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Tritt ein in eine Welt voller Geschichten

Hören und Lesen

Andrew Rawson

This is the story of the British Expeditionary Forces part in the final days of the Advance to Victory. It starts with the massive offensive against the Hindenburg Line at the end of September 1918. Second Army launched the first of the British attacks in Flanders on the 28th, followed by Fourth Army the next day along the St Quentin Canal. Both First and Third Armies joined in, breaking the Hindenburg Line across the Lys plain and the Artois region, taking Cambrai by 10 October. The narrative then follows the advance through the battles of the River Selle and the River Sambre. It culminates with the final operations, including the actions at Maubeuge and Mons, just before the Armistice on 11 November 1918. Time and again the British and Empire troops used well-rehearsed combined arms tactics to break down German resistance as the four year conflict came to an end. Each stage of the six week long battle is dealt with equally, focusing on the most talked about side of the campaign, the BEFs side. Over fifty new maps chart the day-by-day progress of the five armies. Together the narrative and the maps explain the British Army's experience during the days of World War One. The men who led the advances, broke down the defences and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross are mentioned. Discover the end of the Advance to Victory and learn how the British Army reached the peak of their learning curve.

Pen & Sword Military

British Expeditionary Force

The Final Advance, September to November 1918

This is the story of the British Expeditionary Forces part in the opening days of the Advance to Victory. It starts with the contribution to the Battle of Fre-en-Tardenois in July; the counter-offensive which pushed the Germans back to the River Marne.

Fourth Army's attack on 8 August was called the Black Day of the German Army, but it was only the beginning of 100 days of campaigning. The narrative follows the advance as it expands across the Somme, the Artois and the Flanders regions. Time and again the British and Empire troops used well-developed combined arms tactics to break through successive lines of defence. By the end of September, all five of the BEFs armies had reached the Hindenburg Line and were poised for the final advance.

Each stage of the two month battle is given the same treatment, covering the details of the most talked about side of the campaign; the BEFs side. Over fifty new maps chart the day by day progress of the five armies and together with the narrative, explain the British Army's experience during the opening stages of the Advance to Victory. The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counter-attacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the beginning of the Advance to Victory and learn how the British Army had mastered the art of attack.

British Expeditionary Force -Advance to Victory, July to September 1918

This is an account of the British Expeditionary Forces defensive battle on the Somme in March and April of 1918. It starts with the huge German offensive along a 60 mile front on 21 March. Third and Fifth Armies then had to make a series of fighting withdrawals in which some battalions had to fight their way out while others were overrun. Over the days that followed, men were called upon to fight all day against overwhelming numbers and then march all night to escape. After three years in the trenches, men had to battle in the open without tanks and often without artillery support. As communications failed, battalion and company commanders found themselves having to command in what was essentially a desperate infantry struggle. Each stage of the two-week battle is given the same treatment, covering details about the most talked about side of the campaign, the British side. It explains how the British soldier time and again stood and fought. Over fifty new maps chart the day-by-day progress of each corps on each day. Together the narrative and the maps explain the British Army's experience during a fraught battle for survival. The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counterattacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the Somme 1918 campaign and learn how the British Army's brave soldiers fought and died trying to stop the onslaught.

Somme Offensive, March 1918

Cambrai Campaign 1917 is an account of the British Expeditionary Forces battles in November and December of 1917. It starts with the plan to carry out a tank raid on the Hindenburg Line at Cambrai. The raid grew into a full scale attack and Third Army would rely on a different style of attack. The preliminary bombardment would be done away with and the troops would assemble in secret. Predicted fire had reached such a level of accuracy that 1,000 guns could hit targets without registration. Meanwhile, over 375 tanks would lead the infantry through the Hindenburg Line, ripping holes in the wire and suppressing the enemy. The study of the German counterattack ten days later, illustrates the different tactics they used and the British experience on the defensive. Each stage of the battle is given equal treatment, with detailed insights into the most talked about side of the campaign, the British side. It explains how far the Tank Corps had come in changing the face of trench warfare. Over forty new maps chart the day-by-day progress of each corps on each day. Together the narrative and the maps provide an insight into the British Army's experience during this important campaign. The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counterattacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the Cambrai campaign and learn how the British Army's brave soldiers fought and died fighting to achieve their objectives.

The Cambrai Campaign, 1917

This is an account of the British Expeditionary Forces battles in the summer and autumn of 1917. It begins with the Allied plan to free up the Flanders coast, to limit German naval and submarine attacks on British shipping. The opening offensive began with the detonation of nineteen mines on 7 June and ended with the capture of the Messines Ridge. The main offensive started with success on 31 July but was soon bogged down due to the August rains. Three huge attacks between 20 September and 4 October had the Germans reeling, but again the weather intervened and the campaign concluded with futile attacks across the muddy slopes of the Passchendaele Ridge. Each large battle and minor action is given equal treatment, giving a detailed insight into the most talked about side of the campaign, the British side. There are details on the planning of each offensive and the changing tactics used by both sides. There is discussion about how the infantry, the artillery, the cavalry, the engineers and Royal Flying Corps worked together. Over sixty new maps chart the day-by-day progress of each battle and action. Together the narrative and maps provide an insight into the British Army's experience during this important campaign. The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counterattacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the Passchendaele campaign and learn how the British Army's brave soldiers fought and died fighting for their objectives.

The Passchendaele Campaign, 1917

The British Expeditionary Force The 1915 Campaign is a thorough account of the BEF's actions during the battles of 1915 and early 1916, starting with the success at Neuve Chapelle in March and the nightmare gas attack at Ypres in April. It follows their

The 1915 Campaign

The book concentrates on the British Expeditionary Force's defensive actions during the retreat from Mons through to the advance to the River Aisne and the first days of trench warfare. Then moved north to Ypres, where it endured three long weeks of German attacks. By compiling information from the Official History and the printed histories we get an in-depth British account of each large battle and minor action. 

Together the narrative and over 60 maps provide an insight into the British Army's experience during those early days of the First World War. This is about the men who made a difference, the men who fought off many times their number, those who led the counterattacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the real 1914 campaign fought by the British Army and learn how the brave soldiers of the BEF fought hard to achieve their objectives.