World War I: Tales of the Trenches

In 1901, and in the 13 years that followed, the peoples of Western Europe and the English-speaking Americas were becoming consumers rather than warriors. Then the war came.

The armies of Europe were on the move. The coming of the war was greeted with enormous enthusiasm in the capitals of Europe.

Armies of Europe approached the change of history with enormous enthusiasm, as for each nation a cause was at hand.

In the first months of the war, there was plenty to observe with the Germans overrunning Belgium and advancing on Paris.

January 1916, the second year of the war. As the new year began, the Germans' strategic situation on all fronts had stabilized.

Through the course of 1915, the Kaiser's armies had advanced deep into Russia and had seemingly crushed the Czar's capability to mount any substantial counter-offensive.

In 1917, the area of Flanders east of Ypres was of great strategic importance. For the Allies, it was the gateway to breaking out of the stalemate in the north to retake Belgium.