Sniping in the Great War by Martin Pegler ISBN: 1844157555
on 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 224
Len's Summary: Development of the practice of sniping from 1914 on the Western and other fronts; training, field craft and counter-sniping methods described in detail.
Pals on the Somme, 1916
Pals on the Somme, 1916 by Roni Wilkinson ISBN: 1844157652
Published by Pen & Sword Books on June 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 224
Len's Summary: History of creation the British Pals Battalions made up of men from the same town or craft. // Looks at the participation of the Pals battalions which fought on the Somme in 1916 and how the Pals phenomenon was born.
The German Offensives of 1918: The Last Desperate Gamble
The German Offensives of 1918: The Last Desperate Gamble by Ian Passingham ISBN: 1844156362
on September 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Germany
Pages: 208
Len's Summary: Another assessment of German doctrine, military thinking and the effectiveness of storm troop tactics, and how the poor state of military morale and civilian unrest contributed to defeat.
Terror of the Autumn Skies: The True Story of Frank Luke, America’s Rogue Ace of World War I
Terror of the Autumn Skies: The True Story of Frank Luke, America's Rogue Ace of World War I by Blaine Pardoe ISBN: 1602392528
Published by Skyhorse Publishing on July 1st 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Military, History, World War I, Aviation
Pages: 320
Len's Summary: Biography of America’s first aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
The Great War in the Heart of Dixie: Alabama during World War I
The Great War in the Heart of Dixie: Alabama during World War I by Martin T. Olliff ISBN: 9780817354923
Published by University of Alabama Press on October 12th 2008
Genres: History, General, Military, World War I, United States, State & Local
Pages: 275
Len's Summary: How Alabama responded to and was changed by the war.
After the Trenches: The Transformation of the U.S. Army, 1918-1939
After the Trenches: The Transformation of the U.S. Army, 1918-1939 by William O. Odom ISBN: 9781603440813
Published by Texas A&M University Press on June 17th 2008
Genres: History, Military, Strategy, World War I, World War II, United States, Technology & Engineering, Military Science
Pages: 282
Len's Summary: A distinguished army veteran and military historian examines the evolution of army doctrine between the two world wars.
Major Sam Woodfill: The Greatest Soldier of WW I
Major Sam Woodfill: The Greatest Soldier of WW I by Ben Newell ISBN: 9781605637105
Published by PublishAmerica on September 1st 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, General, History, Military, World War I
Pages: 184
Len's Summary: A biography of WWI medal of honor-winner Major Sam Woodfill, the career military man considered by John Pershing to be the outstanding soldier in the AEF.
The German Army Handbook of 1918
The German Army Handbook of 1918 by David Nash, James Beach ISBN: 1844157113
Published by Pen & Sword Books on February 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 186
Len's Summary: Compiled by British intelligence as a comprehensive assessment of the German Army organization, tactics and equipment at the end of WWI.
Liverpool VCs
Liverpool VCs by James Murphy ISBN: 1844157806
Published by Pen & Sword Books on September 1st 2008
Pages: 240
Military Intelligence and the Arab Revolt: The First Modern Intelligence War
Military Intelligence and the Arab Revolt: The First Modern Intelligence War by Polly A. Mohs ISBN: 9780415493314
Published by Routledge on November 1st 2008
Genres: History, Europe, General, Middle East, Military, World War I
Pages: 256
Len's Summary: His book goes far beyond Lawrence of Arabia. It examines the imaginative exploitation of intelligence in formulating an effective British strategy for supporting the Arab Revolt again the Ottomans during the First World War. For more on this subject see: War by Revolution: Germany & Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I, Donald McKale, Kent State, 2008. // The creation and ascendancy of the Foreign Office’s Arab Bureau created specifically to coordinate imperial operations in Arab lands. The hard, often dirty work behind the glamour behind Lawrence of Arabia.
Shrapnel and Whizzbangs: A Tommy in the Trenches, 1914-18
Shrapnel and Whizzbangs: A Tommy in the Trenches, 1914-18 by Jeremy Mitchell ISBN: 1841041920
Published by Memoir Club on September 29th 2008
Len's Summary: Based on the diary and notes of George Oswald Mitchell, one of the early members of the Royal Engineer “Special Companies” engaged in gas warfare. Available from memoirclub@email.msn.com.
Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922 – The Destruction of Islam’s City of Tolerance
Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922 - The Destruction of Islam's City of Tolerance by Giles Milton ISBN: 0340837861
Published by Sceptre on 2008
Pages: 426
Len's Summary: Smyrna was a multi-ethnic home to a cosmopolitan population and bastion of Greek and Christian civilization. When the Turks drive Greek forces out of Smyrna (now Ismir) some 100 thousand were killed. This book presents a timely reminder of the appalling cost of (in this case Greek) expansionist political ambitions as the victorious Allies carved up The Ottoman Empire with varying degrees of success.
British Popular Culture and the First World War
British Popular Culture and the First World War by Jessica Meyer ISBN: 9789004166585
Published by Brill Academic Publishers on June 19th 2008
Genres: History, Europe, General, Military, World War I, Essays
Pages: 383
Len's Summary: Essays by British social/cultural historians focusing on the cultural forms produced by a wide range social groups including veterans, women, museum visitors and film goers.
War by Revolution: Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I
War by Revolution: Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I by Donald M. McKale ISBN: 0873389727
Published by Kent State University Press on September 1st 2008
Pages: 332
Len's Summary: A reprint of a 1998 publication analyzing one segment the so-called “Great Game” for Mid East domination.
Trench Warfare, 1914-1918
Trench Warfare, 1914-1918 by Antonio Mayoralis ISBN: 9788496658158
Published by Andrea Press on August 1st 2010
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 109
Len's Summary: A brief summary chronology of the development of trench warfare techniques, as well as associated transportation and communications systems.
For King and Country: Voices from the First World War
For King and Country: Voices from the First World War by Brian MacArthur ISBN: 0349120293
on February 5th 2009
Pages: 480
Len's Summary: A new anthology of poetry, letters, and memoirs available from www.amazon.co.uk.
Somme Mud: War Experiences of an Infantryman in France, 1914-1919
Somme Mud: War Experiences of an Infantryman in France, 1914-1919 by Edward P.F. Lynch, Will Davies ISBN: 1741668948
Published by Random House Australia on April 1st 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, General, History, Military, World War I, World, Technology & Engineering, Military Science
Pages: 368
Len's Summary: Memoir of a British veteran first published in 2006. // War memoir of an Australian written in 1921 and only now published.
Stanley Spencer’s Great War Diary, 1915-1918
Stanley Spencer's Great War Diary, 1915-1918 by Stanley Spencer, Arthur Littlewood ISBN: 9781844157785
Published by Pen & Sword Military on 2008
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, General, History, Military, World War I
Pages: 176
Len's Summary: The editor provides a commentary for these recently-discovered letters from a VC winner. // Diaries of a British veteran. // Written by a veteran of the Royal Fusiliers and West Yorkshire regiments who served from 1915 on the Somme, at Moutaubon and Vimy.
Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived
Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived by Joshua Levine ISBN: 9780091926281
Published by Ebury Press on October 1st 2009
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Veterans
Pages: 285
Len's Summary: A look at the 1916 battle drawn from the writings of British participants.
Admirals: The Naval Commanders who made Britain Great
Admirals: The Naval Commanders who made Britain Great by Andrew Lambert ISBN: 057123156X
Published by Faber & Faber on September 18th 2008
Pages: 492
Len's Summary: Embraces three centuries of naval history centering on the biographies of eleven British admirals including Robert Blake, George Anson, Samuel Hood, St. Vincent, John Fisher, Davie Beattie and Andrew Cunningham. Written by a premier British naval historian.
Batailles De Champagne
Batailles De Champagne by Gérard Lachaux ISBN: 235250063X
Published by Histoire & Collections on December 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 116
Len's Summary: In French; the history of the costly and unsuccessful 1915 French Army attacks in the Champagne region. Available from www. Casematepublishers.com.
Pershing: A Biography
Pershing: A Biography by Jim Lacey ISBN: 9780230614451
Published by St. Martin's Press on June 9th 2009
Pages: 224
Len's Summary: One of several recent biographies of “Black Jack” Pershing.
The Zeebrugge Raid 1918: The Finest Feat of Arms
The Zeebrugge Raid 1918: The Finest Feat of Arms by Paul Kendall ISBN: 9780752453323
Published by History Press Limited on August 1st 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 352
Len's Summary: Contains new material on this famous, but only partially successful action.
French Army, Volumes One & Two, 1914 August – December and 1915 to Victory
French Army, Volumes One & Two, 1914 August – December and 1915 to Victory by Andre' Jouineau ISBN: 2352501040
Published by Histoire & Collections on March 1st 2009
Pages: 68
Len's Summary: France mobilized 2.9 million men in 21 infantry corps during the summer of 1914. By 1918, 40% of all troops on the Western Front were artillerists. Written in French.
King of Airfighters: The Biography of Major “Mick” Mannock, VC, DSO MC
King of Airfighters: The Biography of Major "Mick" Mannock, VC, DSO MC by Ira Jones ISBN: 1932033998
Published by Casemate Publishers on July 1st 2009
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 256
Len's Summary: Some sources claim 73 “kills” for Mannock while he himself claimed only 51 aerial victories.
Mobilizing Minerva: American Women in the First World War
Mobilizing Minerva: American Women in the First World War by Kimberly Jensen ISBN: 9780252074967
Published by University of Illinois Press on February 8th 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I, United States, 20th Century, Social Science, Women's Studies
Pages: 244
Len's Summary: WWI opened a new front in the debate over women’s place in society and the military.
A Lack of Offensive Spirit?: The 46th (North Midland) Division at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916
A Lack of Offensive Spirit?: The 46th (North Midland) Division at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916 by Alan MacDonald ISBN: 0955811902
Published by Iona Books on February 2008
Pages: 700
Len's Summary: Highly detailed examination of a failed attack on the first day of the BEF’s Somme offensive.
Immelmann: The Eagle of Lille
Immelmann: The Eagle of Lille by Frantz Immelmann ISBN: 9781932033984
Published by Casemate Publishers on July 1st 2009
Pages: 256
Len's Summary: Originally published in the 1930s, this is the story of the ace after whom the “Blue Max” is named written by his brother.
Shoestring Soldiers: The 1st Canadian Division at War, 1914-1915
Shoestring Soldiers: The 1st Canadian Division at War, 1914-1915 by Andrew Iarocci ISBN: 9780802098221
Published by University of Toronto Press on 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Canada
Pages: 362
Len's Summary: The training and early battles of the first Canadians to go to war.
Kitchener’s Men: The King’s Own Royal Lancasters On The Western Front, 1915-1918
Kitchener's Men: The King's Own Royal Lancasters On The Western Front, 1915-1918 by John Hutton ISBN: 1844157210
Published by Pen & Sword Books on June 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 256
Len's Summary: Summarizes the raising, training and battle experience of the territorial and service battalions of a British regiment.
Our War: Ireland in the Great War
Our War: Ireland in the Great War by John Horne ISBN: 9781904890508
Published by Royal Irish Academy on October 24th 2008
Pages: 319
Len's Summary: A series of essays edited by Tomlinson Prize-winner John Horne on the experiences of Irishmen at home and in the trenches. Emblematic of renewed Irish interest in WWI, in the past a fraught subject in the Irish Republic. For a contemporary view of Ulster see: Unionists and Great War Commemoration in the North of Ireland, 1914-1919: People, Places and Politics, Catherine Switzer, 211 pages, Irish Academy Press, 2007, ISBN 0 7165 2872 X, £19 from Amazon.co.uk.
1918: A Very British Victory
1918: A Very British Victory by Peter Hart ISBN: 9780297846529
Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on October 7th 2008
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I
Pages: 552
Len's Summary: A new look at the final German and British offensives of 1918, now available in the America from Orion for $29.95. Also available as an audio book.
A Part of History: Aspects of the British Experience of the First World War
A Part of History: Aspects of the British Experience of the First World War by Michael Howard ISBN: 9780826498137
Published by Continuum on August 20th 2008
Genres: History, General, Europe, Great Britain, Historiography, Military, World War I
Pages: 229
Len's Summary: A scholarly examination of revisionism and traditionalism in studies of The Great War by British historians. // A series of brief essays written by British historians (Gary Sheffield, Julian Putkowski, Terry Castle, Malcom Brown among others) who engage in much critical comment on present and past historians and histories of The Great War. Labeled by Hew Strachan in a review for the Times Literary Supplement as a rehash of old, insular arguments.
Shots from the Front: The British Soldier 1914-18
Shots from the Front: The British Soldier 1914-18 by Richard Holmes ISBN: 9780007275489
Published by HarperPress on 2008
Pages: 240
Len's Summary: Picture essays covering the pre-war army, conscription, weapons and infantrymen, the war in Mesopotamia as well as on the Western Front drawing on period photographs and modern photos from Mike Sheil; written by a major British military historian.
Douglas Haig and the First World War
Douglas Haig and the First World War by J. P. Harris ISBN: 9780521158770
Published by Cambridge University Press on October 15th 2009
Genres: History, Military, General, Modern, 20th Century, World War I, Great Britain
Pages: 666
Len's Summary: Accuses Haig of first underestimating German strength in 1916 and then exaggerating German’s power in 1918, advocating a compromise peace. A new biography which has stoked another round in the never-ending controversy over the most pilloried military leader in British history. The author is a lecturer at Sandhurst.
The Greater Game: Sporting Icons Who Fell in the Great War
The Greater Game: Sporting Icons Who Fell in the Great War by Clive Harris, Julian Whippy ISBN: 1844157628
on July 1st 2008
Genres: History, Military, World War I
Pages: 199
Len's Summary: Reviews the lives of British sportsmen and athletes who fell in The Great War.
Images of War: New Zealand and the Great War
Images of War: New Zealand and the Great War by Glyn Harper ISBN: 9781869506766
Published by HarperCollins on November 1st 2008
Pages: 336
Len's Summary: Some 800 photographs from all theaters of war taken from the New Zealand Army Memorial Museum and private archives. Includes photos of facial wounds and results of reconstructive surgery from Gilles Archive.
First Blitz
First Blitz by Neil Hanson ISBN: 0385611706
Published by Doubleday on May 19th 2008
Pages: 448
Len's Summary: Popular history of the German Gotha bomber offensive against England in 1917-1918.
Sopwith Camel vs Fokker Dr I: Western Front 1917-18
Sopwith Camel vs Fokker Dr I: Western Front 1917-18 by Jon Guttman ISBN: 9781846032936
Published by Osprey Publishing on March 18th 2008
Genres: History, Military, Aviation, World War I
Pages: 80
Len's Summary: A comparison of these famous WWI pursuit aircraft by a premier American aviation historian.
The German Infantryman, 1914-1918
The German Infantryman 1914-1918 by Jean-Claude Laparra ISBN: 2352500710
Published by Histoire & Collections on July 1st 2008
Pages: 66
Len's Summary: A view of the war as experienced by a typical German infantryman based on memorabilia and notes left by an unidentified infanterist found in a Berlin flea market. // Explores the life of the German infantryman. In French.
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
