The Devil's Own War
The Devil's Own War

Author: Herbert Hart

Publisher: Exisle Publishing

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 0908988222

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The first (hardback) edition of this book sold out before its official publication date, and public demand has been so great that a paperback edition will now be published.Brigadier-General Herbert Hart landed at Gallipoli on 26 April 1915, commanded the Wellington Battalion during the closing stages of that campaign, then served as a battalion and brigade commander on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918. Throughout the war he kept a diary, in which he recorded his experiences in the great battles on Gallipoli, the Somme and Passchendaele.Hart's diary is now widely regarded as one of the most important personal sources relating to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Exceptionally well written, it includes gripping descriptions of both combat and life behind the front line and on leave in France and United Kingdom. While Hart can appear quite detached at times, he is also a very human observer of the events around him, understanding the plight of his men, finding humour in the most unlikely situations and noticing unexpected details at moments of high tension.As a first-hand account of life in the firestorm of World War One, The Devil's Own War is hard to beat.

Pillars of Fire
Pillars of Fire

Author: Ian Passingham

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-02-29

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 075248365X

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'Gentleman, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography.' So said General Plumer the day before 600 tons of explosives were detonated under the German position on Messines Ridge. The explosion was heard by Lloyd George in Downing Street, and as far away as Dublin. Until 1918, Messines was the only clear cut Allied victory on the Western Front, coming at a time when Britain and her allies needed it most: boosting Allied morale and shattering that of the Germans. Precisely orchestrated, Messines was the first true all-arms modern battle which brought together artillery, engineers, infantry, tanks, aircraft and administrative units from a commonwealth of nations to defeat the common enemy. So why is its name not as familiar as the Somme, Passchendaele or Verdun? This book examines the battle for the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge from the British, ANZAC and German perspectives. Illustrated with archive photographs and maps, it is a major contribution to our understanding of one of the seminal battles of the First World War.

Echoes of Gallipoli
Echoes of Gallipoli

Author: Lieutenant-Colonel Terry Kinloch MNZM

Publisher: Exisle Publishing

Published: 2015-07-27

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1775592324

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The battles on Gallipoli in 1915 were crucial in making New Zealand the nation it is today. The huge sacrifice of life has affected the country for generations, and our annual formal remembrances on Anzac Day have become increasingly important. It is twenty years since the full story of Gallipoli was last told in book form. Now a new book will add significantly to our understanding of the events of 1915 on the Gallipoli penisula.Terry Kinloch tells the story with the help of members of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, who emerged from Gallipoli battered and depleted, but with reputations enhanced. He has thoroughly researched their letters and diaries, and cleverly interspersed their eyewitness comments into his text. The result is a book that reads with the immediacy of actually being there. It is a fresh way of telling history, and one that is sure to find a response among New Zealanders today. The full story is here: the call-up, the sea journey, camp in Egypt, the eventual arrival in Gallipoli, all the battles and skirmishes that were fought there, and finally the remarkable evacuation several months later.

Gardens of Hell
Gardens of Hell

Author: Patrick Gariepy

Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.

Published: 2014-05-15

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 1612346839

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Gardens of Hell examines the human side of one of the great tragedies of modern warfare, the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War. In February 1915, beginning with a naval attack on Turkey in the Dardanelles, a combined force of British, Australian, New Zealand, Indian, and French troops invaded the Gallipoli Peninsula only to face crushing losses and an ignominious retreat from what seemed a hopeless mission. Both sides in the battle suffered huge casualties, with a combined 127,000 servicemen killed during the action. Patrick Gariepy has pieced together the battle from combatantsÆ own words. Drawn from diaries and letters and from stories passed down through generations of families, these firsthand accounts offer an honest, heartfelt, and sometimes painful testimony to a doomed campaign fought by the men who lived through the fury, terror, and grief that was Gallipoli. Gardens of Hell is a sensitive acknowledgment of the enormous human cost of military folly and failure.