The Great War, Part 143, 12 May 1917

Front Cover, The Great War Magazine - Part 143: The Standard History of the All-Europe Conflict, May 12th, 1917.

Front Cover, The Great War Magazine - Part 143: The Standard History of the All-Europe Conflict, May 12th, 1917. GGA Image ID # 181e93b166

(World War 1/One) Edited by H. W. Wilson.

Table of Contents

  • Editorial - The Great War
    By H. W. Wilson and J. A. Hammerton, Editors
  • The Intervention of the United States of America
    By Edward Wright
  • Leaders of American Option: Ministerial Secretaries, Ambassadors, and Army/Navy Chiefs When the United States Declared War on Germany, 6 April 1917.

The present Part of The Great War contains the major portion of Mr. Wright’s chapter narrating the events which culminated in the intervention of the United States in the world-conflict. As we intimated in our notes last week, it pays generous tribute to the practical statesmanship of President Wilson, to whom something less than justice has been accorded generally in this country hitherto.

The Unwisdom of "Aristocratic Reserve"

This of itself gives the chapter a particular value; but, in addition, there are some, shrewd criticisms of other men and their methods, and some running comments on synchronous events which well repay consideration by thoughtful people.

Among these may be mentioned the criticism of the attitude of aristocratic reserve so steadfastly maintained by the British Government towards the Government of the United States while German chicanery and intrigue were yet at the height of their pernicious activity throughout the length and breadth of North and South America.

In the light' of the event it appears that the President himself was not repelled by the former any more than he was influenced by the latter; but, nevertheless, the lesson would seem to be that a more generous frankness would have conciliated the many and diverse interests in the United States, and would have prevented much misunderstanding between the people of the greatest Empire and the greatest Republic the world has ever known. And misunderstanding is as perilous to international friendships as it is to married happiness.

MR. BALFOUR'S masterly dispatch, sent to the British Ambassador in Washington with the text of the Allies' statement of their purpose in continuing the war, was the first frank advance made to take the United States fully into the confidence of the Allies.

Its effect was immediate. Let us hope that his visit to the United States—in process of being paid while these notes are still in the press—will finally clear the atmosphere of the last thin mists of misapprehension that might hinder and embarrass the perfect co-operation of the two Great Powers.

Italy’s Great Part in the War

Far too little has been written in the British Press about the wonderful achievements of Italian arms. Indeed, we have occasionally detected, in certain quarters, a disposition to be a little querulous in this matter, and the question "What is Italy doing?" has been heard before now.

Italy is doing and has done a very great deal to help the allied cause forward to victory. Without Italy’s assistance the end would have been further off than it is today; without Italy’s sacrifices for liberty and civilization the barbaric hosts would have had a tighter grip of Europe than they hold.

From time to time we have published in The Great War interesting records of the various stages in Italy’s progress towards her great objective, and on the conclusion of Mr. Wright’s chapter dealing with the Intervention of the United States, Dr. James Murphy, the brilliant war correspondent, who has a more intimate knowledge of Italian life than any other British writer, and who, at the invitation of the Italian Supreme Command, has seen much of the mountain fighting, will contribute a most interesting and valuable chapter on "The Great Battle of the Carso."

Importance of the Carso Battle

British readers have only a vague idea of the gigantic effort put forth by Italy in this mighty and successful attack upon lier ancient enemy.

The Battle of the Carso was not, in the numbers of men and quantities of material involved, so vast an affair as the titanic Battle of the Somme, but it must be ranked among the greatest achievements of the Western Allies, and probably only second in importance to the Battle of Verdun in its ultimate result.

Dr. Murphy has gathered together with masterly skill all the threads that go to make the story of this historic affair, and he has woven them together so clearly that for the first time British readers will have an opportunity, in the course of a single chapter, of gathering a really just and abiding idea of the character and significance of Italy’s wonderful struggle on the stony uplands of the Carso.

It will be accompanied by several maps, specially drawn in our own geographical department from new material, and will be illustrated with numerous splendid photographs specially supplied to Dr. Murphy by the official photographic department of the Italian Supreme Command. In every sense a most noteworthy chapter, to which our readers may eagerly look forward.

A Provisional Subject Index

With the beginning of another volume of The Great War we have again been approached by appeals for an index. These applications come from readers who, having bound their volumes, find them, as they are good enough to say, invaluable for reference when tracing the course of operations in the progress of the war.

As we have explained before, a full and elaborate index is in course of preparation ; in fact, it has been completed' to date ; but for many reasons it would be inadvisable to publish it in parts.

For one thing, we prefer that each issue of The Great War should contain the maximum of reading matter and illustrations. Meanwhile, however, to help our readers as. much as possible, we shall print in our next issue, for temporary use, a succinct guide to the contents of the eight volumes already published.

On page iii. of our cover in the following week we shall give a subject index of the chapters devoted to the various theatres of war in Volumes I. to VIII.

We shall follow this with an analysis of all the numerous maps, plans and charts in the first eight volumes according to battle areas, and shall also publish a complete list of the numerous valuable and original maps included in these eight volumes.

Publication Data

13 vols. published from 1914 to 1919. Original burgundy cloth with black lettering and decor on covers, gilt and black lettering with decor and publisher's device on spine. Most volumes with colored or decorative endpapers.

  • Volumes 1 + 2. Book 2: Published 1915.
  • Volumes 3+4 Book 3: Published 1916
  • Volume 5. Book 4: Published 1919
  • Volumes 6+7. Book 5: Published 1919
  • Volumes 8+9. Book 6: Published 1918
  • Volume 9 (cont.), 10 + 11. Book 7: Published 1919
  • Volume 11 (cont.) + 12. Book 8: Published 1919
  • Volume 12 (cont.) and 13: Published 1919

Comprehensive work illustrating the British view of the First World War on some 6,800 pages. Includes eyewitness stories of striking incidents throughout the field of operations. Extensively illustrated with more than 10,000 reproductions of striking b/w photographs, including portraits, paintings and drawings, maps, panoramas and photogravure plates. "The greatest war of modern times, and perhaps in the whole history of the human race, was begun by Germany using the crime of a schoolboy in Bosnia as her excuse. On Sunday, June 28th, 1914, a student named Prinzep shot and killed the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the thrones of Austria-Hungary, and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, in the streets of Sarajevo." The most complete and finest contemporary history of W.W.I.

About the Publisher

The Amalgamated Press was a British newspaper and magazine, considered to be the British counterpart of the French newspaper "L'Illustration," the first French newspaper to publish a photograph in 1891. It was founded by the journalist Alfred Harmsworth in 1901 and expanded rapidly to combine as many publishing ventures under one banner. It was sold to the Mirror Group in 1959 and renamed Fleetway Publications undergoing various changes until it was reorganized under the name IPC Magazines.

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