So I was reading the Wikipedia article about the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and there is mention of the fall of the town of Thelus. What was capturing a town like in the time of WWI? Was there even a battle for the town or did the defenders just withdraw? Was it a house to house combat situation?
Also, could anyone point me in the direction of some WWI literature? I'm looking to understand the actual war itself a littler better.
On the Western Front, capturing villages that formed part of the German line such as Beaumont Hamel and Pozieres usually meant assaulting well constructed defenses. If the towns had not previously been subjected to artillery bombardment then they would have been prior to the beginning of the attack. This ultimately left them as piles of rubble. Regardless, the Germans still made use of them, digging shelters and weapon positions into the rubble that attacking troops would have to clear. In some cases such as that of Pozieres which was captured by the Australians during the Somme Offensive in 1916, the village was virtually wiped out as you can see here. What had been the village was replaced by the more familiar moonscape of shell holes and trenches.
If you want literature on the war, John Keegan presents a rather well rounded overview of the conflict that I have enjoyed in the past.
Source: Writing thesis on the Battle of Hamel and looking at the experiences of troops who had fought in similar previous battles
Image source: Les Carlyon's The Great War
here is two airial photographs that show what happened to a town that was part of a major battle.
Passchendaele1916 http://i.imgur.com/bPLRauQ.jpg
Passchendaele1917 http://i.imgur.com/C5rwN4n.jpg
I'm going to ask to save the more qualified some time, so they can answer faster!
Which theater would you be looking for? Obviously the Eastern Front, Arabian revolt and Western Front are massively different affairs... and that's only the theaters I can think of, other than Gallipoli.
