How did this flu manage to spread across the world? Was it at least partially due to veterans returning from the war.
A friend told me that recently he read in a book that this flu was started in Ft.Riley, Kansas. They thought it first attacked the horses, then crossed over to the soldiers. Then, as the men got on trains going to the coast for WW 1, they spread it with those they came in contact. There is some recent book out that tells about this, but I'm not sure of the title.
Maybe it's the book you posted above???
In the Kolata book, research is mentioned regarding flu outbreaks at least a couple years earlier, with each year getting worse, and culminating in the 1918 disaster, then tapering off through about 1920.
Also in the book, a hypothesis regarding a bad flu outbreak in the 1890s; those who had the flu that year and were still living in 1918 had immunity, suggesting some kind of similarity between those outbreaks. There were a number of "killer" flu outbreaks in the second half of the 19th century (I think there's info on the CDC website), but again, those were nothing compared the Spanish Lady.
I heard it was the other way around, that the flu was a major cause of the Armistice in that both sides were running out of able bodied combatants.
In any event, my wife's grandfather was one of the victims. Died at the age of 42... typical of the early age at which most victims died.