About this item
To many it would later seem as if the rule book of war had been torn up and thrown away. World War Iis usually characterized as a static war of attrition, but by its end a new doctrine of fire and movement emerged, with the squad as the key tactical unit, marking a fundamental shift in methods of warfare. As late as March 1918, assault detachments used these tactics to destroy the British 5th Army and take 50, 000 prisoners. Stephen Bull traces the development of German storm tactics in the context of trench warfare waged with new technology: vastly improved machine-guns, super-heavy artillery, flamethrowers, and gas. The legend of German stormtroops has proved powerful and enduring. They were central to Blitzkrieg, and Hitler styled them as elite soldiers - living examples of Nietzschean supermen.
About the Author
Museum curator and university external examiner Dr Stephen Bull studied at the University of Wales, and worked at the BBC and National Army Museum in London, and as Curator of Military History and Archaeology for Lancashire County Museums. He has completed an MBA, and been elected Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Published in a variety of languages both sides of the Atlantic he has been listed for both the Portico Prize for Literature and the Templer Medal. Stephen's on screen credits include the ZDF series 'Club to Cannon', also 'Combat Machines' 'Battlefield Detectives', 'Instruments of Death', 'WW2 Most Daring Raids', 'Antiques Road Trip' and the BBC 'One Show'. His book of the Channel 4 series 'Last War Heroes', is available in North American, UK and Norwegian editions. The series took Canadian Screen Award for 'best history' under its US title 'D-Day to Victory'. A consultant to the University of Oxford, Stephen has assisted in the creation of a European database to document the individual experience of the First World War through archives, photographs, and objects. The photograph shows Stephen (right) with Lorenz Andraes at the German National Library, 'DNB', Frankfurt. For additional titles and European orders please see also the author page on Amazon.co.uk See also Stephenbull.co.uk
