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Somme: Into the Breach
The notion of battles as the irreducible building blocks of war demands a single verdict of each campaign―victory, defeat, stalemate. But this kind of accounting leaves no room to record the nuances and twists of actual conflict. In Somme: Into the Breach, the noted military historian Hugh Sebag-Montefiore shows that by turning our focus to stories of the front line―to acts of heroism and moments of both terror and triumph―we can counter, and even change, familiar narratives.
Planned as a decisive strike but fought as a bloody battle of attrition, the Battle of the Somme claimed over a million dead or wounded in months of fighting that have long epitomized the tragedy and folly of World War I. Yet by focusing on the first-hand experiences and personal stories of both Allied and enemy soldiers, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore defies the customary framing of incompetent generals and senseless slaughter. In its place, eyewitness accounts relive scenes of extraordinary courage and sacrifice, as soldiers ordered “over the top” ventured into No Man’s Land and enemy trenches, where they met a hail of machine-gun fire, thickets of barbed wire, and exploding shells.
Rescuing from history the many forgotten heroes whose bravery has been overlooked, and giving voice to their bereaved relatives at home, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore reveals the Somme campaign in all its glory as well as its misery, helping us to realize that there are many meaningful ways to define a battle when seen through the eyes of those who lived it.
Planned as a decisive strike but fought as a bloody battle of attrition, the Battle of the Somme claimed over a million dead or wounded in months of fighting that have long epitomized the tragedy and folly of World War I. Yet by focusing on the first-hand experiences and personal stories of both Allied and enemy soldiers, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore defies the customary framing of incompetent generals and senseless slaughter. In its place, eyewitness accounts relive scenes of extraordinary courage and sacrifice, as soldiers ordered “over the top” ventured into No Man’s Land and enemy trenches, where they met a hail of machine-gun fire, thickets of barbed wire, and exploding shells.
Rescuing from history the many forgotten heroes whose bravery has been overlooked, and giving voice to their bereaved relatives at home, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore reveals the Somme campaign in all its glory as well as its misery, helping us to realize that there are many meaningful ways to define a battle when seen through the eyes of those who lived it.
650 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2016
76 people are currently reading
719 people want to read
About the author
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
13 books43 followersHugh Sebag-Montefiore was a barrister before becoming a journalist and historian. He has written for the Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph, Observer, Independent on Sunday, and Mail On Sunday. His first book Kings On The Catwalk: The Louis Vuitton and Moët-Hennessy Affair was published in 1992.
Bletchley Park, the backdrop to much of the action in his first history book Enigma: The Battle For The Code (published in 2000), used to be owned by Hugh’s great great grandfather, Sir Herbert Leon. Hugh’s father, Stephen, used to stay at Bletchley Park every Christmas, at a time when the house was humming with servants, and when the garden was tended by no less than forty gardeners. During the run up to the 70th anniversary of the capture of the Enigma codebooks from German U-boat U-110, Hugh was commissioned by Bletchley Park to supply the text and photos for an exhibition describing the capture.
The location for the climax of his next book, Dunkirk: Fight To The Last Man (published in 2006), also summoned up forgotten memories within Hugh’s family. His cousin Denzil Sebag-Montefiore lost his precious ivory backed hair brushes engraved, with his initials, which had to be thrown into the sea at Dunkirk, along with other heavy items in his backpack, so that he would be more buoyant. He eventually made it back to England, after being heaved into one of the boats ferrying British soldiers out to the larger ships waiting off shore. Another cousin, Basil Jaffé, passed the time waiting to be rescued from the shallows near one of the Dunkirk beaches by reading his miniature edition of Shakespeare’s plays.
Hugh’s next book will tell the story of another great British military enterprise: the 1916 Battle of the Somme. It is to be published by Penguin in July 2016, at the beginning of the Somme centenary.
From http://www.hughsebagmontefiore.com/th...
Bletchley Park, the backdrop to much of the action in his first history book Enigma: The Battle For The Code (published in 2000), used to be owned by Hugh’s great great grandfather, Sir Herbert Leon. Hugh’s father, Stephen, used to stay at Bletchley Park every Christmas, at a time when the house was humming with servants, and when the garden was tended by no less than forty gardeners. During the run up to the 70th anniversary of the capture of the Enigma codebooks from German U-boat U-110, Hugh was commissioned by Bletchley Park to supply the text and photos for an exhibition describing the capture.
The location for the climax of his next book, Dunkirk: Fight To The Last Man (published in 2006), also summoned up forgotten memories within Hugh’s family. His cousin Denzil Sebag-Montefiore lost his precious ivory backed hair brushes engraved, with his initials, which had to be thrown into the sea at Dunkirk, along with other heavy items in his backpack, so that he would be more buoyant. He eventually made it back to England, after being heaved into one of the boats ferrying British soldiers out to the larger ships waiting off shore. Another cousin, Basil Jaffé, passed the time waiting to be rescued from the shallows near one of the Dunkirk beaches by reading his miniature edition of Shakespeare’s plays.
Hugh’s next book will tell the story of another great British military enterprise: the 1916 Battle of the Somme. It is to be published by Penguin in July 2016, at the beginning of the Somme centenary.
From http://www.hughsebagmontefiore.com/th...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
January 20, 2018
A good account that has some stark first-hand accounts but comes with gaps.
The book by Mr Sebag-Montefiore is well-structured and the edition I read (paperback) was updated from the hardback. The research and sources are rich and clearly linked to the text and accounts. Maps - for a paperback copy - are, although black and white, well provided being clear and various.
Somme: Into the Breach is however principally a infantrymans' account; overwhelmingly so. It is right and proper the book keeps the infantry central to events and the experiences but to this reader key parts are omitted or discussed fleetingly.
There is coverage of high command (Army, Corps, Division and Brigade) and the decisions made and taken. Absent is any real coverage, commentary and analysis of the political background from both Government, War Cabinet and indeed inter-allied; especially so after the first week of the Somme. Also absent, and for any post-1914 battle and without doubt, the Somme, is the artillery.
Mention is frequently made of the artillery and barrages and how they did/didn't break down wire, dugouts and cause casualties. Ever present is the affect and impact on the infantry but nothing on the guns, their tactics, their challenges, learning, changes and, highly important, their supply and maintenance (especially when firing hundreds of rounds weekly). Nor is there any coverage of who the artillerymen were and what they saw or felt in depth.
Allied to this is the absence (aside from early pre-first week coverage in July and even then not in depth) of intelligence. Not just its gathering from the use of multiple sources: prisoners, observation (balloons and aircraft), trench raids, communications interception. Absent too is how the allies did or did not share and use this with no analysis on how this informed or changed strategy, tactics and indeed responses to not just infantry attacks but importantly artillery fire plans. And again here there is nothing on the artillery fire-plans to suppress enemy forces or exact pressure on troops, defences and supply lines.
The development of the artillery and guns is a glaring omission. Nothing except sparse mention in infantry related accounts on the creeping barrage so the reader does not hear of how this is developed and used. Counter battery fire is absent as is how ranging and firing for effect is used. Aside from a couple of mentions and only of what they experienced, valuable as this is, there is nothing on the valuable Forward Observation Officer (FOO) role: why was it used, how was it developed, who did it and how did this support and assist infantry operations, intelligence and the use of artillery, including correcting fire.
Also absent is mention of the men who organised, supplied, fed and transported the infantry and gunners. So we see no comment or discussion or even first-hand accounts of what it was like to resupply a gun position or prepare or bring food to the lines; how were the horses used, calmed and indeed look after before, during and after their work to transport and supply? Likewise ammunition, medicines and basics like shovels, wire and duckboards. The poor bloody infantry carried a lot, as they still do today, but, and again like today, others work hard and under fire to bring things in or take things out so we see no mention of the Royal Engineers, Army Veterinary Corps, Army Ordnance Corps and Army Service Corps, or disappointingly their men who also fought and died on the Somme (and here also read this for the Australian, New Zealand, South African and Canadian units who did this work alongside their British comrades). The infantry pioneer battalions also see no mention, which again for the lads who dug trenches, saps and laid/repaired wire this is a sad omission.
Communications are glossed over so we learn little of inter-army, inter corps and division and inter-brigade and battalion comms; except it was hard and frequently out of date or wrong. Nothing on why, the methods or challenges let alone the learning and differences from pre-July to post September.
One area that is covered is the work of Royal Army Medical Corps (and the commonwealth variants). Nurses also have a say from the accounts and letters the author uses. Stretcher bearers are also given good mention so the reader sees how hard it is to extract casualties under-fire in all conditions.
So in conclusion for me these points makes this a highly readable and good account rather than a very good or excellent account. I accept space, audience (and I am no Somme or WWI expert) and format all intrude but no account on the Somme can justifiably be lauded by professional reviewers without artillery being central to the account.
That said, to understand the sheer terror, awfulness and carnage of what it was like to fight as a infantryman on the Somme it is a fine account. Read alongside say Martin Middlebrook's First Day on the Somme and other accounts on the battle (and the battles that make the sum) this is a good book, and the men who served, died, were wounded and traumatised for life by this battle and war deserve to be heard.
The book by Mr Sebag-Montefiore is well-structured and the edition I read (paperback) was updated from the hardback. The research and sources are rich and clearly linked to the text and accounts. Maps - for a paperback copy - are, although black and white, well provided being clear and various.
Somme: Into the Breach is however principally a infantrymans' account; overwhelmingly so. It is right and proper the book keeps the infantry central to events and the experiences but to this reader key parts are omitted or discussed fleetingly.
There is coverage of high command (Army, Corps, Division and Brigade) and the decisions made and taken. Absent is any real coverage, commentary and analysis of the political background from both Government, War Cabinet and indeed inter-allied; especially so after the first week of the Somme. Also absent, and for any post-1914 battle and without doubt, the Somme, is the artillery.
Mention is frequently made of the artillery and barrages and how they did/didn't break down wire, dugouts and cause casualties. Ever present is the affect and impact on the infantry but nothing on the guns, their tactics, their challenges, learning, changes and, highly important, their supply and maintenance (especially when firing hundreds of rounds weekly). Nor is there any coverage of who the artillerymen were and what they saw or felt in depth.
Allied to this is the absence (aside from early pre-first week coverage in July and even then not in depth) of intelligence. Not just its gathering from the use of multiple sources: prisoners, observation (balloons and aircraft), trench raids, communications interception. Absent too is how the allies did or did not share and use this with no analysis on how this informed or changed strategy, tactics and indeed responses to not just infantry attacks but importantly artillery fire plans. And again here there is nothing on the artillery fire-plans to suppress enemy forces or exact pressure on troops, defences and supply lines.
The development of the artillery and guns is a glaring omission. Nothing except sparse mention in infantry related accounts on the creeping barrage so the reader does not hear of how this is developed and used. Counter battery fire is absent as is how ranging and firing for effect is used. Aside from a couple of mentions and only of what they experienced, valuable as this is, there is nothing on the valuable Forward Observation Officer (FOO) role: why was it used, how was it developed, who did it and how did this support and assist infantry operations, intelligence and the use of artillery, including correcting fire.
Also absent is mention of the men who organised, supplied, fed and transported the infantry and gunners. So we see no comment or discussion or even first-hand accounts of what it was like to resupply a gun position or prepare or bring food to the lines; how were the horses used, calmed and indeed look after before, during and after their work to transport and supply? Likewise ammunition, medicines and basics like shovels, wire and duckboards. The poor bloody infantry carried a lot, as they still do today, but, and again like today, others work hard and under fire to bring things in or take things out so we see no mention of the Royal Engineers, Army Veterinary Corps, Army Ordnance Corps and Army Service Corps, or disappointingly their men who also fought and died on the Somme (and here also read this for the Australian, New Zealand, South African and Canadian units who did this work alongside their British comrades). The infantry pioneer battalions also see no mention, which again for the lads who dug trenches, saps and laid/repaired wire this is a sad omission.
Communications are glossed over so we learn little of inter-army, inter corps and division and inter-brigade and battalion comms; except it was hard and frequently out of date or wrong. Nothing on why, the methods or challenges let alone the learning and differences from pre-July to post September.
One area that is covered is the work of Royal Army Medical Corps (and the commonwealth variants). Nurses also have a say from the accounts and letters the author uses. Stretcher bearers are also given good mention so the reader sees how hard it is to extract casualties under-fire in all conditions.
So in conclusion for me these points makes this a highly readable and good account rather than a very good or excellent account. I accept space, audience (and I am no Somme or WWI expert) and format all intrude but no account on the Somme can justifiably be lauded by professional reviewers without artillery being central to the account.
That said, to understand the sheer terror, awfulness and carnage of what it was like to fight as a infantryman on the Somme it is a fine account. Read alongside say Martin Middlebrook's First Day on the Somme and other accounts on the battle (and the battles that make the sum) this is a good book, and the men who served, died, were wounded and traumatised for life by this battle and war deserve to be heard.
October 30, 2025
The Bloodiest of Battles
Written upon the 100th anniversary of The Battle of the Somme, Huge Sebag-Montefiore’s Somme: Into the Breach has provided new material from previously unused archives, diaries and Red Cross files. What is provided is a decent account of the bloodiest battle of the war, with a well balanced combination of top down strategy mixed with the experiences of the individual solider on the ground. Fought from July-November 1916 to provide the ‘final break through’ and relieve pressure from the French at Verdun, by the time the action had finished over 1 million men had been killed or wounded, with an allied advance of only 10 miles.
In this book Sebag-Montefiore revisits the ‘lions led by donkeys’ assessment. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig does not get off lightly, as do neither of the other commanders such as General Sir Henry Rawlinson or French General Ferdinand Foch, who are criticised for their lack of compassion for the soldiers under their command or value in human life. As Sebag-Montefiore points out, if they had listened to the men or read some of their letters home, they may not have been as careless with their lives. Haig’s continuous insistence that they should keep going over the top into murderous machine gun fire is evidence of any lack of accountability.
I found that Somme: Into the Breach was well put together and classically poignant throughout. The stories of the horror and death always hit hard and can be difficult to grasp. The murder of surrendering prisoners, the heroic acts, men horribly wounded or killed in the middle of the battle never cease to be impactive. As we learn corpses upon corpses get mangled and rot in the mud and then crushed by the later introduction of tanks or further blown up and uncovered with further artillery fire. The rats and the stench was too much for many to bare.
The scale of First World War battles always amaze me, the number of men, distances and days involved. Everyone pictures the Somme in its first day, where thousands went over the top and were cut down before reaching the middle of no man’s land. The battle actually went on for four further months. The allies did manage to get into enemy trenches, kill and capture German soldiers and perform heroic acts, some of which gained Victoria Crosses. The ANZAC, South African and Canadian soldiers all come through particularly well under Sebag-Montefiore’s analysis.
Somme: Into the Breach is a great addition to the study of the battle and adds new memories and remembers the soldiers who thought there. He touches on the families at home and also the effect on society of this war and impact of shell shock too. The book has been criticised for being rushed for the centenary, I have to admit this isn’t the ultimate authority on the battle, but I didn’t get any sense of corners being cut or any major information being missed.
Written upon the 100th anniversary of The Battle of the Somme, Huge Sebag-Montefiore’s Somme: Into the Breach has provided new material from previously unused archives, diaries and Red Cross files. What is provided is a decent account of the bloodiest battle of the war, with a well balanced combination of top down strategy mixed with the experiences of the individual solider on the ground. Fought from July-November 1916 to provide the ‘final break through’ and relieve pressure from the French at Verdun, by the time the action had finished over 1 million men had been killed or wounded, with an allied advance of only 10 miles.
In this book Sebag-Montefiore revisits the ‘lions led by donkeys’ assessment. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig does not get off lightly, as do neither of the other commanders such as General Sir Henry Rawlinson or French General Ferdinand Foch, who are criticised for their lack of compassion for the soldiers under their command or value in human life. As Sebag-Montefiore points out, if they had listened to the men or read some of their letters home, they may not have been as careless with their lives. Haig’s continuous insistence that they should keep going over the top into murderous machine gun fire is evidence of any lack of accountability.
I found that Somme: Into the Breach was well put together and classically poignant throughout. The stories of the horror and death always hit hard and can be difficult to grasp. The murder of surrendering prisoners, the heroic acts, men horribly wounded or killed in the middle of the battle never cease to be impactive. As we learn corpses upon corpses get mangled and rot in the mud and then crushed by the later introduction of tanks or further blown up and uncovered with further artillery fire. The rats and the stench was too much for many to bare.
The scale of First World War battles always amaze me, the number of men, distances and days involved. Everyone pictures the Somme in its first day, where thousands went over the top and were cut down before reaching the middle of no man’s land. The battle actually went on for four further months. The allies did manage to get into enemy trenches, kill and capture German soldiers and perform heroic acts, some of which gained Victoria Crosses. The ANZAC, South African and Canadian soldiers all come through particularly well under Sebag-Montefiore’s analysis.
Somme: Into the Breach is a great addition to the study of the battle and adds new memories and remembers the soldiers who thought there. He touches on the families at home and also the effect on society of this war and impact of shell shock too. The book has been criticised for being rushed for the centenary, I have to admit this isn’t the ultimate authority on the battle, but I didn’t get any sense of corners being cut or any major information being missed.
June 21, 2016
Somme – Into the Breach
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore’s latest history book is a searing account of the Somme with some fresh insight and research. While the Somme resonates here in the western Europe, and has captured the imagination during the centenary of the Battle in 1916.
There is a lot to be admired about this general history of the battle, that does not just look at the first day of the Somme but the months that followed the first attacks on the 1st July. What is good is that he does highlight that there were successes on the first day where Allied troops did break through German lines.
Into the Breach does look at the background and the build-up and planning of the offensive, while Verdun is mentioned, and linked he forgets the Somme Offensive was to relieve the under pressure French at Verdun. The Somme was supposed to punch a hole in the German lines and the battles at Verdun were therefore linked because of that. It is often forgotten here, that the British were the junior partners on the western front to the French.
There is the argument that General Rawlinson was indebted to Haig, and this caused unnecessary deaths which is used in this book, which is quite frankly irrelevant, when balancing the pressure, they were under. The Somme as well as coming about because of the French being under attack at Verdun, and the British War Cabinet needing a successful front to bring the war to an end.
Yes, the 1st July was costly for British lives, but not as bad as it had been for the French who lost over 27,000 dead in August 1914. It must not be forgotten that the French, who had been invaded during World War One, and suffered far worse deaths, double those of the British, showed heroism which is often forgotten, or simply not mentioned.
Like many historians I have read many books on this subject, even though it is easy to pick holes in the minutia Hugh Sebag-Montefiore has written one of the best accounts that is easy to read as a general history. He does acknowledge that the tactics that were employed by the British, there were no real alternatives at the time, and that it is easy from distance and hindsight to point out the errors. What he does do is pay homage to the men that served, to those killed and wounded, and recognises the suffering this battle caused.
This is an excellent general history for those who are interested to learn more about the Battle of the Somme, while it is long for some, it is an excellent introduction. While there may be more balanced books out there, they can be as dry as hell and not too readable unless you are a student and need to read the book. Into the Breach is a book that you can dip in and out of, enjoy and learn, while at the same time question various actions. While to me there could be more about the politics that surrounded the battle and its planning and the various communication and administrative problems.
This is a well-researched book, using new sources as well as frequently quoted ones and this is an excellent addition to the canon on the Somme, which I can recommend.
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore’s latest history book is a searing account of the Somme with some fresh insight and research. While the Somme resonates here in the western Europe, and has captured the imagination during the centenary of the Battle in 1916.
There is a lot to be admired about this general history of the battle, that does not just look at the first day of the Somme but the months that followed the first attacks on the 1st July. What is good is that he does highlight that there were successes on the first day where Allied troops did break through German lines.
Into the Breach does look at the background and the build-up and planning of the offensive, while Verdun is mentioned, and linked he forgets the Somme Offensive was to relieve the under pressure French at Verdun. The Somme was supposed to punch a hole in the German lines and the battles at Verdun were therefore linked because of that. It is often forgotten here, that the British were the junior partners on the western front to the French.
There is the argument that General Rawlinson was indebted to Haig, and this caused unnecessary deaths which is used in this book, which is quite frankly irrelevant, when balancing the pressure, they were under. The Somme as well as coming about because of the French being under attack at Verdun, and the British War Cabinet needing a successful front to bring the war to an end.
Yes, the 1st July was costly for British lives, but not as bad as it had been for the French who lost over 27,000 dead in August 1914. It must not be forgotten that the French, who had been invaded during World War One, and suffered far worse deaths, double those of the British, showed heroism which is often forgotten, or simply not mentioned.
Like many historians I have read many books on this subject, even though it is easy to pick holes in the minutia Hugh Sebag-Montefiore has written one of the best accounts that is easy to read as a general history. He does acknowledge that the tactics that were employed by the British, there were no real alternatives at the time, and that it is easy from distance and hindsight to point out the errors. What he does do is pay homage to the men that served, to those killed and wounded, and recognises the suffering this battle caused.
This is an excellent general history for those who are interested to learn more about the Battle of the Somme, while it is long for some, it is an excellent introduction. While there may be more balanced books out there, they can be as dry as hell and not too readable unless you are a student and need to read the book. Into the Breach is a book that you can dip in and out of, enjoy and learn, while at the same time question various actions. While to me there could be more about the politics that surrounded the battle and its planning and the various communication and administrative problems.
This is a well-researched book, using new sources as well as frequently quoted ones and this is an excellent addition to the canon on the Somme, which I can recommend.
October 3, 2016
Many a book has been written on the Somme and a lot of these have been first class reads. So it is into this quality field Hugh Sebag-Montefiore has thrown his contribution.
What an entry it is even though I have read several books on the subject I was blown away by this book. It is a shining example of history at its best. The author combines first hand accounts with a great and insightful look at the campaign.
This in my opinion is one of the best books ever written about the Somme. It may have taken over 100 years to write but Hugh Sebag-Montefiore takes the reader on a unforgettable journey.
What an entry it is even though I have read several books on the subject I was blown away by this book. It is a shining example of history at its best. The author combines first hand accounts with a great and insightful look at the campaign.
This in my opinion is one of the best books ever written about the Somme. It may have taken over 100 years to write but Hugh Sebag-Montefiore takes the reader on a unforgettable journey.
October 23, 2017
Review coming.
May 23, 2022
The use of first hand accounts is good, if a bit at times repetitive. Sebag-Montefiore does also deal with the differences in some of the rules for the various armies as well as presenting the German side.
September 3, 2016
A massive tome, somewhat repetitive as the author covers people being blown to pieces day after day through the latter half of 1915.
my grandfather
RIP
15400 Pte. Meek, George.
http://rhf.org.uk/Books/17th_HLI.pdf
MEEK , GEORGE
Private
15460
01/07/1916
Unknown
Highland Light Infantry
United Kingdom
Pier and Face 15 C.
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_d...
17th (Service) Battalion (3rd Glasgow) Formed in Glasgow on 10 September 1914 by the Chamber of Commerce. Moved to Troon. Record same as 16th Bn. 11 February 1918 : disbanded in France.
http://www.1914-1918.net/hli.htm
17th
France and Flanders 23 Nov 1915 - also lost nearly 500 officers and men on the first day of the Somme, The Highland Light Infantry was raised in Glasgow on 26 Feb 1915 by the Lord Provost and City as a bantam battalion and was moved to Girvan, Ayrshire. In May 1915 it moved to Gailes and in Jun 1916 to Masham, Yorkshire where it was assigned to 106th Brigade in 35th (Bantam) Division. In Jul 1915, as part of government policy, the battalion was taken over by the War Office. In Aug 1915 it moved again to the Salisbury Plain. The 18th went to France and Flanders on 1 Feb 1916, landing at Le Havre. Bantam battalions were specifically authorised for men who were below the official height limits for enlistment.
http://www.lightinfantry.org.uk/regim...
The Seventeenth
Highland Light Infantry
(Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Battalion).
At 7.23 a.m. the Battalion started moving across "no man's
land." When the barrage lifted the men entered the enemy
front line and the work of the moppers-up soon began. The
advance across the open was splendidly carried out, all ranks
behaving magnificently, as was the case throughout the entire
action. Leipzig Trench was taken and the leading lines
advanced against the Hindenburg Trench. These were mown
down and by 8.15 a.m. every Company Officer was a casualty.
It now became obvious to Colonel Morton that Leipzig Trench
must be held, as without reinforcements, no further advance
could be made, both flanks being exposed, as the 8th Division
on their right had been driven back. The left was particularly
exposed and parties under Sergt. Macgregor and Sergt. Watt were
organised and sent to strengthen the left where " B " and " D "
Companies had been almost annihilated. It was now 9 o'clock
and the Battalion casualties now amounted to 22 officers and
400 other ranks. The bombers, who had been sent up to
replace casualties, were holding the flanks successfully. By
11.15 the entire line was very weak, and still at 2 o'clock in
the afternoon the situation was unchanged, 2nd Lieut.
Morrison and 2nd Lieut. Marr working and organising
the protective flank bombers without the least regard for
personal safety. At 4 o'clock the 2nd Manchesters reinforced
them with two Companies. Just at this time the line
wavered a little in face of the overwhelming bombardment
and the appalling casualties, but control was immediately
gained. At 5 the shattered unit was ordered to consolidate the
ground taken. This was done and two strong enemy counter
attacks repulsed. At 9.30 the Battalion started to be relieved
by the Manchesters, but the relief was not wholly carried out
until near midnight, although several bombing parties had to
carry on till well towards mid-day of the following day before
being relieved. The I7th concentrated on Campbell Post and
held the line in that Sector. In the evening of the next day
the Battalion was relieved and returned to dug-outs at Crucifix
Corner.
GLASGOW:
DAVID J. CLARK, 23 ROYAL EXCHANGE SQUARE AND 02 UNION STREET.
1920.
my grandfather
RIP
15400 Pte. Meek, George.
http://rhf.org.uk/Books/17th_HLI.pdf
MEEK , GEORGE
Private
15460
01/07/1916
Unknown
Highland Light Infantry
United Kingdom
Pier and Face 15 C.
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_d...
17th (Service) Battalion (3rd Glasgow) Formed in Glasgow on 10 September 1914 by the Chamber of Commerce. Moved to Troon. Record same as 16th Bn. 11 February 1918 : disbanded in France.
http://www.1914-1918.net/hli.htm
17th
France and Flanders 23 Nov 1915 - also lost nearly 500 officers and men on the first day of the Somme, The Highland Light Infantry was raised in Glasgow on 26 Feb 1915 by the Lord Provost and City as a bantam battalion and was moved to Girvan, Ayrshire. In May 1915 it moved to Gailes and in Jun 1916 to Masham, Yorkshire where it was assigned to 106th Brigade in 35th (Bantam) Division. In Jul 1915, as part of government policy, the battalion was taken over by the War Office. In Aug 1915 it moved again to the Salisbury Plain. The 18th went to France and Flanders on 1 Feb 1916, landing at Le Havre. Bantam battalions were specifically authorised for men who were below the official height limits for enlistment.
http://www.lightinfantry.org.uk/regim...
The Seventeenth
Highland Light Infantry
(Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Battalion).
At 7.23 a.m. the Battalion started moving across "no man's
land." When the barrage lifted the men entered the enemy
front line and the work of the moppers-up soon began. The
advance across the open was splendidly carried out, all ranks
behaving magnificently, as was the case throughout the entire
action. Leipzig Trench was taken and the leading lines
advanced against the Hindenburg Trench. These were mown
down and by 8.15 a.m. every Company Officer was a casualty.
It now became obvious to Colonel Morton that Leipzig Trench
must be held, as without reinforcements, no further advance
could be made, both flanks being exposed, as the 8th Division
on their right had been driven back. The left was particularly
exposed and parties under Sergt. Macgregor and Sergt. Watt were
organised and sent to strengthen the left where " B " and " D "
Companies had been almost annihilated. It was now 9 o'clock
and the Battalion casualties now amounted to 22 officers and
400 other ranks. The bombers, who had been sent up to
replace casualties, were holding the flanks successfully. By
11.15 the entire line was very weak, and still at 2 o'clock in
the afternoon the situation was unchanged, 2nd Lieut.
Morrison and 2nd Lieut. Marr working and organising
the protective flank bombers without the least regard for
personal safety. At 4 o'clock the 2nd Manchesters reinforced
them with two Companies. Just at this time the line
wavered a little in face of the overwhelming bombardment
and the appalling casualties, but control was immediately
gained. At 5 the shattered unit was ordered to consolidate the
ground taken. This was done and two strong enemy counter
attacks repulsed. At 9.30 the Battalion started to be relieved
by the Manchesters, but the relief was not wholly carried out
until near midnight, although several bombing parties had to
carry on till well towards mid-day of the following day before
being relieved. The I7th concentrated on Campbell Post and
held the line in that Sector. In the evening of the next day
the Battalion was relieved and returned to dug-outs at Crucifix
Corner.
GLASGOW:
DAVID J. CLARK, 23 ROYAL EXCHANGE SQUARE AND 02 UNION STREET.
1920.
March 26, 2020
I have read many books on World War I, and this one is among the best. Written by a British historian from a British perspective, this book provides a depiction of the experiences of front-line soldiers in one of the worst and most mis-guided battles in all of world history. Over a period of several months in mid 1916, British Field Marshal Douglas Haig insisted on continually sending forth infantry soldiers against well-entrenched German defenders. Literally tens of thousands of soldiers were killed, many completely vaporized, others sunken into the deep mud. Tens of thousands of more were wounded.
Haig tried for a "big push" against the Germans, but all he did was slaughter his men. Idiocy is famously defined as doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. This defines the Somme. Time and time again, British soldiers were sent out after an artillery barrage, out of their trenches, into a no-man's land hopelessly torn up by the shells, often in broad daylight, often at a walking pace, only to be mown down by German machine guns. Time after time the outcome was the same: hundreds if not thousands of dead or wounded soldiers with no real gain. Yet Haig did it time and time and time again and his own government failed to stop him even when it was obvious his battle plan was a disaster.
The writer of this book has done an incredible job finding original first-person accounts from front-line soldiers, and weaving them together into a solid and understandable account of this horrific mistake of a battle. I have read many books on the Somme, and this one by far is the most penetrating. You can understand the battle, while at the same time understanding what the men went through, in a way few other books have captured. You literally want to start screaming when Haig time and time again sends these men to be killed, while you can celebrate the incredible dedication and sheer strength of the men involved and their heroic efforts.
Today we are rightly concerned with the death of a few thousands soldiers in Afganistan, and insist on every killed soldier being returned home for burial. Today, could we really handle tens of thousands of deaths per week of battle, soldiers who sank lost forever into mud, soldiers literally vaporized? You will ask yourself these questions as you read this book.
This book while very good does have some short-comings. It would be far better had the editor put the battle maps into the text of the chapters instead of all grouped together. The maps add a lot but you soon give up referring back to them while reading. The perspective is British, and modern Americans might find the British social class distinctions and things like officers taking their "servants" with them into battle, very strange. Despite the fact that in other accounts of the Somme I have read, the efforts of Australian and New Zealand troops are praised, this writer goes out his way to depict them in a very bad way. The French played a role in the Somme also, but the focus in this book on the British experience tends to downplay the French role.
In the end though, no matter how many men tried, and how many men died, the Somme was a failure for the British. The very small gains they did made were for nothing because the Germans retreated to the Hindenberg line after the heavy winter rain stopped the battle dead just when the British had a chance of actually exhausting the Germans. The most anguishing part of this book is when British units who actually had some gains were called back.
This is one of the best books on a World War one battle I have read, and I highly recommend it.
Haig tried for a "big push" against the Germans, but all he did was slaughter his men. Idiocy is famously defined as doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. This defines the Somme. Time and time again, British soldiers were sent out after an artillery barrage, out of their trenches, into a no-man's land hopelessly torn up by the shells, often in broad daylight, often at a walking pace, only to be mown down by German machine guns. Time after time the outcome was the same: hundreds if not thousands of dead or wounded soldiers with no real gain. Yet Haig did it time and time and time again and his own government failed to stop him even when it was obvious his battle plan was a disaster.
The writer of this book has done an incredible job finding original first-person accounts from front-line soldiers, and weaving them together into a solid and understandable account of this horrific mistake of a battle. I have read many books on the Somme, and this one by far is the most penetrating. You can understand the battle, while at the same time understanding what the men went through, in a way few other books have captured. You literally want to start screaming when Haig time and time again sends these men to be killed, while you can celebrate the incredible dedication and sheer strength of the men involved and their heroic efforts.
Today we are rightly concerned with the death of a few thousands soldiers in Afganistan, and insist on every killed soldier being returned home for burial. Today, could we really handle tens of thousands of deaths per week of battle, soldiers who sank lost forever into mud, soldiers literally vaporized? You will ask yourself these questions as you read this book.
This book while very good does have some short-comings. It would be far better had the editor put the battle maps into the text of the chapters instead of all grouped together. The maps add a lot but you soon give up referring back to them while reading. The perspective is British, and modern Americans might find the British social class distinctions and things like officers taking their "servants" with them into battle, very strange. Despite the fact that in other accounts of the Somme I have read, the efforts of Australian and New Zealand troops are praised, this writer goes out his way to depict them in a very bad way. The French played a role in the Somme also, but the focus in this book on the British experience tends to downplay the French role.
In the end though, no matter how many men tried, and how many men died, the Somme was a failure for the British. The very small gains they did made were for nothing because the Germans retreated to the Hindenberg line after the heavy winter rain stopped the battle dead just when the British had a chance of actually exhausting the Germans. The most anguishing part of this book is when British units who actually had some gains were called back.
This is one of the best books on a World War one battle I have read, and I highly recommend it.
November 1, 2016
This book had a great collection of personal narratives (primarily from English-speaking soldiers, though a few German as well -- almost no French), however it did not provide much new or insightful analysis of the strategic and tactical developments.
It's a basically good read, but if you're going to read one in-depth book about the Battle of the Somme, read Philpott's Three Armies on the Somme, which provides a more balanced account of German, French and British Empire experiences of the battle, as well as much more analysis of the strategic and tactical developments during the months of brutal fighting.
It's a basically good read, but if you're going to read one in-depth book about the Battle of the Somme, read Philpott's Three Armies on the Somme, which provides a more balanced account of German, French and British Empire experiences of the battle, as well as much more analysis of the strategic and tactical developments during the months of brutal fighting.
October 26, 2016
I've read several books on this iconic, yet somewhat indecipherable battle, which, having lasted several months, was really a campaign, and this is the best account I've found. With excellent maps, and a narrative structure that focuses on discrete areas, and generous reliance on first hand accounts, I really felt I learned much more about the battle and got a more complete understanding of this one of the most horrific clashes in modern history. Highly recommended.
April 20, 2022
战争题材的书籍一定是反战的，作者用大量的文献、书信，将这一场史无前例的消耗战还原给读者。在那些充满了绝望的文字的书信中，仿佛浮现着一张张被恐惧支配的面容，一具具支离破碎的尸体，和那些不顾士兵死活的愚蠢的高层的嘴脸。
疫情在家不应该读这种书。横尸遍野的惨烈画面犹如现场直播。一小部分人的愚蠢和不理性给普通人带来的灭顶之灾，一遍一遍地重演。
疫情在家不应该读这种书。横尸遍野的惨烈画面犹如现场直播。一小部分人的愚蠢和不理性给普通人带来的灭顶之灾，一遍一遍地重演。
May 3, 2020
This was the first book on the First World War I’ve read in over 12 years. As someone with a deep passion and understanding of the Second, the film “1917” peaked my interest in understanding the events that came well before 1939.
The words “The Somme”, evoke powerful emotions; especially for my friends in England. It is one of those phrases that has transcended the First World War; a term that suggests great suffering, death and catastrophic blunders of the highest order.
Montefiore’s work has this in spades. While I have yet to read Middlebrook’s classic account of the battle, I thought the author did a superb job in my eyes. However, it is very easy to get lost in the movements of each side and the individual units involved. All of the maps are placed at the beginning of the book; this is both an asset and a hindrance. While it is helpful to have all of them located in a central location (which the author helpfully points the reader to when necessary), there is a LOT of flipping from one part to another.
While there is brief mention of what is happening in France in 1916, the book very much focuses on the Somme in its entirety. The author promises to take you into the trenches; something that is expertly woven into the narrative. This is about as “firsthand account” as you’ll get from a World War One book in the 21st century. I left each chapter in disbelief at the ineptitude of the BEF’s leadership, the poor level of communication from top to bottom and the waste of life on an epic scale. The savagery, gallows humor and fear that trench life evokes is brought to the fore in this work.
This book took me well over a month and a half to read. The first reason being the amount of information one needs to process to be able to pinpoint exactly where you are and what’s going on. Secondly, it is a painful read. The accounts are truly horrific and there is only so much of that you can take in a day. However, this is the Somme as it was. This is why the Somme is still spoken in hushed tones and with such reverence.
A job well done to Montefiore and a tip of the cap to the well over 1.5 million people on both sides who never left that place.
The words “The Somme”, evoke powerful emotions; especially for my friends in England. It is one of those phrases that has transcended the First World War; a term that suggests great suffering, death and catastrophic blunders of the highest order.
Montefiore’s work has this in spades. While I have yet to read Middlebrook’s classic account of the battle, I thought the author did a superb job in my eyes. However, it is very easy to get lost in the movements of each side and the individual units involved. All of the maps are placed at the beginning of the book; this is both an asset and a hindrance. While it is helpful to have all of them located in a central location (which the author helpfully points the reader to when necessary), there is a LOT of flipping from one part to another.
While there is brief mention of what is happening in France in 1916, the book very much focuses on the Somme in its entirety. The author promises to take you into the trenches; something that is expertly woven into the narrative. This is about as “firsthand account” as you’ll get from a World War One book in the 21st century. I left each chapter in disbelief at the ineptitude of the BEF’s leadership, the poor level of communication from top to bottom and the waste of life on an epic scale. The savagery, gallows humor and fear that trench life evokes is brought to the fore in this work.
This book took me well over a month and a half to read. The first reason being the amount of information one needs to process to be able to pinpoint exactly where you are and what’s going on. Secondly, it is a painful read. The accounts are truly horrific and there is only so much of that you can take in a day. However, this is the Somme as it was. This is why the Somme is still spoken in hushed tones and with such reverence.
A job well done to Montefiore and a tip of the cap to the well over 1.5 million people on both sides who never left that place.
Want to read
August 21, 2016From the Christian Science Monitor: "Sebag-Montefiore's book studies the whole breadth of the Somme debacle, from that blistering first day to the exhausted and mud-caked final weeks in late November. He sifts through volumes and volumes of original documents, attempting always to put a human face on every single moment and aspect of the campaign. . .The narrative moves easily from the larger logistical tangles back at headquarters to the experiences of the men fighting in the front lines, and Sebag-Montefiore is every bit as authoritative writing about the birth of air and tank warfare as he is picking apart the psychologies of the men involved...There will never be a last word on the Battle of the Somme, Sebag-Montefiore concludes. By the time it was all over, each side had lost half a million people – and yet virtually nothing had been gained, and the German lines had mostly held firm. Our author echoes the verdict of some historians that the bloodbath of the Somme prompted the German command to pause its offensive at Verdun, and likewise he brings up the frequently-made contention that the vicious pounding the German forces underwent at the Somme effectively broke their spirits, guaranteeing an eventual Allied victory.
Such things may be true, although they would have been cold comfort to the thousands of men cut down on either side of the river a century ago. At least those men get to speak again, in this enormously satisfying book."
Such things may be true, although they would have been cold comfort to the thousands of men cut down on either side of the river a century ago. At least those men get to speak again, in this enormously satisfying book."
October 22, 2016
I was inspired to read this book after visiting the British Imperial War Museum in London and seeing the extensive exhibits and depictions of the battle, including a full scale replica of a World War I trench. The book is meticulous in detail as it tells the story of the battle at every level, strategic, operational, tactical, and personal. At the strategic and operational level it was an attempt to impose a major defeat on the German Army across a wide front. On the tactical level it was an attempt by the allies to use artillery to cut the wires and defenses of the German lines to allow the Allied forces to "go over the top" and assault the entrenched enemy. In the execution, the artillery was inadequate and the attacking allied forces met incredibly deadly machine gun fire. The battle waged on across a wide front from 1 July to 18 November 1916 and resulted in over one million men killed or wounded.
On the personal level the author tells the stories of individual soldiers of the Somme as recorded in letters and other documents, particularly regarding families and lost sons.
The book is an epic tale of a horrific disaster in history. As such, it is difficult, but worthwhile, reading in the extreme.
On the personal level the author tells the stories of individual soldiers of the Somme as recorded in letters and other documents, particularly regarding families and lost sons.
The book is an epic tale of a horrific disaster in history. As such, it is difficult, but worthwhile, reading in the extreme.
July 7, 2019
An incredibly powerful account of the battle of the Somme. Every bit as shocking as you would expect - Sebag-Montefiore's choice of quotations is peerless - but also contains moments of incredible achievement and heroism on the part of British Commonwealth soldiers. One of the most impressive quotations in the book comes from a Newfoundland solider, Private Bert Ellis: 'Our boys acted throughout as heroes. They went up on top singing, just as if they were going on a march, instead of facing death... It was like hell let loose... The machine-gun fire mowed our men down like wheat before the scythe. [...] You could almost see the bullets coming, they came so thick and fast.' (p. 101).
Far less impressive is the behaviour of the senior officers. Douglas Haig did not even get a proper degree and seems to have landed his career by being wealthy and well connected ('twas ever thus!). His error in thinking the offensive could all be carried out quickly and with relative ease is one of the most disastrous judgement calls in world history.
This is the only book I have read about the battle, but it is done so well that I am eager to learn more.
Far less impressive is the behaviour of the senior officers. Douglas Haig did not even get a proper degree and seems to have landed his career by being wealthy and well connected ('twas ever thus!). His error in thinking the offensive could all be carried out quickly and with relative ease is one of the most disastrous judgement calls in world history.
This is the only book I have read about the battle, but it is done so well that I am eager to learn more.
February 10, 2017
As an analysis of an already much discussed battle, Sebag-Montefiore's account is a thoroughly researched and well-detailed beginning-to-end narrative setting forth dates and times and locations of brigades and battalions and divisions, objectives won and lost, and men injured and killed. Structured in that fashion, from one date to the next, and from one area along the front lines to the one alongside it and then forward, the reading of it begins to mirror the incremental slog of the battle itself. My three-star rating represents an average of two scores: two stars for the author's rigorous plodding through minutiae and four stars for the vivid and oftentimes heartbreaking accounts of the diarists and letter writers who recorded their in-the-trenches impressions of the battle as it occurred, which are all the more poignant for the many instances in which their remembrances survived while they did not.
March 16, 2019
An exhaustive study of one of the pivotal battles of World War One. SM gives a good account of how the extensive British bombardment was still inadequate due to the use of too few guns and not enough observation. The German barb wire was still intact and the German more extensive bomb proof shelters (40 feet deep instead of the British 20 feet or less) and the British literaly walked (they were burdend by extra supplies since they were told they would have to rebuild abandoned and destroyed German positions) into machine gun fire.
Still the battle was something of a British victory. The four hundred thousand German casulaties (as opposed to 650,000 Allied) constitued the last of the old German Army in the words of General Ludendorf. The Germans decided on a new stratergy that included Inflitration attacks by Stormtroopers and unrestricted U-Boat warfare. This came close to winning them a victory but instead produced their final defeat.
Still the battle was something of a British victory. The four hundred thousand German casulaties (as opposed to 650,000 Allied) constitued the last of the old German Army in the words of General Ludendorf. The Germans decided on a new stratergy that included Inflitration attacks by Stormtroopers and unrestricted U-Boat warfare. This came close to winning them a victory but instead produced their final defeat.
December 7, 2017
At about 700 pages including footnotes, photographs and maps this was a thoroughly researched and detailed book about the battle of the Somme. This is not an easy read and at times can be a bit repetitive with lots of personal accounts of the human cost of this battle with a lot of detail about the injuries sustained as well as the human carnage left in situ in the walls of trenches and in no mans land.
It also focuses on the decisions of Generals Haig and Rawlinson in particular but also on the mistakes made by their subordinate commanders. These mistakes cost hundreds of young men their lives and to me there seemed a blatant disregard for the soldiers in the field and they really were treated as cannon fodder.
If you enjoy military history then this book will really appeal to you and the author provides the details of other books that he relied upon in researching the subject.
It also focuses on the decisions of Generals Haig and Rawlinson in particular but also on the mistakes made by their subordinate commanders. These mistakes cost hundreds of young men their lives and to me there seemed a blatant disregard for the soldiers in the field and they really were treated as cannon fodder.
If you enjoy military history then this book will really appeal to you and the author provides the details of other books that he relied upon in researching the subject.
April 2, 2018
I want to give this book 5 stars for the amount of effort in researching and writing the author accomplished. I’m giving it 4, however, because the narrative became so bogged down in detail for me as to make the reading a bit difficult and tedious.
The biggest takeaway is the absolute tragedy of so many lives lost and destroyed due in such large part to the failures in leadership exhibited by the commanding officers.
The Somme, and I’m sure other battles from WW1 provide (unfortunately for the men fighting) examples of how not to wage war.
It was frustrating and heartbreaking to read about the plight of the infantrymen engaged in combat.
If you want a very in depth look of the battle of the Somme, this is the book for you.
The biggest takeaway is the absolute tragedy of so many lives lost and destroyed due in such large part to the failures in leadership exhibited by the commanding officers.
The Somme, and I’m sure other battles from WW1 provide (unfortunately for the men fighting) examples of how not to wage war.
It was frustrating and heartbreaking to read about the plight of the infantrymen engaged in combat.
If you want a very in depth look of the battle of the Somme, this is the book for you.
January 30, 2019
Not my first military history book by a long ways but I found this nearly unreadable.
The research is impressive and I have no doubt this is one of the best accounts of the Somme, but the author presents his book in a similar way to how a historian first prepares to write his book. Details and facts are listed one after another in exhausting detail. You feel as if the author presents the experience of every individual soldier at the Somme, which is amazing, but a horrible read. It feels as if you are reading the same paragraph over and over for 500 pages and cant remember one single person.
The research is impressive and I have no doubt this is one of the best accounts of the Somme, but the author presents his book in a similar way to how a historian first prepares to write his book. Details and facts are listed one after another in exhausting detail. You feel as if the author presents the experience of every individual soldier at the Somme, which is amazing, but a horrible read. It feels as if you are reading the same paragraph over and over for 500 pages and cant remember one single person.
January 20, 2019
Outstandingly researched. Emotionally powerful especially in regards to first hand accounts. His descriptions of units however was very confusing (i.e. 34th brigade to the right of 35 th brigade in the left of the third division in 10th corp) and took a lot of mind turning to grasp exactly what he meant. Maps were not detailed enough. He over edited the first hand accounts to the point that I felt I was reading an English professor's proofread. It was still am outstanding book.
June 8, 2017
Very detailed account of the Battle of The Somme. The maps printed at the front of the book were helpful, but going back and forth between the chapters and the maps was somewhat confusing. I needed to print out maps of the battles off the internet and lay them all out in front of me while I was reading to keep track of all the battalions, brigades of the British and German armies.
November 7, 2016
Very detailed, very well narrated but also complex. It would have required an interactive map to be able to keep track of locations of the action. The small maps in the ebook helped but still not enough.
You are the author of this review
You are the author of this review
May 3, 2017
Chilling, as I am sure it was intended to be.
December 28, 2017
Gruelling read. By using extracts from combatants letters, you get the unvarnished truth. Well written.
March 5, 2019
Sad and depressing. A battle in a war that should never have happened.
April 8, 2020
Highly detailed. Perhaps for those with more than a casual interest in the topic.
November 20, 2017
This is the one war book I read in 2017 that had an adequate amount of maps to referenced battle lines. Any person reading on the First World War should read this masterpiece.
The author dedicated this book to his Father who had fought during this troublesome battle. The opening chapter in this Historical and detailed accounting begins on the first day – the reader is pushed to Map #4 which lay directly following the overall index of the book. Early one can see there is no love that is going to be shed for Field Marshall Douglas Haig; Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Forces. Nor was there any love for General Sir Henry Rawlinson, an assistant to FM Haig. Mr. Sebag-Montefiore takes a meticulous path across the whole of the Battlefield that lay just outside the small town of Albert and near the River Somme. In this manner, the appreciation that the reader gains are that the whole of the battlefield location (with many descriptive maps) provides a walk across the locations to which all contained “No Man’s Land”. One will therefore read many firsthand accounts of the blood shed by the “Lost Generation”; within the pages of this Historical account we find out exactly “why” these lads became the “Lost Generation” and the real sad matter here is that this was not the first battle of expended youth, and certainly to the future of the time there would be many more. There are in effect many descriptive parts that of the scenes written in letters home by low ranking Privates to Colonels while the Generals sat with push-pin maps in comfortable positions behind the scenes of the battle front. However, there were some Generals (rare) that confronted FM Haig on decisions and these were soon sacked and sent home to the UK. The author took critical exception to the process of the comfort of FM Haig while so many young to mid-range lives were expended for a plan that hadn’t been thought out nor planned more effectively. Taking a critical look at this battle and reading what planning had gone into effect one can surmise that egos were more at play than any other component. Assuming one’s enemies would capitulate or be lost to artillery is a strawman argument; though it was arguably a strong consideration of the time – plenty directly below Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig fit this description to a “T” where direct line Officers held criticisms and some attempted to push up the ladder to no avail against of plans ill conceived. We finish the first day of battle only when one reads to page 230; again, a meticulous and careful and very well thought out tribute to the British, Canadian, and Australian Forces that fought within the confines of this meat grinder. The book by Mr. Sebag-Montefiore is not for the faint of heart, descriptions of the battle, the residual effects of those that witnessed the account day after bloody day is telling – the question yet remains “why?”
The pace in this book is convenient for readers of all types. Each chapter can be completed in a day (if one so desires) and yet one can just as easily read through several chapters a day dependent on how busy one’ schedule is managed. For myself, I took one chapter a day until I reached the last 8 chapters or so – I read 2 chapters a day toward the near end and was able to maintain the focus that was required to keep the information fresh regardless of how busy my day had been. Mr. Sebag-Montefiore is that sort of author – it is apparent to me that he intended to leave a lasting impression on this masterpiece and overall work. As I sit pondering the many accounts of young troops it is rather unfortunate that the British Cabinet War Committee hadn’t pursued a tougher stance with FM Haig on the many casualties of those killed, missing, and/or maimed following the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916; the official record states that 19 November 1916 was the conclusion of this bloodletting – for many of the soldiers who would survive and the parents and relatives of the dead I doubt that 11 November 1918 would let this battle pass from memory. By the end, both sides would count between 500,000 – 750,000 lost; the shame of course is that this war was just under 2 years away from Armistice at the conclusion. Further battles were yet to arrive and at this point the Gallipoli (Dardanelles) Campaign was over before the Somme began. It is well known that until the American Forces arrived in France that the Canadian Expeditionary Forces that were for the time the highest paid soldier. What had been kept from the official records but written in “Merry Hell” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) is that the British had to keep the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC’s) away from Canadian Forces following a large fight among these Allied Forces. Following the Dardanelles when after Gallipoli the advanced parties of the ANZAC’s arrived to France in Bailleul. Advanced party discussions ensued and following the first day’s business the less formal but no less important discussions continued in café’s and pubs. The town was filled with hundreds of Canadians and Australians when one Australian Soldier claimed they had landed in France to clean up what the Canadians could not finish – a return negative comment was passed from a Canadian soldier replied with an equally loud insult of why the Australians could not finish the job in Gallipoli – boys will be boys, tensions were of course high and the stress level of these fighting forces were beyond any imaginable peak. As the story went – like dominoes – the fighting between Canadian and Australians crept from café to café and from pub to pub to where the British had to send in a cavalry outfit to break the fights up throughout the streets. Roughly 100 soldiers of each side ended up in field hospitals for injuries sustained and though not confirmed “officially” scuttlebutt had it that several died. From this time forward the Canadians and Australians never fought side by side; but, were separated by British Forces in between held positions as objectives could not sustain further damage among friends. Public or transparent accounts were never provided and Captain Clements of the 25th Battalion of the Nova Scotia Regiment wrote this account from a firsthand perspective. Mr. Sebag-Montefiore doesn’t go into this “away from the battle scenes” sort of excursion; he needn’t go there given the state of History he records for posterity on the Somme.
As an American, reading this account it was rather plain to see that this sort of fighting that had gone on for so long when (later) Germany and Russia ceased hostilities due to the Russian Civil War and the oust of Czar Nicolas. Those able-bodied German Forces then went to the Western Front and hence, the exhaustion of the British and French Forces could readily be understood – in steps the United States arrived to assist and this was both timely and necessary to the future of the era. It is here at this point and time that the U.S. would build a lasting friendship with the United Kingdom that still stands the test of time today; our relationship with France is a different one from the U.K.; however, none the less important. As we recall our collaborative History we also know the outcome of the Second World War and that what occurred at the Versailles Treaty in 1919 would not be repeated at the Potsdam Conference nearly 30 years later. The countless amounts of lives lost between 1914 and 1945 were devastating to the world; as a Marine I will make no apology for the creed I myself carry – but, I do expect and demand that politicians whether Liberal or Conservative answer to the people and to the service men and women and their families when “they” send the people off to fight for the policies that sovereign nations must keep; whether as individual nations or collectively through alliances – it is the “grunt” that knows the “grunt” life and no politician sitting in a comfortable office can dictate demands of society to be placed upon the service members unless they have fully understood and examined the combat effectiveness of the same. Sir Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt and Prime Minister McKenzie-King were the three that understood this best in the Western Civilized world from 1939 onward. The British War Cabinet did not keep FM Haig to the fire nor to the microscope and nor did they of General Sir Rawlinson – anti-war material published after this war would; and, it seems further works that arrived in the early 1960’s would provide a prism into the past.
The author introduces the reader to accounts of the German side in terms of stories, letters home etc. One story encapsulated that I personally found interesting was that of Lieutenant F.L. Cassel: Lieutenant Cassel was a German citizen of Jewish background – he rose through the ranks and did so against discrimination of the time from his countrymen. Lt. Cassel later survives the Holocaust of WW II and moves to England after that war. He then writes of his account as a German Soldier in WW1, Post WW1, and that of a Dachau Concentration Camp survivor – though I looked for the documents at the Imperial War Museum on-line the charge associated (or so I was to believe) was something I chose not to do. But Mr. Sebag-Montefiore provided a service in this manner to the opposing forces – what occurred to these veterans of the German nation (of the First World War) prior to and during the Second World War was a matter of pure disgrace; this accounting comes at a time when I had most recently completed the “Nuremberg Diary” by Dr. Gustav Gilbert of the U.S. Army – Psychologist to the prisoners of the Nuremberg (Major) Trials. Within the “Nuremberg Diary” Dr. Gilbert has a discussion with Hermann Goering on this particular subject – in his usual arrogant manner Herr Goering dismissed this propaganda from the “Victors.”
Maps: 21 total battlefield maps - maybe confusing to some persons not familiar with map reading but overall outstanding and how this author links the maps to each chapter of the book.
Photos: High quality resolution of persons discussed within the book and overall field conditions - adds quality value for the reader and thus makes this book a collector’s item in my opinion.
Overall - excellent detailed account for any person interested in understanding the battle and how the British and French Forces would be morally drained by the time the United States would enter the war later.
The author dedicated this book to his Father who had fought during this troublesome battle. The opening chapter in this Historical and detailed accounting begins on the first day – the reader is pushed to Map #4 which lay directly following the overall index of the book. Early one can see there is no love that is going to be shed for Field Marshall Douglas Haig; Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Forces. Nor was there any love for General Sir Henry Rawlinson, an assistant to FM Haig. Mr. Sebag-Montefiore takes a meticulous path across the whole of the Battlefield that lay just outside the small town of Albert and near the River Somme. In this manner, the appreciation that the reader gains are that the whole of the battlefield location (with many descriptive maps) provides a walk across the locations to which all contained “No Man’s Land”. One will therefore read many firsthand accounts of the blood shed by the “Lost Generation”; within the pages of this Historical account we find out exactly “why” these lads became the “Lost Generation” and the real sad matter here is that this was not the first battle of expended youth, and certainly to the future of the time there would be many more. There are in effect many descriptive parts that of the scenes written in letters home by low ranking Privates to Colonels while the Generals sat with push-pin maps in comfortable positions behind the scenes of the battle front. However, there were some Generals (rare) that confronted FM Haig on decisions and these were soon sacked and sent home to the UK. The author took critical exception to the process of the comfort of FM Haig while so many young to mid-range lives were expended for a plan that hadn’t been thought out nor planned more effectively. Taking a critical look at this battle and reading what planning had gone into effect one can surmise that egos were more at play than any other component. Assuming one’s enemies would capitulate or be lost to artillery is a strawman argument; though it was arguably a strong consideration of the time – plenty directly below Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig fit this description to a “T” where direct line Officers held criticisms and some attempted to push up the ladder to no avail against of plans ill conceived. We finish the first day of battle only when one reads to page 230; again, a meticulous and careful and very well thought out tribute to the British, Canadian, and Australian Forces that fought within the confines of this meat grinder. The book by Mr. Sebag-Montefiore is not for the faint of heart, descriptions of the battle, the residual effects of those that witnessed the account day after bloody day is telling – the question yet remains “why?”
The pace in this book is convenient for readers of all types. Each chapter can be completed in a day (if one so desires) and yet one can just as easily read through several chapters a day dependent on how busy one’ schedule is managed. For myself, I took one chapter a day until I reached the last 8 chapters or so – I read 2 chapters a day toward the near end and was able to maintain the focus that was required to keep the information fresh regardless of how busy my day had been. Mr. Sebag-Montefiore is that sort of author – it is apparent to me that he intended to leave a lasting impression on this masterpiece and overall work. As I sit pondering the many accounts of young troops it is rather unfortunate that the British Cabinet War Committee hadn’t pursued a tougher stance with FM Haig on the many casualties of those killed, missing, and/or maimed following the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916; the official record states that 19 November 1916 was the conclusion of this bloodletting – for many of the soldiers who would survive and the parents and relatives of the dead I doubt that 11 November 1918 would let this battle pass from memory. By the end, both sides would count between 500,000 – 750,000 lost; the shame of course is that this war was just under 2 years away from Armistice at the conclusion. Further battles were yet to arrive and at this point the Gallipoli (Dardanelles) Campaign was over before the Somme began. It is well known that until the American Forces arrived in France that the Canadian Expeditionary Forces that were for the time the highest paid soldier. What had been kept from the official records but written in “Merry Hell” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) is that the British had to keep the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC’s) away from Canadian Forces following a large fight among these Allied Forces. Following the Dardanelles when after Gallipoli the advanced parties of the ANZAC’s arrived to France in Bailleul. Advanced party discussions ensued and following the first day’s business the less formal but no less important discussions continued in café’s and pubs. The town was filled with hundreds of Canadians and Australians when one Australian Soldier claimed they had landed in France to clean up what the Canadians could not finish – a return negative comment was passed from a Canadian soldier replied with an equally loud insult of why the Australians could not finish the job in Gallipoli – boys will be boys, tensions were of course high and the stress level of these fighting forces were beyond any imaginable peak. As the story went – like dominoes – the fighting between Canadian and Australians crept from café to café and from pub to pub to where the British had to send in a cavalry outfit to break the fights up throughout the streets. Roughly 100 soldiers of each side ended up in field hospitals for injuries sustained and though not confirmed “officially” scuttlebutt had it that several died. From this time forward the Canadians and Australians never fought side by side; but, were separated by British Forces in between held positions as objectives could not sustain further damage among friends. Public or transparent accounts were never provided and Captain Clements of the 25th Battalion of the Nova Scotia Regiment wrote this account from a firsthand perspective. Mr. Sebag-Montefiore doesn’t go into this “away from the battle scenes” sort of excursion; he needn’t go there given the state of History he records for posterity on the Somme.
As an American, reading this account it was rather plain to see that this sort of fighting that had gone on for so long when (later) Germany and Russia ceased hostilities due to the Russian Civil War and the oust of Czar Nicolas. Those able-bodied German Forces then went to the Western Front and hence, the exhaustion of the British and French Forces could readily be understood – in steps the United States arrived to assist and this was both timely and necessary to the future of the era. It is here at this point and time that the U.S. would build a lasting friendship with the United Kingdom that still stands the test of time today; our relationship with France is a different one from the U.K.; however, none the less important. As we recall our collaborative History we also know the outcome of the Second World War and that what occurred at the Versailles Treaty in 1919 would not be repeated at the Potsdam Conference nearly 30 years later. The countless amounts of lives lost between 1914 and 1945 were devastating to the world; as a Marine I will make no apology for the creed I myself carry – but, I do expect and demand that politicians whether Liberal or Conservative answer to the people and to the service men and women and their families when “they” send the people off to fight for the policies that sovereign nations must keep; whether as individual nations or collectively through alliances – it is the “grunt” that knows the “grunt” life and no politician sitting in a comfortable office can dictate demands of society to be placed upon the service members unless they have fully understood and examined the combat effectiveness of the same. Sir Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt and Prime Minister McKenzie-King were the three that understood this best in the Western Civilized world from 1939 onward. The British War Cabinet did not keep FM Haig to the fire nor to the microscope and nor did they of General Sir Rawlinson – anti-war material published after this war would; and, it seems further works that arrived in the early 1960’s would provide a prism into the past.
The author introduces the reader to accounts of the German side in terms of stories, letters home etc. One story encapsulated that I personally found interesting was that of Lieutenant F.L. Cassel: Lieutenant Cassel was a German citizen of Jewish background – he rose through the ranks and did so against discrimination of the time from his countrymen. Lt. Cassel later survives the Holocaust of WW II and moves to England after that war. He then writes of his account as a German Soldier in WW1, Post WW1, and that of a Dachau Concentration Camp survivor – though I looked for the documents at the Imperial War Museum on-line the charge associated (or so I was to believe) was something I chose not to do. But Mr. Sebag-Montefiore provided a service in this manner to the opposing forces – what occurred to these veterans of the German nation (of the First World War) prior to and during the Second World War was a matter of pure disgrace; this accounting comes at a time when I had most recently completed the “Nuremberg Diary” by Dr. Gustav Gilbert of the U.S. Army – Psychologist to the prisoners of the Nuremberg (Major) Trials. Within the “Nuremberg Diary” Dr. Gilbert has a discussion with Hermann Goering on this particular subject – in his usual arrogant manner Herr Goering dismissed this propaganda from the “Victors.”
Maps: 21 total battlefield maps - maybe confusing to some persons not familiar with map reading but overall outstanding and how this author links the maps to each chapter of the book.
Photos: High quality resolution of persons discussed within the book and overall field conditions - adds quality value for the reader and thus makes this book a collector’s item in my opinion.
Overall - excellent detailed account for any person interested in understanding the battle and how the British and French Forces would be morally drained by the time the United States would enter the war later.
August 4, 2018
This is one of the most difficult books I have ever read -- but also one of the most compelling. I had always heard the Somme was an incredibly bloody battle and a real slugfest but I had never known much about it before reading "Into the Breach."
The book draws heavily on first-hand accounts found in letters from officers and soldiers to loved ones, in diaries and in reports. The men who wrote home were surprisingly frank and open in describing the horror of what they saw and experienced on the battlefield. And it was truly stomach-turning. Bodies would lay out in the open and in and alongside the trenches for days and then weeks. No one had time to retrieve and bury them and often it was simply too dangerous to do so.
Another very unsettling aspect of what is recounted in the book is how often Germans who were trying to surrender (often holding up photographs of their wives and children and begging for mercy) were bayoneted or shot by men who had simply lost control or were out of their minds with bloodlust and anger. I had never heard about this before on the Western Front but, judging from "Into the Breach," it was a rather common occurrence during the Battle of the Somme.
The author does a fine job of exposing the short-sightedness and errors in judgment and planning by the generals, especially Haig and Rawlinson. The leading generals should have spent more time close to the front lines to see, hear and understand what the troops were experiencing before ordering them to advance 400 or 400+ yards across unprotected "No Man's Land" in the face of intense German machine gun fire and fierce artillery bombardments. In one account, a man was advancing with 30 men from his unit when a German shell landed among them, knocking the man, who was out in front, to the ground. He pulled himself together and got up to look around and see that he was the only survivor. All 30 of his comrades had been killed by one shell burst.
"Into the Breach" has more maps of the battlefield than any other military history book I have ever read and they are essential to the reader's understanding of this confusing, twisted Armageddon. One thing I feel was missing in the book was more of an overview of what was happening in the battle from the larger perspective. It would have been helpful if, before some chapters or interspersed between some chapters, the author had provided a summary of the progress (or lack thereof) in various places along the front at the Somme and why the action the reader was about to read about was being undertaken. This would have helped the reader avoid a sense of being a bit lost in the minutiae of individual accounts that sometimes seemed disconnected from the big picture.
Despite my few criticisms, "Into the Breach" is first-rate military history. I am unlikely to read it again because the first-hand accounts were too vivid, gory and unsettling to read more than once. However, I find it difficult to believe anyone can develop an accurate understanding of what fighting on the Somme (and the Western Front, in general) was like without reading this book. It that sense, "Into the Breach" is an essential part of the literature of the First World War and a book I will never, ever forget.
The book draws heavily on first-hand accounts found in letters from officers and soldiers to loved ones, in diaries and in reports. The men who wrote home were surprisingly frank and open in describing the horror of what they saw and experienced on the battlefield. And it was truly stomach-turning. Bodies would lay out in the open and in and alongside the trenches for days and then weeks. No one had time to retrieve and bury them and often it was simply too dangerous to do so.
Another very unsettling aspect of what is recounted in the book is how often Germans who were trying to surrender (often holding up photographs of their wives and children and begging for mercy) were bayoneted or shot by men who had simply lost control or were out of their minds with bloodlust and anger. I had never heard about this before on the Western Front but, judging from "Into the Breach," it was a rather common occurrence during the Battle of the Somme.
The author does a fine job of exposing the short-sightedness and errors in judgment and planning by the generals, especially Haig and Rawlinson. The leading generals should have spent more time close to the front lines to see, hear and understand what the troops were experiencing before ordering them to advance 400 or 400+ yards across unprotected "No Man's Land" in the face of intense German machine gun fire and fierce artillery bombardments. In one account, a man was advancing with 30 men from his unit when a German shell landed among them, knocking the man, who was out in front, to the ground. He pulled himself together and got up to look around and see that he was the only survivor. All 30 of his comrades had been killed by one shell burst.
"Into the Breach" has more maps of the battlefield than any other military history book I have ever read and they are essential to the reader's understanding of this confusing, twisted Armageddon. One thing I feel was missing in the book was more of an overview of what was happening in the battle from the larger perspective. It would have been helpful if, before some chapters or interspersed between some chapters, the author had provided a summary of the progress (or lack thereof) in various places along the front at the Somme and why the action the reader was about to read about was being undertaken. This would have helped the reader avoid a sense of being a bit lost in the minutiae of individual accounts that sometimes seemed disconnected from the big picture.
Despite my few criticisms, "Into the Breach" is first-rate military history. I am unlikely to read it again because the first-hand accounts were too vivid, gory and unsettling to read more than once. However, I find it difficult to believe anyone can develop an accurate understanding of what fighting on the Somme (and the Western Front, in general) was like without reading this book. It that sense, "Into the Breach" is an essential part of the literature of the First World War and a book I will never, ever forget.
December 18, 2023
A good book. A haunting book which is hardly surprising given the subject matter
However, it's also incredibly lopsided in its narrative. Although it is first rate (as one would expect from Montefiore), the book shares stories about the British, Irish and ANZACs before July 1st and in the battles which followed but seems to treat the Germans almost as an after through. It's haunting to hear experiences of the men who would not survive or would end up with a "blighty one", or the thoughts of general x or y about the battle, but time and time again whilst reading I was left feeling that something was missing. And on reflection it's so obvious. The German POV is touched upon here and there, especially initially during the softening up bombardment before the Big Push, and again before the Australian offensive which was meant to divert German attention away, but beyond that there's very little if any time given to the reaction to the Germans in the trench or to the German generals trying to react to this offensive. You are continually shown what the attackers had to go through, but there's very few sources which explain what the defenders did, or how OHL reacted to the hammer finally landing.
Part of me wonders if this the focus on the British and her allies alone was an intentional point by the author to really hammer home the senselessness of the battles which took place on and after July 1st, to show men trying and trying but being left feeling no good came from the struggle, but I'm left more frustrated than anything else. You will be shown a snippet from some German PBI who talks about the Allied bombardment on his trench but really that's it. Almost next to nothing is mentioned of Falkenhayn being sacked and replaced with Hindenburg which, although wasn't something caused exclusively by the reaction to the Somme offensive, certainly played a role. The book as such feels less like a narrative of events, like Montefiore's Dunkirk was (which is excellent), and more .... an ode to the fallen. But not all the fallen, just "our" side. Which I think at the end of it all makes it feel a bit sad.
It feels like the book buys into the narrative that the Somme was a colossal British failure, with zero benefits. Don't get me wrong, it was horrific but ultimately there were just as many German casualties as they were Allied so it was hardly a cake walk for the Central Powers, but at times the book reads like the Germans just spent the few months of the battle being shelled and waiting until it was their time to be attacked. The author spends some time talking about the impact of the battle in the summary but that only goes so far to mention the planned withdrawal to the Hindenburg line. How much of this was due to the battle on the Somme isn't really explained, which again hammers home the idea it was simply senseless slaughter....which it was... war is nothing but, however the Somme in part led to the grinding down of the German army, leaving it lacking in experience at a critical time.
However, it's also incredibly lopsided in its narrative. Although it is first rate (as one would expect from Montefiore), the book shares stories about the British, Irish and ANZACs before July 1st and in the battles which followed but seems to treat the Germans almost as an after through. It's haunting to hear experiences of the men who would not survive or would end up with a "blighty one", or the thoughts of general x or y about the battle, but time and time again whilst reading I was left feeling that something was missing. And on reflection it's so obvious. The German POV is touched upon here and there, especially initially during the softening up bombardment before the Big Push, and again before the Australian offensive which was meant to divert German attention away, but beyond that there's very little if any time given to the reaction to the Germans in the trench or to the German generals trying to react to this offensive. You are continually shown what the attackers had to go through, but there's very few sources which explain what the defenders did, or how OHL reacted to the hammer finally landing.
Part of me wonders if this the focus on the British and her allies alone was an intentional point by the author to really hammer home the senselessness of the battles which took place on and after July 1st, to show men trying and trying but being left feeling no good came from the struggle, but I'm left more frustrated than anything else. You will be shown a snippet from some German PBI who talks about the Allied bombardment on his trench but really that's it. Almost next to nothing is mentioned of Falkenhayn being sacked and replaced with Hindenburg which, although wasn't something caused exclusively by the reaction to the Somme offensive, certainly played a role. The book as such feels less like a narrative of events, like Montefiore's Dunkirk was (which is excellent), and more .... an ode to the fallen. But not all the fallen, just "our" side. Which I think at the end of it all makes it feel a bit sad.
It feels like the book buys into the narrative that the Somme was a colossal British failure, with zero benefits. Don't get me wrong, it was horrific but ultimately there were just as many German casualties as they were Allied so it was hardly a cake walk for the Central Powers, but at times the book reads like the Germans just spent the few months of the battle being shelled and waiting until it was their time to be attacked. The author spends some time talking about the impact of the battle in the summary but that only goes so far to mention the planned withdrawal to the Hindenburg line. How much of this was due to the battle on the Somme isn't really explained, which again hammers home the idea it was simply senseless slaughter....which it was... war is nothing but, however the Somme in part led to the grinding down of the German army, leaving it lacking in experience at a critical time.
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