The Great War: 100 Years Ago

This article tries to explain some of why the Great War was so deadly.  While some horrors like poison gas were relatively new, the main cause of death on the battlefield was the same explosive and bullets as had been in use since 1650, only new… more »

One issue for civilians such as myself studying the Great War is understanding the meaning of military terms found in the original literature of the era.  One of the most important terms for tracking the movement of armies across Europe is the idea of a… more »

The French Army of 1914 was a large structure consisting of 5 field armies (numbered 1-5) made up of 21 field corps (including 1 corps of colonial soldiers numbered I to XXI).  A corps was usually 2 divisions, while an army would add 2-3 reserve… more »

The British Expeditionary Force arrived in France on 4 August, 1914, with a force of 2 Army corps, each made up of 2 infantry divisions with support units, and an array of cavalry units.  Although supposedly based upon experience during the Boer war, in… more »

Of all the events that could be called instrumental in the start of the Great War, the Franco-Prussian war was one of the main causal factors that made at least a limited conflict between Germany and France a possibility. In 1870 the second French… more »