Lions and donkeys: 10 big myths about World War One debunked

[daftandbarmy]

Lions and donkeys: 10 big myths about World War One debunked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25776836

 

[Michael OLeary]

An interesting read along the same lines is Mud, Blood and Poppycock: Britain and the Great War

http://www.amazon.ca/Mud-Blood-Poppycock-Britain-Great/dp/0304366595

The popular view of the First World War remains that of BLACKADDER: incompetent generals sending brave soldiers to their deaths. Alan Clark quoted a German general's remark that the British soldiers were 'lions led by donkeys'. But he made it up. Indeed, many established 'facts' about 1914-18 turn out to be myths woven in the 1960s by young historians on the make. Gordon Corrigan's brilliant, witty history reveals how out of touch we have become with the soldiers of 1914-18. They simply would not recognize the way their generation is depicted on TV or in Pat Barker's novels. Laced with dry humour, this will overturn everything you thought you knew about Britain and the First World War. Gordon Corrigan reveals how the British embraced technology, and developed the weapons and tactics to break through the enemy trenches.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

An interesting read along the same lines is Mud, Blood and Poppycock: Britain and the Great War

http://www.amazon.ca/Mud-Blood-Poppycock-Britain-Great/dp/0304366595

Read the book a few years ago. Excellent read. Especially informative was the section that dealt with how court martials were conducted. Explodes the myth that the soldiers were just marched in, pronounced guilty and shot at dawn the next day.

 

[Sailorwest]

Interesting perspective in the article as we enter the centenary. I will need to read this book as I admit to knowing relatively little in depth about this war.

 

[a_majoor]

There was a show on the History Channel(?) several years ago which used re enactors with period kit and equipment recreating the conditions according to a British unit's war diary. While the incidents are no longer clear (I can't even remember the title of the show), the impression I got was the unit was well trained and well led by Great War standards, right up to the point they went "over the top".

The scale and scope of modern industrial war was far beyond what anyone had envisioned, and few people were prepared for the conditions that emerged. Even General Sir Arthur Currie needed quite some time to digest the lessons learned and devise means of preparing his Division, and later the Canadian Corps to deal with the conditions of trench warfare, then to shift to open warfare in the last "100 Days".

"The Myth of the Great War: A New Military History of World War I" by John Mosier presents some rather startling and controversial ideas about the Great War based on researching the French archives. The veracity of the authors claims can be disputed (by people better versed in the subject than I), but it certainly sheds light on the French part of the war.

 

[x_para76]

Lions and donkeys: 10 big myths about World War One debunked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25776836

Some really fascinating stuff! Thanks for posting!

:cheers:

 

[Jarnhamar]

Some really fascinating stuff! Thanks for posting!

:cheers:

Agreed. I love reading about WW1 and trench warfare.

 

[Sully]

This link was just shared on the PPCLI Association FB page. Some interesting newly recovered German photographs from the First World War:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576335/How-Germany-crucified-Hidden-100-years-astonishing-images-German-soldiers-haunted-spectre-defeat-paying-ultimate-price-captured-camera-one-brothers-arms.html

 

[MarkOttawa]

See also:

Forgotten Victory: The First World War: Myths and Realities by Gary Sheffield
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Victory-First-World-Realities/dp/0747264600

Mark
Ottawa

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

There was a show on the History Channel(?) several years ago which used re enactors with period kit and equipment recreating the conditions according to a British unit's war diary. While the incidents are no longer clear (I can't even remember the title of the show), the impression I got was the unit was well trained and well led by Great War standards, right up to the point they went "over the top".

The scale and scope of modern industrial war was far beyond what anyone had envisioned, and few people were prepared for the conditions that emerged. Even General Sir Arthur Currie needed quite some time to digest the lessons learned and devise means of preparing his Division, and later the Canadian Corps to deal with the conditions of trench warfare, then to shift to open warfare in the last "100 Days".

"The Myth of the Great War: A New Military History of World War I" by John Mosier presents some rather startling and controversial ideas about the Great War based on researching the French archives. The veracity of the authors claims can be disputed (by people better versed in the subject than I), but it certainly sheds light on the French part of the war.

I would be very careful using Myths of the Great War. I offered my comments on that a few years ago.