Many people have the idea that the ‘Great War’ on the Western Front was simple, if ghastly, to fight – with few tactics, and unbroken, monotonous, trench lines as the main feature of the battlefield. In such a scenario the archetypal image of battle is of soldiers with rifles and bayonets charging each other in blind obedience to stupid repetitious orders.
Though undeniably bloody the war was in fact a ferment of new ideas and new weapons. Gas, flame throwers, super-heavy artillery, concrete bunkers, tanks, aircraft and other innovations were all introduced, whilst older notions such as barbed wire, machine guns and armour took on a new lease of life.
No single manual was ever enough to encompass 'modern war', and even before 1914 numerous publications were required. With the focus on the Western Front and the soldiers fighting there, this unique compendium collects together a huge variety of contemporary manuals, leaflets and booklets, and shows how although operations often failed, British commanders made attempts to devise new tactics and weaponry.
By:
Dr Stephen Bull
Imprint: Osprey Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 180mm,
Width: 120mm,
Weight: 208g
ISBN: 9781472841360
ISBN 10: 1472841360
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 19 November 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction by Dr Stephen Bull 1. Infantry Training, 1914, Chapter X. Infantry in Attack, pp.133-147 2. Manual of Field Engineering, reprinted 1914, Chapter V. Earthworks, pp.24-31 3. Notes From the Front, Part 1, 1914, Tactical Notes, pp.2-10 4. Notes From the Front, Part 3, 1915, pp.10-25 5. Trench Standing Orders 1915–16: 124th Infantry Brigade 6. Notes on Minor Enterprises, March 1916 7. Notes on the Tactical Employment of Machine Guns and Lewis Guns, March 1916, pp.3-19 8. Games for Use with Physical Training Tables and Training in Bombing, 1916 9. Collection of Information Regarding the Enemy, 1915–17 10. Instructions for the Training of Platoons for Offensive Action, February 1917 11. Gas Warfare Monthly Summary of Information, No. 15, September 1918 Glossary Index
Dr Stephen Bull is the Curator of the Museum of Lancashire in Preston. He has written two major volumes on arms and armour and bestselling books on trench warfare and World War II infantry tactics. He lives in Preston.
