Showing 241 results

Microfilmed copies of the manuscript diaries of FM Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, 1914-1919, and letters to his wife Dorothy Vivian Haig, Aug 1914-Mar 1919. Included in the papers are passages relating to the formation and composition of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), under the command of FM Sir John Denton Pinkstone French, July 1914; Haig's reaction, as General Officer Commanding 1 Army, British Expeditionary Forces in France and Flanders (BEF), to the British retreat following the First Battle of Ypres, Dec 1914; plans for the British offensive at Loos, Jul-Sep 1915; correspondence with FM Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum and Broome, relating to the French's command of the Artois-Loos Offensive, Sep 1915; correspondence with Gen Sir William (Robert) Robertson, Chief of General Staff, relating to the proposed increase of British fighting forces in France, Oct 1915; the dismissal of French and the succession of Haig as Commander-in-Chief, British Armies in France, Dec 1915; Haig's recommendations for Lt Gen Sir Henry Seymour Rawlinson as his successor as General Officer Commanding 1 Army, Dec 1915; correspondence with Rt Hon Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane of Cloan, relating to Haig's appointment to Commander-in-Chief, British Armies in France, Dec 1915; orders from Kitchener to Haig concerning proposed Allied offensives in France and liaison with French Gen Joseph Jacques Cesaire Joffre, Jan 1916; letter from Robertson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, to Haig relating to possible British offensives in the Balkans, Iraq and Germany, Jan 1916; discussions with Gen Sir Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, General Officer Commanding 2 Army, British Armies in France, relating to possible British offensives at Ypres, Jan 1916; the German offensive at Verdun and the resultant requests by the French General Staff for a British relief offensive from Ypres to Armentières, Feb 1916; alleged incompetence within 2 Canadian Div command, Apr 1916; discussions with Robertson, Maj Gen Sir Launcelot Edward Kiggell, Chief of General Staff to British Armies in France, and Brig Gen Richard Harte Keatinge Butler, Deputy Chief of General Staff to the British Armies in France, relating to the proposed offensive at the Somme (Jul-Nov 1916), May 1916; Haig's instructions to Rawlinson, General Officer Commanding 4 Army, British Armies in France, regarding the proposed limited infantry attack on the Somme, Jun 1916; Haig's reaction to British Cabinet criticism of British casualty figures during the Somme offensive, Jul 1916; analysis of German casualty figures during the Somme offensive, Nov 1916; Haig's reaction to replacement of Rt Hon Herbert Henry Asquith, Prime Minister of Great Britain and First Lord of the Treasury, with Rt Hon David Lloyd George, 1916; Haig's reaction to replacement of Joffre as Commander-in-Chief of the French Armies with French Gen Robert Georges Nivelle, 1916; Haig's promotion to FM, 1917; supplies and manpower required for proposed British and French combined Nivelle offensive, 1917; Haig's reaction to German withdrawal to defensive positions along the Hindenburg Line, 1917; Haig's reaction to Calais Conference proceedings, in which combined British and French command council is proposed, 1917; Haig and Robertson' s veto of Gen Sir Henry Hughes Wilson as proposed British Chief of Staff liaison to Nivelle's Headquarters; the re-organisation of the Allied command structure as a result of the Calais Agreement, 1917; the failed French offensive at Aisne, Apr 1917; plans for the Passchendaele Campaign (Jul-Nov 1917) and the choice of General Hubert (de la Poer) Gough's 5 Army as the main British assaulting force, 1917; Haig's fears of a French civil and military collapse, 1917; conference with Gen John Joseph Pershing, Commander-in-Chief American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, Jul 1917; severe criticism levelled at Haig concerning his command of the Passchendaele Campaign, Jul-Nov 1917; Haig's reaction to the establishment of the Inter-Allied War Supreme War Council at Versailles, France, and the posting of Wilson as its British representative, 1918; Robertson's replacement as Chief of the Imperial General Staff by Wilson, 1918; the shortage of British military reserves in France, 1918; the failure of the German 'spring offensives' at Arras, France, Lys, Belgium, and Aisne, France, Mar-May 1918; straining relations between Haig and FM Ferdinand Foch, Marshal of France and Generalissimo of the Allied Forces, France, 1918; the Battle of Amiens, Aug 1918; the terms of the armistice, Nov 1918; perceptions of the Paris Peace Conference and the resultant Treaty of Versailles, 1919.

The Private War Journal of Generaloberst Franz Halder, Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Command of the German Army, 1939- 1942 is a microfilmed copy of the desk journal of Generaloberst Franz Halder. In 1938, Generaloberst [Col Gen] Franz Halder took office as Chief of the General Staff of the German Army, Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), openly declaring himself opposed to the Nazi leadership of the German Armed Forces. By 1939, however, Hitler had begun to direct much of the operational decision making of the OKH. Although Halder would continue to voice opposition to the more impractical military directives, he nonetheless complied with the strategic demands proposed by Hitler and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), the Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces. From 1938-1942, Halder's duties were confined to operational decision making and desk planning, analysing reports sent to him by his subordinates and conferring with officers of the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), the Supreme Command of the German Army, over administrative, operational, and logistical matters. Halder's short-hand notes and daily entries in his Kriegstagebücher summarised each day's work and acted as an aide mémoire to events, 1938-1942. The journal reflects the detail, routine, and bureaucracy encountered by Halder and his staff, as well as the decision making process between Halder, the General Staff, and Adolf Hitler. Kept by Halder personally, the journal should not be confused with the official War Diaries kept by the Supreme Command of the German Army. Intended to serve as a notebook, the diary does not furnish a complete record of all activities, 1939-1942; rather it reflects the German High Command decision making structure as well as the character of many German senior officers, including FM (Karl Rudolf) Gerd von Runstedt, FM Erich von Manstein, and Col Gen Heinz Guderian. After the war, the journal was introduced by the Prosecution as a documentary exhibit in the record of the case entitled the United States of America vs Wilhelm von Leeb et al, brought before Military Tribunal V (FM Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, Commander Army Group North, was tried for minor war crimes in 1948). The journal was subsequently translated and reduced to typewritten form from the original notes under the guidance of Phillip Willner, Chief of the Reporting Branch (German) of the Office of Chief of Counsel for War Crimes, Office of the Military Government for Germany. It was then reviewed with Halder for continuity and published soon thereafter.

Papers, 1945-1966, of Sir William Halliday including letters, 1945-1966, to M T Tudsbery, variously addressed from the Athaeneum, King's College London and Lynton, Devon, and covering subjects such as verse, health, meetings, acquaintances and family, travels and work; privately printed Christmas cards, 1945-1949; original verse and literary exercises; copies of Anecdotage , a privately printed Christmas pamphlet containing reminiscences by Halliday, 1957-1964; obituary of Halliday, The Times , 1966.

Liber in vinculis or the Mock Turtle's adventure , a meditation on his life and career, with particular reference to the Battle of Crete, 1941, written as a POW in Germany, 1941-1945, and including a short essay on the Battle of Crete, 1941, by Dr Mark Mazower, privately published by Trinity College, Cambridge in 1989.

Photocopies of a letter to Lt Col P M N Doyle, intended for publication in The Maratha Light InfantryRegimental Journal, giving an account of his service with 114 Marathas in Mesopotamia and India, 1916-1947, written in 1981, and an appreciation of Donald Bevan Sothers, one of Hancock's colleagues in the 114 Marathas, with particular reference to Sothers' role in theBattle of Shargat, Oct 1918, written in [1981].

Papers, maps and publications relating to the military career of Lt Col Harald George Hansen including memoir on his service as Private and Non-commissioned Officer with 4th Btn, Yorkshire Regiment, Western Front, 1914-1918; US military maps of Italy, 1944-1945, papers, publications and photos on the Highland Fieldcraft Training Centre; Ministry of Information publications on World War Two and a Royal Artillery history of World War Two: presentation volume of many essays by RA officers.

Tobruk: Siege, Breakout, Victory', typescript memoir covering operations at Tobruk, 1941-1942, written in [1991] and later published as Tobruk: the great siege reassessed (Arms and Armour Press, London, 1996)

The peace divided', an account of his life and career, 1905-1948, notably his service in India with the Queen's Royal Regt, in Africa with King's African Rifles, and in UK, 1938-1940, 1941-1944, Gibraltar, 1940-1941, South East Asia, 1945, East Africa, 1946-1947 and Berlin, 1948, compiled in 1970 by Ben Lockwood, Hart Dyke's stepson, from notes left by Hart Dyke and printed in1995. 'Normandy to Arnhem, a story of the infantry', an account of his service with 4 Bn, (Hallamshire Bn), York and Lancaster Regt in the UK, 1943-1944, and North West Europe, 1944-1945, written using regimental war diaries in 1946 and originally printed in 1966, reprinted by 4 Bn, Yorkshire Volunteers in 1991.

Copy of 'Tim', a typescript account of Hely's life and career, 1902-1990, notably his service with 60 Field Regt in the Western Desert, including action around Sidi Rezegh, Nov 1941, and with 7 Indian Div in India, 1942 and Burma, 1943-1945, including the Japanese attack on 15 Indian Corps' administrative base at Sinzweya, Burma, Feb 1944, written in 1991 by 'L R L', Hely's Bde Maj, Royal Artillery, 7 Div, 1942-1944. Includes extracts from Hely's descriptions of actions at Sidi Rezegh and Sinzweya written for The Royal Artillery Commemoration Book, 1939-1945 (G Bell and Sons, London, 1950).

Photocopy of 'Farmer-soldier', a typescript memoir covering his life and career, [1905]-1945, notably his training with the Territorial Army, 1924-1939, and his service with the Wiltshire Regt in the UK, 1939-1943, and India and Burma, 1943-1945, written in 1945.

A professional autobiography', an account of his life and career, 1922-1989, notably his teaching and research work at King's College London, 1947-1968 and Oxford University, 1968-1989, written in 1991.

Copy of typescript memoir of his RN career, 1914-1918 and 1939-1943, covering his service with the Harwich force in the North Sea, 1914-1917, notably the Battle of Dogger Bank, Jan 1915, at Nore Command, 1918-1919, in the Atlantic convoys, 1939-1940, Norway, 1940, the evacuation of Dunkirk, 1940, as Staff Officer, HQ Western Approaches, 1940-1941, in the Mediterranean,1941-1942, Madagascar, 1942, Malta convoys, 1942, and the landings in North Africa, 1942, Sicily, 1943, and Italy, 1943. Includes copies of naval signals, 1915-1916.

Typescript account of his service in France and with A Battery, 190 Bde, Royal Field Artillery, 8 Jun 1917 and 1 Mar-5 Apr 1918, notably action at Messines, 8 Jun 1917, and the defence of Bucquoy, Mar 1918, including copies of extracts from his diary, with particular reference to the death of Maj Geoffrey Neame, written in [1964-1982].

Papers dated 1914-1919 relating to service on Western Front, World War One including typescript memoir. Papers and correspondence relating to first Burma campaign and fall of Rangoon, Jan 1939-Jan 1944, including plan dated 1942 for possible offensive against the Japanese, cooperation between British and Chinese troops and reports on operations; copy correspondence of Gen Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief of India, used to compile the official history of the campaign inBurma, 1941-1955; published articles on the Burma campaign by British officers, 1942-1944; correspondence and unpublished manuscripts relating to histories of the Burma campaign, 1942-1978, including narrative of evacuation of Burma by Col J S Vorley dated 1953 and Hutton's memoir 'Rangoon 1941-1942' dated 1974; transcript of interview for Imperial War Museum relating to mechanisation of the British Army, 1919-1939.

54 manuscript, narrative diaries, relating to Isacke's career in the UK, India, South Africa and France, 1893-1943.

Papers relating to his life and career, 1917-1963, principally comprising official correspondence with Lt Gen M Brocas Burrows, British Military Mission, Moscow, 1944-1945, Gen Mark Wayne Clark, US Army, 1943-1944, 1951-1952, Maj Gen Richard Henry Dewing, UK Army and RAF Liaison Staff, Australia, 1943-1944, Maj Gen Gordon Edward Grimsdale, Military Attaché andhead of Military Mission to Chungking, China, 1942-1943, AF Sir Roger John Brownlow Keyes, Bt, Director of Combined Operations, War Office, 1940-1942, Lt Gen Sir Henry Pownall, South East Asia Command HQ, 1944-1945, Lt Gen Sir Harold Redman, British Joint Staff Mission, Washington DC, 1943-1944, AF Sir James Somerville, Commander-in-Chief Eastern Fleet, 1943-1947, and Maj Gen Sir Edward Spears, Minister to the Lebanon, 1940-1944, and Lt Gen Albert C Wedemeyer, US Army, Deputy Chief of Staff; South East Asia Command, 1944; personal correspondence with and about FM Lord Alanbrooke, 1946-1947, 1957-1963, FM Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, 1941-1961, and FM Archibald Percival Wavell, Viscount Wavell of Cyrenaica and of Winchester, 1943-1946; official andpersonal correspondence with Dwight David Eisenhower, 1942-1965, and AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 1943-1954, 1960-1964; correspondence with publishers and colleagues, including Gen Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor; papers relating to India, 1947-1951, including his correspondence as Chief of Staff to Mountbatten, 1947, notes on interviews with Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahomed Ali Jinnah, 1947, letters describing the political situation in India, 1947-1948, and correspondence concerning compensation for Indian Government servants, 1948-1951; correspondence concerning the proposed defence reorganisation, 1955-1963; papers relating to his service as Secretary General, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), 1952-1957, including his official progress reports, 1952-1956; newspaper cuttings, statements to the press and texts of speeches and broadcasts, 1952-1957; papers relating to his memoirs, [1940-1960] including correspondence with publishers, 1960-1961, and colleagues, 1957-1960, notebooks, 1940-1960, and drafts and proofs, [1960]. newspaper cuttings, 1943, 1948, 1951-1952, 1957; texts of speeches, 1943-1958; correspondence relating to operations in Somaliland, 1917-1920; notes and papers relating to his studies at Staff College, Quetta and RAF Staff College, 1922-1924. Papers relating to Rt Hon Sir Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, 1940-1965, including personal correspondence with Churchill, 1940, 1943-1945, 1947-1964; correspondence relating to Churchill's memoir The Second World War (Cassell, London, 1948-1954), 1946-1956, including correspondence relating to Dieppe Raid, Aug 1942, dated 1950, and galley proofs, [1948-1954]. Printed material, 1941-1945, 1947, 1951, notably including copies of telegrams sent by Winston Churchill as Prime Minister, 1941-1942; minutes of Chiefs of Staff meetings, 1943-1944; minutes of Combined Chiefs of Staff meetings, 1943, 1945.

Papers relating to service in World War One, 1917-1919, and in China, 1921-1945, including copies of personal letters from Army colleagues, 1918-1919; copy of manuscript account of service during third battle of Ypres, 1917; typescript narrative diary of 15 Field Company Royal Engineers, 8 Div, 2 Army, Somme, German March offensive, 1918, with copy of manuscript account ofthe German attack, 21 Mar 1918; correspondence relating to road surveys in China, 1921-1927, with copy of typescript account of journey by Jacobs-Larkcom from Yunnan to Sichuan, China, 1921; copies of two manuscript narrative diaries, British Military Mission to China, 1943-1945; three typescript articles relating to China entitled 'Disease', 'For those interested in the Chinese language' and 'River travel-and a question of cash' [1945].

Typescript account of his experiences during the Japanese attack on Singapore and his subsequent escape to Sumatra, Jan-Feb 1942, written in [1948].