With conscription introduced, Zeppelins carrying out bombing raids on key towns and cities across England, the Battle of Jutland seeing fourteen British ships sunk and the Battle of the Somme claiming 20,000 British dead on the first day alone, the resolve of the British and allied troops in 1916 was being sorely tested. The Great War Illustrated 1916 is the third picture volume in this series that deals exclusively with actions fought throughout the year on the Western Front.
Split into five chapters, the authors begin with the British defeat at Kut, showing photographs from British and Turkish perspectives throughout the four-month campaign. The second chapter explores the new technological advances made by both sides throughout the year including new tanks, aircraft and guns. Photographs show the new equipment in action on the battlefield as well as being manufactured on production lines in the factories back home. We then turn to the Battle of Verdun, one of the largest battles of the First World War, before exploring the Battle of Jutland. Being the only full-scale naval clash of the entire First World War, the two-day battle saw twenty-five ships sunk and over 8,000 men killed on both sides and the authors analyse the battle in full detail, illustrating the ships that were involved and the men who sailed upon them. The concluding chapter explores the infamous Battle of the Somme, from the horrendous losses suffered on 1 July to the arduous battle of attrition that followed thereafter. Split into sub-sections, detailed analysis of the Australians, Canadians and British troops are featured along with a final section showing winter conditions in the area at the end of the year.
With over 1,300 painstakingly enhanced and restored photographs and a thirty-two page full colour section, the work within these pages represents a real labour of love and offers the reader an exceptional picture library of rare and unseen pictures that is easily accessible for the general reader and military enthusiast alike.
