There is a superb work of fiction dealing with this less known part of WW1, 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks. Highly recommended.

Super over simplified reason for WWI outcome.

Start with stalemate. Add 500,000 troops to the side struggling to keep their army armed and fed. Add 10,000 troops per day to the side with no problem keeping their army armed and fed.

Finished Ken Follet's Book: Fall of Giants .
Which shows 5 families through the 1914-1918 period and thought it was very well written and gave insights from every side of the war.

Definately recommend.

We Are Making a New World



The Mule Track



The Ypres Salient at Night

All by Paul Nash.

Gunners pulling Cannons, Ypres by William Roberts



Troops resting by Christopher Nevinson



The Road from Arras to Bapaume by Christopher Nevinson

A pyramid of dead German soldier's helmets in New York's Grand Central station, 1918. More details here.

Amazing paintings and pictures Wamy. Love that cubist-ish worldwar 1 stuff.

Im currently reading guns of august for the first time. I was a bit skeptical when i saw how old school it was compared to some of the recent world war 1 stuff, but i have to say it is very well written.

I read this years ago; it was recommend by a History Professor that put together for us students a summer reading list.

By the time you finish, I think you will be suitable impressed with the book.

I am only 4 chapters in and im shocked by how good guns of august is. Her description of the german military attitudes is amazing. It really shows that the german high command was really thinking in a Nietzsche ''supermen must rule'' and an obsession with the military. Love the moment with the kaiser where he proposed to the king of belgium an alliance against france in exchange for the re-creation of the kingdom of burgundy. ''much as changed since the 15th century'' says the king of belgium. Kaiser goes in a tantrum.

I could not believe the kaiser would offer deals like those. Blew my mind away.

There have to be some good books about Kaiser Wilhelm II out there, his series of (mostly diplomatic) blunders is amazing.

Here's a good summary of the Daily Telegraph affair from wikipedia:

That's just perfect.

Italian units at Soča river





Soška fronta( Battles of the Isonzo) was one of the bloodiest battles in WW1. Italians had around 300,000 casualties on this front and Austro-Hungarians around 200k(this are the low numbers, some predictions claim that combined it was around 1 million death soldiers on this front). It lasted for 2 years(from 1915 to 1917)... Statisticly 28 soldiers died every hour for two years, 1 soldier every 2 and some minute.... Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in his novel A Farewell to Arms.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_the_Isonzo

Sappers have been tunneling under castle walls since medieval times. Before the invention of gunpowder, oily pig carcasses were used.

Hey, so I'm listening to the newest episode of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History and around 58:45 he mentions a German soldier being blown into a French fort at Verdun and the soldier "opens doors one by one" and locks up French soldiers until they're all locked up. I thought this was pretty amazing, but I couldn't find anything through a google search.

He's probably referring to the capture of Fort Douaumont, although the true(r) story is different to the propaganda.

The fort had been stripped of its guns and was only manned by around 60 reservists commanded by a sergeant - no officers.

A 10 man team of combat engineers of the Brandenberg regiment climbed through an unmanned gun port, took the occupants prisoner and captured the fort.

Wiki link as a start point for you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Douaumont

I see, thanks for the response and the link. I read through the wiki and I think this is probably who he was referring too.

From the wiki:

"Kunze and his men reached the fort's moat and found that the wall casemates ("coffres") defending the moat were unoccupied. Kunze managed to climb inside one of them to open an access door.[2] But his men refused to go inside the fortifications as they feared an ambush. Armed only with a bolt-action rifle, the Pioneer-Sergeant entered alone.[3] He wandered around the empty tunnels until he found the artillery team, captured them and locked them up.

Conrad Felixmüller, Soldat im Irrenhaus [Soldier in the Madhouse]



Adolf Erbslöh, Destroyed Forest near Verdun



Otto Dix, Trenches



Gino Severini, Armored Train



David Bomberg, Sappers at Work: A Canadian Tunelling Company

Magpies in Picardy by Constance Oliver:

More trenches by Dix:



"Detail of the Trenches near Reims II"





"Sunken Road", by Frederick Varley





"The Fall", by C. Chatwood Burton

i'm a little late to this thread, but what an incredible time in history. i listened to the first tow portions of dan carlisle's armageddon podcast with regard to ww1. unbelievable. the poetry and art in this thread really drives home how completely and utterly hopeless it must have felt to have been a conscripted soldier (mind you, our age in many cases excepting the brits who were maybe older having been more experienced!)

just mind blowing.

the last painting you referenced, "the fall" really struck a chord with me. it reminded me of two of my favorite paintings in different era's but that display similar hopelessness.

the first is JMW's "the slave ship"



the second is gericault's la meduse.

If you get a chance, read All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Remarque. I don't recall him ever saying that he hated the people he was fighting against.

lol documents

This commercial has been stirring up some conversation, sentiment, and controversy of late:

that's fantastic.

what's controversial about it?

Some people think it sanitizes the First World War. Others think it's crass to use the memory of the Great War to promote commercialism in the form of a chain store.

One example of critique here.

In London recently, see the pic below taken in Hyde Park and note the red poppy in my shirt (which I received by making a donation to the Royal British Legion).




I just happened to be in London for Remembrance Day though I had not thought of that when making my plans. Anyway, I visited Trafalgar Square on Saturday the 8th and a statue of a soldier, within a glass case, was set up with paper poppies blowing about within the enclosed structure. The soldier was represented in a WW1 uniform. It was a somewhat moving experience for me because my Great Uncle, Fred Thompson, was in France during the Great War. I remember visiting his home often and he had much memorabilia, including some rifles, which he had brought back from France.

British Legion Link below:

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/abou...ce-sunday-2014

Why the Poppies? See link below

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/john...ers-fields.htm

****************************


In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae, May 1915

***********************

We should always remember and honor those that sacrificed the most.