eBooks de I Guerra Mundial y entreguerras, página 8 de 23

Much has been written about the 302 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were executed for military offences during the First World War, but there is usually only a passing reference to those who took part the members of the firing squad, the officer in charge, the medical officer and the padre. What are their stories? Through extensive research, David Johnson explores the controversial story of the men forced to shoot their fellow Tommies, examining how they were selected; how they were treated before, during, and after the executions; and why there were so many procedural variations in the way that the executions were conducted.

In the Anglo-Boer War (18991902) Emily Hobhouse championed the cause of the women and children herded into camps by Kitcheners army. By 1914, a confirmed pacifist, she felt passionately that civilians suffered more than combatants and she was anxious for a negotiated peace. Her Open Christmas Letter of January 1915, calling for an end to hostilities, was answered by 155 prominent pacifist and feminist German and Austrian women. By 1916 Emily was concerned by the scale of losses at the front as well. During a visit to Berlin she met the German Foreign Secretary and came to realise that peace negotiations were possible. She put forward a plan to bring about talks, to which he agreed, but in England she was snubbed by the Foreign Office. Despite this setback, Emily continued in her mission to relieve the suffering caused by war, working tirelessly for the release of civilian prisoners and to secure better food for Belgium. The story of this extraordinary woman and her battle to secure peace is told here by her grand-niece largely through Emilys own letter, journal and diary extracts.

Passchendaele 1917 is the story of one of the most pitiless and iconic battles of the First World War, known today as Third Ypres. Fought over three tortuous months in 1917, the fighting raged through some of the worst physical conditions of the entire war, across battlefields collapsing into endless mud and blood. Eventually, more than 500,000 casualties bought front-line changes measured only in hundreds of yards. If you truly want to understand what happened and why read Battle Story.

To many it would later seem as if the rule book of war had been torn up and thrown away. The First World War is usually characterised as a static war of attrition, but by the end of the war a new doctrine of fire and movement emerged with the squad as the key tactical unit, marking a fundamental shift in methods of warfare in the twentieth century. As late as March 1918, assault detachments used these tactics to destroy the British 5th Army and take 50,000 prisoners. Stephen Bull traces the development of German storm tactics in the context of trench warfare waged with new technology: improved machine guns and machine-gun tactics, super-heavy artillery, flamethrowers and gas. The legend of German stormtroopers has proved powerful and enduring. They were central to Blitzkrieg, and Hitler styled them as elite soldiers living examples of Nietzschean supermen. However, as Bull demonstrates, these tactics did not appear out of nowhere, they represented a general shift in tactical thought during the First World War. Drawing upon German, French and British tactical manuals, German Assault Troops of the First World War considers a watershed in the history of the infantry.

Christina Keith came from the small town of Thurso on the far north coast of Scotland. Highly intelligent and ambitious, she became a lecturer in Classics at a time when that was still a brave and unusual choice for a woman. Towards the end of the First World War she left behind the sheltered world of academia to live and work among soldiers of all social backgrounds as a lecturer with the Armys education scheme in France. She writes with warmth and humour of her experiences. When she and a companion travel across the devastated battlefields, just a short time after the guns have fallen silent, her descriptions are both evocative and moving. This unique memoir is an unforgettable read.

Captain Stephen Wynn Vickers joined the Cheshire Regiment in August 1914, but after being badly wounded he remustered to the RFC (Royal Flying Corps). While other young pilots were killed or injured almost as soon as they got their wings, Captain Vickers survived numerous crash and forced landings. He joined 101 Squadron in 1917 and completed seventy-three sorties over enemy territory before being repatriated in May 1918 and awarded the newly inaugurated DFC, as well as the MC. With the war drawing to a close, he became a flying instructor at an RAF station in Lincolnshire, but he did not live long enough to receive either his medals or the distinction that he deserved. Making use of an array of unpublished material, including original images and information collected directly from Vickers family, former RAF air traffic controller Joe Bamford recounts on of the final original stories of the First World War night bombers.

The landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 represented the greatest amphibious operation carried out during the course of the First World War. What had initially been a purely naval enterprise had escalated to become a full-scale Anglo-French invasion, resulting in an eight-month campaign which Churchill hoped would knock Turkey out of the war. For a campaign that promised so much, it ultimately became a tragedy of lost opportunities. By January 1916, when the last men were taken off the peninsula, the casualties totalled 205,000. This book tells the stories of the 39 men whose bravery on the battlefield was rewarded by the Victoria Cross, among them the wars first Australian VC, first New Zealand VC, and first Royal Marine VC. It represents the highest number of VCs won in a theatre of war, other than the Western Front.

Of all the costly campaigns fought across the Western Front during the First World War, none strikes a more chilling chord than Passchendaele. Even now, more than ninety years on, the very mention of the name is enough to conjure up apocalyptic images of desolation and misery on a quite bewildering scale humanity drowning in a sea of mud. Passchendaele has come to serve as a symbol of the folly and futility of war, chiefly remembered for its carnage and profligate waste of human lives. It also stands as testament to the endurance and extraordinary courage displayed by men of all ranks and nationalities. During the 3 month long struggle, which claimed the lives of more than 60,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen, 61 men were adjudged to have performed deeds worthy of the Empires highest award for valour the Victoria Cross. Men from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa were among their number, alongside men from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They came from all walks of life, counting humble privates and, for the first time, a general among their ranks. This is a lasting memorial to a body of men who deserve to be numbered among the bravest of the brave.

By the time of the Armistice in 1918, around 6.5 million prisoners of war were held by the belligerents. Little has been written about these prisoners, possibly because the story is not one of unmitigated suffering and cruelty. Nevertheless, hardships did occur and the alleged neglect and ill-treatment of prisoners captured on the Western Front became the subject of major propaganda campaigns in Britain and Germany as the war progressed. "Barbed Wire Disease" looks at the conditions facing those British and German prisoners, and the claims and counter-claims relating to their treatment. At the same time, it sets the story in the wider context of the commitment by both governments to treat prisoners humanely in accordance with the recently agreed Hague and Geneva Conventions. The political and diplomatic efforts to abide by the new rules are examined in detail, along with the use of reprisals against prisoners, Britains voluntary relief effort and the effect of face-to-face negotiations at the height of the war. This comprehensive analysis, using unpublished official files and cabinet papers, concludes by documenting the first ever efforts to bring war criminals to justice before international tribunals.

The Lost Generation of the First World War were boys who had barely left school before they found themselves living in trenches, drowning in mud and living in constant fear of death. This unique collection of letters from a group of schoolboys who attended Bournemouth Grammar pays tribute to these boys who barely had the chance to become men. Bournemouths grammar school was founded in 1901. Tragically, all boys who were pupils there in its first decade grew up to be of fighting age in the bloodiest war in history. Ninety-eight of them were killed, averaging about one death every fortnight throughout that conflict. However, it was not all unrelieved blood and slaughter. Life was hard, but often full of interest and surprise. Many of them wrote back to Tig their much-respected headmaster to tell him of their wartime adventures. Collectively, these letters provide a wide spectrum of the Great War. We read of young men enjoying trying to catch rats in the trenches, winning bets on how long it would take to rescue a tank from no mans land, playing footer amid the gunfire, and singing ragtime in a rickety new-fangled aeroplane while rocking the machine in time to it. This is the voice of the Lost Generation.

Sir Morgan Crofton fought in the Boer War and joined the 2nd Life Guards at 34 years old as a cavalry office. His diary charts his experiences on the front-line at Ypres from late October 1914 to the centenary of Waterloo in June 1915. Crofton describes a battlefield a world away from what he and any of his comrades had experienced before - one of staying still in trenches, being pounded by artillery and the terrifying new power of machine guns. He describes the bewildering pace of technological change as new weapons, such as gas and hand grenades entered the fray. His often acerbic commentary offers a fascinating glimpse into the mindset of the regular officer class and his outspoken scepticism informs our understanding of a lost generation of professional soldiers.

Publicado originalmente en 1945, Anatoma del valor es un relato radical sobre los efectos psicolgicos de la guerra narrados a travs de vvidas observaciones de primera mano, as como de jugosas ancdotas. Al exponer el Çmetabolismo ntimoÈ de su propia mente y recordar sus experiencias como oficial mdico en las trincheras durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, Lord Moran explora la verdadera naturaleza del valor en el frente. En estas pginas la vida y la muerte no son conceptos filosficos lejanos, sino que se sienten y se padecen como si estuviramos hundidos en las trincheras. Lord Moran es considerado uno de los mdicos de guerra ms importantes de la historia y sus observaciones llenas de humanidad, sus anlisis cientficos y las soluciones que propuso estaban muy adelantadas a su poca y constituyen una gran fuente de informacin sobre la Primera Guerra Mundial. Los temas abordados en este libro trascienden la historia militar para arrojar luz sobre el comportamiento humano en situaciones extremas y la manera de gestionar crisis colectivas.

Los proyectiles no pueden esparcirse por todo el término de la ciudad. Así es que miramos líneas principales de comunicación y vías de escape. También dónde arda bien. Y usted sabe perfectamente igual que nosotros donde esta eso en una ciudad antigua. Nosotros no somos medievalistas, pero aun asi tambien hemos oido que una ciudad como esa data del año 800 despues de Cristo. Partiendo de eso, los lanzamientos tienen que concentrarse en los edificios que hagan esquina. Con eso lo vamos cerrando todo. En el caso ideal, un cerro de escombros a la entrada y a la salida de cada calle. El caso esta cerrado y visto para sentencia cuando abrimos debidamente con explosivos los edificios a ambos lados de la calle. Entonces alla van palos, bidones y demas incendiarias para dentro. Y encima la tercera y cuarta oleada, otra vez explosivas e incendiarias. Eso nos da una reticula graneada tambien en transversal, aunque siempre repasemos por el mismo surco. Mire usted, los edificios intactos son dificiles de incendiar. Primero hay que descubrir los techos, abrir con explosivos agujeros que lleguen al segundo piso o de ser posible al primero, donde esta lo combustible. En otro caso no tenemos incendio de area, ni tornado de fuego ni todo lo demas. Mi hermano es medico de la fuerza aerea. Es lo mismo que las curas de una herida muy extensa. No se puede limpiar una ya cicatrizada que ha hecho costra, como una ciudad se ha ido rehaciendo a lo largo de su historia, primero hay que reabrir la herida y rasparla de modo que tratemos con capilares frescos, y entonces se extiende por encima pomada y gasa.

Mucho más que la Primera Guerra Mundial. Un libro fascinante para entender la auténtica dimensión de un año clave en la historia.1914 ha solido concitar la atención de los historiadores por marcar el inicio de la Gran Guerra. Sin embargo, aquel año tuvieron lugar otros muchos acontecimientos, reflejo de las profundas transformaciones que, a nivel mundial, pusieron fin al largo siglo XIX y dieron comienzo al corto siglo XX - por decirlo con la feliz expresion de Eric Hobsbawm -. Sucesos como el ataque a la Venus del espejo por parte de Mary Richardson, el discurso de Ortega y Gasset Vieja y nueva politica, la toma de Veracruz por los marines estadounidenses, el estreno de El ruiseñor de Igor Stravinsky, los asesinatos de Francisco Fernando y de Jean Jaures, la apertura del canal de Panama o la llegada al pontificado de Benedicto XV ponian de relieve los cambios que estaban aconteciendo en todos los ordenes - politico, economico, social, cultural, relaciones internacionales, etc...Aquel año fue asi testigo del apogeo de la reivindicacion sufragista, de la presencia de los intelectuales en la vida publica, de la emergencia de Estados Unidos como gran potencia, de la eclosion de la vanguardia artistica, de la irrupcion del nacionalismo etnicista de tono violento, de la pugna entre revolucionarios y posibilistas en el seno del movimiento obrero o del malestar de la fe religiosa con la modernidad. Acontecimientos todos ellos que hacen de 1914 mucho mas que el año de la Gran Guerra: fue el año que cambio la historia.Este libro se fija en todo ello. Con ritmo vibrante y de la mano magistral de Antonio Lopez Vega, el lector se introducira en el ambiente de 1914 a traves de acontecimientos singulares que cambiaron para siempre la historia de la humanidad.

Esta obra magistral no recoge únicamente el testimonio de Winston Churchill a partir del papel que jugó en la Gran Guerra sino también demuestra que era un historiador brillante.Una lectura esencial para todos aquellos que deseen entender mejor el siglo xx.Winston Churchill no fue unicamente un gran lider politico y militar, tambien fue un cultivado historiador y un prolifico escritor galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura en el año 1953. A lo largo de estas paginas narra de forma magistral los dramaticos detalles que, desde 1911, empezaron a forjar un conflicto a escala mundial y que, por ultimo, desencadenaron la llamada Gran Guerra.Asimismo, describe los inicios del concepto belico moderno dominado por la alta ingenieria, las trincheras, el terror de los civiles y los avances cientificos.Reseña: Un libro extraordinario.John Maynard Keynes

Written on the eve of Allied Forces preparation for going into battle with Germany, this prophetic book can be read as a manifesto preaching peace amidst the horrors of the Great War. In What is Coming? Wells puts forth the need for a world organization that would ensure a fair peace treaty that unfortunately did not take place after the First World War. The celebrated author correctly ascertains that Germany would strengthen after The Great War ends through exhaustion. Wells delves deeper into the financial and social traps that await the post-war world and predicts the rise of feminism and the fall of colonialism. The accurate predictions are impressive but the ones which did not take place may be even more interesting as Wells arguments for a socialist world order to provide basic needs remain relevant to this day. What is Coming? is a thought-provoking and captivating window into a time that still impacts our world today. Teeming with prophecies, the book is a perfect read for First World War historians and the history of socialist thought.

The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, including the deaths of over a thousand Men of Lancaster, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. This book looks at the impact that the loss of so many men had on the community and offers an intimate portrayal of Lancaster and its people living in the shadow of the war to end all wars. Drawing on detailed research conducted by the authors and their community partners, it describes the local reaction to the outbreak of war, the experience of individuals who enlisted, the changing face of industry, the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front, and how Lancaster coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of Lancaster draws on all of these experiences to present a unique account of the local reality of a global conflict.

The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today.Great War Britain: Manchester offers an intimate portrayal of the city and its people living in the shadow of the Great War. A beautifully illustrated and highly accessible volume, it explores the citys regiments, the background and fate of the men on the frontline, the changing face of industry, the vital role of women, conscientious objectors, hospitals for the wounded and rehabilitation, peace celebrations, the fallen heroes and war memorials. The Great War story of Manchester is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated with evocative images.

The First World War was won not just on the battlefields but on the Home Front, by the men, women and children left behind. This book explores the lives of the people of Pershore and the surrounding district in wartime, drawing on their memories, letters, postcards, photographs, leaflets and recipes to demonstrate how their hard work in cultivating and preserving fruit and vegetables helped to win the Great War. Pershore plums were used to make jam for the troops; but ensuring these and other fruits and vegetables were grown and harvested required the labour of land girls, Boy Scouts, schoolchildren, Irish labourers and Belgian refugees. When submarine warfare intensified, food shortages occurred and it became vital for Britain to grow more and eat less food. Housewives faced many challenges in feeding their families and so in 1916 the Pershore Womens Institute was formed, providing many women with practical help and companionship during some of Britains darkest hours in history.

The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today.Great War Britain Hull & the Humber offers an intimate portrayal of the city and its people living in the shadow of the war to end all wars. A beautifully illustrated and highly accessible volume, it describes local reaction to the outbreak of war; the experience of individuals who enlisted; the changing face of industry; the work of the many hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on local children; the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front; and concludes with a chapter dedicated to how the city and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of Hull is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated through evocative images from Hull City Archives.