The Battle of Arras: an Overview by Everett Sharp
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The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2Nd December 1917
Centre for First World War Studies A Moonlight Massacre: The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2nd December 1917 by Michael Stephen LoCicero Thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of History and Cultures College of Arts & Law June 2011 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract The Third Battle of Ypres was officially terminated by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig with the opening of the Battle of Cambrai on 20 November 1917. Nevertheless, a comparatively unknown set-piece attack – the only large-scale night operation carried out on the Flanders front during the campaign – was launched twelve days later on 2 December. This thesis, a necessary corrective to published campaign narratives of what has become popularly known as „Passchendaele‟, examines the course of events from the mid-November decision to sanction further offensive activity in the vicinity of Passchendaele village to the barren operational outcome that forced British GHQ to halt the attack within ten hours of Zero. A litany of unfortunate decisions and circumstances contributed to the profitless result. -
The Western Front the First World War Battlefield Guide: World War Battlefield First the the Westernthe Front
Ed 2 June 2015 2 June Ed The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 1 The Western Front The First Battlefield War World Guide: The Western Front The Western Creative Media Design ADR003970 Edition 2 June 2015 The Somme Battlefield: Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel Mike St. Maur Sheil/FieldsofBattle1418.org The Somme Battlefield: Lochnagar Crater. It was blown at 0728 hours on 1 July 1916. Mike St. Maur Sheil/FieldsofBattle1418.org The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 1 The Western Front 2nd Edition June 2015 ii | THE WESTERN FRONT OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ISBN: 978-1-874346-45-6 First published in August 2014 by Creative Media Design, Army Headquarters, Andover. Printed by Earle & Ludlow through Williams Lea Ltd, Norwich. Revised and expanded second edition published in June 2015. Text Copyright © Mungo Melvin, Editor, and the Authors listed in the List of Contributors, 2014 & 2015. Sketch Maps Crown Copyright © UK MOD, 2014 & 2015. Images Copyright © Imperial War Museum (IWM), National Army Museum (NAM), Mike St. Maur Sheil/Fields of Battle 14-18, Barbara Taylor and others so captioned. No part of this publication, except for short quotations, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the permission of the Editor and SO1 Commemoration, Army Headquarters, IDL 26, Blenheim Building, Marlborough Lines, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8HJ. The First World War sketch maps have been produced by the Defence Geographic Centre (DGC), Joint Force Intelligence Group (JFIG), Ministry of Defence, Elmwood Avenue, Feltham, Middlesex, TW13 7AH. United Kingdom. -
The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in World War I: from Inception To
THE PORTUGUESE EXPEDITIONARY CORPS IN WORLD WAR I: FROM INCEPTION TO COMBAT DESTRUCTION, 1914-1918 Jesse Pyles, B.A. Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2012 APPROVED: Geoffrey Wawro, Major Professor Robert Citino, Committee Member Walter Roberts, Committee Member Richard McCaslin, Chair of the Department of History James D. Meernik, Acting Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Pyles, Jesse, The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in World War I: From Inception to Destruction, 1914-1918. Master of Arts (History), May 2012, 130 pp., references, 86. The Portuguese Expeditionary Force fought in the trenches of northern France from April 1917 to April 1918. On 9 April 1918 the sledgehammer blow of Operation Georgette fell upon the exhausted Portuguese troops. British accounts of the Portuguese Corps’ participation in combat on the Western Front are terse. Many are dismissive. In fact, Portuguese units experienced heavy combat and successfully held their ground against all attacks. Regarding Georgette, the standard British narrative holds that most of the Portuguese soldiers threw their weapons aside and ran. The account is incontrovertibly false. Most of the Portuguese combat troops held their ground against the German assault. This thesis details the history of the Portuguese Expeditionary Force. Copyright 2012 by Jesse Pyles ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The love of my life, my wife Izabella, encouraged me to pursue graduate education in history. This thesis would not have been possible without her support. Professor Geoffrey Wawro directed my thesis. He provided helpful feedback regarding content and structure. Professor Robert Citino offered equal measures of instruction and encouragement. -
INFORMATION to USERS the Most Advanced Technology Has Been Used to Photo Graph and Reproduce This Manuscript from the Microfilm Master
. INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photo graph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the original text directly from the copy submitted. Thus, some dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from a computer printer. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyrighted material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are re produced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each oversize page is available as one exposure on a standard 35 mm slide or as a 17" x 23" black and white photographic print for an additional charge. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. 35 mm slides or 6"X 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Accessing theUMI World’s Information since 1938 300 North Z eeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA Order Number 8820321 Operational art and the German command system in World War I Meyer, Bradley John, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1988 Copyright ©1088 by Meyer, Bradley John. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 OPERATIONAL ART AND THE GERMAN COMMAND SYSTEM IN WORLD WAR I DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Bradley J. -
Canada and the BATTLE of VIMY RIDGE 9-12 April 1917 Bataille De Vimy-E.Qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 4
BRERETON GREENHOUS STEPHEN J. HARRIS JEAN MARTIN Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 2 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 1 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 3 BRERETON GREENHOUS STEPHEN J. HARRIS JEAN MARTIN Canada and the BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE 9-12 April 1917 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 4 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Greenhous, Brereton, 1929- Stephen J. Harris, 1948- Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917 Issued also in French under title: Le Canada et la Bataille de Vimy 9-12 avril 1917. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-660-16883-9 DSS cat. no. D2-90/1992E-1 2nd ed. 2007 1.Vimy Ridge, Battle of, 1917. 2.World War, 1914-1918 — Campaigns — France. 3. Canada. Canadian Army — History — World War, 1914-1918. 4.World War, 1914-1918 — Canada. I. Harris, Stephen John. II. Canada. Dept. of National Defence. Directorate of History. III. Title. IV.Title: Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917. D545.V5G73 1997 940.4’31 C97-980068-4 Cet ouvrage a été publié simultanément en français sous le titre de : Le Canada et la Bataille de Vimy, 9-12 avril 1917 ISBN 0-660-93654-2 Project Coordinator: Serge Bernier Reproduced by Directorate of History and Heritage, National Defence Headquarters Jacket: Drawing by Stéphane Geoffrion from a painting by Kenneth Forbes, 1892-1980 Canadian Artillery in Action Original Design and Production Art Global 384 Laurier Ave.West Montréal, Québec Canada H2V 2K7 Printed and bound in Canada All rights reserved. -
The Evolution of British Tactical and Operational Tank Doctrine and Training in the First World War
The evolution of British tactical and operational tank doctrine and training in the First World War PHILIP RICHARD VENTHAM TD BA (Hons.) MA. Thesis submitted for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy by the University of Wolverhampton October 2016 ©Copyright P R Ventham 1 ABSTRACT Tanks were first used in action in September 1916. There had been no previous combat experience on which to base tactical and operational doctrine for the employment of this novel weapon of war. Training of crews and commanders was hampered by lack of vehicles and weapons. Time was short in which to train novice crews. Training facilities were limited. Despite mechanical limitations of the early machines and their vulnerability to adverse ground conditions, the tanks achieved moderate success in their initial actions. Advocates of the tanks, such as Fuller and Elles, worked hard to convince the sceptical of the value of the tank. Two years later, tanks had gained the support of most senior commanders. Doctrine, based on practical combat experience, had evolved both within the Tank Corps and at GHQ and higher command. Despite dramatic improvements in the design, functionality and reliability of the later marks of heavy and medium tanks, they still remained slow and vulnerable to ground conditions and enemy counter-measures. Competing demands for materiel meant there were never enough tanks to replace casualties and meet the demands of formation commanders. This thesis will argue that the somewhat patchy performance of the armoured vehicles in the final months of the war was less a product of poor doctrinal guidance and inadequate training than of an insufficiency of tanks and the difficulties of providing enough tanks in the right locations at the right time to meet the requirements of the manoeuvre battles of the ‘Hundred Days’. -
The German Army, Vimy Ridge and the Elastic Defence in Depth in 1917
Journal of Military and Strategic VOLUME 18, ISSUE 2 Studies “Lessons learned” in WWI: The German Army, Vimy Ridge and the Elastic Defence in Depth in 1917 Christian Stachelbeck The Battle of Arras in the spring of 1917 marked the beginning of the major allied offensives on the western front. The attack by the British 1st Army (Horne) and 3rd Army (Allenby) was intended to divert attention from the French main offensive under General Robert Nivelle at the Chemin des Dames (Nivelle Offensive). 1 The French commander-in-chief wanted to force the decisive breakthrough in the west. Between 9 and 12 April, the British had succeeded in penetrating the front across a width of 18 kilometres and advancing around six kilometres, while the Canadian corps (Byng), deployed for the first time in closed formation, seized the ridge near Vimy, which had been fiercely contested since late 1914.2 The success was paid for with the bloody loss of 1 On the German side, the battles at Arras between 2 April and 20 May 1917 were officially referred to as Schlacht bei Arras (Battle of Arras). In Canada, the term Battle of Vimy Ridge is commonly used for the initial phase of the battle. The seizure of Vimy ridge was a central objective of the offensive and was intended to secure the protection of the northern flank of the 3rd Army. 2 For detailed information on this, see: Jack Sheldon, The German Army on Vimy Ridge 1914-1917 (Barnsley: Pen&Sword Military, 2008), p. 8. Sheldon's book, however, is basically a largely indiscriminate succession of extensive quotes from regimental histories, diaries and force files from the Bavarian War Archive (Kriegsarchiv) in Munich. -
Bull Brothers – Robert and Henry
EMU PARK SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR I – THE GREAT WAR FROM EMU PARK and SHIRE OF LIVINGSTONE The Bull Brothers – Robert and Henry Sergeant Robert Charles Bull (Service No. 268) of the 15th Infantry Battalion and 1st Battalion Imperial Camel Brigade Robert was born on 17th May 1895 in a railway camp at Boolburra, the 9th child and 3rd son to Henry and Maria (née Ferguson) Bull, both immigrants from the United Kingdom. Henry from Whaplode, Lincolnshire, arrived in Rockhampton in 1879 at the age of 19. Maria was from Cookstown, Tyrone, North Ireland, arrived in Maryborough, also in 1879 and also aged 19. Robert spent his early years at Bajool before joining the Railway Service as a locomotive cleaner. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) on 16 September 1914 at Emerald where he gave his age as 21 years & 4 months, when in fact he was only 19 years & 4 months. Private Bull joined ‘B’ Company of the 15th Infantry Battalion, 4th Brigade which formed the Australian and New Zealand Division when they arrived in Egypt. The 15th Infantry Battalion consisted on average of 29 Officers and 1007 Other Ranks (OR’s) and was broken up into the following sub units: Section Platoon Company Battalion Rifle section:- Platoon Headquarters Company Battalion 10 OR’s (1 Officer & 4 OR’s) Headquarters (2 Headquarters (5 Officers & 57 Officers & 75 OR’s) Lewis Gun Section:- 10 3 Rifle Sections and OR’s) OR’s and 1 Lewis gun Section 4 Companies 1 Light Machine Gun 4 Platoons He sailed for Egypt aboard the HMAT (A40) Ceramic on 22nd December 1914. -
The Birth of Airpower, 1916 the Character of the German Offensive
The Birth of Airpower, 1916 359 the character of the German offensive became clear, and losses reached staggering levels, Joffre urgently demanded as early a start as possible to the allied offensive. In May he and Haig agreed to mount an assault on I July 'athwart the Somme.' Long before the starting date of the offensive had been fixed the British had been preparing for it by building up, behind their lines, the communications and logistical support the 'big push' demanded. Masses of materiel were accumulated close to the trenches, including nearly three million rounds of artillery ammuni tion. War on this scale was a major industrial undertaking.• Military aviation, of necessity, made a proportionate leap as well. The RFC had to expand to meet the demands of the new mass armies, and during the first six months of 1916 Trenchard, with Haig's strong support, strove to create an air weapon that could meet the challenge of the offensive. Beginning in January the RFC had been reorganized into brigades, one to each army, a process completed on 1 April when IV Brigade was formed to support the Fourth Army. Each brigade consisted of a headquarters, an aircraft park, a balloon wing, an army wing of two to four squadrons, and a corps wing of three to five squadrons (one squadron for each corps). At RFC Headquarters there was an additional wing to provide reconnais sance for GHQ, and, as time went on, to carry out additional fighting and bombing duties.3 Artillery observation was now the chief function of the RFC , with subsidiary efforts concentrated on close reconnaissance and photography. -
Victory, 1918' at the Canadian War Museum
Canadian Military History Volume 28 Issue 1 Article 25 2019 Constructing and Deconstructing 'Victory, 1918' at the Canadian War Museum Tim Cook Marie-Louise Deruaz Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Cook, Tim and Deruaz, Marie-Louise "Constructing and Deconstructing 'Victory, 1918' at the Canadian War Museum." Canadian Military History 28, 1 (2019) This Canadian War Museum is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cook and Deruaz: Constructing and Deconstructing 'Victory, 1918' CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM Constructing and Deconstructing Victory, 1918 at the Canadian War Museum TIM COOK & MARIE-LOUISE DERUAZ Abstract : This article explores the history behind the creation of the Canadian War Museum’s exhibition, Victory, 1918: The Last Hundred Days. The exhibition presented the story of the Canadian Corps during the Hundred Days campaign of the First World War and the Canadian contributions to Allied victory. What follows is a glimpse into the challenges of exhibition development. Together, artifacts, personal stories, films, works of art, immersive spaces, reconstructions and colourized historical photographs created an engaging visitor experience while communicating key concepts about the Hundred Days. Cet article explore l’histoire de la création de l’exposition Victoire 1918: Les cent derniers jours du Musée canadien de la guerre. L’exposition présentait l’histoire du Corps canadien lors de la campagne des Cent Jours de la Première Guerre mondiale et les contributions canadiennes à la victoire des Alliés. -
Fallen 1914 - 1918
THE FALLEN 1914 - 1918 part two shenington THE FALLEN 1914-1918 About “The Fallen” – Part Two The author of The Fallen, a tribute to the men from Alkerton and Shenington who fell in the two world wars, is Alistair Cook of Tysoe Hill Cottage in Shenington. When former Shenington Green editor Carole Young appealed for information on the six men named on the Alkerton war memorial, Alistair, a confirmed ‘non-historian,’ decided to pursue a fascination cultivated over long dog walks: namely, the lost stories behind the many names engraved on the large chunks of stone that take pride of place in our local villages. The Fallen, Part Two follows the publishing of Part One in the December 2015 issue of the Shenington Green. Part one covered the stories of the men remembered on the Alkerton war memorial; part two honours the men whose names are listed on a plaque in Shenington church and Richard Coles, a young Shenington soldier whose name is honoured on a small wooden plaque hanging just below it. The Fallen was inspired by the stories of Epwell’s soldiers killed in the wars, compiled by local historian Eric Kaye, who also wrote the story of the Edgehill airfield. Alistair spent weeks finding the soldiers’ respective regimental details, where they are buried, what they had done, where they lived and the actions that took place on or around the dates they fell. This was all achieved with the help of the internet and a visit to the National Archives in Kew where Alistair was allowed access to all records, free of charge. -
The Thunder Anthony Beaucamp-Protor Farewell Uncle
Military Despatches Vol 49 July 2021 The Aces The top fighter pilots of World War I Farewell Uncle Syd We pay tribute to Uncle Syd Ireland, the last South African signaller of World War II The Thunder Poland‘s Special Forces unit, JW GROM Anthony Beaucamp-Protor South Africa’s leading fighter ace of World War I and recipient of the Victoria Cross For the military enthusiast Military Despatches CONTENTS YouTube Channel July 2021 Page 14 Click on any video below to view Army Speak 101 The SADF had their own language. A mixture of Eng- lish, Afrikaans, slang and tech- no-speak that few outside the military could hope to under- stand. Paratrooper Wings Most armies around the world Elite Military Quiz also had their own slang terms. Units Quiz Most military paratroopers In this video we look at some Most military forces have an are awarded their jump wings of them. elite unit or regiment or a spe- Special Forces - JW GROM after they have qualified. cial forces component. In this quiz we show you 15 In this quiz we show you 15 different wings and you tell us and you tell us who they are and 30 where they are from. where they are from. Features 18 Battle of Britain - a few facts 6 The Battle of Britain lasted Top Ten WWI Fighter Pilots from 10 July – 31 October 1940 The Top Ten fighter aces of and was the first major mili- New videos World War I. tary campaign in history to be each week fought entirely in the air.