The Americans have always had a reputation for going big, and this trench mortar is a good example of the philosophy. Trench warfare was a constant grind, and artillery support and the lighter Stokes mortar needed to be supplemented by heavy mortars to attack enemy trenches. This mortar fired a 180-lb projectile at ranges between 600 and 2500 yards. The mortar’s task was to attack protected positions, stretches of trenches and even the first rank of the enemy gun line. Complete detail with many illustrations.

The origin of this compendium is unknown - it is a collection of 100 line drawings of tanks from around 1916/17 to perhaps 1920. The drawings are all on linen paper, and are oversized: this has meant they have had to be reduced in many cases by varying amounts. Nevertheless the detail they give of early British tanks (especially the Mark V and variants) is remarkable, and even for non-tank readers they are too interesting to miss.
A full sized set of these drawings can be made available on request.

[In German] This German manual covers the Feldkanone 96 (with many beautiful drawings) and the Field Howitzer 98, as well as their respective limbers and carriages. It also gives details of the field observation equipment issued, and of German transport wagons and shell. Handling instructions for the guns are given. There are instructions on observation equipment and signals and field engineering. Fully illustrated.

This is the user manual for the British 60-pounder gun (including A and B guns) Marks I to I**. It covers the gun itself, the carriage, sights, limbers, wagons, ammunition and packing. It is illustrated with 37 black and white line drawings and photographs.

Impressed with the tactical lessons of the Boer War, the British Army reformed its doctrine and training from 1899 to 1914, deploying a combat ready force, the “Old Contemptibles” of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in 1914. Because of these changes, the BEF played a crucial role in Belgium and France in 1914. This is an analysis of the effect of those changes.

As the title states, this is the official history of the Canadian Forces in the First World War. A very reliable piece of work with typescript footnotes and appendices, but the main text is printed in the usual way. Of great value in seeing the war from the point of view of Dominion troops.

The Cavalry Regiments of the British Army were held in high regard before the First World War and their training was to a high standard. This is one of the last training manuals issued before the First War and covers all aspects of the training for drill, ceremonial and war. It includes dismounted actions, riding training, training the young horse and all aspects of military equitation.

This manual first appeared just as the British Army was facing the German invaders in France and Flanders, and laid the groundwork for the subsequent entrenchments which ran from the Channel coast southwards in which the troops lived for nearly for years. It covers, with ample illustrations, hasty and deliberate entrenchment, shelters and cover trenches, concealment, communications and obstruction. The diagrams are plentiful and completely clear and it is a recommended text.

The Ordnance QF 18 pounder was the standard British field gun of the First World War. It formed the backbone of the Royal Field Artilleryduring the war, and was produced in large numbers. It was also used by British and Commonwealth Forces in all the main theatres, and by British troops in Russia in 1919. Its calibre (84 mm) and hence shell weight were greater than those of the equivalent field guns in French (75 mm) and German (77 mm) service. It was generally horse drawn until mechanisation in the 1930s. This is the 1917 amended edition of the 1916 manual for the gun.

This is a record of one man's personal experiences in tanks in the First World War. Although written in the third person, it is a detailed account of the training of tank crews in 1916-1917 and of two tank operations in which the author took part. The interest lies in the contemporary character of the narrative and the details it gives of the training and warfare in tanks at this early stage of their development. Not to be missed.

This is the full text of the maintenance manual for the Mark IV tank of the First World War, and covers general and field maintenance. Especially important are the sections on engine and track maintenance. With nine line drawings. Originals are extremely rare.

This is a collection of circulars issued at the Senior Officer's School in Aldershot up to 1917. It includes a list of the Staff and of the participants in the Second Course. It is full of exercises for COs and much valuable practical information which would help them in their job as battalion commanders in France. Highly recommended to all students of the First World War.

This manual was composed using the British War Office notes and reports on the subject; some diagrams have been updated in accordance with intelligence received. It is the vade mecum of trench warfare as seen from the Brtitsh point of view. It covers both defence and attack, but the main part is concerned with the actual construction of trenches - trenches in which the war was fought for over three years. Although the trenches were dug, reinforced and camouflaged - producing the new phenomenon of "the empty battlefield" - the reader cannot avoid the conclusion that this element of the First World War had not progressed since the days of the castle siege.Recommended to all students of th First World War. 

This is a comprehensive manual on all shell from 3.7 to 42cm used by the Germans (including Minenwerfer projectiles) and includes the 1917 amendments and addenda. It gives details of each type of shell in all calibres, and a line drawing of most showing the exterior and interior of the projectile. Many of the drawings are coloured with the German colour scheme. An invaluable reference manual for all artillery specialists on World War One.

This pamphlet aimed to give US officers some detailed fore-knowledge of trench systems and why they had developed. It is an important document in that it covers both the basic level - trench construction, dug-outs, wiring - but also the tactics involved in assaulting trenches, the occupation of craters, and the concept of defence in depth. Well illustrated and compiled from British notes on the subject.

The Stokes 3-inch Trench Mortar became the British 3-inch mortar (and eventually the 81mm mortar). These two pamphlets give a complete description of the weapon, its ammunition and its use. Interestingly the weapon was issued with an antiaircraft sight, which begs the question as to how the mortar was elevated/traversed against a quite fast moving aerial target. Of importance in tracing the development of the mortar as opposed to the German Minenwerfer which was a more substantial and heavy piece of equipment, little suited to mobile warfare, whereas the Stokes was a more moveable object.

This manual may well have been a draft for future Field Service Regulations for the German Army. It is a compilation of tactical papers and experiences during the First World War. The Paper is extensive and comprehensive, and covers single arm and combined arms tactics. Its far reaching coverage was to form the basis of the combined arms tactics of the German Army in the Second World War. Further study of the development of the Blitzkrieg theory can be read in other inter-war publications in our book list, especially Führung und Gefecht der verbundeten Waffen (see German Language Publications). 

This is a reprint of the Mark V tank maintenance manual, printed and published by the British Army in France in 1917. It includes 23 sketches to illustrate the instructions, and is, like our recent publication of the maintenance manual for the Mark IV, a reprint of a very rarely seen book.

A really good reader on the early days of the tank, its design and its use in battle. The author includes many battlefield descriptions of the use of the early tanks and the way in which they developed both during the First War and immediately afterwards. This is a worthwhile addition to any library.

This extremely rare manual was issued in 1916 to the then Royal Flying Corps (later the Royal Air Force) and covers the technical aspects of engines and aircraft in service in 1916. Engines include the Gnome, Beardmore, Curtiss 90 h.p., and the Rolls Royce Aero 250 h.p., and others. The aircraft include the Maurice Farman Short- and Longhorn, the type C Bristol Scout, the Vicker's Fighter and the FE 2B as well as others. Technical data is given and the aircraft are illustrated with line and rigging drawings. Also included are instructions for changing the air observation camera. Altogether a fascinating manual which is extremely rare.