and letters written by people in wartime, and a huge reference library. To make an appointment, call (020) 7416 5320, or e-mail [email protected]. Imperial War Museum www.iwm.org.uk
INDEX
‘GW’ indicates the Great War.
A
Abadan Island 268, 269, 270
Aboukir (armoured cruiser) 106–7
Achi Baba hill 172, 173, 174, 175
Adam, Lieutenant Commander Hans 314–15
Adcock, Sergeant 419
Adige River 389
Admiralty
and German ship construction 100
and the Battle of Heligoland Bight 104
hides loss of Audacious from the Germans 107
Room 40 114, 115, 253–4, 266, 306, 309, 314, 323
Anti-Submarine Divisio
n 310
measures against the U-boat menace 310
Adriatic 379, 381
Austrian Navy as a threat in 187
AEF see American Expeditionary Force
aerial reconnaissance 134–6, 145, 214, 215, 216, 228, 236–7, 331, 332, 364, 394, 402
Afghanistan 8
Africa
British and French colonial gains 472
scramble for colonies in 4
Agadir (gunboat) 21
Ahwaz, Arabistan 268
Air Board 332
Aisne, First Battle of the (1914) 67
Aisne, north France 67, 68, 328, 333, 439
Aisne River 62, 329, 339, 446
Albert, Battle of (1918) 452–3
Aleppo 408–9
Aleksandra, Tsarina 296
Alexeyev, General Mikhail 160, 163, 295, 297, 298, 299, 302
Alfree, Lieutenant Edward 418, 422
Algeria 5
Ali Muntar hill, Gaza 399
‘All Arms Battle’ concept 447, 450, 473
Allenby, General Sir Edmund 293, 331, 333, 401–2, 403, 405–9
Allied Conference (Rome, 1917) 329
Alpine Front 379, 380, 382
Alsace-Lorraine
French resentment of its loss 4
threatened French invasion 15, 16, 17
German loss of 470
Alsace-Lorraine offensive (1914) 17, 38–41
Altkirsch 38
Amara 272, 274, 275, 289
Ambroselli, Lieutenant Walter 128
American Civil War (1861–5) viii
American Expeditionary Force (AEF) 316
First Army 456
II Corps 459
1st Division 412
2nd Division 440
3rd Division 440
Marine Brigade 440–41
38th Infantry Regiment 442
creation of 411
commanded by Pershing 412
training 412
Germans nervously await their arrival 412–13
advance on the Mihiel Salient 454–5
in the Argonne Forest 457
learning the hard way 458
see also US Army
Amiens 423, 424, 425, 427, 433, 437, 438
Amiens, Battle of (1918) 447–52
Ancre, Battle of the (1916) 239–40
Ancre River 239, 452
Anderson, Major Alexander 286–7
Andrews, Lance Corporal William 137
‘Angel of Mons’ 54
Angerburg, Prussia (later Wegorzewo, Poland) 86
Anglo-French Agreement (1918) 472
Anglo-French Entente (1904) 8
Anglo-Russian Convention (1907) 9
Antwerp 51, 64, 69, 368
Anzac Cove, Gallipoli 171, 176, 178, 179, 184, 185
Aqaba, Jordan 398
Arabian Campaign 397–8
Arabic (liner) 122, 123
Arabistan, Persia oil fields 268, 272, 275
Arbuthnot, Rear Admiral Sir Robert 258
Ardennes offensive (1914) 41–50, 460
Arethusa (cruiser) 104
Argonne Forest 457
Ari Burnu promontory 171
Armenia 471
Armentières 68, 70
arms race: dominates economies of Great Powers 11
Arnaud, Second Lieutenant René 204
Arras, Battle of (1917) 330–37, 345–7, 374, 401
Arras, France 68, 296, 329, 331, 333, 345, 414, 415, 416, 425, 453
Arsuf 407
Artois Offensive (1915) 147, 149, 151, 197
Artois region 127, 144
Asiago Plateau 382, 388, 389
Asquith, Sir Herbert 27–8
Asquith Coalition 328
Assevillers, Somme 224
Aston, Second Lieutenant Cuthbert 285
attritional fighting 10, 80, 127, 229, 230, 231, 358, 363, 368, 382, 412
Aubers Ridge 132, 134, 138
Aubers Ridge, Battle of (1915) 145, 146, 155, 186, 225
Audacious (dreadnought) 107
Augustów Forest 158
Australia, troop convoys from 110
Australian Imperial Force (AIF) 366
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) 17, 177–8
Australian Corps 427, 437, 447, 450, 453, 459
I Australian Corps 363, 365, 367
II Australian Corps 363, 367
Australian Flying Corps 408
1st Australian Division 178, 229
4th Australian Brigade 177, 179
Australian Light Horse Brigade 177, 179–80
1st Australian Tunnelling Company 349
inexperience as soldiers 170
Gallipoli landings 170, 171, 172
failed offensive 178–80
Sinai Campaign 394
Austrian Navy 98, 187
Austrian-German Südarmee group 159
Austro-Hungarian Army
First Army 84, 87, 246
Second Army 84
Third Army 8, 87, 160, 161, 165
Fourth Army 84, 87, 160, 161, 246
Fifth Army 91–2
Sixth Army 92–3
Landsturm 83
Landwehr reserve 83
relationship with German Army 15
and Serbian Army 19, 187
size of 83
training 83
weaponry 83
offensives in Galicia (1915) 157
fall of Przemyśl 159
multi-national army 159–60
and Brusilov Offensive 245
German control of Austrian units in Galicia 246
Germanification of 246–7
and collapse of Russia 304
Caporetto Offensive 367
Tyrolean Offensive 382
Austro-Hungarian Empire
and Bosnia 5
relationship with Germany 9, 15, 25, 380, 385
Dual Monarchy 9
Serbia supports Slavic groupings in 9
wars with Italy 10, 379
plans to invade Serbia 20
annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina 20–21
nationalism 23, 83
aggressive after assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand vii, 25, 26
ultimatum to Serbia 26, 27
population 83
declares war on Serbia 83, 91
declares war on Russia 83
railways 84
successful Russian offensive against (1916) 191
Rumania declares war on 248
accepts an armistice 462
fall of 470, 471
Austro-Prussian War (1866) 1
Austro-Serbian War (1914) 91–3
Aylmer, Lieutenant General Sir Fenton 281–2, 284, 285, 290
Aziz Bey 275
B
Baghdad 269, 271, 276, 277, 287, 288, 290, 292
Bahrain 269
Bailleul 430
Bainsizza Plateau 380, 384, 387
Bait Asia trenches 285
Balkan Wars 34, 92, 164, 187, 222, 248
Balkans
and the League of the Three Emperors 2
Greek influence in 188
and Lloyd George 189
embroiled in GW 194
remained a powder keg 471
Ballard, Private Alfred 373
Bapaume 416
Baralong, HMS 122–3
Barnish, Lieutenant Geoffrey 317–18
Barrett, Lieutenant General Sir Arthur 269, 270, 271
Barthas, Private Louis 339, 343, 344
Basra 268, 271, 281, 288–9, 290, 293
capture of 270
Basra vilayet (province), Mesopotamia 271, 272, 275
Bazentin Ridge 224, 226
Bazentin Ridge, Battle of (1916) 226–8
Bazentin-le-Grand 227
Bazentin-le-Petit 227
Beatty, Vice Admiral Sir David 114, 253–4, 255, 256
commands 1st Battlecruiser Squadron 104
Battle of Heligoland Bight 104
unclea
r signals from his flagship 115, 116, 257, 258
in command of Battlecruiser Force 252
Battle of Jutland 253–4, 255, 256, 257, 258
Commander in Chief 306
Beaumont Hamel 239
Beaurevoir 374
Becelaere 367
Becquincourt 224
Beersheba wells 402
Beisan 408
Belgian Army
3rd Belgian Division 36
Battle of Liège 35, 36, 38
at Antwerp 51, 68
Belgium
neutrality 16, 17, 29, 30, 31
Germany declares war 30
German advance through Belgium 50–51
German domination in 126
Belgrade
Austrians enter 92
recaptured 93
fall of (October 1915) 165
Belleau Woods 441
Bellewaarde Ridge 357
Bellicourt 459
Below, General Fritz von 226, 228, 416
Below, General Otto von 385, 386
Berlin 464
Berlin to Baghdad railway 10–11
Berry-au-Bac 340
Berthier, Adjutant Gustave 79–80
Bertincourt 237
Besika Bay 170
Bethmann-Hollweg, Theobald von
prepared for a general European war 26
and British ultimatum to Germany 30–31
and the German fleet 102
and Falkenhayn 125
Biala River 161
‘Big Push, the’ 150, 217, 226
Bir el Abd 395
Birdwood, Field Marshal William, 1st Baron 177
Bismarck, Chancellor Otto von 1, 9
and Morocco 20
dismissed by Wilhelm II 2, 11, 13, 410
‘bite and hold’ tactics 139, 148, 174, 175, 235, 341, 348, 359, 360, 363, 366, 367, 368
Bittkau, Lieutenant 335–6
Bixschoote, Belgium 354
‘Black Hand, The’ (terrorist wing of Narodna Odbrana) 23
Black Sea 6
Blaydonian (steamer) 317
Blitz, Lieutenant Wilhelm 437
Bloem, Captain Walter 55, 56
Blücher (battlecruiser) 115–16, 117
Blunden, Lieutenant Edmund 354–5
Boehn, General Max von 339
Boelcke, Captain Oswald 216, 237, 238, 332, 435
Boer War, Second (1899–1902) 52, 54, 155
Bohain, France 63
Bois de Haumont, Verdun 200
Bois de Perthes, France 151
Bois des Caures, Verdun 200
Bolsheviks
revolt at Kronstadt 300
Kerensky denounced by 302