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German Soldier vs British Soldier: Spring Offensive and Hundred Days 1918 (Combat #78)

German Soldier vs British Soldier: Spring Offensive and Hundred Days 1918 (Combat #78)

Current price: $23.00
Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
Publisher:
Osprey Publishing
ISBN:
9781472861177
Pages:
80
Available for Preorder

Description

This illustrated study pits the Kaiser's troops against their British opponents during the climactic year of 1918 on the Western Front.

Launched on 21 March 1918, the Spring Offensive saw Germany use veteran, highly trained assault troops and innovative assault tactics to encircle and outflank the British and Empire forces manning the front line, hoping to force the French to seek terms and hand victory to Germany. After this attempt stalled, the Allied armies mounted a series of offensives during the so-called 'Hundred Days', actions that pushed the Kaiser's forces back and prompted the demoralized German High Command to sue for peace.

In this book, Stephen Bull shows how the British Army on the Western Front fared as it survived the Spring Offensive and then went on the attack during the Hundred Days. While the picked units spearheading the German offensive were well-trained and -armed but short of supplies, the regular divisions following in their wake would prove much less resolute. The fighting would see both sides' forces tested to the limit and beyond, as initial German progress gave way to stalemate and the Allies then took the offensive, driving the Germans back.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and mapping, carefully chosen archive photos and expert analysis and commentary, this study assesses the fighting men on both sides during the climactic months of fighting on the Western Front in 1918.

About the Author

Museum curator and university external examiner Dr Stephen Bull studied at the University of Wales, and worked at the BBC and National Army Museum in London. Now Curator of Military History and Archaeology for Lancashire County Museums he has completed an MBA, and been elected Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Published in a variety of languages on both sides of the Atlantic he was listed for the Portico Prize for Literature. His latest book 'The Old Front Line' is published in the UK and US, and now translated into Dutch.

Stephen has made many TV and radio appearances including the series 'Battlefield Detectives' and 'Instruments of Death', both shown internationally, and the BBC 'One Show'. His book of the Channel 4 series 'Last War Heroes', is available in North American, UK and Norwegian editions. The series took Canadian Screen Award for 'best history' under its US title 'D-Day to Victory' in 2013. A consultant to the University of Oxford, Stephen has assisted in the creation of a European database to document the individual experience of the First World War through archives, photographs, and objects. The photograph shows Stephen (right) with Lorenz Andraes at the German National Library, 'DNB', Frankfurt.

STEPHEN BULL is the author of a dozen military history books, including Trench Warfare: Battle Tactics, 20th Century Arms and Armament , and An Historical Guide to Arms and Armor. He is currently Curator of Military History and Archaelogy at the Museum of Lancashire, England, and previously worked at the National Army Museum (London).

Adam Hook studied graphic design, and began his work as an illustrator in 1983. He specializes in detailed historical reconstructions, and has illustrated Osprey titles on subjects as diverse as the Aztecs, the Ancient Greeks, Roman battle tactics, 19th-century American subjects, the modern Chinese Army, and the history of fortification. His work features in exhibitions and publications throughout the world.