C E W Bean

The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 C E W Bean

In volume five we see Australian troops fighting better and with more telling effect in a decisive period of military history. The great German offensive of March-April 1918 saw important battles for the Australian forces that were fought around Amiens and Hazelbrouck in the spring of 1918. By the end of April, despite huge casualties, the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Divisions were holding half the crucial front from Arras in the north to Amiens in the south-east.

The Australian Corps. The Winter Campaign at Messiners. The Allies' Strife for a Plan. The Genesis of Michael. Ludendorff Strikes. Hebuterne. Before Amiens. Dernancourt - March 28th. Morlancourt - March 28th and 30th. The Truth About the Fifth Army. First Villers-Bretonneux. The Battle of Dernacourt. The Battle of the Lys - (I) April 9th-13th. The Battle of the Lys - (II) April 14th-24th. Hangard Wood and Somme - April 5th-23rd. Second Villers-Bretonneux - (I) The Germans Seize the Village. Second Villers-Bretonneux - (II) The Counter-Attack. After Villers-Bretonneux - Monument Wood. Results of the Offensive Against the British.

The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 is a 12-volume series covering Australian involvement in the First World War. The series was edited by C. E. W. Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes, and was published between 1920 and 1942. The first seven volumes deal with the Australian Imperial Force while other volumes cover the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force at Rabaul, the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Flying Corps and the home front; the final volume is a photographic record. Unlike other official histories that have been aimed at military staff, Bean intended the Australian history to be accessible to a non-military audience. The relatively small size of the Australian forces enabled the history to be presented in great detail, giving accounts of individual actions that would not have been possible when covering a larger force.