Kategoria BISAC: History >> Wars & Conflicts - World War I

The battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917 saw Canadian troops storm a 14-kilometre long escarpment that was believed to be impregnable. This was the first time in Canada's history that a corps-sized formation fought together as a unit under its own leadership. Canadian troops persevered under heavy fire to take the ridge. The battle has since been much celebrated in Canada, as historians and descendants seek to explain the huge losses that military and political leaders accepted in a war that produced few gains for any nation. Tom Douglas recounts the events of this battle, and his narrative...

Exploits of one of the most successful German surface raiders in the Great War

The SMS Wolf was a particularly successful surface commerce raider—or auxiliary cruiser—of the Imperial German Navy during the First World War. Originally the freighter Wachtfels, the Wolf’s role was to harass the sea lanes primarily sinking merchant ships carrying materiel for the Allied powers. She was armed with guns, torpedoes and mines and supported by her own spotter aircraft. The concept of the surface raider squadron was an innovative one because these ships...

The experiences of two American pilots in the Great War

When the First World War broke out, volunteers from many nations of the free world rushed to join the French in their struggle against the invading Hun. These were the first days of combat in the air, so a number of adventurous young Americans were eager to earn their wings and fight in the skies above the Western Front. Their lives were thrilling, dangerous and, for many, tragically short. Nevertheless, these aviators became the dog-fighting knights of the air, legends both in their lifetimes and since the end...

The stories of the German surface raiders during the Great War

The creation of surface merchant raiders by the Imperial German Navy at the outset of the First World War, was an innovative departure from the traditional practices of naval fleet operations. These ships had originally been merchant vessels and at first sight remained so. However, they were the definitive ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’, for they carried beneath their disguises, which could be dropped when a target vessel was in close range, a formidable array of weaponry which included...