Contrary to my earlier belief, the battle of the Somme wasn’t a single engagement fought over a few days in France between the Germans and British. Although images of the Tommies going over the top into no-mans land and subsequently slaughtered in their thousands time and time again was correct.
Rather this was a drawn out affair consisting of a series of bloody and hopeless attacks and counter-attacks from July to November 1916 and smaller yet equally confused affairs in 1918, between all the forces Britain could muster within her then Empire and that of the more professional German army.
The author obviously went to great lengths to amass his material, but this was also the books weaknesses. In his desire to make the reader aware of his efforts, I felt beaten down at times by too many stories about the same incidents along with referrals to previous chapters that he has already covered.
This is book is ultimately a sad tale of the unspeakable terror visited upon an almost forgotten generation, yet due to books such as this, their deeds and the causes for which they fought will not simply disappear.
My Rating 6.5 out of 10
Its worth a read, but if you fancy reading a piece of brilliant history story telling go and get
`1812 Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow´ by Adam Zamoyski