This book really brought World War I to life. I was surprised at how little I really knew about this war. This may be billed as a kid's book, but people of all ages will enjoy it. It's a great source for learning a lot about the war in a short period of time. The entire Eyewitness series is worth checking out.
... In war, human lives are like dust
as bullets and arrows fly with death.
The wandering ghosts, the lost souls
make the scene still more mournful.
There were children, just tiny things,
born in a bad time,
separated from their parents.
No one was there to hold them close.
Heart-rending were their infant cries.
-Nguyen Du (1765-1820)
During the start of the 20th century, the countries of Europe increased in hostility towards one another. Few imagined a continental war. Even now, few of us can even imagine such a war, let alone what happened on Sept 11th. It is horrifying to imagine that in fact, it could happen a third time and repeat itself with alarming frequency until the end of time. In this cycle of violence, it seems man will never learn how to achieve peace.
What this book does, is take a look at the devastating first-hand reports and contemporary photographs of the battles that slaughtered millions.
The contents include:
Divided Europe - Aggressive policies and arrogant behavior.
The Fatal Shot - Assassination on June 28, 1914
War in the West - Interesting picture of Christmas pudding that was
sent as a gift to soldiers in 1914
Fighting Men - How the lives of millions of men changed
Enlisting - See what a survival kit looked like
Digging in the Trenches -The philosophy behind how the trenches were constructed
is interesting.
Life in the Trenches - Dealing with rats, lice and mud
Ready to Fight - weapons used during raids
Communications and Supplies - missile messages and postal pigeons
Observation and Patrol - Artificial trees and barbed wire. You can see how
adaptations were made during the war for various reasons.
Bombardment - Body armor and shell power
Over the Top - Pictures of men leaving the trenches and tending to the wounded>
Casualty - 21 million wounded
Women at War - Supporting the troops
War in the Air - Aircraft guns and fighter planes
Zeppelin - Early in the war, airships could fly higher than planes so it
was almost impossible to shoot them down.
War at Sea - Life inside a U-Boat
Gallipoli - Tin cans made into grenades
The battle of Verdun - "What a bloodbath, what horrid images, what a slaughter. I just cannot find the words to express my feelings. Hell cannot be this dreadful." ~Albert Joubaire
Gas Attack - What happened if the wind blew in the wrong direction?
The Eastern Front - Why Russian soldiers refused to fight at some point.
War in the desert - Pictures of Lawrence of Arabia's rifle and shoes called "sand shoes."
Espionage - A short story of secret ink, invisible ink, button messages, Mata Hari, hidden messages in tin cans, army intelligence, pocket cameras.
Tank warfare - See inside a tank
The US enters the war - pictures of infantry equipment
Under enemy lines - Pictures of the most horrendous conditions
The Final Year - Timeline of the end of the war
Armistice and Peace - Read about the Peace Treaties
The Cost of the War - The reality of war = death. Pictures of memorials.
I think it is good for children to read this type of book to see where we have been and where we don't want to go again.