The 1916 Battle of the Somme by Peter Liddle.

The 1916 Battle of the Somme is not restricted to the view of the front-line infantryman, it also relates the experiences of the gunner, sapper, airman, medical officer, and nursing sister.  The author explains how the Somme became scorched into the nations heritage and into its historical consciousness, but with a distortion produced by a literary legacy as regrettable as it is understandable.  In this substantial, powerfully argued, and convincing case, Liddle takes issue with the judgement of some historians and with the commonly held verdict on the battle.  Furthermore, in an entirely appropriate conclusion, he demonstrates how the morale of the British Expeditionary Force triumphantly survived such a long and demanding experience.  It is fitting that our view of the battle should be based upon what actually happened and on the personal experiences recorded at the time, rather than on judgements rooted in legend or based upon values differing from those prevailing in 1916.  The narrative draws extensively on diaries, letters, reports, photographs and drawings from the magnificent Liddle Collection at the University of Leeds.  In this distinctive presentation of the Battle of the Somme, there is a challenge to think critically about what may previously have been accepted as received wisdom.

Illustrated paperback with 192 pages.

Book serial number W56. Price £7.99.

Gallipoli by Alan Moorhead.

In 1915 the Gallipoli campaign was designed to break the deadlock in the muddy trenches of the Western Front by forcing the Dardanelles, capturing Constantinople, knocking Turkey out of the war and bringing supplies and arms to the Russians for their immense German front. It was a costly failure.

Using private papers as well as official records, Alan Moorehead recreates with extraordinary vividness the drama of Gallipoli with its tragic hesitations and missed opportunities. He describes the heroism of the British and Anzac troops who were hemmed within a few terrible acres of beach and hillside and permanently under shellfire. His sympathetic account provided the basis for the film Gallipoli, and won the first Duff Cooper Prize for Literature.

Illustrated paperback with 320 pages.

Book serial number W43. Price £7.99.

Defeat at Gallipoli by Nigel Steel & Peter Hart

The battle for Gallipoli was officially described as 'one of the world's classic tragedies' and in Defeat at Gallipoli the participants tell the full story of the failed offensive through contemporary accounts and memories recorded in later life. The bitter campaign against the Turks from April 1915 to January 1916 was ill-conceived, inadequately equipped and never likely to succeed. The bravery and resilience of the troops drawn from the United Kingdom, from the dominions of the Empire, from France and her African colonies, in the face of disease and violent death is shown in their letters, diaries and recorded memories which recall the sordid reality of the campaign. Linking together these experiences, Nigel Steel and Peter Hart provide a new insight into the lives of the soldiers involved and a powerful, moving account of a doomed campaign.

Book serial number BK57. Price £10.SOLD OUT Paperback with 480 pages including black and white photographs.  sold out

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The Battle of Loos by Philip Warner.

On 25th September 1915, and for a few days afterwards, the small town of Loos, between Lens and La Basee in Northern France, became the centre of one of the most intense and bloody battles of the First World War. The casualties were appalling - about 60,000, most of whom died on the first day. Although the main objective of a large-scale breakthrough was not achieved, some 8,000 yards of enemy trench were captured and in some places the German defences were penetrated by up to two miles. Had these initial gains been exploited the course of the war might well have been different.

Philip Warners narrative is vividly brought to life through the words of survivors from all parts of the line: the infantry, the gunners, the officers, and including extracts from the letters and diaries of Sir John French - if courage and endurance could have won the day, Loos would have been a resounding success. Through their accounts and diaries of the time, they reveal one of the most horrific tales of war yet told as well as the heroism and determination that in the end tipped the scales to victory.

Illustrated paperback with 245 pages.

Book serial number W11. Price £7.99.

Cambrai - The Right Hook by Jack Horsfall & Nigel Cave

Cambrai is amongst the best known battle names from the Great War; it is possibly one of the least visited battlefield sites. This is strange for a number of reasons. It is hard by the Somme battlefield - about a 20 to 30 minute drive from Bapaume will bring you into the midst of the late November 1917 battle zone. The cemeteries and villages mark out the salient points of the fighting.

The Battleground Europe series of guides is designed for both the battlefield visitor and the armchair traveller. There is extensive guidance on how to make the most of your battlefield visit. The historical significance of each site is described in detail with the aid of maps and photographs.

Book serial number BBE1.  Price £9.95.  Fully illustrated paperback with 176 pages.

Book serial number Osprey 61. Price £12.99.

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Megiddo 1918, The Last Great Cavalry Victory by Bryan Perrett

In a spectacular campaign General Allenby's Egyptian Expeditionary Force achieved breakthrough in Palestine that commanders on the Western Front had only dreamed of. Supported by Lawrence and his Arab irregulars, the Desert Mounted Corps swept across the Turkish rear destroying three armies in the process. Turkey's war was over and the days of the tottering Ottoman Empire were numbered. This was a British 'Blitzkrieg' with a speed of advance that stunned the world twenty years before Germany's Panzers rolled across Europe.

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Book serial number Osprey 49. Price £12.99.

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Mons 1914, The BEF's Tactical Triumph by David Lomas

The first major clash of the Great War, Mons came as a nasty shock to the Imperial German Army. Assured by their command that they would sweep the French and their British allies in  the BEF - 'that contemptible little army', into the sea in a matter of weeks; they were stopped in their tracks at Mons by a numerically inferior British force. Eventually forced to fall back by overwhelming German numbers, the British carried out a masterful fighting retreat across Belgium and northern France.

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Book serial number Osprey 58. Price £12.99.

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First Ypres 1914, The Graveyard of the Old Contemptibles by David Lomas

In the Autumn of 1914 the professional BEF fought its last battle, aided by French troops under Foch, against a heavily reinforced German drive for the Channel ports. Although the German's failed to break through, the death knell had rung for the 'Old Contemptibles' as they were virtually wiped out in this brave defence. The names of the towns of La Brassée, Armentières, Messines and Ypres first became known in this campaign and their echoes would be heard for the next four years.

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Book serial number Osprey 11.  Price £12.99.

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Kaiserschlacht 1918, The Final German Offensive by Randal Gray

The entry of the United States into World War 1 in April 1917 spelt disaster for Imperial Germany. The massive superiority in men and materials which the Americans could provide meant that if Germany had any chance of winning the war she must do so quickly. Randal Gray describes how, using special 'Stormtrooper' units and high-mobility tactics, the Germans shattered the front line broke into open country and came within a hair's breadth of winning the war.

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Verdun 1916, 'They Shall not Pass' by William Martin

On 21 February 1916 German General Erich von Falkenhayn unleashed his hammer-blow offensive against the French fortress city of Verdun.  His aim was nothing short of the destruction of the French army.  Falkenhayn was sure that the symbolic value of Verdun was such that the French would be 'compelled to throw in every man they have'.  He was equally sure that 'if they do so the forces of France will bleed to death'.  The massed batteries of German guns would smash the French troops in their trenches and bunkers.  But the French hung on with immense courage and determination and the battle became a bloody war of attrition.  This title describes the destructive events of this pivotal First World War battle.

Book serial number Osprey 93. Price £12.99. 

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Passchendaele by Philip Warner

On 31st July 1917, the small Belgian village of Passchendaele became the focus for one of the most gruelling, bloody and bizarre battles of World War I. By the 6th November, when the village of Passchendaele and its ridge were captured, over half a million British, French, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and Germans had become casualties.

Philip Warners account of the battle has skilfully brought together all the elements of this horrific campaign - the historical background, personal accounts, strategies and tactics and the personalities and political manoeuvres. He investigates the issues that had a crucial effect on the course of the battle, including the mutinous stale of the French Army, the bombardment that destroyed the drainage system, Field-Marshal Haig's determination to continue the assault in spite of the appalling weather and his stormy relationship with Lloyd George. Above all, it is the determined fighting ability and bravery of all the Allied soldiers that dominate this detailed and absorbing account of the battle that came to exemplify the tragedy of the Great War.

Book serial number W28. Price £6.99. Fully illustrated paperback with 269 pages.

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