THE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN HISTORY AND FACTS

British soldier directing a Mark IV tank across a trench, September 11, 1917. This photograph, colourised by @dougbanksee, was taken today 105 years ago inside the Oostheek Wood near the village of Elverdinge, in the Ypres Salient. The tank in focus is the Male Mark IV C23 tank named "Crusty", belonging to the 8th Company, "C" Battalion of the British Tank Corps. This specific tank was commanded by British 2nd Lieutenant H. W. Ashforth.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "Crusty" would go on to be one of the 476 British tanks which took part in the Battle of Cambrai on November 20, 1917. The tank assisted the British 20th Division in the capture of the village La Vacquerie, where it broke down or was knocked out in the action. When the Germans launched their large counter-offensive at Cambrai on November 30, 1917, they recaptured La Vacquerie and "Crusty" on December 4, 1917. The British lost some 179 tanks in the Battle of Cambrai of which over 90 were captured by the ...

Belgian soldier posing for a photograph in Italian Farina body-armour, 1917. Today I'll write about the Italian Farina body-armour used during the First World War. On May 23, 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary, and a bloody front along the Isonzo river ensued. The front soon bogged down into positional trench warfare, with layers of barbed wire protecting the trenches, which the Italians soon realized caused immense problems for their attacking soldiers. On June 16, 1915, the Italians formed the so-called "Companies of Death" (Compagnie della Morte), whose arduous task would be to cut the barbed wire with wire cutters and to conquer the enemy trenches before the masses of infantry would attack. As can be imagined given their name and task, the Companies of Death suffered heavy losses in their efforts, with many sacrificing themselves on the barbed wire for their fellow soldiers not to share the same fate. To offer the Companies of Death more protection, the Farin...