1918 The German Offensives (Images of War)

1918 The German Offensives (Images of War) - John Sheen [epub]

The Spring offensives starting in March 1918 were Germany s last gamble of the Great War. Using troops freed by the end of the war on the eastern front, and threatened by the arrival of fresh US troops in the West, the German commander Ludendorff mounted a series of smashing attacks that shattered the Allied lines and at its furthest point of penetration threatened Paris itself. But the effort proved too much, and by the high summer Germany had shot its bolt. Allied counterattacks retook all the ground lost, and heralded the end of the war that autumn.

This collection of extraordinary photographs tells the story of the five Spring offensives from the German viewpoint. There are stark images of Allied defeat: British and French soldiers lying dead, and dejected POWs leaving the battlefield, as well as shots of the German guns that paved the way for the advance. These rare, often unpublished, images offer a new perspective on the story of the Great War through German eyes.

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military (16 Jan. 2008)