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Peter Liddle
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The 1916 Battle of the Somme Reconsidered Kindle Edition

by Peter Liddle (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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Twenty-four years after the publication of his classic study of the Somme, Peter Liddle reconsiders the battle in the light of recent scholarship. The battle still gives rise to fierce debate and, with Passchendaele, it is often seen as the epitome of the tragic folly of the First World War. But is this a reasoned judgement? Peter Liddle, in this authoritative study, re-examines the concept and planning of the operation and follows the course of the action through the entire four and a half months of the fighting. His narrative is based on the graphic testimony of the men engaged in the struggle, not just concentrating on the front-line infantryman but also the gunner, sapper, medical man, airman and yes, the nurse, playing her crucial role behind the line of battle. The reader is privileged in getting a direct insight into how those who were there coped with the extraordinary, often prolonged, stress of the experience and maintained to a remarkable degree a level of morale adequate for what had to be endured.
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  1. Part of series
    Wordsworth Military Library
  2. Print length
    296 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    August 31, 2016
  6. File size
    44.1 MB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr Peter Liddle is a leading historian of the First World War and has concentrated on the personal experience of the men and women who took part. He founded the Liddle Collection, a repository of documents and memorabilia connected to the conflict, which is housed in the Brotherton Library, the University of Leeds. His many books include Captured Memories 1900-1918, Captured Memories 1930-1945, The Soldiers War 1914-1918, The Gallipoli Experience Reconsidered, The 1916 Battle of the Somme Reconsidered and, as editor, Facing Armageddon, Britain Goes to War and Britain and the Widening War.

Contributors: Holger Afflerbach, Phylomena Badsey, Niall Barr, Chris Bellamy, Nick Bosanquet, Peter Burness, George Cassar, Tim Cook, Irene Guerrini, Clive Harris, Kate Kennedy, Ross Kennedy, William Philpott, Marco Pluviano, Chris Pugsley, Duncan Redford, Matthew Richardson, Alan Sharp, Yigal Sheffy, Jack Sheldon, Edward Spiers, David Welch, Ian Whitehead

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01HNXNS8M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (August 31, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 31, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 44.1 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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Peter Liddle

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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • HMS Warspite
    5.0 out of 5 stars Reconsidering the Somme...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The centennial of the First World War has been the occasion for a reconsideration of the received wisdom on that undoubtedly bloody conflict. Too much of that wisdom defaults to the simplistic "lions led by donkeys" theme so popular with more modern generations well after the war. Author Peter Liddle has here cornered the heart of the argument with this brisk and insightful study of the 1916 Battle of the Somme.

    The author thoughtfully explores the circumstances under which the campaign was fought, from a high command driven by the dire needs of the French Army, and the direction of its own government, to undertake an offensive on the Western Front, to a British military command struggling to absorb a mass army and new tactics and technology foreign to decades of empire-keeping. Not least, the author documents the feelings of the soldiers of that army about the campaign along the Somme. The final chapter delivers a nuanced and well-reasoned verdict. Very well recommended to students of the conflict.
    One person found this helpful
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  • John Rossi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2014
    SUCH CARNAGE, SUCH IGNORANCE,THE SOLDIERS, SUCH EVIL, THE LEADERSHIP, INCORRECT INDIVIDUALS EXCEUTED, SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEADERSHI
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  • Stefan Isaksson
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough focus on the soldier themselves
    Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2006
    Now don't get me wrong; this book is very detailed and will tell you tons of interesting facts about that dreadful battle of 1916. The First World War was over quite recently - if you think of the entire scope of human history - but to most young people today it's still somewhat of a mystery.

    Because how often do you, for instance, see movies about this war? Not very often, at least not if you compare it to WWII. And that, well, sucks, because The Great War is a war that mustn't be forgotten.

    But still, I felt somewhat dissapointed with Liddle's book. And for a very simple reason: on the back of the book the publisher boasts that the reader will get a personal look at the war, since the book includes many segments from diaries written by the people at the front. And yes, that's indeed true, but the overall focus is still on military operations; what battles were fought, how they were fought, and why they were fought.

    From time to time you'll hear from someone who experienced the trenches with his or her own eyes, but again, I expected to truly get to know the horrors of trench warfare, but with this book this never happened.

    It's a good book if you're a war buff who is into technical details, but if you want the human aspect of it all you'll better off finding some other book.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Kevin M Quigg
    3.0 out of 5 stars The bloody battle of the Somme.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2007
    The author has examined the Battle of the Somme in some detail. His perspective is that of the soldiers. His take on Haig is that he was forced into planning a large scale battle to take the pressure off the French at Verdun. There was careful planning for this battle, and the battle did result in the German's pulling back. In his opinion, the battle was a victory for Great Britain. He relates that most of the soldiers went into battle willingly and without reservations. The fact that thousands were butchered was horrible.

    I can understand Liddle's line of logic. It is only with the passage of time that history reveals mistakes. As for the Somme being a British victory, it was a good thing they did not have too many of victories like the Somme, or else Britain would not have had many young men left. Liddle takes to task historians such as Terraine and Winter for their post war analysis. However, I tend to equate with the later authors on the view of this battle. Haig was not a good strategist, and he wasted his soldiers lives.
    3 people found this helpful
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