News & Events:  Recent Books & Media Publications

This page will list recent and upcoming publications (books and other media) that could be helpful to battlefield tourists.  If you have any knowledge of publications that should be included, please contact Randy Gaulke.

 

Video:  Beneath Hill 60.  An Austrailian DVD covering the underground war fought by a group of Queensland miners beneath Hill 60 in the Ypres Salient.  The DVD was scheduled for release in April, 2010.  The webmaster is not sure whether the DVD is available, or from whom it can be ordered.  Any details are appreciated.  http://www.beneathhill60.com.au/

Book:  Faith in the Fight:  Religion and the American Soldier in the Great War by Jonathan Ebel.  Published by Princeton University Press.

Book:  The Long Way Home:  An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War by David Laskin.  Traces the lives of a dozen immigrants from Europe to the U.S., back to Europe and back to the U.S. for the nine that survived.

New Website coming on 15 October 2009:  The War Untold:  Remembering the First World War Through the Stories of Those who Served.  WW1 collector and battlefield tourist, Andrew Pouncey, is unveiling his website on 15 October.  It will tell the stories of various soldiers through the artifacts that Andrew has collected over the years.  www.waruntold.com.

Follow up DVD:  The Search for The Stand:  The Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke, Jr.  Author Stephen Skinner and his crew produced this DVD, which tells of their efforts to recreate the last flight and battle of Frank Luke just outside Murvaux, France.  Playing time is roughly one hour.  It is the webmaster's opinion that, for all but the most ardent lovers of Frank Luke, this DVD will suffice to the the story.  The DVD and the Quest can be ordered directly from Stephen Skinner at http://www.indysquadron.com/thestandfrankluke/index.html.

The Quest:  A Companion to The Stand:  The Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke, Jr.  A book that covers much the same information as the DVD.  However, it does contain several historic photographs surrounding Luke's military aviation career and the German-held village of Murvaux.

The Stand:  The Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke, Jr.  Stephen Skinner, Schiffer Military History, Atglen, PA, 2008.  In this 260 page mammoth work, author Stephen Skinner recounts Lt. Frank Luke's pre-military and military life, as well as the events of Luke's last flight on 29 September, 1918.  Mr. Skinner has spent the better part of 15 years researching the topic and trying to track down as much information about Frank Luke as possible; and he uses his research to tell the story of Frank Luke as accurately as possible and to dispel many of the myths and exaggerations that have developed over the years.  While an excellent piece of research, the book's size could drive away all but the most fanatical aviation historians or individuals who want to read a biography about one of America's greatest aviation heroes in the war.  In the end, the author emphasizes that "what made him remarkable among thousands of aviators on both sides of the front lines" was that "Frank Luke was special because he refused to allow himself to be absorbed by the institution.  Every military arm of every nation in every era has had the same fundamental mandate--to mold men into hundreds of thousands of tiny cogs working in unison to fulfill the ambitions of the state...He refused to surrender his individuality to the institution."  (pp. 211-12).  The book can be ordered from the publisher or from most booksellers.

Militärgeschichtlicher Reiseführer:  Lothringen und Elsass.  Markus Klauer, self-published, 2009.  This is Markus' second military history travel guide.  It focuses specifically on the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine, which includes the Department of the Meuse.  The book can be ordered from Markus at a price of €31,95 plus postage from his website:  Militaergeschichte zum Anfassen.  Markus speaks German, English and French.

Le Fantassin Allemand, 1914-1918.  Jean-Claude Laparra & Pascal Hesse, Historie & Collections, Paris, 2008.  (French text.)  This is not a book about the Meuese-Argonne.  Rather, it shows the every day life of the German infantryman through a collection of pictures and artifacts that most readers don't have in their collections.  As of October, 2009, the book was able to be purchased at www.amazon.com

To Conquer Hell:  The Meuse-Argonne, 1918.  Edward G. Lengel, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2008.  While not a true military history, author Edward Lengel skillfully tells the story of the American offensive in late 1918 by selecting individual stories from the individual soldiers involved, weaving a tapestry that shows the enormity of the battle.  Whether the reader is state-side, or sitting in his car in a small village in France, the author brings the events to life for the reader.

American Battlefields of World War I:  Château-Thierry--Then and Now.  David Homsher, Battlefield Productions, San Mateo, California, 2006.  I have not seen a copy of the book yet, but after corresponding with David for several years, I believe that this 304-page labor of love will cover that battlefield in great detail.  He was advertising a pre-publication special of $34.95 through December 31, 2005.  Interested readers should contact David at www.battlegroundpro.com.

Major & Mrs. Holt's Concise Illustrated Battlefield Guide:  The Western Front -- South.  Pen & Sword Books, London, 2005.  I just received this book, and have had little time to read it in depth.  It appears to have good general sections on the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel Salients--the two portions I've looked at--especially for an English book.  However, most of the sites described appear to be the well-known preserved areas or sites marked by a monument.  If you really want to get into the details of a very specific area--such as the exact location in which Capt. X captured a German trench--you're still going to have to consult the various divisional histories.  When I purchased my copy, it was not yet available in the U.S.  I easily ordered my copy through www.amazon.co.uk.  I would guess this will change in the near future.

La face cachée:  Empreintes de l'armée allemand.  (The Hidden Face:  Traces of the German Army)  Jean-Luc Kaluzko, Frédéric Radet and Gérard Dalmaz, YSEC Éditions, France, 2005.  This is a great new edition of an already-fabulous (French) book that appeared in 2000 by two of the three authors.  It documents, using 250 photographs, the remaining traces of Germany's occupation from the Argonne to the St. Mihiel Salient.  The new version also has a CD ROM with about 2,000 additional photographs.  At a price of 29,50 Euros (before postage) it is expensive, but worth it.  My only complaint:  It is of limited use for battlefield visitors, because the locations of most of the photographs are not revealed in detail.  However, the book does document what one can still see--if one knows where to look--of the German occupation of this part of France during the war.  It can be ordered from the following website:  www.ysec.fr.  Google can help you translate the webpage.

 

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