Battle Story: Somme 1916

by Andrew Robertshaw

One of the bloodiest battles in military history—what happened and why The Battle of the Somme raged from July 1 to November 18, 1916, and was one of the bloodiest fought in military history. It has come to signify for many the waste and bloodshed of World War I as hundreds of thousands of men on all sides lost their lives fighting over small gains in land. Yet, this battle also marked a turning point in the war and was witness to new methods of warfare, such as all-arms integrated attacks, with infantry units and the new Tank Corps fighting alongside each other. Complete with detailed maps and photographs, as well as fascinating facts and profiles of the leaders, this is the best introduction to this legendary battle.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2014

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fanatic for war history but I could not get into this. It almost felt like I was reading an assigned reading for one of my classes that I’m forcing myself to read.
There were no attention grabbers just a bunch of facts which is good if you are just researching about a subject. This is why I gave it 3 stars not less because from a research aspect it does give a lot of information but that is not what I was in search for

[Charis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very factual, I like the information boxes that are on some pages.

[Declan Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being of a generation in Britain who did not learn about the 2 World Wars at part of our history, I am slowly building up my knowledge of the conflicts of over 100 years ago.

This book by Robertshaw is clearly well researched, and he understands his subject and the wider war very well - also reviewing the popular belief of the Somme battle and the outcome of the 1st July and later. The majority of this short book does deal with the 1st July and the build-up to the first advance on German lines which marked the beginning of the battle with subsequent events crammed into a few more pages. This provide a good background to the initial conflict, but limited information on the other attacks and defenses which made up the overall conflict in the Somme in 1916.

The Maps and pictures are of reasonable quality but could do with more place names (the maps), and a splash of colour for the photographs. That said the existance of the photographs brings this conflict immediately to life and makes it significantly closer and brings it more into focus.

[J.P. Harker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Balanced and well-presented, but not really for me. In all honesty, it's a war that I've only done a little reading on up until now, so quite possibly this is how all of them go, but to me it was hard to keep up with the movements and coordination of all the many numbered divisions. It was such a large scale affair, with a lot of the units seeming to blend into each other, that I had to go back quite a few times to double check where I was.
For someone very familiar with the period this is probably a great find. To me (whose expertise starts to dwindle after 1485) it was more of a hard slog.

[Suhayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hinging on its no-nonsense approach. All facts and no hook may seem boring and uninteresting to some, but for those who are looking for the uninterrupted facts of the event, then this book is what they should be looking for in their next read. I admit some parts could have been reworded or even removed, but the addition of the graphic maps and photographs, sprinkled in this concise book gives the reader a mental image of the events which unfolded. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this for its ability to give a detailed and neutral view of the event.

[Mark Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read plenty of pictures innit too get the feel. Goes against modern thinking of the battle because it looks at the successes too plenty of good things came from the Somme that are never taught but are in this book

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read on a battle I never understood, I think there is more for me to read out there and this has got me started.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the battle, particularly at the divisional level. Heavy emphasis on 1 July with a more summarized approach to the remaining battle. Maps provide divisional movements but do not include prominent place names.