The Great War

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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

 

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