First Ypres 1914: The Graveyard of the Old Contemptibles (Campaign 58)

Osprey's overview of the First Battle of Ypres of World War I (1914-1918). In the autumn of 1914 the original British Expeditionary Force faced a heavily reinforced German drive. Field Marshal Sir John French, the British Commander-in-Chief, had sent his men north in an attempt to take the fight into Flanders, so they could fight across open ground. History tells us that this was not to be the case. David Lomas chronicles the first of the trench-warfare battles, where lines that would remain almost static for the rest of the war were established. Although the Germans failed to reach the channel ports, the death knell had rung for the BEF, which was virtually wiped out in this brave defence. This volume covers the first of the trench warfare battles of World War I. In the autumn of 1914 the original British Expeditionary Force made its last stand, aided by French troops, against the advancing German army racing towards the French ports. On 29 September 1914, Sir John French, the British commander in chief, wrote to Marshal Joffre, his French counterpart, stating that he wished 'to regain my original position on the left flank of the French Armies.' Text By David Lomas; Battlescene Plates By Ed Dovey. Includes Bibliographical References.