The German 1918 Offensives

Author : David T. Zabecki
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 433 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2006-09-27
Category : History
ISBN : 9781134252251

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The German 1918 Offensives by David T. Zabecki Pdf

This is the first study of the Ludendorff Offensives of 1918 based extensively on key German records presumed to be lost forever after Potsdam was bombed in 1944. In 1997, David T. Zabecki discovered translated copies of these files in a collection of old instructional material at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He presents his findings here for the first time, with a thorough review of the surviving original operational plans and orders, to offer a wealth of fresh insights to the German Offensives of 1918. David T. Zabecki clearly demonstrates how the German failure to exploit the vulnerabilities in the BEF’s rail system led to the failure of the first two offensives, and how inadequacies in the German rail system determined the outcome of the last three offensives. This is a window into the mind of the German General Staff of World War I, with thorough analysis of the German planning and decision making processes during the execution of battles. This is also the first study in English or in German to analyze the specifics of the aborted Operation HAGEN plan. This is also the first study of the 1918 Offensives to focus on the ‘operational level of war’ and on the body of military activity known as ‘the operational art’, rather than on the conventional tactical or strategic levels. This book will be of great interest to all students of World War I, the German Army and of strategic studies and military theory in general.

Author : Martin Kitchen
Publisher : Tempus Publishing, Limited
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : History
ISBN : UVA:X004644717

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The German Offensives of 1918 by Martin Kitchen Pdf

A campaign history of the Kaiser's 1918 Western front offensives - attacks that very nearly won the first world war for imperial Germany.

Author : John Sheen
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 249 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2008-03-21
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783033034

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1918 by John Sheen Pdf

“Serves to illustrate the carnage of battle throughout the three critical months of 1918: March, April and May . . . An amazing archive.”—The Great War Magazine In March 1918 the German Army launched a series of offensives that brought them very close to winning the war. Military photographers followed their advance and took many photographs of the operations as they progressed. This is the war seen from the German perspective, British and French soldiers lie dead on the battlefield, and Allied prisoners are escorted to the rear, as the German Artillery pound away covering the advance of the “Feldgrau.” These photographs are seldom seen in books dealing with the allied point of view. Many scarce and rare photographs show the carnage of battle throughout March, April and May 1918. The author has also included group photographs of some of the units involved, as well as memorial cards of individuals who fell or died of wounds. This book will be a useful reference to anyone with an interest in the German Army during the First World War. “Provides a good close up look at soldiers, guns, shells, small arms and other points of interest.”—Over the Front “It is like watching a well-made documentary unfold before your eyes . . . The whole book is a superb piece of work, highly recommended.”—Destructive Music “Particularly atmospheric . . . This is an unusual and welcome selection of illustrations.”—Military Illustrated

Author : Ian Passingham
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 269 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2008-09-22
Category : History
ISBN : 9781781599129

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The German Offensives of 1918 by Ian Passingham Pdf

The author of All the Kaiser’s Men provides “a very helpful reference . . . to the battles which finally led to the German Army’s defeat in the field.” —The Western Front Association Few pivotal years in history are less understood than that of 1918. It was a momentous period, which began with Germany’s desperate gamble to win the Great War through a sequence of offensives on the Western Front. Ian Passingham’s graphic new study draws on a wide range of original German, British and French sources, and it features previously unpublished eyewitness accounts and photographs. He boldly reassesses German military doctrine, the strategic thinking behind the offensives and the effectiveness of the stormtroop tactics used. He also considers how the poor state of German military morale and the privations and unrest of the German people contributed to the army's defeat.

Author : Randal Gray
Publisher : Greenwood
Page : 104 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105114352086

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Kaiserschlacht 1918 by Randal Gray Pdf

This title describes how, using new "Storm Trooper" units and high-mobility tactics, the German Operation Kaiserschlacht shattered the front line, broke into open country and came within a hair's breadth of winning the First World War.

Author : John Sheen
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2008-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781844156610

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The German 1918 Offensives in France & Flanders by John Sheen Pdf

In March 1918 the German Army launched a series of offensives that brought them very close to winning the war. Military photographers followed their advance and took many photographs of the operations as they progressed. This is the war seen from the German perspective, British and French soldiers lie dead on the battlefield, and Allied prisoners are escorted to the rear, as the German Artillery pound away covering the advance of the 'Feldgrau'. These photographs are seldom seen in books dealing with the allied point of view. Many scarce and rare photographs show the carnage of battle throughout March, April and May 1918. The author has also included group photographs of some of the units involved, as well as memorial cards of individuals who fell or died of wounds. This book will be a useful reference to anyone with an interest in the German Army during the First World War.

Author : Jack Sheldon
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 459 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2015-09-21
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473872868

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The German Army in the Spring Offensives 1917 by Jack Sheldon Pdf

“A detailed and vivid account of the battles on three deadly fronts. The research is breathtaking, the assembly of the story is masterful.”—The Long, Long Trail After the great battles of 1916, the Allied Armies planned to launch massive attacks North and South of the Somme. The German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in March 1917 forced the new French CinC General Nivelle to rethink and the French embarked on a major attack in the Aisne area and along the Chemin des Dames, with the British conducting large-scale diversionary operations around Arras. The French suffered disastrously and, rendered incapable of further offensive operations, it fell to the British to step up the pressure, which they did albeit at a terrible price. This latest work by expert Jack Sheldon describes the event of Spring 1917 from the defenders’ perspective. In particular it reveals the methods the Germans used to smash the French attacks and Oberst Fritz von Lossberg’s transformation of the defenses in the Arras front. Actions described in detail are the bitter battles around Monchy Le Preun, the Roeux Chemical works and Bullecourt as well as the capture of Vimy Ridge. “This volume of Jack Sheldon’s highly detailed series of books on the German Army in the Great War follows his usual effective model—employing the clear writing and knowledge learned from dogged, detailed research . . . It would be impossible to offer other than the highest recommendation for this book.”—Stand To! The Western Front Association “Incredibly moving and powerful.”—Pennant

Author : Major Frank Reiser
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 54 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2015-11-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9781786254023

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Operational Art In The Defense: The German Abwehrschlachten In 1918 by Major Frank Reiser Pdf

The stalemate in World War I created the need for a solution to escape this resource intense form of warfare. Following five unsuccessful German offenses in early 1918, the Germans found themselves in a solely defensive scenario conducting defensive battles, named “Abwehrschlachten.” Based on the findings of previous research on these offensives, the monograph analyzes German operational thinking and the display of operational art in the subsequent defensive scenario from the last unsuccessful offensive in July 1918 to the armistice in November 1918. The paper relies on two approaches. First, it analyzes data from primary sources to identify changes in the strategic context from a German perspective, by using a model from Collin S. Gray, and derives implications for the German ability to apply operational art. Second, it reflects German military actions during the “Abwehrschlachten” upon a framework of operational elements, derived from the previous case study of David T. Zabecki on the German offensives. The analysis results in a confirmation of previous findings about the level of German operational thinking at that time, but also depicts the limitations the Germans faced in their attempts to apply their thinking through military action. Those limitations predominately emerged from significant changes in the operational environment in 1918. Current consensus, in line with Clausewitz’s thoughts on the defense, is that the defense, tied to a negative aim, is a temporary form of warfare and military leaders always strive to seize the initiative to transit to the offensive form of war-fighting, tied to a positive aim. Based on the analysis of this solely defensive scenario from a German perspective, the monograph questions the applicability of today’s understanding of operational art in such a purely defensive scenario and suggest the evolution towards a framework for operational art in the defense.

Author : Henry W. Miller
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 394 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2020-02-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9781839742828

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The Paris Gun by Henry W. Miller Pdf

The Paris Gun, first published in 1930, is a detailed account of the design, construction, and operation of the several German long-range cannons used to bombard Paris in 1918. While not accurate, the guns were used to instill terror in the civilian population and over 300 of the massive shells were fired on the city between March 23 and August 9, 1918. After the war, author Henry Miller, a U.S. Army ordnance officer, interviewed German artillery officers who were directly involved in the project, providing a unique, first-hand look at these weapons. Included are 38 pages of illustrations and maps.

Author : Brian Lane Herder
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 97 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2020-12-24
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472842756

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The Meuse-Argonne Offensive 1918 by Brian Lane Herder Pdf

When the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, the tiny US Army did not even have a standing division. A huge national army worthy of the Western Front was quickly enlisted, trained, and then transported to France to fight against the Germans. In September 1918, the American Expeditionary Force, under General John Pershing, began its first full-scale offensive against German forces in Lorraine, in which the US First Army and (eventually) the US Second Army would drive north between the Argonne Forest and the Meuse river towards Sedan. The Meuse-Argonne was excellent defensive terrain, being hilly, steep, heavily wooded, and fortified by the Germans over a three-year period. The offensive began on 26 September, 1918. A largely inexperienced US First Army, with mid-level officers including Harry S. Truman, Douglas MacArthur and George Patton, suffered setbacks and heavy casualties during its straight-ahead offensive against a still-potent but fading German Fifth Army. However, by early November, 1.2 million Americans and several hundred thousand French were engaged at the Meuse-Argonne and the Hindenburg Line had been decisively broken. The German withdrawal from Sedan approached a rout and the Americans finally had the Germans on the run until the Armistice ended the offensive on 11 November, 1918. This engaging title tells the full story of this key offensive, illustrating and explaining the troops, weapons and tactics of both the American Expeditionary Force and the German Fifth Army in stunning detail.

Author : Stephen C. McGeorge and Mason W. Watson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 80 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2024-07-03
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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The Marne 15 July - 6 August 1918 by Stephen C. McGeorge and Mason W. Watson Pdf

Author : General Service Schools (U.S.)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 936 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 1923
Category : Aisne, Battle of the, France, 1918
ISBN : UCAL:$B743074

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The German Offensive of July 15, 1918 (Marne Source Book) by General Service Schools (U.S.) Pdf

Author : David Stevenson
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 747 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2011-09-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9780674063198

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With Our Backs to the Wall by David Stevenson Pdf

With so much at stake and so much already lost, why did World War I end with a whimper-an arrangement between two weary opponents to suspend hostilities? After more than four years of desperate fighting, with victories sometimes measured in feet and inches, why did the Allies reject the option of advancing into Germany in 1918 and taking Berlin? Most histories of the Great War focus on the avoidability of its beginning. This book brings a laser-like focus to its ominous end-the Allies' incomplete victory, and the tragic ramifications for world peace just two decades later. In the most comprehensive account to date of the conflict's endgame, David Stevenson approaches the events of 1918 from a truly international perspective, examining the positions and perspectives of combatants on both sides, as well as the impact of the Russian Revolution. Stevenson pays close attention to America's effort in its first twentieth-century war, including its naval and military contribution, army recruitment, industrial mobilization, and home-front politics. Alongside military and political developments, he adds new information about the crucial role of economics and logistics. The Allies' eventual success, Stevenson shows, was due to new organizational methods of managing men and materiel and to increased combat effectiveness resulting partly from technological innovation. These factors, combined with Germany's disastrous military offensive in spring 1918, ensured an Allied victory-but not a conclusive German defeat.

Author : Major Patrick T. Stackpole
Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
Page : 71 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2014-08-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781782897866

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German Tactics In The Michael Offensive March 1918 by Major Patrick T. Stackpole Pdf

This study investigates the German spring offensive of 1918 to determine how the Germans achieved tactical success, yet failed to reach their strategic objective. The study covers the development of new German infantry tactics during limited offensive operations and conduct of the “elastic defense” on the western front It investigates the development of artillery tactics on the eastern front, and the incorporation of these artillery and infantry tactics into larger scale offensives at Caporetto. The study describes the preparation of both the infantry and artillery units for the “Michael” offensive. The relationship between the infantry and artillery tactics combined with the British defense is the key to determine the causes for success and failure. The German tactical system used in “Operation Michael” was a brilliant adaptation to the lethality of the World War I battlefield. The German techniques were superb tools for conducting a breakthrough of a defensive zone. However, the lack of German mobility following the breakthrough foiled the German strategic goal to envelop the British Army. German techniques and lessons learned in this offensive have direct application to U.S. Army infiltration doctrine.

Author : Mark E. Grotelueschen
Publisher : U.S. Army Campaigns of World W
Page : 79 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2018-05-04
Category : History
ISBN : 0160946476

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Into the Fight, April-June 1918 by Mark E. Grotelueschen Pdf

Into the Fight, April-June 1918, is the fourth installment of the U.S. Army Campaigns of World War I series, covering the American Expeditionary Forces- role in countering the German spring offensives of March-June 1918. The arrival of the American forces on the Western Front in early 1918 coincided with a series of major German pushes intended to break through the Allied lines. The crisis of the German offensives provided an opening for multiple American divisions to enter the lines. They worked with British and French units to resist the German advances, took command of their own sectors of the front, and increasingly engaged in their own offensive operations. The narrative of this volume spans the brutal fighting at Cantigny, Château-Thierry, Belleau Wood, and Vaux, where the inexperienced and untried American soldiers and marines received their first exposure to the grim realities of combat. Yet as the actions of these early campaigns show, both allies and enemies soon learned that the Americans who reached the front in the spring of 1918 were willing and able to fight with the grit and determination needed to achieve victory. Related products: World War I resources collection The Legacy of Belleau Wood: 100 Years of Making Marines and Winning Battles, An Anthology Other products produced by the United States Army, Center of Military History(CMH)