What are /r/wwi's favorite Products & Services?

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In the Field, 1914 - 1915. Here you will find the (free audio book) short memoir of a French light cavalryman at the beginning of the war. You will find the free print version on Project Gutenberg.

It really would depend. Some trenches were worked on for years and were very complex. I've heard it said that the Germans were better at building trenches, at least in the earlier years.

You might find this book of interest.

Here's the link to the first episode up on iPlayer. If you are having trouble viewing it because you live outside of the UK try installing Media Hint on your browser.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/69819644/postcards-from-the-trenches

This is one of two exhibits in America that will commemorating the centennial of WWI and will be displaying this beautiful postcards.

If you can, try to find a library or cheap used copy of The Outbreak of World War I (6th ed., 1997), edited by Holger Herwig for the Problems in European Civilization series. While it is not the most current work available on the subject, it is nevertheless a wonderful collection of very accessible essays about the leading theories where the war's origins are concerned. This volume, like others in the same series, is especially focused on providing details to the newcomer about not just the history of the events being discussed, but also about the ongoing controversies and debates over those events.

This is a short volume indeed, but it packs more value per page than any other I've seen on the subject.

I'm sure earlier editions of it will be fine as well; you can get a copy of one from 1991 for $1.27 here, currently, but do check your library!

I'm listening to recording of Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War by Max Hastings. (It's very good.)

Anyway, I think Max Hastings said that he worked on this documentary as an intern, or something similar.

Funny line:

>I was paid £10 per week, which was at least £9 per week more than I was worth.

Amazon link.

I have not read it. Does he thoroughly address and refute other theories of World War One? I would find that interesting. Thanks for the book recommendation!

I'm a bit late in replying to this, but I'd like to add to the already excellent suggestions in this thread by recommending <em>The Outbreak Of World War I</em> from the 'Problems in European Civilization' series. It's edited by Holger Herwig, who is one of the leading scholars of the German and Austro-Hungarian experience of the war, and it contains a variety of amazing essays from him and other scholars that examine the many ongoing historiographical debates about how the war began. This volume won't tell you in blunt terms how it all happened, but it will give you amazingly valuable insight into the disputes that still exist about that subject. It's terrific, accessible, and relatively short; I cannot recommend it enough.

Anyway I have no personal connection to Loos. It just happened that I read Loos 1915 by Nicholas Lloyd ~6 years ago. I don't even remember why I picked up that book of all the books there are on ww1 battles. It is excellent though and I can really recommend it.

Another great source for information on Loos is of course the Official History (Belgium & France 1915 vol II, IIRC). It has several chapters on Loos. Most books you will find on Loos will mainly be based on those chapters (and its maps). The same can of course be said for every ww1 battle involving the BEF.

It was the biggest battle the British army had ever had up to that point. I believe the biggest one before that was Waterloo? Anyway it was huge, but Wikipedia can tell you all about that.

Anyone with a more personal connection perhaps?

I didn't want to seem too self-promotional. Here is the link, includes description. Here you go

Fantastic book to read on the subject: A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East.

If anyone’s interested in learning more about the assassination, and was a fan of Death of Stalin, I wrote a short comedy novella about the kids who ended up assassinating him and it’s all (very nearly) true!

https://www.amazon.com/Kid-Who-Shot-Archduke-Novella-ebook/dp/B08WWZD6NV

Check it out if you want!

"A Century of Twenty-Four Hours":

10 November, 1918:

The Great War, the "War to End All Wars" will end, tomorrow. At the Front, the Armistice would remain clouded in rumour until only a few hours before the Cease-Fire was to go into effect.

For the past three months, constant and bloody scraps have forced the Germans out of the old Front Line; it had been a Hundred Days viciously at the heels of a stubborn enemy; one determined to not give any ground without a fight.

Sergeant Felix Strachan, King's Own Canadian Scots Regiment, in command of a distant Observation Post wants nothing more than to keep the rest of his depleted Platoon alive to reach an end finally within sight.

Over the hours remaining, Felix will be forced to risk losing everything to get everyone through just one more day.

"Living Just One More Day is Victory Enough"

Get your free E-book from Saturday (PDT) until Wednesday.

Link

If only your great-grandfather could tell stories today! As indicated by the uniform, was a member of the Eiserne Division in the Baltic. He's wearing a wartime Litewka uniform.

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiserne_Division

Here is a photo of an officer of the Division, Hans Tröbst:

https://www.amazon.de/Grenzschutz-Ost-Abenteuer-Kapp-Putsch-Soldatenleben-ebook/dp/B01C7UW3ZA

(Sorry for the fact that is an Amazon link, it is the best I can do on mobile.)

Very neat piece of family history!

Poilu is an excellent first-hand account, rare because it comes from a common French soldier rather than an aristocratic officer.

I thought one of the most enlightening books for me was 'with our backs to the wall' https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Backs-Wall-Victory-Defeat/dp/0141020792/

I've read every tactical book I can find, numerous biographies and autobiographies but this one goes into such detail, the industry that turned moving supplies from their factories to the front line etc made such a difference. The war wasnt just won from the front line and I think the book really gives sufficient insight to change most perceptions.

There is a mountain of books on WWI. It's the birth of the modern world, and there has been a lot said about it, and I am sure you will get a lot of suggestions here . Most people wonder about the cause. You could spend years reading only about this, but recommend two: Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August and Christopher Clark's Sleepwalkers. Tuchmann's is definitely a classic and definitely old, Clark's is definitely controversial. To Tuchmann, the German government is the one pushing forward, seizing what it sees as an opportunity for gain: but there's very little about the Serbs and the Balkans where , after all, things started. Clark focuses on the Serbs, Bulgarians, Austrians, Russians...but rather neglects the whole question of German opportunism. Together, they are a pretty good illustration of how much debate there is about the matter, and how it's not likely to be settled.

For what the war itself was like for those who actually fought it, there's a small collection ( maybe a distillation?), of memoirs and first-person accounts of British soldiers who went through it: Denis Winter's Death's Men. It's small enough to easily fit in a pocket and be carried around Ypres.

There are also a lot of downloadable books over at Project Gutenberg, some written in the midst of the war, that can give you an idea of the spirit of the time. Two that, well, I just like are of two cartoonists, Bruce Bairnsfather and "Fougasse" (Cyril Kenneth Byrd). When you get tired of grim accounts, sometimes you just want to look at comic pictures....

Just a regular map to understand the movements and the cities that they talk about. I noticed a free audiobook version, but I can't remember the name of the site. Hang on, I remember now. Go to Librivox and search for it.

For those who would like to read this, but are not fortunate enough to have a physical copy, Project Gutenberg has an e-book, and Librivox has an audio book. Looks like a quick read, too.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14044

https://librivox.org/the-angels-of-mons-by-arthur-machen/

You're lucky: if it was leather, you would be facing corrosion problems from the oleic acids. But since it's canvas, it's easy to conserve: keep it dry, keep it out of the sun or any intense UV sources, and keep it from heat- don't keep it someplace like a hot attic.

By the way, Anson Mill's memoir My Story is over on Project Gutenberg . He had a varied career, and so it's actually a pretty decent read. He seems to have come up with his namesake ammo belt while a cavalry commander out west just after the Civil War, after his unit was issued breech loading carbines that took the new metallic cartridges. The cartridges rattled around noisily in the tin-lined belt boxes used for muzzle- loader paper cartridges, and so Mills had the resident harness maker sew up the new belts.They seem to have been a money-maker for him throughout his life. As Steinbeck would say, not riches but rent.

Absolutely! Issue #1 (of 6) out now. Available to read on website (https://groupof7comic.ca/comic/page-1/) or purchase digitally (https://gumroad.com/l/RDfJz). Print edition arrives in a week or so. Get in touch () if interested. Issue #2 currently in production. Hope to have preview available soon.

Hello, I'm a bot! The movie you linked is called The Wipers Times, here are some Trailers

This isn't a book, but it is a great dramatization of the Christmas Truce with great music. I listen to it every year at Christmas. https://smile.amazon.com/All-Calm-Christmas-Truce-1914/dp/B08QDZJB38/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HH8FHKCFFV61&amp;keywords=all+is+calm+the+christmas+truce+of+1914&amp;qid=1636998719&amp;sprefix=all+is+calm+1914%2Caps%2C190&amp;sr=8-1

I don't think it's what you're looking for, but check out The Illustrated War News on Project Gutenberg. I'm too inept to link directly because there are brackets in the actual link.

There's also this page on there.

And I highly enjoyed All Quiet on the Western Front, but it seems like you already did too.

Just watched the first one and I am just firing up the second episode. How great was the actor playing Kaiser Wilhelm? The scene where he sniffed his wooden desk was hilarious.

I'm also really looking forward to Crimson Field airing this Sunday.

If you (or anyone interested!) still needs a link to stream 37 Days, just shoot me a PM! If your friends want to catch something on iPlayer (unfortunately 37 Days has been taken down) tell them to try installing MediaHint first.

The 4th picture instantly made me think of the book called World War I, the definitive visual guide by historian Richard Overy. I recommend reading it if you happen to be interested in WW1 battlefields and important innovations that changed the way wars are fought to this day.

Which Edition is this? He tend to adjust this Book between the different reprints with significant differences betweenthe different Editions, based on the surrounding political climate. There is a good "definite" edition with comments (but only in German), in which all these variants were compared and analysed: https://www.amazon.de/dp/3608939466/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_FJF5FbD30BSMB

According to "Bloody Red Tabs" https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Red-Tabs-Casualties-1914-1918-ebook/dp/B00ONZQ8HW

During the course of the war, 78 British and Dominion officers of the rank of Brigadier-General and above were killed or died during active service, while another 146 were wounded, gassed, or captured. (from wikipedia)

He also wrote this book which is well worth reading.:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1473821703?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=u3409u3232-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;creativeASIN=1473821703

Read The Last Cruise of the Emden. It goes into detail about the battle but specifically how a German warship escapes the port pursued by Australians and British and how the crew manages to get back to Germany. It’s an absolutely incredible true story that will have you rooting for the Emden.

The Last Cruise of the Emden: The Amazing True WWI Story of a German-Light Cruiser and Her Courageous Crew https://www.amazon.com/dp/1585743828/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_E8lEFb2793R0E

Yeah, actually, I keep these Coghlans waterproofs in mine.

[Trench Warfare 1914-1918: The Live and Let Live System](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trench-Warfare-1914-1918-System-Strategy/dp/0330480685) It is an unusual book in that it tells of all the ways that protagonists tried to *avoid* killing each other. Truces were often daily & routine events. Most commonly at breakfast time! A very heartening read and quite humorous.

&quot;Ghosts Have Warm Hands&quot; by Will R. Bird provides a starkly frank memoir from the point of view of an ordinary Canadian Soldier.

I also went to great lengths to ensure the story and character's combat experiences within &quot;Killing is a Sin&quot; was as authentic as possible.

Holger Herwig - Germany and Austria Hungary 1914-1918

Read this (The First World War) in a class on WWI -- short and occasionally witty.

https://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Illustrated-History/dp/0140024816/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=

I don't know if the sub has a problem with Amazon links -- I guess I will find out: https://www.amazon.com/Argonne-Metz-1914-1918-Michelins-illustrated-battle-fields/dp/B001R6732O

There is one for Ypres too -- found a reference for it when looking about.

Sorry for the late reply and I'm on mobile so I have to keep it sort of short

Seven Pillars covers just the Arab revolt. He was an extremely complex and (after the war) deeply troubled man and it sort of comes through in his writing. Pillars also varies widely in its style depending on of he was writing about combat or not, or something that had a deep impact on him.

Hero (and every biography I would imagine) covers his whole life, which was as varied and as exciting as the Arab Revolt. He was an archeologist in the middle east, went to Oxford, bicycled around France and the Middle East cataloging castles from the crusades (his book Crusader Castles is still one of the best on the topic https://www.amazon.com/Crusader-Castles-T-Lawrence/dp/019822964X ), after the war, directionless he enlisted in the RAF under a false name and also wrote a book about that, famous for being a lot rougher and dirtier than anything else he had ever wrote (https://www.amazon.com/Mint-T-Lawrence/dp/0224008056)

So context helps a lot with Seven Pillars. He's the most complex and fascinating man I've ever read about.

I'm late to the party, but check out A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin. An epic novel told from the perspective of an Italian soldier.

I would recommend Fear by Maurice Chevalier. He was a French infantry soldier and and wrote this novel from the heart.

You know he experienced everything in this book. I believe it was even banned at some point because of the effect it had on people's perception of war.

http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Novel-World-Review-Classics/dp/1590177169

My book, Angel of the Somme, is set in a base hospital during the Somme offensive.

Phenomenal translated book of the journal of Louis Barthas! Check it out on Amazon

Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914-1918 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0300212488/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_QvdNvb4YC2HNY

A lot of WWI histories give it passing attention, if any. I find it perhaps the most interesting theater of the war. It encapsulates the insanity of the times better than even the Western front. The book The White War is a must read imo.

I had to read this for my last semester.

http://www.amazon.com/Origins-First-World-War-Revised/dp/1405874317%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-d-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1405874317

To Conquer Hell- Its about the Meuse-Argonne offensive and is pretty well written. It does a nice job of showing the individual accounts while detailing the overall movement.

http://www.amazon.com/To-Conquer-Hell-Meuse-Argonne-Battle/dp/0805089152

in italy is called "under two flags" as he fought during the war for the austrian army and later in the czech legion in italy.

http://www.amazon.it/The-Great-Wars-Forgotten-Front/dp/0880333979 this seem to be the english version

Sadly theres not a whole lot of cheap and widely available options. Theres

Aces High: http://www.amazon.com/ACES-HIGH-Western-Front-1914-1918/dp/B002DO9LPQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1376265505&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=Aces+high+alan+clark

Online for free theres this site: http://www.wwiaviation.com/index.html , although this lists aircraft and tells you there role.

Most information I learned was from vigorous internet research. Although I own many books on the topic, they always concentrate on the scouts of the war, and not the recon or bombers.

but Aces High I recommend.

Did a bit more research, and came across a very positive review for Carriers of Culture in African Studies Review.

Also, my google-fu seems to be strong, because I found this portion of this book that provides useful information and cites further articles.

Have you watched Lew Ayres' 1930 version of "All Quiet on the Western Front"? You'll want to go fetal after the last scene. I've seen a couple other movies try to emulate the closing scene, but nothing else comes close.