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The Great War Group

@thegreatwargroup.bsky.social
1.2K followers 489 following 595 posts

A vibrant group of nerds trying to teach the world about The Great War. Join us at greatwargroup.com

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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 7h
Italy follows up recent progress with attacks to extend the Gorizia bridgehead. Night attacks and brutal fighting allow the Italians to seize vital trenches just a few kilometers from Trieste. Austria-Hungary will shorten their lines along Mount Santo and the Hermada Hills. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Upper Left: Black & White Photo of a machine gun crew in action.  In the background are soldier with rifles firing.  The position is amongst rocks with a mountain in the far background.
Upper Right: Black and white photo of a single soldier behind a rock wall overlooking a valley and a small settlement underneath snowy mountains.  
Bottom Left: Black and white photo of fully laden troops marching up a path among cannon blasted trees and desolate landscape toward a white church on a small hill.  Mountains in the background.
Bottom Right: A group of soldiers in a trench built into a steep mountainside.  Beyond them is a covered shelter against the hillside.  They are looking down below them.  In the background are misty mountain ranges.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 20h
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Happy Birthday Eddie Rickenbacker! The most famous US Ace of WW1. Started the war as a driver for Col Billy Mitchell (Father of the US Air Force) and he helped get him into the air service where he excelled. Incredible life after the war. Wrote a great memoir of his war service. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white photo of Rickenbacker standing next to his fighter plane. He is in uniform with tall leather boots. Wearing his airman's cap. His plane has a star spangled hat upside down next to him and below his seat. Behind him you see the large number 5. Small crowd behind him on other side of the plane. Ground is muddy.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
www.youtube.com/live/kTZ1rqu...
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
www.youtube.com/live/kTZ1rqu... Just click on the link
youtube.com
Africa on the Outbreak of War
Africa on the Outbreak of WarWith Alex Churchill and Henry SpilbergIn collaboration with the Great War Grouphttps://greatwargroup.com/Please click subscribe...
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Just click on the link to join www.youtube.com/live/kTZ1rqu...
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Interest in the war was popular way before social media posts and Great War Groups. The exhibitions showing the front and the general experiences of the war, were very popular with the public. Albeit featuring censored, vetted and sometimes staged images. #ww1 #WarHistory #HomeFront #entertainment
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
By the end of the war around 17,000 Canadian foresters were working in Britain and France.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
By the end of the war around 17,000 Canadian foresters were working in Britain and France.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Buster Keaton's birthday! Famed actor, director, and writer. Best known for his silent films, he worked into the 1960s. Drafted into the AEF he went to France in 1918. Already well known, the AEF decided not to risk his life in the trenches and used him as an entertainer. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white close up of Keaton's face. Earnest and solemn look directly into the camera. Gray background. He wears a dark suit with a black bowtie and white shirt.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
During the German Spring Offensive of 1918, the British Fifth Army had to beat a hasty fighting retreat in the face of superior German nunbers. Felling trees was a useful delaying tactic. #ww1 #warhistory #RoyalEngineers
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Born today Paul von Hindenburg! Initially commanded in the east. Crushed the Russians at Tannenberg. From 1916 commanded all German forces. National hero. Wrote a best selling memoir after the war. Served as President of Germany and unsuccessfully tried to stem the Nazi tide. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white photo of Hindenburg against a grayish background. Distinctive mustache. Wearing Iron Cross and numerous decorations on chest. Braids on shoulders. Looking careworn and. tired.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Born today the great Ferdinand Foch! The Marshal of France who led the Allies to victory. Vowed at an early age to see Alsace and Lorraine returned to France and he succeeded. He worried about another rise of Germany. Honored and renowned worldwide. Buried next to Napoleon! #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Color photo of Foch looking to his right. In a garden with a wall and vines or trees behind him. Traditional blue uniform with decorations, and red hat with gold braiding.  He holds a can or walking stick. He dons his traditional mustache.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Irlams o' th' Height had a female Station Master and a fully female compliment of staff. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway hired many women during the war. They took on roles such as Station Master, porters, locomotive and carriage cleaners, and ticket collectors. #ww1 #WomensHistory #Railway
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Admiral Reinhard Scheer born this day. Admiral of the Imperial German Navy and later Chief of Naval Staff. He led the German Navy at the Battle of Jutland. After the war accepted an invitation from Jellicoe to meet and discuss Jutland. He died before the trip. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar #Germany #Jutland
Black and white photo of Admiral Scheer in his uniform. Turned slightly to his right. Chest filled with decorations. Dark uniform with stark white collar. Closely cropped mustache.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL! 🚨 WW1TV is returning with the Great War Group at the helm! First episode drops next week 🥳 Check out the official page at www.youtube.com/@WW1TVchannel to see upcoming episodes and subscribe!
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just a month before the final advance and capture of Baghdad, officers take some time for a game of rugby. It was a good way to ease the tension and stay physically fit. #ww1 #rugby #WarHistory
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Georges Clemenceau born this day. Dominating presence in French politics in the late 19th and early 20th century. Initially on the sidelines criticizing the French government and war effort, after Allied disasters in 1917 France turned to him to lead. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar #France
Black and white headshot of Clemenceau in a black suit, white shirt, black bowtie. Bald with his distinctive mustache. Looking straight at the camera. Black background on left and white on the right.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The 'first' Second Battle of Ramadi was described by General Maude as "as clean and business-like a military operation as one could wish to see." Securing the Euphrates and denying supplies to the Ottoman Army, and accomplished in 24 hours.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A question in two parts: You favourite book so far this year? And the one you are most looking forward to on your TBR? #WW1 #WarHistory #books #TBR #booksky
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Happy Birthday F Scott Fitzgerald! Great author of 4 novels (and one unfinished) and 164 short stories. Volunteered immediately upon US entry. He wrote his first draft for “This Side of Paradise” during training as an Infantry Officer. The war ended before he shipped to France. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white photo of F Scott Fitzgerald in his 1st Lt. Uniform. Slightly turned and looking to his right. High white collar above his uniform collar. Wearing a hat. Serious look on his face.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The subsea cables that were cut by CS (Cable Ship) Alert forced Germany to use radio transmissions which were easier to intercept. Couple this with the attacks on German Wireless Towers globally and their ability to communicate was severely hampered. #WW1 #WarHistory #Communications
Map of Europe showing cable routes under the sea / channel.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If you look closely you can see that some of these holes have been filled in, probably doubling as a grave for the unfortunate occupant.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If you look closely you can see that some of these holes have been filled in, probably doubling as a grave for the unfortunate occupant.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Tea was a lifeline to the soldiers. It helped keep warm, made the water taste better (often carried in reused petrol tins), and kept a certain sense of normalcy in the trenches. #WW1 #WarHistory #Tea
Crates of tea being unloaded in a warehouse.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Letters from France to the UK took around two days, but between four to eight weeks to Australia. Mail went via the censors, over to UK, sorted, then loaded onto ships. Ships full of mail could be sunk, or otherwise lost, meaning agonising waits for loved ones at home #WW1 #WarHistory #ANZAC
An Australian soldier writing a letter home from his billet on the Somme front, 1916
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Kipling's uncompromising 'Message' was printed by the thousands by WH Smith to advertise war bonds.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Happy Birthday Agatha Christie! Queen of Mysteries! Sold more than 100 million copies in over 100 languages. Already published when WW1 broke out, she immediately volunteered as a Nurse and later served as an Apothecary Assistant. She served until September 1918. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white photo of Agatha Christie in a library holding part of a manuscript. She's looking up. Wearing pearls around her neck. Books and bookcase behind her. Some sort of table or desk in front of her.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Today in 1916, the Italians, commanded by recent birthday boy Luigi Cadorna, try for the 7th time to beak the Austria-Hungary line along the Isonzo River. After capturing Gorizia during the 6th Battle, they attacked on a narrow front. They took San Grado di Merna but little else. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Upper Left: Black & White Photo of a machine gun crew in action.  In the background are soldier with rifles firing.  The position is amongst rocks with a mountain in the far background.
Upper Right: Black and white photo of a single soldier behind a rock wall overlooking a valley and a small settlement underneath snowy mountains.  
Bottom Left: Black and white photo of fully laden troops marching up a path among cannon blasted trees and desolate landscape toward a white church on a small hill.  Mountains in the background.
Bottom Right: A group of soldiers in a trench built into a steep mountainside.  Beyond them is a covered shelter against the hillside.  They are looking down below them.  In the background are misty mountain ranges.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
We all have different definitions of icon, hero, or defining figures. Who is it that inspires or interests you the most? #WW1 #WarHistory #GreatWarGroup
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Happy Birthday Maurice Chevalier! Already known in 1914, WW1 started while he fulfilled his national service. Wounded and captured during a German attack, he learned English in POW Camp. Acquitted of collaboration in WW2. Persecuted by the McCarthy Committee in the US. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white head shot of Chevalier in his classic Boater Hat (white with a broad black ribbon) and Tuxedo. Smiling looking askance.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Happy Birthday General Erich von Falkenhayn! Commanded the German Army after von Moltke was found unstable. Kept the Allies at bay in 1914 and 1915. In 1916 he will roll the dice and attack Verdun. This bloodbath will cost him his job. He then went to Romania and Middle East. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white photo of classic Falkenhayn pose. Looking determinedly straight at the camera wearing his iron cross on his neck. No hat. Nice mustache. Basic uniform otherwise. No hat.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The Daily Mail offered their readers free insurance against the potential death and destruction caused by German Zeppelin raids in 1915. It was primarily a means of growing readership. #ww1 #WarHistory #Zeppelin #VintagePosters #GreatWar
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Auxiliary hospitals like this one at Purbrook Lodge, Waterlooville, were a more homely and less crowded place to convalesce than a large military hospital.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Hospitals like this one at Purbrook Lodge, Waterlooville were more a homely and less crowded place to convalesce than a large military hospital.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Do you have a niche history interest? What takes your fancy? #WW1 #WarHistory #greatwargroup
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Today in 1914 the French and British stop retreating, stand firm, and cobble together enough troops to launch an attack on the German flank. The Miracle on the Marne (Miracle de la Marne) drives back the Germans to the Aisne River. The Germans lose their best chance to win WW1. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Upper Left: Color Map of the German Advance at the beginning of WW1. Plus the retreat of the French and British and finally the famous counterattack on the Marne.

Upper Right: Black and white photo of French artillery in action.  A couple of cannons on a small hill overlooking and firing over some trees toward a small village. Smoke in the background from landing shells.

Bottom Left: Black and white photo of British soldiers run for cover from enemy fire. One soldier already crouching in a small depression along a dirt road. Another soldier running toward the depression. On the road a horse drawn wagon moving along. A small stand of trees in the background.

Bottom Right: Black and white of German infantry awaiting an allied assault.  Machine gun in the foreground, followed by men with rifles resting on the parapet. They have taken cover in a hastily constructed trench or perhaps a stream bed.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Born today the Italian General Luigi Cadorna! Famous for matching wits (or lack thereof) with his Austrian-Hungarian counterpart. A strict disciplinarian, he launched 11 assaults on the Isonzo Front that led to slaughter, shortages, soldier discontent, and little progress. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white photo of Luigi Cadorna in his uniform with sash diagonally across his chest and medals all over his chest. Wearing his formal hat with eagle and crown on it. Wearing his usual whitish mustache.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) worked to assist the Army both home and abroad. This included rolls such as clerks, drivers, mechanics, telephonists, telegraphers and typists. 50,000 women volunteered throughout the war. #WW1 #WarHistory #WomenAtWar
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The SS River Clyde was WW1's very own Trojan Horse. With 2,000 troops onboard it was planned she would be beached and allow for a quick deployment. Defenders kept heavy fire on her throughout the day causing many casualties of those who tried to disembark. #ww1 #gallipoli #warhistory #history
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Gallows humour and satire were a coping mechanism for many in the trenches.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Today in 1916 Bulgaria renews an old regional rivalry by declaring war on Romania. Thus joining its Central Powers partners in responding to the Romanian attack on Austria-Hungary. Bulgaria will send troops to help beat back the Romanian bid to retake Transylvania. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Upper Left: Bulgarian Flag in 1914. Three equal stripes, white on top, green in middle, and red on bottom. Plus a crest with a crown atop and a golden lion looking left in it with red background. The three colors of the stripes are found in the crest and crown.

Upper Right: Black and white photo of Bulgarian artillery firing.  Smoke coming out of the barrel. Looks like a howitzer lobbing shells up and over. 3 soldiers manning the cannon with 2 men in background, one pointing in the sky at the shot. Pretty barren landscape with a hill in the background. (Probably the Macedonian front.)

Bottom Left: Black and white photo of Bulgarian infantry in a trench built into rocks. Rifles resting on the parapet. Some snow in the background.   Most soldiers sitting and kneeling. One many standing looking across No Man's Land.

Bottom Right: Color photo of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia Bulgaria. Multiple domes and numerous windows.  Distinctive light green roofs on most of the domes. The top dome looks golden.  Blue sky above with a few floating white clouds.  Stone parking area with white lines in the foreground.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
CONGRATULATIONS... To Nathan W who has won our prize draw for conference 🥳 And.... one of our lovely members donated a day pass for Saturday as a runner up prize, so Kirsty H, you'll be joining us in Leeds too! Tickets still available at: greatwargroup.com/shop/?produc...
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Gallows humour and satire were a coping mechanism for many in the trenches
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Born this day in 1853, the greatest Russian General, AA Brusilov. HIs offensive using new tactics in 1916 almost knocked Austria-Hungary out of the war. Fired in 1917 for failing to duplicate his 1916 success. During the Russian Civil War he helped organize the Red Army. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Black and white photo of Gen Brusilov, architect of the offensive.  In uniform with medals and his familiar white mustache.
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
To learn more about Michael Tierney and the last casualties of the Great War go to www.cwgc.org/our-work/blo... (with thanks to Gareth Davies)
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The Great War Group @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Today in 1916 the Ottoman Empire declares war on Romania days after Romania entered the war after declaring war on Austria-Hungary and launching an assault toward the end of the great Brusilov offensive. #WW1 #FWW #GreatWar
Upper Left: Ottoman Flag in WW1. Solid red with a white crescent and star.

Upper Right: Black and white photo of Ottoman Cavalry on the move. Small village in the background. Riding on a dirt road.

Bottom Left: Old Postcard of Istanbul in 1914. Bosphorus in the foreground dominated by the Hagia Sophia. Below the mosque the old spice markets. Small rafts and boats on the water.

Bottom Right: Colorized photo of Ottoman infantry on the move. Soldiers are marching in line with rifles shouldered. Passing a building with stained glass windows on front and side.
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