German Troops Outnumber Allies; British Running Out of Men. Americans Resist Joining British, French Units Special to The Great War Project. (1 January) The United States approaches its involvement in the war very cautiously. Even the withdrawal of Russia from the war does not change the U.S. strategy. On the first day of the new…
Tag Archive for Haig
NEW DISASTERS ON THE WESTERN FRONT
by Mike Shuster
British and Canadian Forces Stymied by the Germans. Outcome in France All Too Familiar. Special to The Great War Project. (16 April) A century ago, there are major developments on the Western Front in France. Just a few days earlier, a combined British and Canadian force launches simultaneous offensives at Arras and Vimy Ridge. The…
A BATTLE AND A WAR WITH NO VICTORS
by Mike Shuster
The Battles End, Killing Continues British ‘Wastage’ and Charges of Cowardice Special to The Great War Project (21-26 November) It may be that only the great battles of the First World War get named and garner the focus of history. But as historian Adam Hochschild notes, “the air above the Western Front was also filled…
A GRISLY ACCOUNTING
by Mike Shuster
As Somme, Verdun Battles End, Shocking Losses. Wilson Re-Elected, Seeks Peace. Special to The Great War Project (14-20 November) The battles of the river Somme and Verdun, on the Western Front in northern France are coming to an end. The last Allied offensive takes place on these days a century ago. Snow falls on the…
A NEW ARMORED BEHEMOTH ENTERS THE BATTLEFIELD
by Mike Shuster
The Arrival of the Tank; German Infantry Terrified. A Future British Prime Minister Witnesses the Monster. Special to The Great War Project. (13-17 September) On this date, September 15th, precisely a century ago, a new weapon appeared at the battle of the Somme – the tank. The first tanks belonged to the Allies. They fielded…
HAIG RAGES: OUR LOSSES ARE TOO LOW
by Mike Shuster
British Commander Reasons, High Losses Bring Victory, Means Equal Losses for the Germans. Special to The Great War Project (9-12 July) The blood-letting on the Western Front at the Somme shows no sign of ending. Although the British five-day artillery bombardment does cut through some of the German barbed wire defenses, it is not so…
BRITISH GROUND ASSAULT AT SOMME POSTPONED
by Mike Shuster
Ferocious British Guns, but the Germans Well Dug In; Their Barbed Wire Defenses Hold. Starvation Growing in Germany; Hundreds Die Each Day Special to The Great War Project (26-29 June) The British Command decides to launch its offensive on the River Somme in northern France on this June 29th a century ago. The Germans have…
MASSIVE BRITISH BARRAGE AT SOMME
by Mike Shuster
Ground Attack Coming Germans Well Dug In; Fears British Offensive Will Fail Special to The Great War Project (21-25 June) The British open their enormous bombardment at the river Somme on June 24th a century ago. It is sustained along a twelve-mile front, reports historian Martin Gilbert. “More than 1500 guns and howitzers fired more…
FRENCH DESPERATE FOR HELP AT VERDUN
by Mike Shuster
French Town on Verge of Collapse; Pleas to British: Launch Offensive at the Somme Now. Haig Hesitates. Special to The Great War Project. (17-20 June) The French are putting intense pressure on Great Britain to launch a massive attack on German forces at the River Somme in northern France. The Allies have been planning this…
IN FRANCE BRITISH SEEK BREAKOUT AT NEUVE CHAPELLE
by Mike Shuster
Initial Success Yields to Disaster; Communications Confusion Brings Tragedy Special to The Great War Project (8-10 March) After weeks of little action on the Western Front, the British launch a major attack on the Germans at the already destroyed French village of Neuve Chapelle. The goal: to break through the German trench lines and capture…