german army

4 articles

Sep15

1916Which monument in France is dedicated to all the men from the Tank Corps who fell during the Great War?

The Tank Corps Monument at Pozières, France, stands as a tribute to all the men of the British Tank Corps who fell during the Great War. Unveiled on 22 July 1922 by Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Morland, this memorial marks the site where tanks were first used in combat during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916, forever changing the nature of warfare. The monument features four scale models of original tanks and is uniquely enclosed by a fence made of genuine tank gun barrels and driving chains, a nod to both the technological innovation and the sacrifice of those who served. Today, it continues to draw visitors eager to reflect on its history and the dramatic impact of armored vehicles in World War I.

Aug13

1916What is the significance of Mouquet Farm, France to the Australian Imperial Forces in 1916?

Mouquet Farm, located just west of Pozières in France, became a crucial battleground for the Australian Imperial Forces during six weeks of intense fighting in 1916. The attempts to seize this German stronghold were seen as instrumental to the Allies' larger objective of capturing Thiepval, but despite mounting 19 separate attacks by three Australian divisions, the farm remained in German hands until later British advances. Over 50,000 Australians took part in the assaults, suffering more than 11,000 casualties specifically in the battles for Mouquet Farm. Now commemorated by a memorial plaque unveiled in 1997, the battlefield stands as a somber tribute to the extraordinary endurance and sacrifice of the Australian troops during the Somme offensive.

Aug4

1916Why is the soil in Pozières, France so important to the Australians?

The ridge at Pozières, France, is hallowed ground for Australians, marking the site of the windmill where some of the fiercest fighting of World War I’s Somme campaign took place. Between July and August 1916, Australian troops captured this crucial position from well-entrenched German forces in a battle that cost over 23,000 Australian casualties, with more than 6,700 killed or dying of wounds. The ground here was fought over so relentlessly that Charles Bean, Australia’s official historian, called it “a ridge more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth.” In a lasting tribute, soil from Pozières was mixed into the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier in Canberra in 1993, connecting the sacrifice on this distant battlefield to the heart of the nation.

Jun1

1775What was the first major battle fought by Americans in World War I?

The first major battle fought by American troops in World War I erupted in June 1918 at Belleau Wood, a dense forest near Château-Thierry, France, just 53 miles from Paris. This fierce, twenty-six-day clash marked the Americans’ debut on the Western Front and proved pivotal in halting the final German advance toward Paris, setting the stage for the Allied counter-offensive that would end the war. During the battle, U.S. Marines fought so tenaciously that the Germans nicknamed them "Teufel Hunden," or "Devil Dogs," a legacy still honored at Belleau Wood each Memorial Day. The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, at the base of the hill where the battle raged, now marks the graves of 2,289 Americans lost in the fighting, with the names of 1,060 missing inscribed inside its memorial chapel.