The Germans On The Somme (Images Of War - Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives)

This illustrated and informative history by the retired school teacher and lecturer David Bilton examines Der Große Krieg (The Great War) from the viewpoint of the Deutsches Heer, (The Imperial German Army). At its heart is its Collecting together of a unique group of Archival images portraying all ranks of the Heer, sourced from various image libraries, and resulting in a fascinating examination of these servicemen both at war and at rest while active in the area of the River Somme, 1914-1918. The history opens with the French 10th Army in September 1914 trying to drive the German 6th Army back in a series of battles, as the Germans advance down the Somme valley. Their way blocked despite valiant but futile efforts by their men the Germans retire to occupy the commanding heights of the valley, and begin to dig in and build trenches and other fortifications for miles in every direction. From there all the major engagements involving firstly the French over 1914-15, and in the main British and Commonwealth Forces latter efforts after 1915 to try and dislodge the by now well entrenched German's from their well defended positions are covered in depth. It wasn't until July 1918, that the Somme's defences were finally breached by the combined efforts of the long suffering Australian and New Zealand Infantry during the pivotal battles for Villers Bretonneux and Le Hamel, which was then later expanded on and exploited during The Battle for Amiens in August 1918. Each phase of these well known battles, and the smaller but no less deadly trench raids, are examined through the use of primary and secondary sources, however, what makes this well written book so different from so many others on this subject is how successful the Author is at shifting away from the more usual viewpoint of these well known battles, to one that is instead wholly German in kind, and by doing so, allows us to see those self same battles in an entirely different light. This highly illustrated book covers the activities of the German Army on the River Somme throughout the long years of The Great War. The initial fighting in 1914 was against the French prior to the arrival of the British Army. The 1916 Allied Offensive eventually resulted in the German withdrawal but only at a terrible cost to both sides. The 1918 Kaiserschlacht saw the Germans return, albeit briefly. Each phase is covered from the German perspective using primary and secondary sources. In addition to the wealth of splendid/fully captioned photographs, there is an authoritative general text and a useful chronological order of events. Being arguably the most evocative area in British military history, much has been written on the Somme. What makes this splendid book so different is the author's successful attempt to view events through the eyes of our adversaries. [Elib]