'In the stage of the wearing-out struggle, losses will necessarily be heavy on both sides, for in it the price of victory is paid.' - Field Marshal Haig

The Battle of the Somme has become a byword for the cruel, relentless flinging of men across shell-torn and blasted mud against impregnable defences - our common perception of the First World War.

On the chalky, gently undulating land of the River Somme, the British Army sought a vital breakthrough. Preceded by a weeklong bombardment, the troops went 'over the top' on 1 July 1916 and walked to their deaths. For, scarcely affected by this massive shelling, the men of the German Second Army emerged from their deep shelters to scythe the advancing men down like so much corn. With 60,000 casualties on the first day alone, the scene was set for a protracted and bloody struggle until November l916, with British troops sent time after time against the enemy defences and German counter-attacks repeatedly made to retake lost ground. Five months of relentless attack advanced the line seven miles at a cost of a million casualties between the protagonists - more than 100 men for every yard gained.

This remarkable new book presents a detailed chronicle of the battle, day by day, unit by unit. Here it is possible to identify distinct stages in the whole battle and the changing tactics employed. A student of the Great War over many years, Chris McCarthy has achieved an impressive feat of research and record by tracing the actions, movements and fate of every unit involved in the five-month Somme conflict. He has done so down to individual trench level, recording the objectives of regiments and brigades along the Somme front and the results of their attacks - on a daily basis.

Coverage of each month of the Somme battle is self-contained, with an overall introduction to the fighting in that month, a list of regiments and corps involved on both sides of the lines and a breakdown of the individual battles for corps objectives that characterized the campaign. Each day begins with detail on weather conditions, corps involved in the particular battles, objectives, the regiments fielded and a brigade-by-brigade analysis of movements and achievements.

The day-by-day layout is illustrated by a fine selection of photographs, many previously unpublished and all carefully linked to show specific details of each month's fighting. Equally important, however, are the nearly fifty maps illustrating trench names, fortresses and strongpoints, jumping-off points, objectives and gains made. For the first time it is possible to read about the progress of a specific British brigade through reserve trenches, frontlines, no-man's-land and captured enemy positions and to trace that unit on comprehensive maps.

With an introduction by respected authority Peter Simkins, this fascinating book is a significant new approach to the conflict of 1916 and a practical guide for anyone wishing to see and understand how the battle evolved.

Hard-back book measures ~8-7/8" by ~11-1/8" (portrait); ~5/8" thick; 176 pages, no tears or folds. Book and dust-jacket are in fine to very-fine "UNUSED" condition.

The landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 represented the greatest amphibious operation carried out during the course of the First World War. What had initially been a purely naval enterprise had escalated to become a full-scale Anglo-French invasion, resulting in an eight-month campaign which Churchill hoped would knock Turkey out of the war. For a campaign that promised so much, it ultimately became a tragedy of lost opportunities. By January 1916, when the last men were taken off the peninsula, the casualties totaled 205,000.

This book tells the stories of the thirty-nine men from the Commonwealth and Empire armies whose bravery on the battlefield was rewarded by the Victoria Cross - the highest military honour - among them the war's first Australian VC, first New Zealand VC and first Royal Marine VC. Although the total is far smaller than the number awarded on the Western Front, it represents the highest number of VCs won in any other theatre of war. Thirteen went to the 'incomparable 29th', who carried out the main landing on 25 April. Six were awarded to a single battalion: the 'six VCs before breakfast' won by the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers. Not only do we learn of the heroic endeavours of these men at the height of the battle, but we also read of their lives before the war, and the impact the awards had on their subsequent careers. Albert Jacka became a hero in his native Australia and the exploits of 'Dick' Doughty Wylie and the submariner Martin Nasmith acquired legendary status in the hands of the popular press. Many were successful, but the lives of several others ended in tragedy.

The accounts of those awarded the VC, gleaned from diaries, letters and contemporary reports written by the recipients or eyewitnesses, most of which are previously unpublished, are arranged chronologically, so offering a new perspective on the course of the campaign. The book is also richly illustrated with over a hundred paintings, photographs and sketches.

Hard-back book measures ~7" by ~9-7/8" (portrait); ~7/8" thick; 264 pages, no tears or folds. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

In this unique contemporary bird's-eye view of the Western Front battlefields, aerial photographs are used to illustrate seven major battlefields of the First World War immediately before, during and after the action. These photographs, originally taken by the Royal Flying Corps to provide reconnaissance for the British Army on the Western Front, have been selected from the Imperial War Museum's 'Box Collection'. This unique archive of almost 100,000 photographic negatives comprises some 90 per cent of the official photo-reconnaissance coverage of the Western Front and it has remained largely unseen since 1918.

Neuve Chapelle, Loos, La Boisselle, Flers, Vimy Ridge, Cambrai and Amiens, are each described in a short narrative, highlighting significant actions and setting each battle within the context of the land war. The origins of air photography and the development of photographic interpretation in the First World War are also outlined. Each battle is illustrated with a selection of aerial photographs from the Box Collection to show the terrain and the defences, which are identified on the accompanying trench map.

This imagery is interpreted and annotated using the original prints to show the battlefield conditions on the day, pinpointing strongpoints, machine-guns, mortar positions and gun batteries. New intelligence interpretations have been provided by the author where appropriate.

The Western Front from the Air gives an exciting new perspective on the land battles of First World War, and as such will appeal to all with an interest in the war that shaped the twentieth century.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~7-7/8" by ~10-5/8" (portrait); ~1/2" thick; 130 pages, no tears or folds; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in fine to very-fine "NEW" condition.