Best of
World-War-I

1980

The Roses of No Man's Land


Lyn Macdonald - 1980
    In leaking tents and drafty huts they fought another war, a war against agony and death, as men lay suffering from the pain of unimaginable wounds or diseases we can now cure almost instantly. It was here that young doctors frantically forged new medical techniques -- of blood transfusion, dentistry, psychiatry and plastic surgery -- in the attempt to save soldiers shattered in body or spirit. And it was here that women achieved a quiet but permanent revolution, by proving beyond question they could do anything. All this is superbly captured in The Roses of No Man's Land, a panorama of hardship, disillusion and despair, yet also of endurance and supreme courage."Lyn Macdonald writes splendidly and touchingly of the work of the nurses and doctors who fought their humanitarian battle on the Western Front" - Sunday TelegraphOver the past twenty years Lyn Macdonald has established a popular reputation as an author and historian of the First World War. Her books are based on the accounts of eyewitnesses and survivors, told in their own words, and cast a unique light on the First World War.

No Man's Land: 1918, the Last Year of the Great War


John Toland - 1980
    As 1918 opened, the Allies and Central Powers remained locked in a desperate, bloody stalemate, despite the deaths of millions of soldiers over the previous three and a half years. The arrival of the Americans "over there" by the middle of the year turned the tide of war, resulting in an Allied victory in November.In these pages participants on both sides, from enlisted men to generals and prime ministers to monarchs, vividly recount the battles, sensational events, and behind-the-scenes strategies that shaped the climactic, terrifying year. It's all hereā€”the horrific futility of going over the top into a hail of bullets in no man's land; the enigmatic death of the legendary German ace, the Red Baron; Operation Michael, a punishing German attack in the spring; the Americans' long-awaited arrival in June; the murder of Russian Czar Nicholas II and his family, the growing fear of a communist menace in the east; and the armistice on November 11. The different points of view of Germans, Americans, British, French, and Russians add depth, complexity, and understanding to the tragedies and triumphs of the War to End All Wars.

The Origins of the War of 1914


Luigi Albertini - 1980
    This is in fact the best and by far the most authoritative study of how the war began and why.

Big Gun Monitors: The History of the Design, Construction and Operation of the Royal Navy's Monitors


Ian Buxton - 1980
    They were largely forgotten when this short-lived requirement was over until Buxton produced the first edition of this book in 1978. Now completely revised, expanded, and redesigned to a larger format, the book provides a top-notch technical and operational history, supported by more than 200 illustrations of the ship.

Before Endeavours Fade: Guide To The Battlefields Of The First World War


Rose E.B. Coombs - 1980
    It is suitable for those contemplating a tour of the battlefields in Belgium and France.

Knights of the Air


Ezra Bowen - 1980
    The book informs readers how aviation underwent a rapid transformation as the opposing forces introduced daring men in their flying machines into the battle.