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peter hart well written world war somme battle soldiers men british words account historian moving photographs subject view generals involved
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Andy W
5.0 out of 5 stars Compassionate History
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2021
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Peter is a historian who wears his heart on his sleeve and is not afraid to do so. As an oral historian, he is full of genuine compassion for the people he has interviewed over the years in his previous job at the Imperial War Museum and all his books are full of their words and thoughts. He is also a very skilled communicator. His Military History podcasts with his old chum Gary Bain are superb and have kept me going through the covid lockdown.

His book on the Somme Battle is full of personal accounts. We get to see the preparation and understand the real hope that this battle would be the start of the great breakthrough on the Western Front. It, of course, doesn't happen. Over 19,000 men are killed on July 1st 1916 in a tragic day for the British Army. Peter describes each section of the battle on that day in turn, telling us what happened and quietly revealing the casualties. It is beautifully done and honouring to the those who sacrificed so much. The later parts of the battle are, again, treated with real empathy on all levels - the generals trying to strive with technology and outdated communications; the officers in the trenches trying to work out how to lead their men; and the soldiers themselves, preparing to go over the top and do their bit alongside their mates.

Peter has produced a book that is readable, doesn't shirk away from the awful subject matter, yet is full of compassion for those involved. If you have an interest in the First World War, you need a copy of this book.
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C J Holderness
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb account of the bloodbath
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2020
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This is a very well written and researched history of the campaign at the Somme in 1916. Not a battle as such as it went on for nearly a year. Much has been debated about this, but this book gives a well-informed judgement and also accounts from soldiers who were involved. Essential.
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peterpotatoheid
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2019
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Hart provides a crystal-clear account of a very complex battle, supported by insightful analysis. But the real strength of the book lies in the words of the soldiers themselves. On occasion the horror and suffering on both sides makes them hard to read.
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Mark Time
4.0 out of 5 stars Excelent read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2016
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A really good account of the Somme campaign and well up to the standard of the author's previous works. My only issue, hence only 4 stars, was with the quality of the photographs in the softback version of the book. They are reproduced quite appallingly and look just like black smudges. They resemble the kind of photo in American paperback books, cheap and badly reproduced.
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Mr Stephen Southwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Lest we forget
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2013
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I have read quite a few accounts of the First World War and the Somme and this must be one of the best. Peter uses narratives from the soldiers who were there (officers, other ranks, friend and foe) to relate to us the story of this terrible battle. These are used to good effect as you get really involved with the men who were writing them at the time, whether the soldier on the frontline or the officer having to send his troops "over the top", to what was probably death or injury. Throughout the book Peter tries to relay a more balanced view of some of the shocking decisions made, but this is not overpowering like in some books I have read and provides you with plenty of opportunity to make up your own mind.
I think Peter succeeds in making the reader aware that, with hindsight, this battle should probably never have taken place and that during the battle some decisions made were disastrous, but what we should remember was that this was a new type of war and no-one had much of an idea how to fight it.
Overall, a very good book. Very sad and moving in parts but also very informative.
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Isobel Duncan
5.0 out of 5 stars very touching and honest
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2014
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It's for my husband's Xmas he's been so interested in all the recent TV coverage of ww1 especially the Somme that I looked on line at books on the Somme and was very impressed with the reviews that people sent in on the one I bought it seems very detailed and has photographs too so I'm sure my husband will enjoy it
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P. Squires
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2016
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It's great to read a Great War history which does not seek to perpetuate the (comparatively recent) myths about the generals and the conduct of the war.

An excellent read. Highly recommended.
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JMH
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 April 2016
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This book was recommended by a historian friend and it is well worth reading for anyone who seeks to understand the reality of The Somme. It is Well written and full of real accounts of events
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Rob
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in Canada on 22 April 2015
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Interesting history book with a good mix of strategy and personal accounts. This book could have been dull but was written in an easy read manner. Good background about logic of strategy. It was a sobering story of an unbelievably cruel period.
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Felix
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 30 June 2017
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one of my favorite book about WW1
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E. Conn-blowers
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 17 September 2015
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Excellent
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C. M Mills
5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Hart the author of The Somme says the sanguinary struggles was conducted with the tactics of a lunatic asylum (p. 283)
Reviewed in the United States on 13 October 2016
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If you are feeling blue or if things have depressed you then this book will not make you feel any better! Finishing it you will thank God you live in 21st century America untouched for over 150 years by the grim reaper of wartime horror. The author Peter Hart is a director of the Imperial War Museum in London. I have read several of his readable and poignant accounts of World War I. This is one of his outstanding books.
The Somme is the river in France which was the biggest battlefield of war on the Western Front in 1916. On July 1, 1916 (100 years ago General Douglas Haig commander of the British Army directed the assault of his troops against strong trench and fortress defenses held by the Imperial German Army of well trained experienced troops. The vast majority of the lads from England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand and India were untested and raw soldiers. The result was mass slaughter. The four months of the bloody mess ended up with nearly one million casualties with little accomplished.
The story of the Somme has been told many times but what makes this book of interest is the hundreds of eyewitness accounts recorded by members of the Allied and German forces. Through their suffering eyes we see an indelible picture of the utter terror of mechanized war. Many of the troop died due to disease and the terror of artillery shells,. Medical care was primitive. Tanks were ineffective. Over 20,000 Allied troops were killed and wounded on that horrible Sunday July 1, 1916. Hart has done his research gathering these accounts and the book contains good maps and a fine bibliography. History writing at its finest. A vivid example of man's inhumanity to man.
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Derek Chastain
4.0 out of 5 stars Should Be 5 Stars but it's Peter Hart
Reviewed in the United States on 25 December 2021
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I'm a WW1 history junkie and have read dozens of books on the matter. The Somme is wonderfully detailed as Hart uses numerous personal letters, journal entries, and official records to bring that world to life. I have two criticisms; the maps need to be more detailed perhaps with a companion web site, and Hart's underlying hatred for the war taints his perspective. As an American I don't have the same historical view of the The Somme that a UK citizen has, of course. This battle more than any other changed the UK's historical trajectory from super power to to just power. The country paid a huge price in youth and blood that no American can understand. I only wish that Hart would leave out his personal opinions and simply document the battle as like a newsperson should do.
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