Product Description

This book looks at the Battle of the Somme, which was planned as "The Big Push" that would at last break the long stalemate on the Western Front in World War I. However the 18 divisions that went over the top between Arras and St-Quentin on the morning of 1 July 1916, walked into a battle that has gone down in the annals of human conflict as the slaughterhouse of a generation. The author has written other books about the history of World War I, including, "They Called it Passchendaele" and "The Roses of No Man's Land".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #123304 in Books
• Published on: 1993-06-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Customer Reviews

Count me in
To add to the other reviews (and it *is* a triumph of research, and tells you pretty much all you need to know about the campaign), one thing puzzled me. The book doesn't seem to cover the first day of the battle, the day which most people think of when they think of the Somme. One moment, the troops are about to leap over the trenches - and then we're at the next chapter, and we've skipped several hours into the future.
I assume Ms MacDonald is trying to replicate the 'fog of war' that existed at the time - nobody in charge knew what had happened until several days later, and the people at home had to wait for months - but it's unsatisfying, somehow.
Still, it's a superb book, and you can't fault the sheer hard work MacDonald has put into it - not only did she interview many of the surviving British soldiers (this was back in 1983, so there were more of them), she actually visited the battlefield.
One other flaw, though, is that whilst she interviewed lots of British people, we don't learn much about the Germans. Given that they took just as many casualties in the battle as us, what must it have been like for them, sitting in their trenches, under a towering artillery bombardment, not knowing what was coming next? We don't find out, which is a shame.

Buy This Book
The best account of the battle of the Somme I have ever read. Not your usual cold account of history it tells the story of the poor souls who were there. Taken from diaries, letters and interviews with the survivors. This is the first book I have read by Mcdonald and I will be reading them all. A must for students and enthusiasts of the first world war.

A Worthy Contribution
I first came across this book in 1983, the year of its publication. It is a fine additon to the immense material on the Somme, but it could have been a little better. The first day on the Somme is barely mentioned. Maybe she thought that because Martin Middlebrook had covered the actions of the first day wonderfully well, she didnt think much more could be said. Told from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier struggling to survive in terrible conditions, it does succeed in this respect. Moving in parts, it reveals how the ordinary soldier was pushed into battle almost beyond the very limit of endurance. Some good pictures which show the battlefield as it is today. Maps could have been better though. Still, a worthy contribution.