First World War

The Escape of the Goeben and Breslau, August 1914

The presence of these two ships in the Mediterranean at the opening of the First World War gave the Germans a dangerous advantage. Their escape to the Dardanelles, writes David Woodward, had a manifold influence on Allied strategy.

The Battle of Guise, August 1914

The successful Battle of Guise, fought by the French Fifth Army, among many misunderstandings with their Allies and between their own commanders, was an essential prelude to the Battle of the Marne, on which the fortunes of the First World War so largely turned. By John Terraine.

The Battle of Jutland, Part II

The second phase of the Battle of Jutland was dominated by Jellicoe's resolve to renew the action and Scheer’s determined and successful efforts to escape. By Geoffrey Bennett.

The Battle of Jutland, Part I

The first news of the Battle of Jutland in 1916 startled the British public, who had looked forward to an emphatic victory at sea. Geoffrey Bennett asks, what exactly happened in the course of this momentous and controversial engagement?

Mutiny at Kiel

At the close of the First World War, writes David WoodwardGerman Sailors were the forerunners of general revolt against the imperial system.

The Lansdowne Letter

In November 1917 a former Foreign Secretary, Lord Lansdowne, startled the British public by suggesting negotiable peace terms in the midst of war. By Harold Kurtz.

Monash: Australian Commander

Admired by Haig and Lloyd George, General Monash was one of the most capable commanders on the Western Front during the First World War, writes John Terraine.

Scapa Scuttle

Under the terms of the Armistice, writes Geoffrey Bennett, the ships of the German High Sea Fleet were interned and not surrendered. Hence they were manned by their own crews, who eight months later were able to carry out “an act of treachery.”