Warfare in News

Posted on Tuesday 22nd August

Call for Papers: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War

1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War is an English-language online reference work on World War I dedicated to publishing high quality peer-reviewed content. Each article in the encyclopedia is a self-contained publication and its author receives full recognition. All articles receive a distinct URL address as well as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and are fully citable as scholarly publications. 1914-1918-online is an open access publication, which means that all articles are freely available online, ensuring maximum worldwide dissemination of content.

The editors invite academics to contribute articles on a select number of topics not yet covered by our invitation-only editorial process. The Call for Papers will be automatically updated. Authors who are interested in submitting a paper on any of the subjects listed should submit a short CV with a publication list, as well as an abstract (max. 250 words) or a full-length paper. To submit an abstract/full-length paper, please click on a topic of your choice in the list of open articles. The submission will then be sent to the responsible section editor(s) for consideration, after which you will be contacted with a decision.

The Call for Papers can be found by navigating from their home page https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net,
or here: https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/call-for-papers/

Of further interest...

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Diary of a Despatch Rider on the Western Front 1915-18

Tue 5th May

David Venner reveals how his great uncle’s engineering background gave him valuable insights into the early tanks and aircraft that he saw in action. Read article...

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The Lengthening War

Wed 3rd August

Michael Goode describes how he brought his Great Great Aunt's Great War diaries to life in his striking new book. Read article...

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The 37th Division at Arras

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A Pen and Sword title with an exceptionally vivid, first-hand account of the battle of Arras is Despatch Rider on the Western Front 1915-18, the diary of Sergeant Albert Simpkin MM, edited by his great nephew, David Venner Read article...

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The Zeebrugge Raid

Tue 23rd April

Philip Warner describes what happened during the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918 - one of the most daring raids in history launched by a special force drawn from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Read article...

Dates in History

German forces cross the Somme River

24th March 1918

On March 24, 1918, German forces cross the Somme River, achieving their first goal of the major spring offensive begun three days earlier on the Western Front. Operation Michael, engineered by the German chief of the general staff, Erich von Ludendorff, aimed to decisively break through the Allied lines on the Western Front and destroy the British and French forces. The offensive began on the morning of March 21, 1918, with an aggressive bombardment. The brunt of the attack that followed was directed at the British 5th Army, commanded by General Sir Hubert Gough, stationed along the Somme River in northwestern France. This section was the most poorly defended of any spot on the British lines, due to the fact that it had been held by the French until only a few weeks before and its defensive positions were not yet fully fortified. Panic spread up and down the British lines of command, intensified by communications failures between Gough and his subordinates in the field, and German gains increased over the subsequent days of battle. On March 23, Crown Prince Rupprecht, on the German side of the line, remarked that The progress of our offensive is so quick, that one cannot follow it with a pen. The next day, German troops stormed across the Somme, having previously captured its bridges before French troops could destroy them. Despite having resolved to concentrate on weaker points of the enemy lines, Ludendorff continued to throw his armies against the crucial villages of Amiens (a railway junction) and Arras—which the British and French were instructed to hold at all costs—hoping to break through and push on towards Paris. By that time, German troops were exhausted, and transportation and supply lines had begun to break down in the cold and bad weather. Meanwhile, Allied forces had recovered from the initial disadvantage and had begun to gain the upper hand, halting the Germans at Moreuil Wood on March 30. On April 5, Ludendorff called off Operation Michael. It had yielded nearly 40 miles of territory, the greatest gains for either side on the Western Front since 1914. He would launch four more offensive pushes over the course of the spring and summer, throwing all of the German army’s resources into this last, desperate attempt to win the war. (www.history.com)

Further Reading

The Somme
(Paperback - 355 pages)
by Richard van Emden

The offensive on the Somme took place between July and November 1916 and is perhaps the most iconic battle of the Great War. It was there that Kitchener’s famous ‘Pals’ Battalions were first sent into action en masse and it was a battlefield where many of the dreams and aspirations… Read more at Pen & Sword...

Only £14.99 at Pen & Sword Books.

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