Index, bibliography, ill (col), p.172.non-fictionOn 7 June 1917, the British Second Army launched its attack on Messines Ridge, detonating 19 giant mines beneath the German front-line positions. By the end of the day, one of the strongest positions on the Western Front had fallen, a place of such importance that the Germans had pledged to hold it at any cost. It was the greatest British victory in three years of war. The first two years of the First World War had represented an almost unending catalogue of disaster for the Australians. Messines was not only their first real victory, it was also the first test in senior command for Major General John Monash who commanded the newly formed 3rd Division and would later be hailed as Australia's greatest soldier. Messines was a baptism of fire for the 3rd Division which came into the line alongside the battle-scarred 4th Australian Division, badly mauled at Bullecourt just six weeks earlier in one of the worst defeats of the war. The fighting at Messines would descend into unimaginable savagery, a lethal and sometimes hand-to-hand affair of bayonets, clubs, bombs and incessant machine-gun fire, described by one Australian as '72 hours of Hell'. After their string of bloody defeats over 1915 and 1916, Messines would be the ultimate test for the Australians. Collapse summary world war 1914-1918- campaigns - western front, battles of messines - australian participation - 1917

Index, bibliography, notes, ill (maps), p.816.In the Trenches of Hell On 19 July 1916, 7000 Australian soldiers - in the first major action of the AIF on the Western Front - attacked entrenched German positions at Fromelles in northern France. By the next day, there were over 5500 casualties, including nearly 2000 dead - a bloodbath that the Australian War Memorial describes as 'the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history. Just days later, three Australian Divisions attacked German positions at nearby Pozi�res, and over the next six weeks they suffered another 23,000 casualties. Of that bitter battle, the great Australian war correspondent Charles Bean would write, 'The field of Pozi�res is more consecrated by Australian fighting and more hallowed by Australian blood than any field which has ever existed . . .' Yet the sad truth is that, nearly a century on from those battles, Australians know only a fraction of what occurred. This book brings the battles back to life and puts the reader in the moment, illustrating both the heroism displayed and the insanity of the British plan. With his extraordinary vigour and commitment to research, Peter FitzSimons shows why this is a story about which all Australians can be proud. And angry.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - western front, world war 1914-1918 - australian participation - fromelles and pozieres

Index, bibliography, notes, ill (maps), p.565.non-fictionPasschendaele epitomises everything that was most terrible about the Western Front. The photographs never sleep of this four-month battle, fought from July to November 1917, the worst year of the war- blackened tree stumps rising out of a field of mud, corpses of men and horses drowned in shell holes, terrified soldiers huddled in trenches awaiting the whistle. The intervening century, the most violent in human history, has not disarmed these pictures of their power to shock. At the very least they ask us, on the 100th anniversary of the battle, to see and to try to understand what happened here. Yes, we commemorate the event. Yes, we adorn our breasts with poppies. But have we seen? Have we understood? Have we dared to reason why? What happened at Passchendaele was the expression of the 'wearing-down war', the war of pure attrition at its most spectacular and ferocious. Paul Ham's Passchendaele- Requiem for Doomed Youth shows how ordinary men on both sides endured this constant state of siege, with a very real awareness that they were being gradually, deliberately, wiped out. Yet the men never broke- they went over the top, when ordered, again and again and again. And if they fell dead or wounded, they were casualties in the 'normal wastage', as the commanders described them, of attritional war. Only the soldier's friends at the front knew him as a man, with thoughts and feelings. His family back home knew him as a son, husband or brother, before he had enlisted. By the end of 1917 he was a different creature- his experiences on the Western Front were simply beyond their powers of comprehension. The book tells the story of ordinary men in the grip of a political and military power struggle that determined their fate and has foreshadowed the destiny of the world for a century. Passchendaele lays down a powerful challenge to the idea of war as an inevitable expression of the human will, and examines the culpability of governments and military commanders in a catastrophe that destroyed the best part of a generation. Collapse summary world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - western front, france - campaigns - passchaendaele

Ill (maps), p.326non-fictionOver The Top is based on Harry Hartnett's diaries, which his family gave to Chris Byrett, a lawyer and WWI buff. It details the battles, the long marches and the recoveries with many amusing anecdotes which kept the men smiling and eased the tiredeness of the daily grind.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - western front - personal recollections, henry george hartnett

Index, bibliography, ill (maps), p.620.non-fictionUsing hundreds of brutally honest and extraordinary eyewitness accounts of the diggers in the muddy and bloody trenches, Western Front Diaries reproduces their private diaries, letters and postcards to tell of their heart-rending experiences, battle by bloody battle. Includes a gallery of previously unpublished photographs.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - western front, world war 1914-1918 - personal recollections

Index, bibliography, ill (maps), p.248.non-fictionThis abridged edition of the bestselling 'Fromelles' includes the recent discovery of the largest mass war grave since the Second World War, the recovery of the missing Diggers' remains and the names of those who have been identified, as well as the opening of the new Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery in 2010.world war 1914 - 1918 - campaigns - western front - fromelles, war graves - france

Notes, p.337.non-fictionIn that hour was born in me a fear that lasted throughout the whole winter. It was the dread of dying in the mud, going down in that stinking morass and though dead being conscious throughout the ages. Waves of fear at times threatened to overwhelm me ... a little weakness, a little slackening of control at times and I might have gone over the borderline. In the light of the sun, on firm ground, I could laugh at fate. But where the churned mud half hid and half revealed bodies, where dead hands reached out of the morass, seeming to implore aid - there I had to hold tightworld war 1914-1918 - campaigns - western front, george deane mitchell - personal recollections

Index, notes, bibliography, ill, p.298.non-fictionIn the hands of Peter Stanley, one of Australia's leading military historians, a famous battlefield in France becomes unforgettably connected with Australian men and their families in the long aftermath of the Great War.australian army - 21st battalion - 9 platoon - history, world war 1914-1918 - 2nd battle of the somme

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.287.non-fictionAustralia's long-standing love affair with the Diggers has blinded us to the dark side of the Anzac legend. This book tells the story of the Australian soldiers in the Great War who were not heroes, soldiers who committed offences and crimes, those who deserted, robbed and murdered their comrades and more.australian army - imperial force - 1914-1921 - history, australian army - military deserters - 1914-1921

Ill, p.62.non-fictionStarting the war with only 35 aircraft, Austro-Hungarian industry went on to produce only moderate numbers of poor quality aircraft. The fliers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire operating on the Serbian and Russian fronts were fortunate at first, finding themselves faced by small numbers of aircraft yet more obsolescent than their own. Serbia fell in 1915, but when Italy declared war the Austro-Hungarians were still faced with a two-front war ' a static front against Italy, and a far more fluid one against Russia. Austro-Hungarian fighter pilots performed bravely and often very effectively under extremely difficult geographic, climatic and operational conditions. world war 1914-1918 - aerial operations - austria, fighter pilots - austria

Ill, p.63.non-fictionStarting the war with only 35 aircraft, Austro-Hungarian industry went on to produce only moderate numbers of poor quality aircraft. The fliers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire operating on the Serbian and Russian fronts were fortunate at first, finding themselves faced by small numbers of aircraft yet more obsolescent than their own. Serbia fell in 1915, but when Italy declared war the Austro-Hungarians were still faced with a two-front war ' a static front against Italy, and a far more fluid one against Russia. Austro-Hungarian fighter pilots performed bravely and often very effectively under extremely difficult geographic, climatic and operational conditions. world war 1914-1918- aerial operations - austria, fighter pilots - austria

Ill p.63.non-fiction The Albatros family of fighters were amongst the most effective aircraft employed by the German Air Service for much of World war 1. This volume provides a Jasta by Jasta breakdown of the German Albatros aces on the western front.world war 1914-1918 - aerial operations - germany, fighter pilots - germany

Ill, p.64.non-fictionAmerican fliers in World War I fell into three categories: Those who joined the French aviation service, known as the Lafayette Corps, those who joined the Royal Flying Corps and those came after the US entered the war using British and French machines. world war 1914-1918 - aerial operations - usa, fighter pilots - usa

Ill, p.64non-fictionUndoubtedly the most famous fighter type to see service on either side during World War 1 the Fokker Dr1 was inspired by Sopwiths triplane of 1916-1917. The Dreidecker enjoyed immediate success with Germany's elite fighter unit, Manfred von Richtofen's JG1world war 1914-1918 - aerial operations - germany, fighter pilots - germany

Ill, p.63non-fictionThe French Nieuport company provided the Allied air forces with the first true fighter scout of World War 1 in the shape of the diminutive Type 11 of 1915. It was replaced by the bigger and more powerful type 17 which proved to be one of the best fighters of the warworld war 1914-1918 - aerial operations - france, fighter pilots - france

Ill, p.64.non-fictionFirst flown in April 1916, the SPAD was an immediate success and was quickly ordered into production. Over 6,000 were built and went into service not just with the French armed services but with the allies. world war 1914-1918 - aerial operations - france, fighter pilots - france

Ill, p.64.non-fictionAt the outset of World War I the British had some 110 assorted aircraft, used mostly for the visual reconnaissance role. With the advent of faster and more agile single-seaters, the Allies and their adversaries raced to outdo each other in the creation of genuinely effective fighters with fixed forward-firing machine gun armament. It was not until 1917 that the British developed a truly effective interrupter gear, which paved the way for excellent single seaters such as the Sopwith Triplane Camel and the RAF S.E.5., later joined by the Bristol F.2B - the war's best two-seat fighter. This volume traces the rapid development of the fighter in World War I and the amazing exploits of the British and Empire aces who flew them.worls war 1914-1918 - aerial operations - britain, fighter pilots - british empire

Ill., map, ports, 124.p.non-fictionworld war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, gallipoli campaign - naval operations

Index, Ill, p.186.non-fictionThis is the story of the German cruiser the Emden under Kapitan von Muller who by brilliant seamanship and daring destroyed a hundred thousand tons of Allied shippingworld war 1914-1918 - naval operations - germany, naval operations - indian ocean

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.232.non-fictionThe story of the exploits of the German cruiser, the Emden in world war one.world war 1914-1918 - naval operations - germany, emden (cruiser)

Index, bibliography, notes, ill. (some col.), maps, ports, p.318.non-fictionOn 25 April 1915 - the day the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli - Lieutenant Commander Dacre Stoker set out as captain of the Australian submarine AE2 on a mission to breach the treacherous Dardanelles Strait with the intention of disrupting Turkish supply lines to the isolated Gallipoli peninsula. Facing dangerous currents, mines and withering enemy fire, Stoker and his men succeeded where British and French submarines had come to grief." "Stoker's achievement meant much in military terms, and even more emotionally in boosting the morale of embattled Allied troops. But what was proclaimed at the time as 'the finest feat in submarine history' has since sunk into oblivion. Few Australians even know their country had a submarine at Gallipoli, much less that it achieved daring feats, sank an enemy craft, and possibly played a pivotal role in Anzac troops staying on the beachhead for eight months." "Now, finally, Stoker's Submarine tells the story of a remarkable naval hero and the men under his command. And the AE2 itself, still lying intact on the floor of the Sea of Marmara, is celebrated as the most tangible relic of Australia's role at Gallipoli, the crucible of nationhood.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, gallipoli campaign - naval operations, submarine ae2

Ill, p.320.non-fictionA first hand account by an Australian airman of his escape from a Turkish prison camp during the first world war - only to land in the middle of the violence of the Russian revolutionworld war 1914-1918 - prisoners of war - turkey, escapes - turkey

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.211.non-fictionA chance discovery made on a tour of Anzac Cove provided an immediate link between Gallipoli and Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs. In the lead up to the Centenary of Anzac, ‘The Sweetland Project’ (named after a Box Hill man, Stephen Sweetland) became a broader search for the connections between Gallipoli and the former Shire of Nunawading, revealing 27 men from the former shire who died during the Gallipoli campaign. This book traces their stories and the reaction to the Great War of the local community, and shows how personal and collective memories of their experiences still resonate today.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, gallipoli campaign - personal recollections

Bibliography, ill, p.93.non-fictionSimpson and his donkeyworld war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, australian army - 3rd field ambulance

Index, ill, p.313.non-fictionIn 1960 a team of archivists from the Imperial War Museum began the task of tracking down ordinary World War I veterans and interviewing them in detail about their war experiences. This text includes first-hand experiences from German, US, Canadian and ANZ soldiers.world war 1914-1918 - personal narratives, world war 1914-1918 - oral history

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.222non-fictionRepublished to coincide with the new ITV film, My Boy Jack? starring Daniel Radcliffe, this is the full account of the tragic life of John 'Jack' Kipling. On 27th September 1915 John Kipling, the only son of Britain's best loved poet, disappeared during the Battle of Loos. The body lay undiscovered for 77 years. Then, in a most unusual move, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) re-marked the grave of an unknown Lieutenant of the Irish Guards, as that of John Kipling. There is considerable evidence that John's grave has been wrongly identified.john kipling - 1897-1915, soldiers - great britain - biography

Index, notes, ill, maps, p.222.non-fictionIt would be hard to find anyone better qualified the "Sally Home of the "11th Hussars to tell the story of the Cavalry on the Western front during the First World War.soldiers - great britain - biography, world war 1914-1918 - western front - cavalry corps

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.187.non-fictionThe biography of Capt George Ingram VC, MM, the last Australian VC recipient of the First World War. From country childhood in Bagshot and Seville to a gunner with the Australian Garrison Artillery and the Tropical Force's Matupi Battery. He then served with the 24th Battalion AIF on the Western Front where he was awarded the Military Medal and the Victoria Cross. After the war he became a soldier settler, an original Shrine Guard and during World War Two he served with the Royal Australian Engineers. Throughout his life he carried the physical and mental scars of his service in the war.soldiers - victoria - biography, george ingram - biography

Bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.245.non-fictionRetrace Australia's role in the First World War from the trenches of Somme Mud to the wider war on the Western Front. Imagine this. You are a country boy and just eighteen. The war has been raging for two years and because of your age, you have not been eligible for enlistment. Your mates, older by a few months are joining up and disappearing to the great adventure across the world in Europe. And there is forever talk of the need for reinforcements, for men like you to join up and support the Empire, Australia and your mates in the line. Such was the case for Edward Francis Lynch, a typical country boy from Perthville, near Bathurst. When war was declared in early August 1914, he was just sixteen and still at school, but like a generation of young males in Australia, there was something to prove and a need to be there. Will Davies, editor of the bestselling Somme Mud, meticulously tracked Lynch and his battalion's travels; their long route marches to flea ridden billets, into the frontline at such places as Messines, Dernancourt, Stormy Trench and Villers Bretonneux, to rest areas behind the lines and finally, on the great push to the final victory after August 1918. In words and pictures Davies fills in the gaps in Private Lynch's story and through the movements of the other battalions of the AIF provides impact and context to their plight and achievements. Looking at these battlefields today, the pilgrims who visit and those who attend to the land we come to understand how the spirit of Australia developed and of our enduring role in world politics.world war 1914-1918 - personal narratives - australia, western front 1914-1918 - australian participation

Notes, bibliography, ill, p.196.non-fictionRalph Goode became the first of many men from Lilydale Victoria to enlist in World War One when he joined the 2nd Field Ambulance as a stretcher bearer. Over the next four years he recorded hid activities.world war 1914-1918 - australian participation - 2nd field ambulance, ralph goode 1888-1961 - biography