Bullecourt 1917

Bullecourt 1917 PDF Author: Paul Kendall
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750962526
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 959

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Book Description
In the spring of 1917 the Arras offensive was begun to break the stalemate of the Western Front by piercing the formidable German defences of the Hindenburg Line. The village of Bullecourt lay at the southern end of the battle front, and the fighting there over a period of six weeks from 11 April until late May 1917, epitomised the awful trench warfare of World War I. In Bullecourt 1917, Paul Kendall tells the stories of the fierce battles fought by three British and three Australian divisions in an attempt to aid Allenby’s Third Army break out from Arras. Approximately 10,000 Australian and 7,000 British soldiers died, many of whom were listed as missing and have no known grave. The battle caused much consternation due to the failure of British tanks in supporting Australian infantry on 11 April, but despite the lack of tank and artillery support the Australian infantry valiantly fought their way into the German trenches. It took a further six weeks for British and Australian infantry to capture the village. This book tells the story of this bitter battle and pays tribute to the men who took part. Crucially, Paul Kendall has contacted as many of the surviving relatives of the combatants as he could, to gain new insight into those terrible events on the Hindenburg Line.

Bullecourt 1917

Bullecourt 1917 PDF Author: Paul Kendall
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750962526
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 959

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Book Description
In the spring of 1917 the Arras offensive was begun to break the stalemate of the Western Front by piercing the formidable German defences of the Hindenburg Line. The village of Bullecourt lay at the southern end of the battle front, and the fighting there over a period of six weeks from 11 April until late May 1917, epitomised the awful trench warfare of World War I. In Bullecourt 1917, Paul Kendall tells the stories of the fierce battles fought by three British and three Australian divisions in an attempt to aid Allenby’s Third Army break out from Arras. Approximately 10,000 Australian and 7,000 British soldiers died, many of whom were listed as missing and have no known grave. The battle caused much consternation due to the failure of British tanks in supporting Australian infantry on 11 April, but despite the lack of tank and artillery support the Australian infantry valiantly fought their way into the German trenches. It took a further six weeks for British and Australian infantry to capture the village. This book tells the story of this bitter battle and pays tribute to the men who took part. Crucially, Paul Kendall has contacted as many of the surviving relatives of the combatants as he could, to gain new insight into those terrible events on the Hindenburg Line.

Bullecourt 1917

Bullecourt 1917 PDF Author: Gilles Durand
Publisher: LES LUMIERES DE LILLE ÉDITIONS
ISBN: 2919111396
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
In April and May 1917, the village of Bullecourt, near Arras, in the north of France, was the scene of one of the biggest bloodbaths of the First World War. The ground of the former battlefield still retains the bodies of hundreds of missing Australian, British and German soldiers... The memory of the deadly combat would have remained buried as well were it not for the efforts of a couple of schoolteachers who took an interest in the ordeal of these soldiers in the 1980s. For more than three decades, Claude and Colette Durand have gathered dozens of accounts of Australian veterans which now allow us to get a clearer picture of the horror that was the battle of Bullecourt. In the process, they formed a long-lasting bond with Australia about the sacrifice of these men who came from the ends of the earth. But the book also shows the hidden face of the commemorative events that mark the centenary of World War 1, as the official tributes mask a shadier reality. (The extended version is only available on tablets iPad)

The Battles of Bullecourt 1917

The Battles of Bullecourt 1917 PDF Author: David Coombes
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1925520250
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
In April-May 1917 the sleepy hamlet of Bullecourt in northern France became the focus of two battles involving Australian and British troops. Given the unique place in this nation’s military history that both battles occupy, surprisingly little has been written on the AIF’s achievements at Bullecourt. The First Battle of Bullecourt marked the Australians’ introduction to the latest battlefield weapon — the tank. This much-lauded weapon failed dismally amid enormous casualties. Despite this, two infantry brigades from the 4th Australian Division captured parts of the formidable Hindenburg Line with minimal artillery and tank support, repulsing German counter-attacks until forced to withdraw. In the second battle, launched with a preliminary artillery barrage, more Australian divisions were forced into the Bullecourt ‘meat-grinder’ and casualties soared to over 7000. Again Australian soldiers fought hard to capture parts of the enemy line and hold them against savage counter-attacks. Bullecourt became a charnel-house for the AIF. Many who had endured the nightmare of Pozières considered Bullecourt far worse. And for what? While Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig considered its capture ‘among the great achievements of the war’, the village that cost so many lives held no strategic value whatsoever.

The Blood Tub

The Blood Tub PDF Author: Jonathan Walker
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473853788
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
This controversial and stirring account of one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War recounts a heroic but disastrous engagement which left a lasting rift between the British and Australians. Drawing from a wealth of unpublished sources and eyewitness accounts, Jonathan Walker's study of the Battle of Bullecourt is vital to an understanding of the difficulties that faced Great War commanders. Central to The Blood Tub is a reassessment of Sir Hubert Gough, one of the Great War's most colourful generals.In the late spring of 1917, the Allies attacked at Arras, and a combined British and Australian force under General 'Thruster' Gough assaulted the fortress village of Bullecourt. Despite using the new wonder weapon, the tank, Gough's first attack ended in disaster and bitter recriminations. He then launched a second massive attack. For the next two weeks, the Battle of Bullecourt dominated British offensive action on the Western Front. It was the excessive brutality and ferocity of the hand-to-hand fighting that earned Bullecourt the name 'Blood Tub.'

A Battle Too Far

A Battle Too Far PDF Author: Don Farr
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781912174928
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Fought in support of a French offensive intended to win the war, the Battle of Arras resulted in heavy losses for little gain after a promising start.

Bloody Bullecourt

Bloody Bullecourt PDF Author: David Coombes
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1526713462
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 437

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Book Description
In April-May 1917 the sleepy hamlet of Bullecourt in Northern France became the focus of two battles involving British and Australian troops. Given the unique place in Australia's military history that both battles occupy, surprisingly little has been written on the AIF's achievements at Bullecourt. Bloody Bullecourt seeks to remedy this gasping omission.The First Battle of Bullecourt marked the Australians' introduction to the latest battlefield weapon—the tank. This much-lauded weapon failed dismally amid enormous casualties. Despite this, two infantry brigades from the 4th Australian Division captured parts of the formidable Hindenberg Line with minimal artillery and tank support, repulsing German counterattacks until forced to withdraw.In the second battle, launched with a preliminary artillery barrage, more Australian divisions were forced into the Bullecourt 'meat-grinder' and casualties scored over 7,000. Once more, soldiers fought hard to capture parts of the enemy line and hold them against savage counterattacks.Bullecourt became a charnel-house for the AIF. Many who had endured he nightmare of Pozires considered Bullecourt far worse. And for what? While Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig considered its capture 'among the great achievements of the war', the village that cost so many lives held no strategic value whatsoever.

Battles of Bullecourt 1917

Battles of Bullecourt 1917 PDF Author: David Coombes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781925520248
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
In April-May 1917 the sleepy hamlet of Bullecourt in northern France became the focus of two battles involving Australian and British troops. Given the unique place in this nation's military history that both battles occupy, surprisingly little has been written on the AIF's achievements at Bullecourt. The First Battle of Bullecourt marked the ......

1917—Bapaume and Bullecourt

1917—Bapaume and Bullecourt PDF Author: Peter Burness
Publisher: DVA Anzac Portal
ISBN: 1920720871
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Book Description
Australians on the Western Front—1917 Bapaume and Bullecourt is the second book in the Australians on the Western Front 1916–1918 series developed by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. It highlights the year 1917, which began in the muddy frozen trenches of the Somme and ended in the slimy bog leading up to the Belgian village of Passchendaele. This eBook features three short films titled 'Bapaume to Bullecourt' showing the Australians advancing on Bapaume and Bullecourt after the Germans had retreated to the Hindenburg Line.

Messines 1917

Messines 1917 PDF Author: Craig Deayton
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 152674015X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 453

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Book Description
The enemy must not get the Messines Ridge at any price So read the orders to German troops defending the vital high ground south of Ypres. On 7 June 1917, the British Second Army launched its attack with an opening like no other. In the largest secret operation of the First World War, British and Commonwealth mining companies placed over a million pounds of explosive beneath the German front-line positions in 19 giant mines which erupted like a volcano. This was just the beginning. By the end of that brilliant summers day, one of the strongest positions on the Western Front had fallen in the greatest British victory in three long years of war. For the Anzacs, who comprised one third of the triumphant Second Army, it was their most significant achievement to that point; for the men of the New Zealand Division, it would be their finest hour.It is difficult to overstate the importance of Messines for the Australians, whose first two years of war had represented an almost unending catalogue of disaster. This was both the first real victory for the AIF and the first test in senior command for Major General John Monash, who commanded the newly formed 3rd Division. Messines was a baptism of fire for the 3rd Division which came into the line alongside the battle-scarred 4th Australian Division, badly mauled at Bullecourt just six weeks earlier. The fighting at Messines would descend into unimaginable savagery, a lethal and sometimes hand-to-hand affair of bayonets, clubs, bombs and incessant machine-gun fire, described by one Australian as 72 hours of Hell. After their string of bloody defeats over 1915 and 1916, Messines would prove the ultimate test for the Australians

The Anzac Illusion

The Anzac Illusion PDF Author: Eric Montgomery Andrews
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521419147
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
This provocative book is reassessment of Australia's role in World War I and its relations with Britain.