Independent | Eco-friendly | Up to 75% off

Lys Offensive

April 1918

Andrew Rawson
By April 1918 the Western Front was becoming more ragged, and there were incursions on both side. This is a detailed account, with numerous maps, of the BEF and French forces’ defensive battle following Operation Georgette, in which German forces made a powerful advance towards Armentières – action that provoked Field Marshal Haig’s exhortation to the troops to fight to the death with their ‘backs to the wall’.
Postscript description
Read full publisher description

RRP £19.99

£10.99

✓ In stock

Free UK delivery on orders over £25

Product information:
  • Publisher: Pen & Sword
  • Year: 2018
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 216pp
  • Illustrated: Yes
  • Dimensions: 240x162mm
  • ISBN: 9781526723369
  • Condition: New
  • Weight: 0.6kg
Product code:
537368
Product information
Full publisher description
This is an account of the British Expeditionary Force s defensive battle in Flanders during April 1918\. It begins with the planning for Operation Georgette, the second German offensive of the year. The attack on 9 April penetrated up to 6 miles on a 20 mile wide front across the Lys plain but further attacks resulted in the evacuation of the town of Armenti res. For three weeks First Army and Second Army fought to stem the onslaught as GHQ struggled to find reserves to help them. The situation became so desperate that Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig had to issue his famous backs to the walls order on 11 April. Reinforcements stopped the Germans reaching Hazebrouck rail centre but they could not stop them reaching Bailleul. The French helped stem the tide but the battle climaxed with the loss of the Kemmelberg and the Scherpenberg, the two highest hills in Flandees. Each stage of the battle is given equal treatment, with detailed insights into the most talked about side of the campaign, the British side. Fifty maps chart the day by day progress of each corps on each day. This is an insight into the BEF s experience during this campaign.
The men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the advances, those who stopped the counter-attacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the Cambrai campaign and learn how the British Army s brave soldiers fought and died fighting to achieve their objectives.
Read full publisher description
Reasons to shop at Postscript

Independent bookseller
Established in 1987, we’ve been sharing reading recommendations for decades.

Books you won’t find elsewhere
Discover new authors among our frequently changing bookshelves, along with almost-forgotten gems and a wealth of unusual titles you won’t find elsewhere.

Eco-friendly packaging
Orders are carefully packed in recyclable cardboard boxes, eco-friendly bubble wrap and solvent-free labels, paper and tape.

Condition and price
All our books are new, unused and unread, and they’re all up to 75% off RRP.

FREE monthly catalogue
Featuring over 400 handpicked titles, our unique catalogue is carefully curated and includes new and unusual titles, special features and exclusive collections.

Email newsletters
Our tailored newsletters are written by our booksellers, and we always highlight the books that we have talked about most in the Postscript office.

Footnotes blog
Some books spark ideas and conversations that our catalogue can’t contain – our Footnotes blog offers a deeper dive into a wealth of topics to inspire further reading.

Aftercare
We are all serious book people and we understand the value of reading. This is why we package our books so carefully and employ a helpful in-house customer services team to promptly resolve any queries you may have.

Delivery information - FREE UK delivery on orders over £25

UK

Free UK standard delivery on all online orders over £25

Flat rate for all standard delivery orders: ‬£3.00 (3-5 working days)

Flat rate for Next Day orders (orders must be placed before 1pm, Monday–Friday): ‬£4.50

Flat rate for all Royal Mail Tracked48 orders: ‬£5.50 (2-4 working days)

Standard delivery‭: ‬3-5‭ ‬working days‭ (‬Highlands and Islands 5-7‭ ‬working days‭)‬

Next day delivery‭: ‬Available all UK excluding Highlands and Islands

Collect your order from a local shop – prices and delivery times as above

Overseas

All orders‭: ‬delivery costs for orders outside the UK are based on country of destination and product weight.

You can view your overseas delivery cost using the Summary section within the Basket‭.‬

For more information on delivery/overseas orders please refer to our Delivery Information.