Official History of The Great War: Military Operations France & Belgium 1918: Volume 2

New Edition with all Maps Reproduced in Full Colour. The Official History of the Great War was the grandest official history ever produced in Britain. Its purpose was to provide "within reasonable compass an authoritative account, suitable for general readers and for students at military schools." Due to the number of full-colour maps bound in each volume previous attempts to reprint this valuable reference ether floundered, or were produced with the maps in monochrome. At last the acclaimed work of the official cartographers who had ninety thousand maps at their command can be examined as they intended in full colour. This is part of a multi-volume work. 1918 is covered by five volumes plus one volume of appendices This second volume of the events of 1918 takes the story from 27th March up to and including 30th April. During these five weeks the German offensive on the Somme was brought to a halt in front of Amiens on 4th April. At this point Ludendorff switched his main effort to the Lys in an endeavour to seize Hazebrouck, the hub of the BEF communications. This attack, too, failed and Ludendorff broke it off on 30th April. The volume concludes with a very useful chapter of reflections in which the momentous events are analysed in some detail, including an account of the supersession of General Sir Hubert Gough, the commander of Fifth Army which bore the brunt of the first days of the enemy offensive. There are also very full notes on casualties and on ammunition receipts and expenditure.