With conscription introduced, Zeppelins carrying out bombing raids on
key towns and cities across England, the Battle of Jutland seeing
fourteen British ships sunk and the Battle of the Somme claiming 20,000
British dead on the first day alone, the resolve of the British and
allied troops in 1916 was being sorely tested. The Great War
Illustrated 1916 is the third picture volume in this series that deals
exclusively with actions fought throughout the year on the Western
Front.
Split into five chapters, the authors begin with the British defeat at
Kut, showing photographs from British and Turkish perspectives
throughout the four-month campaign. The second chapter explores the new
technological advances made by both sides throughout the year including
new tanks, aircraft and guns. Photographs show the new equipment in
action on the battlefield as well as being manufactured on production
lines in the factories back home. We then turn to the Battle of Verdun,
one of the largest battles of the First World War, before exploring the
Battle of Jutland. Being the only full-scale naval clash of the entire
First World War, the two-day battle saw twenty-five ships sunk and over
8,000 men killed on both sides and the authors analyze the battle in
full detail, illustrating the ships that were involved and the men who
sailed upon them. The concluding chapter explores the infamous Battle of
the Somme, from the horrendous losses suffered on 1 July to the arduous
battle of attrition that followed thereafter. Split into sub-sections,
detailed analysis of the Australians, Canadians and British troops are
featured along with a final section showing winter conditions in the
area at the end of the year.
With over 1,300 painstakingly enhanced and restored photographs and a
thirty-two page full color section, the work within these pages
represents a real labor of love and offers the reader an exceptional
picture library of rare and unseen pictures that is easily accessible
for the general reader and military enthusiast alike.
