1917

The fourth annual selection from 100 Days to Victory follows the upheavals of 1917 from the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the entry of the United States into the war to Vimy Ridge, the Third Battle of Ypres and the capture of Jerusalem. The year is presented as one of military exhaustion, political revolution and strategic transition rather than a simple approach to Allied victory.

David links battlefield operations to mutiny, submarine warfare, imperial campaigning and changing coalition politics. Canadian success at Vimy, the mud and casualties of Passchendaele and the collapse of the Russian war effort reveal the uneven condition of the combatants. By the end of the year, American resources promised future strength, but the withdrawal of Russia allowed Germany one final opportunity in the west.