First Day On The Somme: On The Somme 1 July 1916 - Softcover

Middlebrook, Martin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014006883X ISBN 13: 9780140068832

Publisher: Penguin UK, 1984

Synopsis

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.

About this title

From the Publisher

On the morning of July 1, 1916, a continuous line of British soldiers climbed out of their trenches and began to walk slowly towards the German lines. Many of them believed that the enemy positions had already been destroyed in the previous artillery bombardment. By the end of the day, the British had suffered 60,000 casualties—one for every eighteen inches of the front. Eminent military historian Martin Middlebrook has drawn on official sources, local newspapers, autobiographies, novels, and poems to write this book and, above all, on the recollections of hundreds of survivors who contribute to a brilliant, horrifying, and intensely moving portrait of war on the front line.

About the Author

Martin Middlebrook has written numerous works of military history, including the classic The First Day on the Somme (978-1-84415-465-4). He lives in England.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin UK
• Publication date: 1984
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 014006883X
• ISBN 13: 9780140068832
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384