Bullecourt 1917 - 9780750981781

The story of the battles of Bullecourt and a tribute to the men who were there. In the spring of 1917 the Arras offensive was begun to break the stalemate of the Western Front by piercing the formidable German defences of the Hindenburg Line. In 'Bullecourt 1917', Paul Kendall tells the stories of the fierce battles, epitomising the direness of trench warfare, fought by three British and three Australian divisions. About 10,000 Australian and 7,000 British soldiers died, many of whom were listed as missing and have no known grave. Despite lack of tank and artillery support from the British, the Australian infantry valiantly fought their way into the German trenches. It took a further six weeks for British and Australian infantry to capture the village. This book tells the story of this bitter battle and pays tribute to the men who took part. Uniquely, Paul Kendall contacted many of the relatives of the combatants to gain new insight into those terrible events on the Hindenburg Line. AUTHOR: Paul Kendall was educated at Queen Mary and Westfields College, University of London, graduating with a BSc in Mathematical Science. He served as an Honorary Midshipman with the University of London Royal Naval Unit from 1990 to 1994. He is the author of the bestselling The Zeebrugge Raid 1918. As anyone who has read that book will know, his research is of another order. He lives in London. 350 b/w illustrations