World War One was the first truly industrialized conflict; it sprang from the misjudgments of failing empires and engulfed a generation eager to fight for King and Country. Amid the resulting carnage, concepts of chivalry and elan were quickly overwhelmed by the effects of machineguns, aircraft, artillery and mud. But a handful of visionaries realized that to overcome the stalemate, they must break with tradition and push the boundaries of technology - and forever changed the face of war."