BATTLEFIELDS
Battlefields profiles the sites of 22 famous battles. Most have been officially preserved, feature interpretive facilities and evocative memorials to the bravery of the fighters and the fallen, and are served by battlefield tour companies. All these sites are accessible, fascinating and safe to visit today, bringing to life the personalities and tactics that decided the outcomes of these engagements.
The authors provide concise accounts of key phases of the battles, based on extensive research and first-hand experience of the battlefields, and explore the influence of the terrain on the outcome of each battle. Detailed cartography, exacting 3D illustrations and photographs and period artwork help to bring these historic encounters to life.
This tribute to an unidentified American soldier who died in the D-Day assault was placed on the shell-blasted shore of Normandy after the invasion.
Although vulnerable to artillery fire, tanks helped the infantry to cross otherwise impenetrable barbed wire, and provided cover and close supporting fire to an advance on foot. Photograph taken in Flanders.
First published in 2006 by New Holland Publishers
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Copyright © 2006: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd
Copyright © 2006 in text: individual authors
Copyright © 2006 in maps: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd
Copyright © 2006 in illustrations: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd
Copyright © 2006 in photographs: individual photographers and/or their agents as listed on page 160
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and the copyright holders.
eISBN 978 1 60765 354 7
Consultant editor Michael Rayner
Publishing managers Claudia dos Santos & Simon
Pooley Commissioning editor Simon Pooley
Concept design Geraldine Cupido
Designer Nathalie Scott
Production editor Anna Tanneberger
Illustrator Steven Felmore
Cartographer John Loubser
Picture researcher Karla Kik
Production Myrna Collins
Reproduction by Resolution, Cape Town
Printed and bound in Singapore by Tien Wah Press (Pte) Ltd
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Sari Bair by Terence Cuneo. Major Allan-son leads a battalion of the 6th Gurkha Rifles against the Turkish-held Sari Bair ridge in support of ANZAC units.
Contents
INTRODUCTION BY MICHAEL RAYNER
Jena and Auerstädt October 1806
First Bull Run (Manassas) July 1861
Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift January 1879
Gallipoli February 1915 – January 1916
Assault on Fort Vaux, Verdun June 1916