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War on the Western Front

War on the Western Front

In the Trenches of World War I

General Military

Author: Gary Sheffield
Short code: GNM
Publication Date: 10 Jun 2007
ISBN: 9781846032103
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 272

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About this Product

World War I stands as a watershed in the evolution of modern warfare, with the development of sophisticated trench systems forming a battlefield over 400 miles long, innovations in weaponry and equipment and the introduction of tanks in battle. Without the ordinary soldier, however, there could have been no war: the Great War was very much a conflict of infantrymen - the largely forgotten masses of Tommies, Fritzes, Poilus and Doughboys. With a foreword by renowned World War I historian Gary Sheffield, War on the Western Front examines the day-to-day lives of these men as they fought and died in the trenches, from their recruitment and training to combat experience, vividly recounting the shock of life on 'the front'. It also provides an extensive re-assessment of trench warfare, a revolutionary tactic that challenged the very idea of war, and details developments in weaponry and armoured vehicles, including terrifying innovations in the use of poison gas, flamethrowers and tanks. This book contains material from previously published books: War 12, 16, 79 and Elite 78 & 84.

Biographical Note

Editor Gary Sheffield is Professor of War Studies at the University of Birmingham and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He has published widely on military history, especially the First World War. His books include Douglas Haig: War Diaries and Letters 1914-18, co-edited with John Bourne (2005); the best-selling Forgotten Victory: The First World War - Myths and Realities (2001); and Leadership in the Trenches (2000). Authors Dr Stephen Bull is Curator of Military History and Archaeology for Lancashire County Museums with special responsibility for local regimental collections; he has also worked at the National Army Museum and the BBC. His latest exhibition is a display of Far East prisoner-of-war art at the Museum of Lancashire, Preston. Ian Drury, an experienced editor and military writer, has published books and articles on aspects of military history as varied as the Russo-Turkish War, the Confederate infantry and World War II on the Russian Front. He has made a particular study of the battle of Verdun, one result of which has been his now legendary Verdun wargame 'Hommes Soupes'. Thomas A Hoff is a long-time student and re-enactor of World War I. He combines a teaching post in History at Northeastern Illinois University, where he is currently developing a class on World War I, with work for the Chicago Police Department as a part-time detective. Martin Pegler is Senior Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds. He has written a number of books, including the best-selling sniper history Out of Nowhere (Osprey, 2005). In the 1980s he had the privilege of interviewing many World War I veterans, and the recordings are now part of the sound archives of the Imperial War Museum, London. Ian Sumner originally trained as a librarian in Newcastle-upon-Tyne but now devotes himself to full-time writing. He has written numerous titles for Osprey, and also several books on the history of the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Foreword Part 1: Warriors on the Western Front - Stormtrooper Poilu Tommy Doughboy Part 2: Trench Warfare Bibliography Index