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5 - 1917: Global war

from Part I - A Narrative History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2013

Jay Winter
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
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Summary

The year 1917 began an important transition on the battlefield. The battles of Cambrai, Riga and Caporetto represented the start of a shift from the infantry-based age of mass assaults to the mechanical, combined-arms approach that featured infantry working with aviation, artillery and armour in various combinations. This transition showed the fulfilment of the Industrial Revolution and its impacts on war. Nivelle's optimism was infectious among politicians who wanted desperately to believe that he had unlocked the secret to modern warfare. Douglas Haig, the British commander, had received discouraging reports about the French army, including some that suggested that French soldiers were demanding peace and refusing to salute their officers. Haig concluded that his long-desired offensive in Flanders offered the best way to draw the Germans away from the French and give his ally the time it desperately needed.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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  • 1917: Global war
  • Edited by Jay Winter, Yale University, Connecticut
  • Book: The Cambridge History of the First World War
  • Online publication: 05 December 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675669.008
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  • 1917: Global war
  • Edited by Jay Winter, Yale University, Connecticut
  • Book: The Cambridge History of the First World War
  • Online publication: 05 December 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675669.008
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • 1917: Global war
  • Edited by Jay Winter, Yale University, Connecticut
  • Book: The Cambridge History of the First World War
  • Online publication: 05 December 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675669.008
Available formats
×