Following the early battles of 1914 along the Marne and in the Ypres salient, World War I rapidly changed from a war of movement into one of attrition, with the opposing sides entrenching themselves in a line of fortified positions from the Flanders coastline to the Swiss border. This volume details the different styles of fortification used on the Western Front throughout the course of the war, from the early ditches of 1914 to the complicated systems of 1918. It explains the development of the 'defence in depth' German system and the British reaction to it, as well as illustrating the importance of the pre-war forts, particularly around Verdun.

Following the early battles of 1914 along the Marne and in the Ypres salient, World War I rapidly changed from a war of movement into one of attrition, with the opposing sides entrenching themselves in a line of fortified positions from the Flanders coastline to the Swiss border. This volume details the different styles of fortification used on the Western Front throughout the course of the war, from the early ditches of 1914 to the complicated systems of 1918. It explains the development of the 'defence in depth' German system and the British reaction to it, as well as illustrating the importance of the pre-war forts, particularly around Verdun.

This is a compilation on the subject of trench warfare fortifications as taught by three national Armies - French, German and American. It is intended to be a companion volume to British Trench Tactics, 1917-1918 and is designed to give the enthusiast and scholar some idea of field engineering tasks on the Western Front during the Great War. The contents show the often similar but sometimes unique approaches to the art of trench warfare by the various armies. The book is made up of three parts, each part page-numbered separately, and there are hundreds of diagrams/drawings depicting trenches, earthworks, gun emplacements, MG posts, bomb-proof and other shelters, barbed wire entanglements along with detailed instructions on how to build them or prepare them.Part I: Notes on Field Fortifications (French Army). 274pp. Part II: The Construction of Field Positions (Stellungsbau). 67pp. This is taken from the German publication "Manual Of Position Warfare For All Arms" and was issued by the Prussian War Ministry in 1916, classified SECRET and endorsed "NOT TO BE TAKEN INTO THE FRONT LINE"It was translated from the German and issued by the (British) General Staff in May 1917.(Evidently someone did take it into the front line!)Part III: NOTES ON THE CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT OF TRENCHES, APRIL 1917. 102pp plus five plates of diagramsThis was issued by the War Department, Washington and circulated under a covering letter dated May 16, 1917.Part III: Notes on the Construction and Equipment of Trenches April 1917

The regular armies which marched off to war in 1914 were composed of massed riflemen, screened by cavalry and supported by artillery; their leaders expected a quick and decisive outcome, achieved by sweeping manoeuvre, bold leadership and skill at arms. Eighteen months later the whole nature of field armies and their tactics had changed utterly. In sophisticated trench systems forming a battlefield a few miles wide and 400 miles long, conscript armies sheltered from massive long-range bombardment, wielding new weapons according to new tactical doctrines. This first of two richly illustrated studies explains in detail the specifics of that extraordinary transformation, complete with ten full colour plates of uniforms and equipment.

"The First World War scarred an entire generation at the beginning of the twentieth century ... This book offers a simple guide to the war, looking at the events and the people who took part, through what was the setting for so much of the carnage; the trench. The trenches and the trench system along the Western Front in particular, were the killing fields. They formed a vast line of fortifications that locked the opposing armies together in a static, 400 mile zigzag of conflict from the channel coast down to the French border with Switzerland. Using his own diagrams and illustrations, ... Yorke explains the architecture of the trenches, with their command posts, tunnels, machine gun nests, duck boards and sleeping billets. There are chapters to explain tactics, weaponry and daily life ... special features on the introduction of new weapons of war, such as tanks, early aeroplanes and the first use of poison gas. The political events are described in basic outline, but there is a chapter on the legacy of the war's aftermath. There are summaries of the major battles and there is information about special places to visit in France and Belgium, including key museums, battle sites and memorials"--Back cover.

On October 29, 1891, the new forts built around the cities of Li_ge and Namur, known as the "Forts of the Meuse," were turned over to the Belgian Army. The huge project, which had begun in 1888 and cost 71.6 million Belgian Francs, required over 9,000 workers to complete. It produced 21 modern forts that could defend the strategic rail, river, and road arteries passing through narrow gaps to the flat, open plains of Flanders. The Forts of the Meuse were the creation of General Brialmont, one of the foremost military engineers of his time. The development of new and more powerful artillery meant that Brialmont's forts were made of concrete, featuring underground barracks, storerooms, and guns protected in revolving steel turrets. In August 1914, the German Army attempted a quick crossing of this area in order to reach France, but it took them 12 days to destroy the fortresses, with the 30,000 Belgian troops putting up a valiant fight. Containing maps, diagrams, and photographs taken from private collections, this book explores the design, development, and influence of the "Forts of the Meuse," and highlights the importance of their role during the opening battle of World War I.