{"product_id":"german-trench-under-attack-british-sikh-forces-ypres-tm4b4o3n","title":"German trench under attack by British and Sikh forces at Ypres.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe original artwork for a dramatic scene of trench warfare at Ypres, reproduced as a lithograph in the third volume of \u003cem\u003eIllustrierte Geschichte des Weltkrieges 1914\/15\u003c\/em\u003e (Illustrated History of the World War 1914–15) published by Union Deutsche Verlagsgefellfchaft in Stuttgart, 1922. The action shows German soldiers defending a trench position from an aggressive assault by Allied troops, prominently featuring Sikh soldiers from one of the several Indian Army battalions who saw action at the front.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn 26 September 1914 the first troops of the Lahore Division of the Indian Corps arrived on French soil to a heroes’ welcome. Three all-Sikh battalions – 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, 47th Sikhs and 34th Pioneers – were among the 30,000-strong vanguard of infantry and cavalry that landed at Marseilles to the unexpectedly enthusiastic reception.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHailed as the saviours of France, the British were equally relieved at their arrival to support the relatively small British Expeditionary Force. Despite their exuberant welcome the months ahead would be extremely challenging. Unused to modern industrial warfare of the kind that was about to be unleashed, and wearing uniforms better suited to tropical climates, India’s men were far from prepared for what awaited them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first of those Indian troops to arrive in France were sent north by rail to reinforce the depleted and overstretched British and French forces, which were dug into trenches stretching for over 450 miles from the Belgian coast to Switzerland. With little time to acclimatise they were rushed to the front near the Belgian city of Ypres to head off German outflanking moves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sikhs of the 57th (Wilde’s) Rifles were among the first to see combat in Europe. Sikh and other Indian troops next engaged in fierce hand-to-hand fighting in the town of Neuve Chapelle to seal the breach created in the British Line. A month later in snow-clad Festubert, they lost and recaptured their own trenches in a series of grisly encounters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver the next six months, further engagements at Givenchy, Neuve Chapelle and Ypres resulted in enormous casualties. However, their arrival at the front by the end of October proved pivotal, helping save the Allies from an early and ignominious defeat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohannes Gehrts was a leading German illustrator whose work appeared in popular magazines such as \u003cem\u003eDie Gartenlaube\u003c\/em\u003e, in the design of children’s books and in works of his friend Felix Dahn. He depicted scenes from Germanic and Norse mythology, legends and sagas, pirate stories, travel adventures and fairy tales. He also illustrated reports on the scientific expeditions of the German physician and anthropologist Karl von den Steinen. During the First World War, Gehrts produced a number of works, in dull blacks and greys, showing scenes from the front, several of which became postcards. Gehrts attended the art academy of Weimar from 1873 to 1876, and lived in Düsseldorf from 1884 onwards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Maggs Bros.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67609231524149,"sku":"262649","price":3000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/store.maggs.com\/products\/german-trench-under-attack-british-sikh-forces-ypres-tm4b4o3n","provider":"Maggs Bros.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}