The First Battle of the Marne 1914

The First Battle of the Marne 1914: the French 'miracle' halts the Germans (Campaign 221) by Ian Sumner, artwork by Graham Turner (Botley, Osprey, 2010; ISBN 9781846035029)

The First Battle of the Marne, 6-10 September 1914 - the battle that saved Paris and prevented the defeat of the Entente powers in the first few weeks of the First World War. Includes orders of battle and detailed descriptions of three key actions in the battle.

'Good value Osprey book with some excellent photos and illustrations and an okay text. Maps are good too!' Bluecap on amazon.co.uk

'This is a very interesting account of the campaign and battle, the detail is good and the maps are helpful.' Gareth Simon on amazon.co.uk

'Essential to a better understanding of Western Front history.' The Midwest Book Review on amazon.com

'This 96-page book documents the origins of the campaign, followed by a brief chronology. Then the opposing commanders and the forces at their disposal are detailed ... Hobbyists will discover diorama ideas in this good book’s great mixture of period photographs and full-color illustrations. Especially notable is one of the plates by Graham Turner depicting one of the battle’s iconic moments when French reinforcements rushed to the front embarked from a column of 6,000 Parisian taxi cabs.' Toy Soldier & Model Figure (August 2011) on amazon.com

'This is one of the best battlefield tour books I have ever read. It receives an A+ in all departments - historical background, then and now photos, maps, unit organizations, etc. ' Jefferson Morgan on Amazon.co.uk

Kings of the Air: Clément Ader

This is the first of a series of biographical sketches based on the research I am doing for my new book Kings of the Air: French aces and airmen of the Great War , to be published by Pen & Sword. Clément Ader (1841-1925) was a French inventor, whose attempt at heavier-than-air flight some years before the Wright brothers was so nearly successful. Ader had a restless mind, and his inventions covered a wide range of fields. In 1868, he began as a velocipede manufacturer. Instead of conventional iron tyres, his machines used a rubber tubular tyre of his own invention, resulting in a much lighter frame, and a much more comfortable ride. The war against German in 1870 brought an end to his work. He then began working for a railway company in the south-west of the country, the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Midi. In 1875, he designed an engine that laid rails, that saw service for several years. He then turned to the new telephone, commercialising the inventions

The real Rintintin

No. No!! Yes. Rintintin's on the right. Obviously. In 1913, the artist Francisque Poulbot created two characters, two typical children, named Nénette (the girl) and Rintintin (the boy). The drawings were turned into dolls, intended to replace the dolls in French shops that were 'Made in Germany'. While they had some popularity before war broke out, their production suffered because of the war. The characters were revived four years later, following the publication of Encores des gosses et des bonhommes: cent dessins et l'histoire de Nénette et Rintintin , published by Editions Ternois. 'Everyone loves and adores us. You can find us amongst the finest amulets, the hand of Fatima, four-leaved clover, golden pigs, scarabs, the number 13, and white elephants. ... We are the most fashionable good-luck charm, triumphing over back luck.Keep us round your neck, on your watch chain, on your bracelet, in your pocket, on the wind

The French Army at Verdun

The French Army at Verdun (Images of War series) (Barnsley, Pen & Sword, 2016; ISBN 9781473856158) In four and a half years of fighting on the Western Front during the First World War a few battles stand out from the rest. They had a decisive impact on the course of the conflict, and they still define the war for us today. For the French, the Battle of Verdun, fought between February and December 1916, was one of the greatest of these. That is why the selection of contemporary photographs Ian Sumner has brought together for this volume in the Images of War series is so important and revealing. They show the strained, sometimes shocked faces of the soldiers, record the shattered landscape in which they fought, and give us an insight into the sheer intensity of the fighting. At the time, and ever since, the battle has been portrayed as a triumph of French tenacity and heroism that is encapsulated in the famous phrase ‘They shall not pass’. These photographs rem

Ian Sumner

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