A major new history of the most infamous battle of the First World War, as described by the men who fought it. On 1 July 1916, Douglas Haig's army launched the 'Big Push' that was supposed finally to bring an end to the stalemate on the Western Front. What happened next was a human catastrophe: scrambling over the top into the face of the German machine guns and artillery fire, almost 20,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers were killed that day alone, and twice as many wounded - the greatest loss in a single day ever sustained by the British Army. The battle did not stop there, however. It dragged on for another 4 months, leaving the battlefield strewn with literally hundreds of thousands of bodies. The Somme has remained a byword for the futility of war ever since. In this major new history, Peter Hart describes how the battle looked from the point of view of those who fought it. Using never-before-seen eyewitness testimonies, he shows us this epic conflict from all angles. We see what it was like to crawl across No Man's Land in the face of the German guns, what it was like for those who stayed behind in the trenches - the padres, the artillerymen, the doctors. We also see what the battle looked like from the air, as the RFC battled to keep control of the skies above the battlefield. All this is put in the context of the background to the battle, and Haig's overall strategy for the Western Front, making this the most comprehensive history of the battle since Lyn MacDonald's bestselling work over 20 years ago.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Read this and you feel you are there:
600 page book om the battle of the Somme. Written in chonological order, starting with the pre-attack to the 1st awful day right through to the battle's conclusion. Started off a little slow, and wasn't sure I could sit through this read. Once I got to July 1 the book started to really flow. Throughout was quotations of the actual participants, which at first I didn't like, but really did make this book great. Also included are maps of the portion of the battle being discussed, which really help the reader... more info
An outstanding book on WWI:
I have read litterally hundreds of books on WWII but this is one of the first on WW1. What a way to start. This book is really outstanding. I am about 3/4 of the way through and its still a great read and I have a hard time putting it down. The attention to detail is awesome, with the best part being the gripping natatives from the soldiers themselves. This book literally leaves the reader speachless at the horror of this battle. This book is amust-have for someone who wants to understand what WW1 was like... more info
Survival in a land ruled by the machine gun and artillery shell:
Many bloody battles have a moment, often commemorated in a painting, of a glorious death or act of defiance that makes the bloodletting and terror bearable, at least in retrospect. Napoleon leading his men across the bridge at Arcole, Armistead reaching for the Federal guns at Gettysburg, McAulliffe responding "Nuts" to the demand for surrender. The Somme had more than its share of heroism, but nothing that makes a good painting or heartening story for schoolchildren. Instead the Somme is men venturing... more info
A stunning achievement:
For the British, Ypres and the Somme are the definitive battles of the Great War. In this retelling of the latter, Hart has set the standard by which the newest generation of Great War history will be measured. This is a magnificently researched and readable look at arguably the most deadly battle of that deadly war. Hart is curator of the Imperial War Museum's audio archive and he puts to good use his familiarity with that wonderful resource. The result is direct quotes from dozens of participating... more info
