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Ghosts of Old Companions: Lloyd George's Welsh Army, the Kaiser's Reichsheer and the Battle for Mametz Wood, 1914-1916
Contributor(s): Riley, Jonathon (Author)

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ISBN: 1911628860     ISBN-13: 9781911628866
Publisher: Helion & Company
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Binding Type: Hardcover
Published: July 2019
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | Military - World War I
- History | Europe - Great Britain - General
- History | Military - General
Physical Information: 1.1" H x 6.8" W x 9.8" L (2.35 lbs) 350 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1900-1919
- Cultural Region - British Isles
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
The 38th (Welsh) Division was formed from the many thousands of Welsh volunteers in late 1914 and 1915 as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's New Armies - a force for the long war that he was the first to recognize. It was to be ready for battle in 1917. The Division subsequently carried out its training in Britain and embarked for France where it served numerous tours of frontline duty until summer 1916.

Mametz Wood village and the area around Fricourt village saw one of the few successes by the British Army on the notorious First Day of the Somme. BEF C-in-C Sir Douglas Haig decided to reinforce that success and attack again around Fricourt in order to seize the German second defense line at its closest point between Longueval and Bazentin. General Sir Henry Rawlinson, whose Fourth Army was to undertake the task, had little option but to assault the German positions frontally. He decided to do so between the Mametz Wood on the left and Trones Wood on the right. Initial attacks by other divisions on the night of 4/5 July resulted in the capture of preliminary objectives. The task of clearing the dense and seemingly impenetrable Mametz Wood was assigned to the newly arrived 38th Division.

What followed was a searing seven-day ordeal in dense undergrowth which, despite subsequent success, resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and the tarnishing of military reputations. Much reduced by casualties, 38th Division was relegated to the reserve with losses of between one-third and a half of its recorded fighting strength. As well as examining the story of 38th Division from its formation until the close of the Mametz Wood fighting, this volume also explores the German point of view by utilization of published regimental histories and personal accounts from the Lehr Regiment; Guard- Fusiliers; 9th Grenadiers; 122nd W rttemberg Regiment; and the 77th, 163rd, 183rd, and 184th infantry regiments. It also reveals new material concerning the forces involved, the almost forgotten 1915 Christmas Truce, Mametz Wood defenses and the casualties killed, wounded and missing sustained by both sides.


Contributor Bio(s): Riley, Jonathon: - Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley is a General Officer with multinational operational command experience at all levels from platoon to corps in theatres from Northern Ireland to the Balkans, the Gulf, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. General Riley has been awarded the DSO and NATO Meritorious Service Medal and is an Officer of the Legion of Merit of the United States of America. He holds the degrees of MA and PhD in modern history and has written numerous books. He is currently Visiting Professor in War Studies at King's College London, a member of the British Commission for Military History, and Chairman of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers Museum Trust.
 
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