| Synopsis: |
After the first few months of World War I, the Western Front consisted of a relatively static line of trench systems which stretched from the coast of the North Sea southwards to the Swiss border. To try to break through the opposing lines of trenches and barbed wire entanglements, both sides employed huge artillery bombardments followed by attacks by tens of thousands of soldiers. Battles could last for months and led to casualties measured in hundreds of thousands for attacker and defender alike. After most of these attacks, only a short section of the front would have moved and only by a few kilometres. After Gallipoli, Australians were moved to fight in France on the Western Front, in battles including the Battle of the Somme. On the first day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme, there were 60,000 Allied casualties, including 20,000 deaths. For most of World War I, Allied Forces, predominantly those of France and the British Empire, were stalled at trenches on the Western Front.With the aid of numerous black and white and colour photographs, many previously unpublished, the History of World War I series recreates the battles and campaigns that raged across the surface of the globe, on land, at sea and in the air. The text is complemented by full-colour maps that guide the reader through specific actions and campaigns. |