This title features over 120 large-format illustrations present detailed & fascinating wartime cartography. Key battles such as the Somme, Mons, Gallipoli, Jutland & Ypres are given extensive coverage alongside fascinating detail pieces such as airship raids & stations, communication systems, Orders of Battle, railroad routes & battlefield medical stations. The approach also provides a detailed chronological history of the conflict & will appeal to military historians & family historians alike. The Great War was so devastating
- eight million lives were lost globally
- that in its aftermath a horrified world expected it to be the final chapter in armed conflict. Mapping The First World War provides a uniquely different perspective on the `war to end all wars`. An introduction details the causes & progress of the war & is followed by over a hundred maps & charts that show the broad sweep of events, from Germany`s 1914 war goals to the final positions of the troops. There are maps depicting movements & battles as well as related documents, such as those on levels of conscription & numbers of weapons. As in all wars, maps were vital to the military organization of all sides during World War I. Before each military event there was the planning, the reconnaissance, & the conjecture as to enemy positions. After the event there would be debriefing, analysis of success & failure, & a redrawing of maps to show new troop positions & boundaries. All of the maps featured in this book have been drawn from the extensive collection held by the National Archives at Kew in west London. Providing a fascinating & unique insight into the planning & organization of military campaigns, Mapping The First World War is essential for anyone interested in military history.