The author, a former soldier, is a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides and this work is the result of decades of research. Each VC award for the period and battlefield has been meticulously researched, set within the strategic and tactical context and well illustrated – Most Highly Recommended
NAME: Victoria Crosses on the Western Front, Continuation of the German 1918 Offences, 24th March - 24th July 1918 FILE: R2942 AUTHOR: Paul Oldfield PUBLISHER: Pen and Sword BINDING: hard back PAGES: 775 PRICE: £40.00 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: World War One, World War 1, World War I, WWI, First World War, The Great War, Western Front, trench warfare, land forces, exceptional bravery, war of attrition
ISBN: 1-47382-710-8
IMAGE: B2942.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/y2tq62tr LINKS: DESCRIPTION: The author, a former soldier, is a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides and this work is the result of decades of research. Each VC award for the period and battlefield has been meticulously researched, set within the strategic and tactical context and well illustrated – Most Highly Recommended The author has produced a detailed account of the VC holders from the period. He started by wondering as he toured the battlefields about the soldiers who were decorated for their exceptional actions and, in particular, those who received the ultimate award of a Victoria Cross. This award has been most sparing awarded for the most exceptional acts of courage, with a high proportion being awarded during the Great War. Researching the basic details of the award to each recipient is a matter of scholarship in reading through the official records but produces a narrow view of the recipient and rarely indicates the strategic and tactical context, or even the environment in which the act of courage under fire took place. Remarkably little has been written about VCs in general and most often as an anecdote in illustration of a study of a battle. The author began his research as part of the development of his own knowledge to become a better Guild of Battlefield Guides member and to provide a reference work that would be useful to those visiting battlefields. As the work progressed it became a comprehensive work for the armchair reader, not least in that a reader would need very large pockets and stamina to take it on a battlefield tour. It is of course ideal as information to read before undertaking a battlefield tour and an excellent work to read after the tour, adding depth to what has been observed and learned. What really makes this book stand out from other studies of bravery awards is the depth of information and the relationship of all of the elements making a moving and inspirational story for each award. There are photographs of recipients in each entry, but there are also maps and photographs of the terrain, the buildings and memorials. It will prove very valuable to historians but it is very readable and the author has set the scene with details of the German last ditch offensive. This will make the book extremely valuable for anyone with any interest in land warfare and the Great War. The German offensive of mid 1918 was fuelled by the freeing of troops, who had been fighting on the Eastern Front, by the Soviet desire to fight the Germans no more as they engaged in their civil war across the vast country of Russia. The Allied cause was aided by an influx of fresh US troops as America entered the war and built its army. The fighting was fierce and the number of VCs awarded to British soldiers is a fair indication of the scale and intensity of the battles.