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Category: Military History

DieSchiffsversenkungen

World War I: Understanding the War at Sea Through Maps

Posted by: Ryan Moore

This blog post originally appeared in the Library of Congress Blog. Soldiers leaping from trenches and charging into an apocalyptic no man’s land dominate the imagination when it comes to World War I. However, an equally dangerous and strategically critical war at sea was waged between the Central Powers and the Allies, with Germany and …

Mapping World War I Sea Mines Off the British Isles

Posted by: Ryan Moore

During World War I, Germany laid more than 43,000 mines that claimed some 500 merchant vessels. The British Navy lost 44 warships and 225 auxiliaries to mines. The purpose was to interrupt the flow of supplies to Britain and to hamper the British fleet. Mines were most often set near harbors and inlets, as these …

Approximative zones according to the secret Treaty of London, by Andria Radovitch. From the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division collections. Call number, G6831.F2 1915 .R3 Vault.

The Secret Treaty of London

Posted by: Ryan Moore

In 1915, the deadlocked battleground on the Western Front in World War I forced England and France to rethink their strategy against the Central Powers. The Allies sought to elicit military support from a then neutral Italy. In exchange for opening a front in the Alps, Italy was promised substantial amounts land in Europe, Asia, …

Brown, red, and yellow tinted map illustration of the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, with a circular frame around them

A Mother’s Day Map from the Civil War

Posted by: Ed Redmond

A recent Library of Congress Blog post entitled “Trending: The Mother of Mother’s Day” reminded me of one of my favorite Civil War maps.   Although Mother’s Day as we know it (greeting cards, flowers, breakfast in bed, etc.) did not exist, a Confederate soldier sought to immortalize his mother – on a battle map. On …