Learn History on Your Schedule.
This article is a revised version of an essay submitted for academic credit at the University of Toronto. A French child greets British Indian soldiers during a break from the front lines. (Reddit) At the outset of WWII, Britain had one of the best armies in the world. Years of small but tough engagements such…
French troops move on Fleury. (Wikimedia Commons) By late 1914, Verdun-sur-Meuse - a town on the Meuse river in Northeastern France - was surrounded on three sides by the German army. The lines of the Western Front bulged eastward around the town, and only La Route Sacrée, a medium-sized road, resupplied the French at Verdun.…
A "Female" Mark IV tank rolls into position at Cambrai. (Rare Historical Photos) By 1917, WWI had ground on for several unpleasant years. With casualties mounting on both sides and little change in battle lines from month-to-month, both the Allies (England, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans) sought new…
Canadian soldiers celebrate after their victory at Vimy Ridge, 1917. (source: Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1918 Allied Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch convened a meeting in a train car 60 km (40 miles) from Paris to sign the Treaty of Compiègne, ending the First World War. The armistice brought a complete end to all…
