Petain: Verdun to Vichy by Robert Bowman Bruce ISBN: 1574885987
Published by Potomac Books on September 1st 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Military, History, Europe, France, World War I, World War II
Pages: 150
Len's Summary: A short biography by the winner of the WFA 2004 Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr. Book Prize.
The Daily Telegraph – Dictionary of Tommies’ Song and Slang 1914-18
The Daily Telegraph - Dictionary of Tommies' Song and Slang 1914-18 by John Brophy, Eric Partridge, Malcom Brown ISBN: 1844157105
on February 1st 2008
Pages: 240
Len's Summary: Each song is accompanied by a brief explanation of its origins and variations. There is also a large glossary of soldier slang.
United States Navy in the Pacific, 1909-1922
United States Navy in the Pacific, 1909-1922 by William Reynolds Braisted ISBN: 1591140889
on April 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, United States, Naval
Pages: 760
Len's Summary: The second of two volumes, analyses rising tensions with Japan during the Taft Administration, the US Navy in the Pacific during WWI, the decision to build a navy second to none, the 1916 Naval Construction Act, and the post-war Washington Navel Disarmament Conference ending in 1922.
Flanders Fields
Flanders Fields by Stefan Boness ISBN: 9783939181156
Published by Verlag für Bildschöne Bücher on October 2008
Pages: 105
Len's Summary: Contemporary photos of the remains of World War One in the Ypres Salient, Belgium taken by the author. Distributed internationally by Idea Books.
The Unquiet Western Front: Britain’s Role in Literature and History
The Unquiet Western Front: Britain's Role in Literature and History by Brian Bond ISBN: 9780521036412
Published by Cambridge University Press on April 30th 2007
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, General, Social Science, Media Studies, Literary Criticism, Social History, Military, World War I
Pages: 140
Len's Summary: First published in 2002, this is a critique of the anti-war culture that pervades writing and teaching The Great War. Favorably reviewed by History Today as a bid to rescue WWI history from popular myth.
The Germans at Arras
The Germans at Arras by David Bilton ISBN: 9781844157686
Published by Pen & Sword Military on 2008
Pages: 208
Len's Summary: German photographs of the Arras region in 1917.
The Greatest Day in History: How the Great War Really Ended
The Greatest Day in History: How the Great War Really Ended by Nicholas Best ISBN: 9781586486402
Published by Public Affairs on October 13th 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 304
Len's Summary: Reactions of war survivors, many of whom went on to success after the conflict.
Operation Albion: The German Conquest of the Baltic Islands
Operation Albion: The German Conquest of the Baltic Islands by Michael B. Barrett ISBN: 9780253349699
Published by Indiana University Press on February 19th 2008
Genres: History, Europe, Baltic States, Germany, Military, World War I
Pages: 298
Len's Summary: This Eastern Front battle featured action between German dreadnoughts and a Russian battleship, the use of aircraft and zeppelins, and the most successful amphibious landing of WWI on the islands of Dago, Osel and Moon at the head of the Gulf of Riga. A History Book Club selection. The author teaches at The Citadel and spoke at our 2006 WFA seminar in Tampa.
Casualty Figures: How Five Men Survived the First World War
Casualty Figures: How Five Men Survived the First World War by Michèle Barrett ISBN: 1844672301
Published by Verso on April 17th 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Veterans, Psychology, Psychopathology, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Pages: 174
Len's Summary: An account of the psychological havoc of war inflicted on five British soldiers.
Setting the Desert on Fire: T. E. Lawrence and Britain’s Secret War in Arabia, 1916-1918
Setting the Desert on Fire: T. E. Lawrence and Britain's Secret War in Arabia, 1916-1918 by James Barr ISBN: 9780393335279
on July 6th 2009
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Middle East, General, Military, World War I, Modern, 20th Century
Pages: 382
Len's Summary: Barr makes the point that the British were no more duplicitous that the Arabs, many of whose leaders (Hussein for example) maintained open lines of communications to the Turks up to the end of the war. Absent a unified Arab national movement, the British and French — the author argues — had no choice but to assume responsibility for the former Ottoman provinces.
Doctrine and Reform in the British Cavalry, 1880 – 1918
Doctrine and Reform in the British Cavalry, 1880 - 1918 by Stephen Badsey ISBN: 9780754664673
Published by Ashgate Publishing on January 1st 2008
Pages: 360
Len's Summary: A scholarly analysis of the development of successful doctrine for horsed soldiers in the face of increasing firepower.
Daily Lives of Civilians in Wartime Twentieth-Century Europe
Daily Lives of Civilians in Wartime Twentieth-Century Europe by Nicholas Atkin ISBN: 0313336571
Published by Greenwood Press on August 1st 2008
Genres: History, Europe, General, Military, Modern, 20th Century, Social History, Social Science, Sociology
Pages: 230
Len's Summary: Essays covering both issues and countries, including France in WWI, as well as the Spanish Civil War and World War Two.
A Shattered Peace: Versailles and the Peace We Pay Today
A Shattered Peace: Versailles and the Peace We Pay Today by David A. Andelman, Henry Kissinger ISBN: 1620459914
Published by Wiley on July 1st 2014
Pages: 336
Len's Summary: One of a recent series of popular pot boiler journalistic-style histories blaming most of world’s troubles on the Versailles Treaty. // An analysis linking current day international political woes to the Versailles treaty.
Kitchener’s Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War
Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War by Henry Allingham, Dennis Goodwin, HRH Prince Charles ISBN: 1845964160
Published by Mainstream Publishing on October 1st 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Historical, History, Military, General, World War I, Political
Pages: 240
Len's Summary: Alingham served on land, at sea at Jutland and in the air with the Royal Naval Air Service.
The Ottoman Road to War in 1914: The Ottoman Empire and the First World War
The Ottoman Road to War in 1914: The Ottoman Empire and the First World War by Mustafa Aksakal ISBN: 9780521175258
Published by Cambridge University Press on December 9th 2010
Genres: History, Europe, General, Middle East, Military, World War I, World
Pages: 234
Len's Summary: A revisionist history of Ottoman “Young Turk” politics and policies leading to belligerency on the side of Germany.
Uniforms of the German Colonial Troops, 1884-1918
Uniforms of the German Colonial Troops, 1884-1918 by Charles Woolley ISBN: 9780764333576
Published by Schiffer Military History on 2009
Genres: History, Military, General, Uniforms, Illustrated, Germany
Pages: 187
Len's Summary: Also see Uniforms of the Schutztruppen, the Expedition Corps and III, the Batallion of the Imperial Marines assigned to protect Germany’s far-flung pre-WWI colonial possessions.
World War I Almanac
World War I Almanac by David R. Woodward ISBN: 9780816071340
Published by Facts On File on September 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Juvenile Nonfiction, Military & Wars, Reference, Almanacs
Pages: 554
Len's Summary: A new reference work from a first-rank scholar of the Great War who teaches at Marshall University. Dr. Woodward is also the author of a fine biography of British WWI Chief of Staff Field Marshall Sir William Robertson (Greenwood 1998) and a more recent history of the Palestine Campaign Hell in the Holyland (Kentucky 2006).
The Legacy of the Great War: Ninety Years On
The Legacy of the Great War: Ninety Years On by Jay Winter ISBN: 9780826271990
Published by University of Missouri Press on October 26th 2009
Genres: History, General, Military, World War I, World, United States
Pages: 240
Len's Summary: Papers from a 2007 forum sponsored by the Western Front Association, The National WWI Museum at the Liberty Memorial and the Kansas City Public Library edited by Yale scholar Jay Winter. Contributors include Niall Ferguson, Paul Kennedy, Sir John Keegan, Hew Strachan, John Horne, Leonard Smith, John Milton Cooper, Margaret MacMillan and Paul Fussell.
Mediterranean Submarines: Submarine Warfare in World War One
Mediterranean Submarines: Submarine Warfare in World War One by Paul Kemp ISBN: 0947554572
on September 10th 1998
Pages: 219
Len's Summary: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0947554572/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0947554572&linkCode=as2&tag=worlwaroneh0a-20&linkId=G2A2W5GFYB3YBSTN
The Last Century of Sea Power: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894-1922
The Last Century of Sea Power: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894-1922 by H.P. Willmott ISBN: 0253352142
Published by Indiana University Press on June 1st 2009
Pages: 568
Len's Summary: Analyses the complex nature of transition to modern war at sea, changes in shipbuilding, armament technology and doctrine. Written by a foremost military historian.
Tracing British Battalions on the Somme
Tracing British Battalions on the Somme by Ray Westlake ISBN: 9781844158850
on January 15th 2009
Genres: History, Military, General, Great Britain
Pages: 320
Len's Summary: A research guide for Somme enthusiasts by a recognized British historian and researcher.
Verdun: An Integrated Defence
Verdun: An Integrated Defence by Neil J. Wells ISBN: 1845747151
on July 22nd 2009
Len's Summary: Details on the Verdun forts.
Tank Action in The Great War
Tank Action in The Great War by Ian Verrinder ISBN: 9781848840805
on September 2009
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I
Pages: 218
Len's Summary: An account of the attacks of B Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (later the Tank Corps) on the Somme, at Messines, Ypres, Cambrai and Fontaine-Notre-Dame
The Dardanelles Disaster: Winston Churchill’s Greatest Failure
The Dardanelles Disaster: Winston Churchill's Greatest Failure by Dan Van der Vat ISBN: 1590202236
Published by The Overlook Press on July 9th 2009
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Naval
Pages: 256
Len's Summary: A new look at a much-studies campaign.
Sapper Martin: The Secret Great War Diary of Jack Martin
Sapper Martin: The Secret Great War Diary of Jack Martin by Richard Van Emden ISBN: 1408802678
on November 2nd 2009
Pages: 272
Len's Summary: The diary of a Royal Engineer on the Western. Available from Amazon.co.uk.
Prisoners of the Kaiser: The last POWs of The Great War
Prisoners of the Kaiser: The last POWs of The Great War by Richard Van Emden ISBN: 9781848840782
on August 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I, World War II, Veterans
Pages: 196
Len's Summary: Draws on the memories of the last surviving British POWs.
Before My Helpless Sight: Suffering, Dying and Military Medicine on the Western Front, 1914-1918
Before My Helpless Sight: Suffering, Dying and Military Medicine on the Western Front, 1914-1918 by Leo van Bergen ISBN: 9780754658535
on February 8th 2009
Genres: History, Modern, General, Military, World War I, Medical
Pages: 528
Len's Summary: Drawing on French, Dutch, British and German sources, the author examines the impact of modern war on individual soldiers. Translation from the Dutch recommended by Hubert van Tuyll of Augusta State University.
The Killing Ground: The British Army, the Western Front & Emergence of Modern Warfare, 1900-1918
The Killing Ground: The British Army, the Western Front & Emergence of Modern Warfare, 1900-1918 by Timothy Travers ISBN: 9780850529647
on July 1st 2003
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Great Britain
Pages: 309
Len's Summary: A distinguished Canadian historian integrates social and military history to illuminate the evolution of British war- fighting doctrine. Available from www.casematepublishing.com in America.
Images of Conflict: Military Aerial Photography and Archaeology
Images of Conflict: Military Aerial Photography and Archeology by Birger Stichelbaut, Jean Bourgeois, Nicholas J. Saunders, Piet Chielens ISBN: 1443801712
Published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing on February 1st 2009
Genres: History, Military, General, Photography, Social Science, Archaeology
Pages: 302
Len's Summary: An exploration of aerial photography in World Wars I and II by military historians with the emphasis on The Great War.
Captivity, Forced Labour and Forced Migration in Europe during the First World War
Captivity, Forced Labour and Forced Migration in Europe during the First World War by Matthew Stibbe ISBN: 0415846358
Published by Routledge on August 7th 2009
Genres: History, Europe, General, Military, World War I, Modern, 20th Century, Essays
Pages: 232
Len's Summary: Six essays on POWs, refugees, deportees, internees, forced migrations, and use of colonial troops and civilian laborers in Europe.
No Labour, No Battle: The Labour Corps in the First World War
No Labour, No Battle: The Labour Corps in the First World War by Ivor Lee, John Starling ISBN: 0752449753
Published by Spellmount Publishers on November 1st 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I, World, Great Britain
Pages: 352
Len's Summary: Beginning in 1917, soldiers too old or unfit for front line service were drafted into the Labour Corps which eventually grew to some 350 thousand.
Men of Mont St Quentin: Between Victory and Death
Men of Mont St Quentin: Between Victory and Death by Peter Stanley ISBN: 9781921215339
Published by Scribe on August 31st 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Australia & New Zealand
Pages: 304
Len's Summary: The focus is on the dozen men who fought in Nine Platoon, 21st Australian Infantry Battalion on September 1, 1918, tracing their battle and the survivors’ lives after the war.
Private Beatson’s War: Life, Death and Hope on the Western Front
Private Beatson’s War: Life, Death and Hope on the Western Front by Shaun Springer, Henry Allingham, Stuart Humphreys, James Beatson ISBN: 1848840829
on November 1st 2009
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Military, History, World War I, Veterans
Pages: 154
Len's Summary: From the dairy of British soldiers killed at High Wood on the Somme.
Captured at Kut, Prisoner of the Turks
Captured at Kut, Prisoner of the Turks by W.C. Spackman, Tony Spackman ISBN: 184415873X
Published by Pen & Sword Books on May 1st 2009
Pages: 206
Len's Summary: The edited diary of a British Indian Army doctor.
Oh Holy Night: The Peace of 1914
Oh Holy Night: The Peace of 1914 by Michael C. Snow ISBN: 9781616230807
on January 1st 2009
Pages: 96
Len's Summary: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Order through Evangel Press, Nappannee, Indiana (800) 253-9315.
Drawing Fire: The Diary of a Great War Soldier and Artist
Drawing Fire: The Diary of a Great War Soldier and Artist by Len Smith ISBN: 9780007313846
Published by Collins on October 1st 2009
Pages: 383
Len's Summary: The diary of an infantrymen sniper and artist who carried both a rifle and a sketchbook to war.
Another Life: Lawrence After Arabia
Another Life: Lawrence After Arabia by Andrew R. B. Simpson ISBN: 9780752463582
Published by History Press on June 1st 2012
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Military, Political, History, World War I
Pages: 366
Len's Summary: Yet another in an unending line of books about Lawrence of Arabia, this one focussing on his post-war career, particularly in the Tank Corps and the RAF.
The German Army at Cambrai
The German Army at Cambrai by Jack Sheldon ISBN: 9781844159444
on September 2009
Genres: History, Europe, Germany, Military, World War I
Pages: 338
Len's Summary: The see-saw November-December 1917 battle from the German point of view based on German archival material.
Wings over the Desert: In Action with an RAF Pilot in Palestine, 1916-18
Wings over the Desert: In Action with an RAF Pilot in Palestine, 1916-18 by Desmond Seward ISBN: 9781844256723
Published by Haynes Publishing on 2009
Genres: History, Middle East, General, Military, World War I, Aviation
Pages: 224
Len's Summary: Air battles with the Germans over the Sinai Desert with a pilot of Number 14 Squadron, RAF.
Shot in the Tower: The Story of Spies Executed in the Tower of London During the First World War
Shot in the Tower: The Story of Spies Executed in the Tower of London During the First World War by Leonard Sellers ISBN: 9781848840263
on July 19th 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Germany, Great Britain
Pages: 212
Len's Summary: None of the men had any proper training for espionage, but their lives were forfeit despite their amateur status.
President’s Quarterly Update—April 2024
Dear Members and Friends,
I’m extremely pleased with the level of WW1HA’s activities, some of which may be unseen by you.
Our Journal, “World War One Illustrated,” is now published three times a year with an average length of 48 pages. Each issue is filled with high-quality articles covering a variety of topics, including the popular “My Kin in the Great War” series.
Our electronic newsletter, “Here and There with the WW1HA” is published monthly, with an assortment of Association events and articles covering WW1 topics.
Sal Compagno’s San Francisco Bay Area Chapter continues to hold monthly meetings via Zoom, while Mark Benbow’s Eastern Chapter is holding quarterly meetings.
As President, I am also hosting a quarterly “Fireside Chat” online. The last one emphasized WW1 poetry. The next one will emphasize WW1-era music.
If you’re already a member, I thank you for your membership and encourage you to take part in these activities. If you’re not a member, I ask you to join and participate in these activities. Participate in the events and consider submitting an article for the journal or newsletter.
Reach out to me with your comments: lavarennes@meuse-argonne.com.
Regards,
Randy Gaulke
