Spring Offensive

On 21 March 1918 the men of the New Zealand Army were behind the lines, recovering from the devastating losses inflicted five months earlier in the battle of Passchendaele. Find weather, moderate training and rest had begun to ease memories of the mud and misery. But that day the German Army launched the Michael Offensive, their most audacious assault on the Allied front line, carving huge holes in the defence and leaving the Allies teetering on the brink of defeat.This attack marked the end of the New Zealanders' respite, and the start of their most vital contribution to the First World War.In Spring Offensive Glyn Harper brings this pivotal battle to life, tracking the men on their three-day march to the front line, and staying with them during the five-day campaign to first halt, and then repel, the German invadersDiary extracts and recorded interviews transport the reader to the centre of this crucial battle, and in a tribute to their sacrifice, an appendix lists the names of New Zealand soldiers killed during the Second Battle of the Somme.The courage shown by the New Zealanders in the face of this overwhelming challenge has been tragically overlooked in the annals of history. In Spring Offensive, their story can finally be told.Harper, Glyn is the author of 'Spring Offensive' with ISBN 9781869504816 and ISBN 186950481X.