Lusitania : Tragedy or War Crime? book EPUB, DJV, FB2
9780720614282 English 0720614287 A reassessment of one of the pivotal WW1 incidents, based on new and controversial evidenceLaunched in 1907, the "Lusitania "was briefly the world's largest liner, symbol of the fierce rivalry between transatlantic shipping agents in Europe and a forerunner of the" Titanic"--proving to be a similarly ill-starred vessel as it became a target for German U-boats early in World War I. The "Lusitania" sinking in 1915 was as shocking as any WW1 incident: the massive loss of life confirmed all the pre-conceived ideas of German brutality, but what have not been revealed till now are the far-reaching international political and social repercussions of this act of aggression. In Britain, anti-German propaganda reached fever pitch and forced PM Asquith into a massive Alien Internment program after riots in Liverpool and the East End; America, which had been resolutely isolationist, experienced a huge swell of support of intervention on the side of the Triple Entente, while in Germany the U-boat captain was initially hailed a hero before being court-martialled after the international outcry. And there are still question marks nearly 100 years later: why was the ship's captain unfairly scapegoated after not being told of U-boats in the area; was the ship actually armed as the Germans have often claimed, and how much about all of this and much more did the First Lord of the Admiralty, one Winston S. Churchill, know? Jennifer Kewley Draskau's new book on one the great enigmas of the Great Wa brings together new research and evidence to reveal the true story of a great sea tragedy., A reassessment of one of the pivotal WWI incidents, based on new and controversial evidenceLaunched in 1907, the "Lusitania "was briefly the world's largest liner, symbol of the fierce rivalry between transatlantic shipping agents in Europe and a forerunner of the" Titanic"--proving to be a similarly ill-starred vessel as it became a target for German U-boats early in World War I. The "Lusitania" sinking in 1915 was as shocking as any WW1 incident: the massive loss of life confirmed all the pre-conceived ideas of German brutality, but what have not been revealed till now are the far-reaching international political and social repercussions of this act of aggression. In Britain, anti-German propaganda reached fever pitch and forced PM Asquith into a massive Alien Internment program after riots in Liverpool and the East End; America, which had been resolutely isolationist, experienced a huge swell of support of intervention on the side of the Triple Entente, while in Germany the U-boat captain was initially hailed a hero before being court-martialled after the international outcry. And there are still question marks nearly 100 years later: why was the ship's captain unfairly scapegoated after not being told of U-boats in the area; was the ship actually armed as the Germans have often claimed, and how much about all of this and much more did the First Lord of the Admiralty, one Winston S. Churchill, know? Jennifer Kewley Draskau's new book on one of the great enigmas of the Great War brings together new research and evidence to reveal the true story of a great sea tragedy., The torpedoing of the British luxury liner RMS Lusitania, once the largest ship in the world, with massive loss of civilian life off the coast of Ireland in May 1915, was regarded as an international atrocity and a worse tragedy than the loss of the 'Titanic five years earlier. It had far-reaching political repercussions and led to countless newspaper reports, inquiries and theories as to whether there had been a military conspiracy. Its sinking was as shocking as any incident in the First World War and considered a major act of aggression by the German Navy and proof of that nation's brutality. Nearly 1,200 passengers and crew on the ship perished, while remarkable tales of bravery and heroism emerged during the rescue attempt, including the assistance of the tiny fishing vessel the Wanderer from the Isle of Man, which took some 160 souls on board and towed two lifeboats to safety. In Britain anti-German propaganda reached fever pitch and forced Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith into a huge alien-internment programme. The USA, resolutely isolationist, experienced a huge swell of support in favour of intervening on the side of the Allies, while the German U-boat captain concerned was initially hailed as a hero before being court-martialled. And, a hundred years on, there are still unanswered questions. Why was the Lusitania's captain unfairly scapegoated despite not being told of the presence of enemy U-boats in the vicinity? Was the ship camouflaged in grey-and-black livery and carrying arms, as the Germans claimed? Did the Royal Navy use the liner as bait to bring the USA into the war? Crucially, how much did the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston S. Churchill, know? This riveting exploration of one of the great enigmas of the war brings together new evidence and eyewitness accounts to shed light on the mysteries surrounding this notorious tragedy at sea. Book jacket.
9780720614282 English 0720614287 A reassessment of one of the pivotal WW1 incidents, based on new and controversial evidenceLaunched in 1907, the "Lusitania "was briefly the world's largest liner, symbol of the fierce rivalry between transatlantic shipping agents in Europe and a forerunner of the" Titanic"--proving to be a similarly ill-starred vessel as it became a target for German U-boats early in World War I. The "Lusitania" sinking in 1915 was as shocking as any WW1 incident: the massive loss of life confirmed all the pre-conceived ideas of German brutality, but what have not been revealed till now are the far-reaching international political and social repercussions of this act of aggression. In Britain, anti-German propaganda reached fever pitch and forced PM Asquith into a massive Alien Internment program after riots in Liverpool and the East End; America, which had been resolutely isolationist, experienced a huge swell of support of intervention on the side of the Triple Entente, while in Germany the U-boat captain was initially hailed a hero before being court-martialled after the international outcry. And there are still question marks nearly 100 years later: why was the ship's captain unfairly scapegoated after not being told of U-boats in the area; was the ship actually armed as the Germans have often claimed, and how much about all of this and much more did the First Lord of the Admiralty, one Winston S. Churchill, know? Jennifer Kewley Draskau's new book on one the great enigmas of the Great Wa brings together new research and evidence to reveal the true story of a great sea tragedy., A reassessment of one of the pivotal WWI incidents, based on new and controversial evidenceLaunched in 1907, the "Lusitania "was briefly the world's largest liner, symbol of the fierce rivalry between transatlantic shipping agents in Europe and a forerunner of the" Titanic"--proving to be a similarly ill-starred vessel as it became a target for German U-boats early in World War I. The "Lusitania" sinking in 1915 was as shocking as any WW1 incident: the massive loss of life confirmed all the pre-conceived ideas of German brutality, but what have not been revealed till now are the far-reaching international political and social repercussions of this act of aggression. In Britain, anti-German propaganda reached fever pitch and forced PM Asquith into a massive Alien Internment program after riots in Liverpool and the East End; America, which had been resolutely isolationist, experienced a huge swell of support of intervention on the side of the Triple Entente, while in Germany the U-boat captain was initially hailed a hero before being court-martialled after the international outcry. And there are still question marks nearly 100 years later: why was the ship's captain unfairly scapegoated after not being told of U-boats in the area; was the ship actually armed as the Germans have often claimed, and how much about all of this and much more did the First Lord of the Admiralty, one Winston S. Churchill, know? Jennifer Kewley Draskau's new book on one of the great enigmas of the Great War brings together new research and evidence to reveal the true story of a great sea tragedy., The torpedoing of the British luxury liner RMS Lusitania, once the largest ship in the world, with massive loss of civilian life off the coast of Ireland in May 1915, was regarded as an international atrocity and a worse tragedy than the loss of the 'Titanic five years earlier. It had far-reaching political repercussions and led to countless newspaper reports, inquiries and theories as to whether there had been a military conspiracy. Its sinking was as shocking as any incident in the First World War and considered a major act of aggression by the German Navy and proof of that nation's brutality. Nearly 1,200 passengers and crew on the ship perished, while remarkable tales of bravery and heroism emerged during the rescue attempt, including the assistance of the tiny fishing vessel the Wanderer from the Isle of Man, which took some 160 souls on board and towed two lifeboats to safety. In Britain anti-German propaganda reached fever pitch and forced Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith into a huge alien-internment programme. The USA, resolutely isolationist, experienced a huge swell of support in favour of intervening on the side of the Allies, while the German U-boat captain concerned was initially hailed as a hero before being court-martialled. And, a hundred years on, there are still unanswered questions. Why was the Lusitania's captain unfairly scapegoated despite not being told of the presence of enemy U-boats in the vicinity? Was the ship camouflaged in grey-and-black livery and carrying arms, as the Germans claimed? Did the Royal Navy use the liner as bait to bring the USA into the war? Crucially, how much did the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston S. Churchill, know? This riveting exploration of one of the great enigmas of the war brings together new evidence and eyewitness accounts to shed light on the mysteries surrounding this notorious tragedy at sea. Book jacket.