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Overview
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 anyone's bookshelf, ready to be delved into at a moment's notice.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780750955126 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 04/01/2014 |
| Series: | 5 Minute History |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 215 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
5 Minute History: First World War Great Battles
By Scott Addington
The History Press
Copyright © 2014 Scott AddingtonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7509-5512-6
CHAPTER 1
MONS
JUST A MATTER of weeks after declaring war on Germany, 80,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) along with 30,000 horses and 315 guns of assorted size and calibre had landed in France and were marching straight towards the enemy who were passing through Belgium on their way to Paris.
It was on 22 August 1914 that the British got their first glimpse of a German soldier. During a routine reconnaissance patrol four enemy cavalrymen of the 2nd Cuirassiers were spotted by a forward patrol of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, who immediately gave chase and opened fire. Captain Hornby of 1st Troop led his men in the pursuit and charged the Germans, killing several. He returned with his sword presented, revealing German blood.
DID YOU KNOW?
Four Victoria Crosses were won during the first day of fighting at Mons. They were awarded to Lieutenant M.J. Dease, Private S.F. Godley, Captain T. Wright and Corporal C.A. Jarvis.
Meanwhile, to the rear, the rest of the British Expeditionary Force decided to entrench roughly along a loose line at the Mons-Conde canal. They didn't really know how many Germans were on the other side of the waterway, but they would find out soon enough. Less than 80,000 British troops with 300-odd pieces of artillery were about to face off against 160,000 German soldiers who were backed up by double the amount of artillery.
I WAS THERE
Our first battle is a heavy, unheard of heavy, defeat, and against the English – the English we had laughed at.
Walter Bloem, Reserve Captain, 12th Brandenburg Grenadier Regiment
DID YOU KNOW?
The British Expeditionary Force consisted of highly trained soldiers and during the battle they maintained such a high rate of fire with their rifles that the German attackers were convinced they were facing machine guns.
The German artillery opened up at dawn on 23 August 1914, with the first infantry attack commencing at 9 a.m. Their objective was to take control of the bridges that crossed the canal, and once in possession of these bridges they would then push on directly to the British lines and beyond. They advanced across open country in close formation, making a perfect target for the trained British riflemen. Not surprisingly, they suffered terribly, and by noon they had made little progress despite German bodies piling up.
I WAS THERE
Every house where British could be concealed, every possible observation post, every foot of trench, every hill-crest and 400 yards behind it was swept and devastated by the tornado ... Now battalions and batteries found themselves cut off from their neighbours, each fighting and carrying on by itself. Chetwode's Cavalry Brigade was caught in the thick of it. The Guards held on almost by their teeth. The cavalry had to go; and the Munsters and Black Watch lost horribly as they covered the retirement.
Major A. Corbett Smith, Royal Field Artillery
The war was most definitely on.
However, during this time the British Expeditionary Force were being shelled constantly by the massed German artillery and enjoyed little or no cover. Despite this, they held on for six hours before blowing the bridges over the canal and retreating to a pre-established second line position a few miles away. The Germans were tired and disorganised and failed to press home any advantage despite their huge numerical superiority. German reserves were called up and massed for a new attack in the evening. It was here that the British commanders finally realised the size of the enemy, and promptly ordered the retreat.
They had already lost 1,600 men and didn't want to lose too many more. The men were organised, rounded up and the order was given: a fighting retreat towards Maubeuge and then down the road from Bavai to Le Cateau, almost 20 miles away.
CHAPTER 2THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE
DESPITE THE SETBACK at Mons, the Germans had steamrollered through northern France in August and September 1914. It seemed to the Kaiser that war was as good as won. He sent medals and congratulatory telegrams to his senior officers, but deep down most of them were worried about the current situation. The careful timing of the Schlieffen Plan had been thrown out of the window, and after advancing more than 300 miles in a month, the troops were on their last legs and supplies were stretched to the limit.
The Allies were also feeling the pace after enduring more than ten days' continual retreat under constant attack from the German guns. They eventually reached a line of relative safety approximately 40 miles south of the River Marne, where they finally got a bit of rest. It would be the calm before the storm.
DID YOU KNOW?
The First Battle of the Marne was a significant victory for the Allies as it destroyed the German plan to invade Paris. However, this battle signalled the end of the mobile war and the beginning of the trench warfare that is so synonymous with the First World War.
I WAS THERE
We rose from cover and doubled forward over the grass ... With a sinking heart I realised that our extended line made an excellent target, as we topped a slight rise and went on fully exposed across flat country without the slightest cover. The Germans were waiting for us, holding fire.
As we cleared the crest a murderous hail of missiles raked us from an invisible enemy. The line staggered under this smash of machine gun, rifle and shell fire, and I would say that fully half our men fell over forward onto their faces, either killed or wounded.
Corporal John F. Lucy, Royal Irish Rifles
I WAS THERE
We went forward as we had been trained – one section would advance under covering fire of another section, leapfrogging each other as the others were firing to keep Jerry's head down. My company was going in with their bayonets when suddenly Jerry put up a white flag. We were really surprised. We took 450 prisoners. I said to one of them, 'Why did you pack up when you've got so much ammunition?' He said, 'Well, your fire was so accurate we couldn't put our heads up to shoot you.'
Sergeant Thomas Painting, 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
DID YOU KNOW?
Total casualties for both sides totalled over 500,000. France and Germany both suffered losses in the region of 250,000, with the British Expeditionary Force losing 12,733 men.
After a scuffle at Guise, where the French won a tactical victory, von Bulow, the German Second Army commander panicked a little and asked von Kluck and his First Army for help. Halting his march to the south-west, von Kluck turned his army east, towards Paris itself. This move closed the gap between the two German forces and brought von Kluck to the River Marne, some 30 miles east of Paris, by 3 September.
French air reconnaissance discovered this turn and the infantry quickly prepared for a counter-attack. On the morning of 6 September, the French Sixth Army, under direction from General Joffre, attacked the German First Army flank, achieving complete surprise.
Realising their situation, the Germans had no choice but to withdraw to the north. Between 10 and 12 September they conducted a fighting retreat covering around 40 miles of ground until they established a new line on high ground beyond the River Aisne, destroying everything as they went in an effort to slow the Allied pursuit.
Despite their best efforts, the Allies were unable to finish the Germans off. The chasing soldiers were themselves exhausted; they had run out of shells, too, and to make matters worse the Germans had dug in on high ground which offered good defensive positions. The First Battle of the Marne was over. The Germans had been stopped, but at a cost. Almost 265,000 Allied soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner during this first major battle of the war. A war, it was clear, which would definitely not be over by Christmas.
CHAPTER 3THE BATTLE OF TANNENBERG
WHEN THE RUSSIANS deployed two armies in August 1914 for the invasion of East Prussia, Germany readied herself for a nightmare scenario: a war on two fronts. The Schlieffen Plan only allowed for the Eastern Front to be garrisoned fairly lightly with a single army (the German Eighth Army) and they were very quickly badly outnumbered.
Initial Russian victories caused the German High Command to become duly concerned and they quickly brought in Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff to sort out the mess. They promptly ordered a counter-attack to be launched in an effort to stabilise the front – which it did. They then put in place a bold attacking move, originally devised by Colonel Maximilian Hoffmann, which meant moving the bulk of their troops by train from the north to the south to face the Russian Second Army.
DID YOU KNOW?
Although exact figures are difficult to ascertain, German records suggest the Russians suffered 50,000 casualties (dead and wounded) and another 95,000 taken prisoner.
Part of the Russian master plan was that their First Army (commanded by General Rennenkampf) to the north would eventually spin round to the south-west to get closer to the Second Army (commanded by General Samsonov), providing a formidable joint force that would bulldoze its way into Germany. However, the First Army had had a rougher time of it than expected and had paused to reorganise after a tough scrap at Gumbinnen. They weren't coming to link up with the Second Army at all.
Communications between the two Russian armies were poor; they had over extended their communications lines and could no longer send encrypted messages. On 25 August, the Germans intercepted two messages which told them the distance between the two Russian armies and their relative marching plans; they now knew that if they attacked Samsonov in the south, Rennenkampf was too far away to offer any help.
DID YOU KNOW?
When the Russian Army took over the town of Allenstein, on 27 August, their first demand was for bread: 60,000 loaves to be delivered within ten hours.
I WAS THERE
I beg most humbly to report to Your Majesty that the ring round the larger part of the Russian Army was closed yesterday. The 13th. 15th and 18th Army Corps have been destroyed. We have already taken more than 60,000 prisoners, among them the Corps Commanders of the 13th and 15th Corps.
The guns are still in the forests and are now being brought in. The booty is immense though it cannot yet be assessed in detail. The Corps outside our ring, the 1st and 6th, have also suffered severely and are now retreating in hot haste through Mlawa and Myszaniec.
Paul von Hindenburg, in an official report to Kaiser Wilhelm II, 31 August 1914
DID YOU KNOW?
The Battle of Tannenberg did not take place at Tannenberg. It actually took place close to Allenstein, some 20 miles to the west. German High Command named the battle 'Tannenberg' after the event in an effort to blot out the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the original Battle of Tannenberg in 1410 by a Polish- Lithuanian army.
On 27 August the Germans attacked Samsonov's north-eastern front with immediate success. The border town of Soldau was captured, destroying communication with Samsonov's central force. To capitalise on this success, a mass of German troops was sent from the north to encircle Samsonov's forces. Critically short of supplies, his exhausted troops in disarray and with no safe communication system, Samsonov had no choice but to give the order to retreat on 28 August. However, it was too late. By the 29th his forces were surrounded and cut off.
Out of an estimated 150,000 men at Samsonov's disposal, only 10,000 escaped. The Germans took 95,000 prisoners and 500 pieces of artillery. Samsonov committed suicide, while back in Germany Hindenburg and Ludendorff were lauded as heroes.
I WAS THERE
Samsonov said repeatedly that the disgrace of such a defeat was more than he could bear. 'The Emperor trusted me. How can I face him after such a disaster?' He went aside and his staff heard a shot. They searched for his body without success, but all are convinced that he shot himself. The Chief of Staff and other officers managed to reach Russian territory, having covered forty miles on foot.
Major General Sir Alfred Knox, British liaison officer to the Imperial Russian Army
The news of the Russian defeat was a catastrophe for the Allies, so much so that the decision was made to keep the news away from the British public. But it wasn't a total disaster. In order to win this battle, Germany had been forced to transfer 85,000 men from the Western Front. This undoubtedly helped the cause of the French and the British at the Battle of the Marne and enabled them eventually to stop the German advance on Paris. They may not have known it at the time, but perhaps it was the Russians who had saved Paris?
CHAPTER 4THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES
TOWARDS THE END of 1914, both sides had resigned themselves to the fact that the war would not be a quick one. As the lines of trenches crept northwards in 'the race to the sea' both sides had their eye on a relatively small and peaceful town in Belgium: Ypres.
The British coveted the town because it served as a good transport hub for troops and supplies coming up from the French Channel ports. Germany saw it as a gateway to the rest of Belgium and control of the Belgian North Sea ports. Also, if they could control this area it would put severe pressure on British logistics.
Almost simultaneously both sides started to move troops into the area. Once again, the Allies were hopelessly outnumbered and, after assessing the situation, French General Ferdinand Foch decided the best thing to do was attack. He was hoping for a repeat performance of the First Battle of the Marne, where a surprise attack put the Germans on the defensive, despite their numerical advantage.
DID YOU KNOW?
Stories of the young German men singing as they marched to their death during their advance on 22 October became the stuff of legend – the Langemarck legend – on both sides of the line, and was used extensively by Nazi propagandists twenty years later.
I WAS THERE
The shrapnel is shrieking through the lane, I can hear the groans of our wounded. One man drops helplessly into our dug- out. He extends an arm battered beyond description. We bandage it. His groans are terrible. A shell bursts very near us. The shrapnel pieces fall through our roof. A piece strikes me on the shoulder. Luckily its force is spent.
Private Samuel Knight, 2nd Battalion, Welch Regiment
This time, however, he was to be disappointed.
Although there were initial isolated victories, the attacking Allied troops ran into wave after wave of German reinforcements, and despite repeated demands for more effort from over-eager commanding officers, the offensive ground to a halt by 20 October. It was now the Germans' turn to go on to the offensive.
They launched two simultaneous attacks: one directly against the Belgians at Dixmunde and the other straight at Ypres itself. The attack at Dixmunde was swift and powerful, and posed a real threat to the Channel ports. On 22 October, the German infantry, made up of volunteers and new draftees, some reportedly only 16 years of age, attacked the British at Bixschoote, singing as they advanced over open ground straight into British rifle and machine-gun fire. Not surprisingly, they were cut to pieces, with many battalions suffering up to 70 per cent casualties.
I WAS THERE
We pass through a perfect hail of shells up the Menin Road. Awful time! It's a wonder we're not blown to bits! We pass the infantry in reserve digging trenches as fast as they can. We get to the guns at last. They are all ready to be removed. Our gunners are very cool. The German infantry are not far from them. We can see them coming over the hill. There are not many of our infantry left.
Gunner C.B. Burrows, 104th Battery, 22nd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
DID YOU KNOW?
The British Expeditionary Force suffered so many casualties during the First Battle of Ypres that it was effectively destroyed as a legitimate fighting force.
The Germans kept coming – an unstoppable wave of men and shells – but somehow, despite the British and Belgian forces being at the limits of physical and mental endurance, the line held long enough for the decision to be made to open the sluice gates that kept the North Sea out of Flanders.
Once these gates were opened the water levels in Flanders rose and provided a belt of marshland 20 miles long and 2 miles wide that protected the Allies from the German invaders. The attack around Dixmunde floundered and came to a stop. Ypres, on the other hand, had not flooded and was there for the taking. The Germans renewed their attacks on 31 October and immediately drove British cavalry from Messines Ridge. The British line, Ypres, and indeed the fate of the war, hung by a thread.
It seemed inevitable that Germany would take Ypres and Kaiser Wilhelm II arrived at the front in anticipation of leading his troops through the town on a victory march. On 11 November the elite Prussian guards launched a huge attack on the town, backed by the heaviest artillery bombardment witnessed so far on the Western Front. The situation was so bad for the British that cooks, orderlies and other support staff were forced to pick up rifles and bayonets to help repel the attack.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from 5 Minute History: First World War Great Battles by Scott Addington. Copyright © 2014 Scott Addington. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Title,Introduction,
Mons,
The First Battle of the Marne,
The Battle of Tannenberg,
The First Battle of Ypres,
Neuve Chapelle,
Gallipoli,
Loos,
Jutland,
Verdun,
The Somme,
The Brusilov Offensive,
The Battle of Messines Ridge and Third Ypres,
Cambrai,
Kaiserschlacht,
The Battle of Amiens,
Bibliography,
Copyright,