Deep Cover: The Spy Who Brought Down An Empire in the Run-Up to World War One
Alfred Redl was a walking contradiction ― a splendid military career crafted by pure ambition and a sense of duty, opposed to the high treason…
100 Years On: Passchendaele in Color – Amazing Colorized Photos by Tom Marshall
Just over a year ago I published a blog of photos taken during the battle of the Somme in 1916. This Fall marks the centenary…
When One Man Attacked The USA With His Militia at His Back – Pancho Villa
In 1916 WWI was ravaging Europe. Neutral countries were on edge, striving to stay out of the conflict. Then the southern border of the United…
Alvin Cullum York: the Most Decorated Pacifist of the First World War
He was a deeply religious man who abhorred violence and warfare. Despite that, he went on to become the most decorated veteran of WWI. Alvin…
The First Yale Unit: College Students Form a Flying Squadron in 1916
In the Spring of 1916, as WWI was raging in Europe, the students at Yale University’s class of 1918 were preparing themselves for a summer of…
The Battle of Menin Road, 1917 – The third Ypres – A gargantuan effort in WW1
Part of the Third Battle of Ypres, the Battle of Menin Road was a testing place for the British. They countered a tactic that had…
The bloody reputation of Passchendaele Ridge – Hell on Earth during the First World War
The name Passchendaele sounds as though it should refer to a place of great beauty. It evokes a sense of romance and the peace of…
The Battle of the Ourcq – The Americans make their presence felt at the Marne
Although they only arrived in the final year of the First World War, the Americans made their presence felt. The volume of manpower and resources…
Amiens: the beginning of the Hundred Days Offensive – The Allies brought enormous resources to bear
In August 1918, the Allied forces began their final great push of the First World War. Later known as the Hundred Days Offensive, this series…
WWI in East Africa, and the Legendary Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
The East African campaigns of the First World War were quite unlike the fighting that dominated Europe. Instead of the four years of trench-on-trench stalemate…
The Story Behind “In Flanders Fields” – One Of The Most Famous War Poems Of History
More so than any other modern war and certainly more than any war fought before it, The First World War was the age of the “war…
Exaggeration And Angels – The Battle of Mons, 1914
At the start of the First World War, the commanders of both sides expected fast-moving action. They believed devastating modern weapons would open gaps in…