eBooks de I Guerra Mundial y entreguerras, página 7 de 23

En el verano de 1914 la tensión entre los imperialismos europeos acabó por desatarse en forma de guerra abierta; una de las más salvajes y enconadas de toda la historia. Lo que al principio parecía que iba a ser una refriega mas entre Francia, Alemania, Inglaterra y Rusia fue creciendo como una bola de nieve que acabo arrollando a medio mundo y le precipito en una violenta locura que sumio a la humanidad en el caos durante mas de cuatro años.El escritor español Vicente Blasco Ibañez, exiliado en Francia en aquella epoca, fue testigo directo del conflicto y tambien narrador de primera fila de esa contienda que iba a acabar con todas las guerras. Concebida en varios volumenes, la Cronica de la Guerra Europea de 1914 constituye hoy un testimonio de primer orden sobre los acontecimientos de la Primera Guerra Mundial. Minuciosa, completa, detallada y, sobre todo, muy personal, no es solo un relato impactante de la violencia desatada, sino tambien un analisis completo de sus circunstancias y motivaciones, de su entorno social, politico y humano.Ninguneada durante el franquismo debido a su caracter antialeman, esta autentica enciclopedia de la Gran Guerra habia caido en el olvido. El presente volumen rescata una obra que Blasco Ibañez escribio no solo como un trabajo periodistico, sino como el retrato de una Europa dominadora del mundo pero a la vez empobrecida, dividida y llena de odios, sumida en una eterna crisis economica que pronto derivaria hacia los autoritarismos fascistas. Un buen aviso, cien años despues, para un mundo que quiza no haya cambiado tanto como parece; y tambien una excelente lectura, viva, energica, que ofrece un punto de vista poco corriente sobre una de las grandes catastrofes de la historia

«Eltrabajo detodaunavida. Un dramapolítico de altovoltaje».The GuardianEl granhistoriador de la Rusiacontemporáneaconviertedécadas detrabajoenuna brillanterevisión de laRevolución y susconsecuencias.

Después de cinco meses de guerra, al llegar la Navidad de 1914, soldados de uno y otro bando se alzaron por encima de sus trincheras y salieron al encuentro del enemigo, desarmados. Sucedió en muchos lugares del Frente Occidental desde las proximidades de Nieuport, en el Mar del Norte, hasta Guebwiller, cerca de la frontera Suiza, sin previo concierto, espontaneamente y al mismo tiempo. Aunque no fue la primera tregua de Navidad de la historia, nunca antes se habia producido una como aquella: Nunca habia ocurrido nada de la magnitud, la duracion o el potencial de cambio de las cosas como cuando ceso el fuego repentinamente en la vispera de Navidad de 1914 (S. Weintraub).La Tregua de 1914 es una gran historia de la Navidad que se compone de muchas pequeñas historias de fraternidad y buena voluntad. Extrañamente, la Tregua de Navidad nunca ha sido contada en toda su extraordinaria dimension. Cientos de testimonios de soldados britanicos, franceses, belgas y alemanes que cantaron, bebieron, jugaron, intercambiaron objetos y direcciones para cuando terminara la guerra y hasta se abrazaron; y cientos de fragmentos de diarios de guerra e historias regimentales de uno y otro bando que, sin censura, aunque laconicamente, contaron esos mismos hechos, conforman el material que ha servido a Alvaro Nuñez para confeccionar este relato.

Publicada originalmente en 1927, Lawrence y los árabes es la primera biografía de T. E. Lawrence. Basándose en los relatos escritos de Lawrence, y en un minucioso intercambio epistolar con él, Graves construye un retablo preciso y fascinante de la peripecia vital de un personaje singular y la historia de un pueblo y unos parajes de perenne actualidad.

En octubre de 1915 Agustí Calvet «Gaziel», un aprendiz de filósofo que se había convertido por casualidad en corresponsal de guerra, emprendió un viaje desde París que culminaría en la ciudad serbia

Rupert Brooke, strikingly good-looking, effortlessly charming and prodigiously gifted, has become the tragic embodiment of the generation lost between 1914 and 1918. Upon the poets tragic untimely death, Winston Churchill declared that we shall never see his like again, yet Brooke immortalised himself in his own poignant verse: If I should die, think only this of me: That theres some corner of a foreign field that is forever England. Brooke died serving king and country on the anniversary of Shakespeares birth, St Georges Day 1915, en route to fight at Gallipoli. As the tributes poured in and the war gathered momentum, the press heralded him as a hero - a focal point for the nations grief. Already an acclaimed poet and dramatist in his youth, his romantic war poetry contrasts starkly with the work of some of his more disillusioned contemporaries. But the private letters of the handsomest man in all of England reveal a far more troubled, and often misunderstood, individual... In this updated edition of Forever England, Mike Read, founder of the Rupert Brooke Society, explores the poets fascinating life and legacy. From a tangled web of secret affairs, literary circles, mental illness and a previously unknown lovechild emerges the intriguing personality and enduring poetry of Rupert Brooke - the voice of a country torn apart by war.

The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Great War Britain: London offers an in-depth portrait of the capital and its people during the war to end all wars. It describes the reaction to the wars outbreak; charts the experience of individuals who enlisted; shares many first-hand experiences, including tales of the Zeppelin raids and anti-German riots of the era; examines the work of local hospitals; and explores how the capital and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime. Vividly illustrated with evocative images from the newspapers of the day, it commemorates the extraordinary bravery and sacrifice of Londons residents between 1914 and 1918.

When the harrowing Great War diaries of one of Britains first black soldiers were unearthed in a dusty Scottish attic nearly 100 years after they were written, they posed a bit of a mystery. The diary entries ranging from May 1917 to March 1918 were written by one Arthur Roberts while he served initially with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers before being transferred to Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1917. He details what life was like for him during the First World War, how he survived the Battle of Passchendaele, and how he escaped unscathed when a German shell killed a dozen men round him. Yet Arthur was an otherwise unknown man what was the rest of his life like? Now, Morag Miller and Roy Laycock have painstakingly researched Roberts life history, filling in the gaps. From his birth in Bristol, to his life in Glasgow and time at the front, they provide here much more than just a war memoir. This is a unique history of one mans remarkable life. Beautifully illustrated with Roberts own accomplished photographs and artwork, As Good As Any Man is the remarkable biography of one of Britains black Tommies.

How much can you really find out about the Great Battles of the First World War in five minutes? This handy little history book will surpass all your expectations and leave you well versed on all you wish to know, and maybe even a little bit more What was the first battle of the First World War? Or the last? Which was the bloodiest? What about the Allies biggest victory? Or their worst defeat? Jam-packed with facts, stats and first-hand accounts of the action, all woven together in an accessible way by an expert in the field, this 5 Minute History is a valuable addition to anyones bookshelf, ready to be delved into at a moments notice.

Cady Hoyte, like many other young lads of his generation, proudly joined the army in 1915 to fight for his King and Country. From the Warwickshire town of Nuneaton, he joined the Warwickshire Yeomanry as a gunner in the Machine Gun Corps and quickly found that army life made no concessions for an eager young 19 year old. Never having ridden a horse before, he develops a relationship with the horses, which made it all the harder when he had to say farewell and leave them behind to sail aboard the stricken ship, the Leasowe Castle, to fight in the trenches of France. Written with humour, Cadys diary gives a detailed account of the daily struggles and constant dangers of army life in the First World War without ever losing sight of his respect for human life.

In June 1918, 135 teenagers arrived in France as part of the thousands sent to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. The German Spring offensive had failed, but it was far from over. The coming months would see some of the fiercest, bloodiest, yet least remembered fighting of the war as these young men finally broke the trench stalemate and forced the enemy into retreat. During this time, one in four of these teenaged soldiers would be killed and over half of them wounded. Looking beyond the war as portrayed by poets and playwrights, Tim Lynch tells the story of Britains true Unknown Soldiers the teenage conscripts who won the war only to be forgotten by history. These were not the naive recruits of 1914 who believed it would all be over by Christmas, but young men who had grown up in wartime men who knew about the trenches, the gas and the industrialised slaughter, but who, when their time came, answered their countrys call anyway. For the first time, following the experiences of a typical reinforcement draft, this book explores what turned men so often dismissed as shirkers into a motivated, efficient and professional army, but it also reminds us that in the cemeteries of France and Flanders, behind every headstone is a personal story.

WINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORT BOOK AWARDS - RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEARThis is the story of 15 men killed in the Great War. All played rugby for one London club; none lived to hear the final whistle. Rugby brought them together; rugby led the rush to war. They came from Britain and the Empire to fight in every theatre and service, among them a poet, playwright and perfumer. Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly. Together their stories paint a portrait in miniature of the entire War.The Final Whistle plays tribute to the pivotal role rugby played in the Great War by following the poignant stories of fifteen men who played for Rosslyn Park, London. They came from diverse backgrounds, with players from Australia, Ceylon, Wales and South Africa, but they were united by their love of the game and their courage in the face of war. From the mystery of a missing memorial, Coopers meticulous research has uncovered the story of these men and captured their lives, from their vanished Edwardian youth and vigour, to the war they fought and how they died.

At Fromelles in July 1916 two divisions one British and one Australian within a few weeks of arriving in France went into action for the first time. Their task was to prevent the Germans from moving troops to the Somme where a major British offensive was in progress, but the attack on 19/20 July was a disaster with nearly 7,000 casualties in a few hours. This account explores this battle which for many epitomises the futility of the Great War. In those few hours many heroic deeds were done but the battle caused a souring of Anglo-Australian relationships and truly was a baptism of fire for these British and Australian troops. This is their history.In a new section, Paul Cobb explores the recent discovery in 2008/09 of a mass war grave on the battlefield and includes details of the findings of the archaeological dig, the recovery of 250 bodies and the creation of a new military cemetery.

In a campaign part sponsored by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915 remains one of the most resounding Allied defeats of the First World War, with both the Allied and Ottoman armies suffering in excess of 200,000 casualties.Despite this, many believed it would be a sure-fire success due to the preceding naval campaign, but increased losses at sea prompted the Allies to send in ground troops. Comprising a large ANZAC contingent on their first major operation, they were tasked with invading and eliminating the formidable Ottoman artillery.On 25 April 1915, they landed on five stretches of beach in open boats. The casualties from the first landing were horrific: of the first 200 men out of the boats, only twenty-one reached inland, the rest being mown down by Ottoman machine guns. Casualties only accelerated from there for both sides, until the Allies were forced to evacuate. Gallipoli 1915 takes you to the front line and beyond, ensuring that you will appreciate the ultimate sacrifice made by these brave soldiers.

The roots of todays Middle East conflict are extremely deep and exceedingly tangled and Jill Hamilton has done a wonderful job in unravelling a complicated story. Describing the background to the present conflict - she intertwines the sad story of mistakes and broken promises with the age-old fascination that Jerusalem holds for Jews, Muslims and Christians. New insights are given into the decisions taken by the key men in the British and American governments and the effect on Old Testament beliefs and Nonconformity in their decisions is examined.Woven into the narrative is the story of David Ben-Gurion and the other soldiers in the Jewish Legion. It follows them from their first tottering steps on the moors of Devon to their quarter-century as members of the secret underground army, the Haganah, to May 1948 when Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence of the new state of Israel.

In our collective memory, the First World War is dominated by men. The sailors, soldiers, airmen and politicians about whom histories are written were male, and the first half of the twentieth century was still a time when a womans place was thought to be in the home. It was not until the Second World War that women would start to play a major role both in the armed forces and in the factories and the fields. Yet there were some women who were able to contribute to the war effort between 1914 and 1918, mostly as doctors and nurses.In Women in the War Zone, Anne Powell has selected extracts from first-hand accounts of the experiences of those female medical personnel who served abroad during the First World War. Covering both the Western and the Eastern Fronts, from Petrograd to Basra and from Antwerp to the Dardanelles, they include nursing casualties from the Battle of Ypres, a young doctor put in charge of a remote hospital in Serbia and a nurse who survived a torpedo attack, albeit with serious injuries.Filled with stories of bravery and kindliness, it is a book that honours the often unsung contribution made by the female doctors and nurses who helped to alleviate some of the suffering of the First World War.

On 8 August 1918, the Allied forces launched the surprise attack that heralded the end of the First World War. With skill and daring, 21 divisions of men breached the German lines, supported by 500 tanks (the largest number to have been active in any one battle of the war) and 1,000 aircraft. In their wake they left 50,000 dead or wounded German soldiers along a stretch of 11 miles. On this black day for the Germans the Allied forces began to see a glimmer of hope and the dawn of victory that was to come only 100 days later with the Armistice on 11 November 1918.Amiens 1918 not only considers the successes and failures of both sides in this conflict but also brings the slaughter and chaos of the Western Front to life, through the startling and emotive eyewitness accounts of battle survivors.

**Why was the Allied naval assault of February/March 1915 so unsuccessful?** Did the Ottoman Turks have knowledge of the Allied landings of 25 April 1915? And did Sir Ian Hamilton, the overall commander of the Allied forces at Gallipoli, really make a mistake in his intervention at Suvla? These questions and the key issue of why the Ottoman Turks won the 1915 Gallipoli campaign, or why the Allies lost it, have never been satisfactorily answered.This new history of the Gallipoli campaign aims to answer them, while also telling the story of what actually happened through the voices of British, Australian and Turkish soldiers. In order to properly understand the bloody events of 1915, Tim Travers is the first historian of Gallipoli to use the general Staff Ottoman archives in Ankara to tell the other side of the story. Wide-ranging research in the Turkish archives as well as those in Australia, Britain, France and New Zealand, plus a significant newly discovered German source, has produced a startling new interpretation of the 1915 conflict. Moving from a study of the Western Front, Tim Travers has produced a challenging analysis of the enduring mysteries of the Gallipoli 1915 campaign.

Scotlands response to the Great War has, up until now, largely been marginalized or ignored. With a proportionally higher number of volunteers than any other home nation, Scotlands youth played a significant part in Britains war effort. Here is the first study of Scotlands response to the call to arms; the true story behind the raising, the training, life in the trenches and the sacrifices faced by those battalions raised in Scotland. This book focuses on the experiences of those who served in the Scottish divisions. Charting the course of emotions from initial enthusiasm in August 1914 through to outright disillusionment with the continuation of the war in 1917, the author clearly shows how life at the front line produced both physical and emotional changes in those caught up in the horrors of trench warfare.

With First World War casualties mounting, there was an appeal for volunteers to train as front-line medical staff. Many women heeded the call: some responding to a vocational or religious calling, others following a sweetheart to the front, and some carried away on the jingoistic patriotism that gripped the nation in 1914. Despite their training, these young women were ill-prepared for the anguished cries of the wounded and the stench of gangrene and trench foot awaiting them at the Somme. Isolated from friends and family, most discovered an inner strength, forging new and close relationships with each other and establishing a camaraderie that was to last through the war and beyond. Based on the previously unpublished true stories of its nurses and medical staff, this book is a heart-warming account of the joys and sorrows of life in an extraordinary Somme field hospital.