The Battlefields of the First World War: the Unseen Panoramas of the Western Front

Here are the great battlefields of the First World War as you have never seen them before, from the first cavalry skirmishes, through the horrors of the Somme and Passchendaele, to the final weeks of conflict. A revelatory, unique collection of panoramic photographs covering the whole of the British sectors of the Western Front, end to end. The vast battlescapes are interspersed with poignant individual photographs and the recollections of the soldiers caught in the action. This new edition of the acclaimed volume features 30 recently discovered German panoramas, plus a new DVD that includes 60 extra panoramas making a total of 300 panoramas in interactive form; as well as updated mapping throughout.The last time most of the panoramas were viewed - in the trenches - they were marked Top-Secret and destined for the eyes of the commanding officer only. Taken at huge personal risk by specialist photographers during the war, the panoramas reveal what no other photographs can - the view beyond the trench parapet - and a great deal more.Each panorama offers a view of up to 160 degrees, so sharply focused that the individual figures of a waiting sniper or a soldier picking lice from his shirt can be made out. They document a lost world. What they reveal challenges almost all of our existing perceptions of the 'war to end all wars', and the nature of the landscape of battle. As well as vistas of tortured pastures and seas of mud, they show churches still standing, sandy beaches, and fields of flowers. In many, there is little evidence of war at all. There are indeed desolate scenes but, above all, these photographs now reveal that for much of the time the war was waged in a real and recognisable landscape.

About the Author :
Peter Barton is a historian, archaeologist and film-maker. He authored The Battlefields of the First World War after researching the forgotten Imperial War Museum panorama archive for eight years. His other books include The Somme, and Passchendaele. He continues to lead an ongoing project to recover, interpret and publish all surviving battlefield panoramas. Barton has also led several major excavations on the Western Front, and produced the critically acclaimed documentary films The Underground War, The Soldiers' Pilgrimage and Conviction. He is secretary of the All Party Parliamentary War Graves and Battlefields Heritage Group.

Review :
""The Battlefields of the First World War" reveals a new vision of the landscapes upon, above and beneath which millions of men lived, toiled, fought and died on the Western Front. Unique, unseen panoramas of the world's most sumbolic battlefields, from Ypres to the Somme abound in this spectacular visual chronicle of World War I. The addition of the German panoramas to "The Battlefields of the First World War" constitute a significant new piece of evidence in our understanding of the Great War and add even wider general and military history appeal." -Savannah Jones, "SirReadaLot.org" (January 2009) "A review of this book does not do it justice. It simply has to be seen to be truly appreciated. This entire book is highly informative and should be considered by all with an interest in this area." -Timothy Baghurst, "The Traveler" "Peter Doyle is a scientist and military historian specializing in the role of terrain in warfare, and Peter Barton is an archaeologist, historian, and filmmaker; both have authored previous books on World War I. Their latest venture, "The Battlefields of the First World War: From the First Battle of Ypres to Passchendaele "(Osprey, 978-1-84529-884-5) was eight years in the making, and the effort and expertise show... Most of the panoramas look much the same dozens of blasted landscapes where millions died but as Barton explains how they were produced and used, their very sameness offers eloquent testimony to the stalled nature of trench warfare. In fact, the book amounts to a concise chronicle of the Western Front, from 1914 s race to the sea to the ever-more-elaborate fortifications that doomed the armies to murderous stalemate right up to the last offensives of 1918." -Peyton Moss, "ForeWord Magazine" (September/October 2009) ""The Battlefields of the First World War" reveals a new vision of the landscapes upon, above and beneath which millions of men lived, toiled, fought and died on the Western Front. Unique, unseen panoramas of the world's most sumbolic battlefields, from Ypres to the Somme abound in this spectacular visual chronicle of World War I. The addition of the German panoramas to "The Battlefields of the First World War" constitute a significant new piece of evidence in our understanding of the Great War and add even wider general and military history appeal." -Savannah Jones, "SirReadaLot.org" (January 2009)"