The Somme - Brossura

Hart, Peter; Steel, Nigel

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0304367354 ISBN 13: 9780304367351

Casa editrice: W&N, 2006

Riassunto

A major new history of the most infamous battle of the First World War, as described by the men who fought it.

On 1 July 1916, Douglas Haig's army launched the 'Big Push' that was supposed finally to bring an end to the stalemate on the Western Front. What happened next was a human catastrophe: scrambling over the top into the face of the German machine guns and artillery fire, almost 20,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers were killed that day alone, and twice as many wounded - the greatest loss in a single day ever sustained by the British Army. The battle did not stop there, however. It dragged on for another 4 months, leaving the battlefield strewn with literally hundreds of thousands of bodies.

The Somme has remained a byword for the futility of war ever since. In this major new history, Peter Hart describes how the battle looked from the point of view of those who fought it. Using never-before-seen eyewitness testimonies, he shows us this epic conflict from all angles. We see what it was like to crawl across No Man's Land in the face of the German guns, what it was like for those who stayed behind in the trenches - the padres, the artillerymen, the doctors. We also see what the battle looked like from the air, as the RFC battled to keep control of the skies above the battlefield. All this is put in the context of the background to the battle, and Haig's overall strategy for the Western Front, making this the most comprehensive history of the battle since Lyn MacDonald's bestselling work over 20 years ago.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'Peter Hart pays handsome tribut to the 'ordinary soldiers...' ... one could not wish for a more appropriate testimony to that generation for which the Somme was much more than a topic for academic research or a source of poignant reflection.' (LITERARY REVIEW )

'A monumental feat of research, his book is also a memorial of the most compelling kind to the hundreds of individuals whose diaries, letters and recollections are presented so vividly here.' (THE SCOTSMAN )

'[Hart] has produced a remarkably even-handed account... and the first-person accounts he has unearthed are rich in vivid images...' (SUNDAY TIMES )

'Hart has succeeded in presenting his massive subject with objective clarity... the material gives it curious immediacy... brilliantly well-written extracts... Prepare to be enlightened, but prepare to feel respect for all the men involved.' (SOLDIER MAGAZINE )

'Excellent' (TLS )

'Hart is an accomplished author of anecdotal histories and here he is on top form... it deserves a wide readership.' (BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE ) --Smith

Descrizione del libro:

A major new history of the most infamous battle of the First World War, as described by the men who fought it.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: W&N
• Data di pubblicazione: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0304367354
• ISBN 13: 9780304367351
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 608