Audax Posted 22 July , 2006 Share Posted 22 July , 2006 Can anyone recommend a really good military history study of the Battle of the Somme? Please - no Middlebrook school personal accounts. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 22 July , 2006 Share Posted 22 July , 2006 Personally, I think you have to combine several volumes .. McCarthy's Day by Day basics .. a magnificent effort. Peter Hart's latest is (now he's done the required changes!) is IMHO a good readable account. Gary Sheffield makes his own points too. And probably work your way through the Battlefield Europe series for individual actions? Des Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 22 July , 2006 Share Posted 22 July , 2006 Also I would add any of these academic compilation books that will have a chapter on a certain battalion action or something similar - by Ian Beckett, Dan Tadman, Gary Sheffield, Peter Simkins - that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 22 July , 2006 Share Posted 22 July , 2006 Official History of the Great War - France and Belgium - 1916 Volumes 1 and 2 (plus maps volume and appendices). (McCarthy's book is basically taken directly from this in far less detail) Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 22 July , 2006 Share Posted 22 July , 2006 Re McCarthy - point taken. But you can't go wrong for £3.99! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 22 July , 2006 Share Posted 22 July , 2006 Re McCarthy - point taken. But you can't go wrong for £3.99! true - beats the £60 plus for my suggestion! (But, personally, I find McCarthy's books next to useless for my own needs - but then again , I'm too fussy!!! ) Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Take on me Posted 22 July , 2006 Share Posted 22 July , 2006 Malcolm Brown's Imperial War Museum Book of the Somme is very good, although he draws heavily upon letters and interviews with combattants and I don't think that is what you are looking for. Gary Sheffield's book The Somme very good. He analyses the battle, often in revisionist terms, while providing a lucid overview of the campaign. His is a very good survey and most actions receive, usually brief, coverage although his book is not particularly long (only about 150 pages). It did, however, prove invaluable when I decided to refresh my memory the week before I visited the Somme battlefields. It certainly fulfils the criteria of being a 'military' account by covering divisional movements and performances during particular battles. Hope that helps, JGM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fair Posted 23 July , 2006 Share Posted 23 July , 2006 To the above I would add the relevant chapters of 'Command on the Western Front' by Prior & Wilson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audax Posted 23 July , 2006 Author Share Posted 23 July , 2006 Thank you for the replies so far. I already have Chris McCarthy's book; looks if I need to put an order in for Gary Sheffield's Somme. Would be nice to have the Official History but it is a bit too costly. Does anyone else thing it strange that there are so few books that approach the Somme Battles of 1916 from a military history perspective? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 23 July , 2006 Share Posted 23 July , 2006 I have heard it said that the Somme was very secondary to Passchendaele until the 1960s, as far as historical coverage and discussion are concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Lund Posted 23 July , 2006 Share Posted 23 July , 2006 Would be nice to have the Official History but it is a bit too costly. Why not use the inter-library loan service available at any public library? I cannot remember the last time I did not have a volume of the Official History in the house courtesy of the library. I have Volume 2 of 1917 at the moment and Volume 1 of 1918 is ordered. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Take on me Posted 23 July , 2006 Share Posted 23 July , 2006 Does anyone else thing it strange that there are so few books that approach the Somme Battles of 1916 from a military history perspective? It is a little strange. I suppose that the sheer level of the casualties means that people tend to look upon as something more like a vast disaster then a battle which had aims, actions and results. Gary Sheffield's book is a good bet if you are looking for something that covers the battle, its causes, direction and results although it is not as detailed as a day by day account, it does cover the major actions and many other operations but do remember that it is only 170 pages long including lots of maps and pictures. Saying that I still liked it. JGM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 23 July , 2006 Share Posted 23 July , 2006 Is Farrar-Hockely's book on the banned list? I still quite like it as a basic military history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audax Posted 23 July , 2006 Author Share Posted 23 July , 2006 Is Farrar-Hockely's book on the banned list? I still quite like it as a basic military history. I have a well worn copy of 'The Somme' by A H Farrar-Hockley (Pan Book) 5/- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 23 July , 2006 Share Posted 23 July , 2006 . Would be nice to have the Official History but it is a bit too costly. Keep an eye out on ebay, Amazon, Abebooks, etc. It can sometimes be found quite cheaply (my volume 1 -covering up to the end of July 1st - is an older reprint which is better than the newer (IWM) ones having the maps in colour.Only cost me a tenner from abe) dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 27 July , 2006 Share Posted 27 July , 2006 I`m rather new to study of this battle, but just received a new book from Amazon, "The Somme:heroism and horror in the First World War" by Martin Gilbert, 2006, UK publisher John Murray .The reviews seem to be very positive, opinions anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 27 July , 2006 Share Posted 27 July , 2006 Don't just stick to one, read everything, maybe some of the authors mentioned put in a personal bias, all have value. I have different favourites depending on my mood and interest at the time. the Official History isn't actually as dry as I imagined and most books have the same research materials referenced. Jack Sheldons German Army on the Somme is a must read in my opinion. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 1 August , 2006 Share Posted 1 August , 2006 Quote "I`m rather new to study of this battle, but just received a new book from Amazon, "The Somme:heroism and horror in the First World War" by Martin Gilbert, 2006, UK publisher John Murray .The reviews seem to be very positive, opinions anyone?"   There was an interesting half page in the recent (29/30 July 06) Weekend FT by Martin Gilbert, "The secret history of Sam Gamgee" relating some of Gilbert's conversations with Tolkien regarding the Somme and how it marked his imagination. Have you had a chance to read the Gilbert book yet and can you recommend it? regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdajd Posted 1 August , 2006 Share Posted 1 August , 2006 Barry Cuttell's 148 Days on the Somme and 1 Day on the Somme both give detailed accounts of every action cross referenced by Battalion, Div, etc. Excellent research tool, but not really one you can sit down and read. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audax Posted 1 August , 2006 Author Share Posted 1 August , 2006 Not come across Cuttell before - will look out for these. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Best Posted 1 August , 2006 Share Posted 1 August , 2006 Barry Cuttell's 148 Days on the Somme and 1 Day on the Somme both give detailed accounts of every action cross referenced by Battalion, Div, etc. Excellent research tool, but not really one you can sit down and read. Agree wholeheartedly. Probably (IMHO) the best investment I've made in terms of access to every regiment/bn that fought here with clear guidance to Cuttell's defined objectives. Cuttell's work should help you move toward more informed decision as to which subsequent books to buy for a more detailed overview of a particular action. Fairly expensive but absolutely invaluable. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lees Posted 2 August , 2006 Share Posted 2 August , 2006 I've just read Prior and Wilson's "The Somme" and I was very impressed. It suggests that many of the things that I had heard and read so often are, in fact, myths. I'm now reading their "Command and Control on the Western Front" which is equally interesting and very readable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 2 August , 2006 Share Posted 2 August , 2006 Ken, please note that there are very serious problems with Prior and Wilson's works. If you have not read it already, check out the Attrition thread in the Western Front sector of the Great War Forum. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lees Posted 2 August , 2006 Share Posted 2 August , 2006 Thanks Robert. I realise that P&W's works are controversial, but they do seem to put a different interpretation on the events and in that way are quite thought provoking. As with any work on the subject though, it should not be read in isolation and taken as the only view. I hadn't looked at the attrition thread before and it's going to take me a view hours to digest it all, but it is fascinating so far. Regards, Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 2 August , 2006 Share Posted 2 August , 2006 Re the Martin Gilbert book. You can guess which section I turned to first from my avatar. I read '5,500' dead .. I shut the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now