Details Epithetical Books The First Day on the Somme
| Title | : | The First Day on the Somme |
| Author | : | Martin Middlebrook |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 355 pages |
| Published | : | July 7th 1992 by Penguin (first published 1971) |
| Categories | : | History. War. World War I. Nonfiction. Military. Military History |
Martin Middlebrook
Paperback | Pages: 355 pages Rating: 4.28 | 947 Users | 53 Reviews
Explanation In Pursuance Of Books The First Day on the Somme
On 1 July, 1916, a continuous line of British soldiers climbed out from the trenches of the Somme into No Man's Land and began to walk steadily towards dug-in German troops armed with machine-guns and defended by thick barbed wire. By the end of that day, as old tactics were met by the reality of modern warfare, there had been more than 60,000 British casualties - a third of them fatal. Martin Middlebrook's classic account of the blackest day in the history of the British army draws on official records, local newspapers, autobiographies, novels and poems from the time. Most importantly, it also takes in the accounts of hundreds of survivors: normal men, many of them volunteers, who found themselves thrown into a scene of unparalleled tragedy and horror. Compelling and intensely moving, it describes the true events behind the sacrifice of a generation of young men - killed as much by the folly of their commanders as by the bullets of their enemies.
Point Books As The First Day on the Somme
| Original Title: | The First Day on the Somme |
| ISBN: | 0140171347 (ISBN13: 9780140171341) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Epithetical Books The First Day on the Somme
Ratings: 4.28 From 947 Users | 53 ReviewsJudgment Epithetical Books The First Day on the Somme
I've never been much of a First World War history buff, but this was a natural next read in the genre after John Keegan's "The Face of Battle." A paper copy is recommended over an e-reader solely for the ease of accessibility of maps that help to visualize the movements and battlefield as you read.While this is THE book on the horrifying mistakes, heroism, and horror of the opening of the Battle of the Somme, it is the history of the men who formed the Pals Brigades in Kitchener's Army that areA signed copy, I read this just before taking a battlefield tour of the Somme. The book was excellent preparation to walking the battlefield. Highly recommended, book and tour.WWI remains at the forefront of the British memory. This book illustrates why. It has many tales of personal courage, tragedy and various experiences of the battle. Standing on the battlefield, I was struck at how brave these men were in that terrifying place. The carnage was unimaginable, no protection from the machine
"I cursed, and still do, the generals who caused us to suffer such torture, living in filth, eating filth, and then, death or injury just to boost their ego." -- Pte. W. H. Haigh, 1/5th Yorks and LancsPrivate Haigh's statement on p. 364 of The First Day on the Somme sums up the attitude that many of the soldiers had not just about their first day of the Battle of the Somme but of the entire months-long battle (July 1-November 18, 1916). But for the British, the first horrendous day 60,000
An outstanding book, all the more so for being under-stated and lacking grandstanding.Very simple premise, some 50 years after the Battle of the Somme, an amateur sets out to research how the first day was experienced by and affected the soldiers that took part. He did this by interviewing the - by then ageing - survivors and by trawling the archives, and then by writing an immensely readable book. Of course, given the subject matter, I can't call it enjoyable, but it was fulfilling and ticked
If there's anything worse than knowing the basic gist of things at the Somme (horrifying loss of life and futility of the attempted advance), then it is knowing the details of the first day. Part of what's fascinating, though, about this account is that Middlebrook spent what must have been many hundreds of hours corresponding with or interviewing survivors, and his account relies as much as on their reminiscences as on official sources.
This book recounts the events of July 1 1916 from the viewpoint of several soldiers who fought that day. Martin Middlebrook, a layperson to the field of history, took it upon himself to track down the men who survived the Battle of the Somme and interview them. It is both a valuable work of history and an entertaining read. If you are not familiar with the outlines of the battle you may find the book confusing as it moves from regiment to regiment around the field. The average soldier had no
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