Neuve Chappelle and the La Bassee Canal first became famous in early 1915, as World went into its second year. Fighting had bogged down in the winter of 1914 as the battered armies of both sides built the first trench systems. The French wanted to use the new year to recover the rich agricultural area of northeastern France, which also contained the Champagne region. Britain's regular army, sadly depleted in the fighting of 1914, had been replenished over the winter by the Territorial Army, pre-war reservists from the commercial classes known for strong self-discipline and initiative. A well-planned British offensive on March 10 in aid of the French made some initial gains before being contained and driven back by the Germans, a dreary pattern to be repeated endlessly over the next four years. This new volume in the Battleground Europe series covers an interesting region of France that was fought over by some of the best troops of both sides. Full details of the 1915 and later fighting are given, backed up by numerous illustrations and maps, and a guide to the battlefield as it is today.
