Givenchy in the Great War: A Village on the Front Line 1914 - 1918 (Your Towns & Cities in the Great War)

Tomaselli, Phil

ISBN 10: 1473825504 / ISBN 13: 9781473825505

Published by Pen and Sword Military, 2017

About this Item

Seller Inventory # mon0003769053

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Givenchy in the Great War: A Village on the Front Line 1914 - 1918 (Your Towns & Cities in the Great War)
• Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1473825504
• ISBN 13: 9781473825505
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Includes dust jacket.

About this title

Synopsis

The village of Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée sits on a small rise in the Pas de Calais Department in northern France. One hundred years ago it was overtaken by the First World War. The fighting there was intense – eleven Victoria Crosses were won in this tiny locality between 1914 and 1918. Phil Tomaselli’s in-depth account shows what happened at Givenchy when it became a battlefield, and the story here was repeated in the other villages and towns on the Western Front.

Givenchy’s key position made it the target for crushing bombardments, infantry assaults and subterranean warfare. The landscape was pulverized by shellfire, the ground beneath was honeycombed with tunnels. Mining operations, shelling, sniping and trench raids took place around the remains of the village even when this stretch of the front line was relatively quiet. The grueling struggle of attrition that characterized the fighting on the Western Front continued here throughout the war.

Phil Tomaselli’s gripping narrative makes extensive use of war diary extracts, personal stories, official and unofficial histories.

About the Author

Phil Tomaselli has written extensively on military and family history and he has made a special study of the Western Front, in particular the decisive campaign of 1918. He has published many articles on aspects of army and air force history.