John Terraine Boeken

Twice within 25 years Britain was threatened with starvation by the menace of the U-Boat. In this study of submarine warfare, the author explains why Winston Churchill wrote "the only thing that ever frightened me during the war was the U-Boat peril". Until it had been overcome, the Anglo-American entry into Europe in 1944 would have been impossible. John Terraine concentrates on the combatants themselves, both German and Allied, but does not overlook the three main factors in the equation - the political, the military and the technological, as well as the intelligence, the weapons and the devices both sides employed in order to outwit each other. He also focuses on the fighting men on either side, seeing the action from "where it was at".

The book chronicles the evolution of the Royal Air Force during World War II, detailing its transformation from a small, underprepared force in 1939 to a key player in the Allied victory by 1945. It covers significant events such as the buildup to war, the early challenges in France and Dunkirk, and pivotal battles including the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic. Additionally, it explores the RAF's contributions in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the strategic air offensive over Germany, highlighting its critical role in the European theater.

The Battle of Mons takes its place in the history of the British army beside Corunna and Dunkirk. Initially, all three were defeats, saved from disaster by the courage of the soldiers and the skill of some of the commanders in the field, and paving the way to great feats of arms and final success. In the context of the whole of the First World War, Mons was a small scale affair; comparatively short in duration, involving divisions rather than armies, and resulting in casualties that were light indeed by the standard of later battles of attrition. But, especially from the British viewpoint, its importance was crucial, partly because it was the first time for close on a hundred years that a British Army had been engaged in warfare on the continent of Europe, and partly because that army passed straight form the dejection of defeat to the exhilaration of the Battle of the Marne - one of the decisive battles of the War.

The poignant, deeply moving diary of a British officer who served in the trenches right through the First World War

Written by one of the most respected and readable historians of the First World War, this book tells the story of how after all the setbacks of the previous years, in 1918 the British Army conclusively defeated the Germany Army. For the weary Allies 1918 was truly the year of victory. First came the defensive victories of the British and the French against the last desperate offensive launched by the Germans in the spring. Then came the turning point of Foch's counter-offensive on the Marne followed by Haig's great attack on 8 August - 'the black day of the German Army' - the breaking of the Hindenburg Line and the pursuit of the Germany Army across the wasteland of war. This compelling and perceptive book gives honour where it is due: to a victorious British Army in 1918.

John Terraine is perhaps the most distinguished historian of the First World War. In this collection of fascinating essays he addresses a number of particular topics - among them the genesis of the Western Front, Lloyd George and his influence on the war, Haig, Plumer, the battles of Guise, Passchendaele and Amiens but his specially written introduction and linking passages give the book a remarkable unity and enable it to be read as a coherent whole. The author's lucid style stands out in making this book a model of accurate, well-argued and readable military history.