Somme cover art

Somme

Into the Breach

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Somme

By: Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £9.98

Buy Now for £9.98

Summary

Penguin presents Somme by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, read by Roy McMillan.

No conflict better encapsulates all that went wrong on the Western Front than the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The tragic loss of life and stoic endurance by troops who walked towards their death is an iconic image which will be hard to ignore during the centennial year.

Despite this, this book shows the extent to which the Allied armies were in fact able repeatedly to break through the German front lines. The author has uncovered some remarkable stories, as yet unknown, of action and heroism in the face of battle. He weaves in these first-hand experiences, creating a remarkable portrait of life at the Front.

 Military World War Heartfelt Scary Inspiring Thought-Provoking United Kingdom

Critic reviews

Magisterial, exemplary, heartbreaking. So original is the material, and so inventive is Sebag-Montefiore's approach . . . that this well-known tale is rendered strange again. Written with great style and sensitivity, superbly illustrated with many original plates and beautifully drawn maps, Sebag-Montefiore's brilliant new study will set the benchmark for a generation (Saul David)
Sebag-Montefiore tells it with gusto, a remarkable attention to detail . . . The sense of confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and intrepid courage which characterized this disastrous campaign is captured more successfully than any other existing account (Richard Overy)
A beautifully crafted, blow-by-blow account with deep insight into the lives of these diverse young men
In his previous book, Dunkirk, one of Sebag-Montefiore's talents as a historian is never to lose sight of the variety of individual experience. It is impossible to read this book without being stuck afresh by the ripples of mourning and anxiety spreading out from the battlefield in France (Daniel Todman)
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore's heroes are the junior officers and the ordinary soldiers. Their voices emerge loud and clear in his pages . . . The best historians of the war have always made good use of the words written by the participants themselves, but few have done so as effectively as here (Nick Rennison)
The author's combination of thoughtful analysis with first-hand testimony from army soldiers, cameramen and diarists lends a gritty immediacy (Ian Thomson)
Comprehensive, authoritative and meticulously researched... [Of recent publications] it is the weightiest and best written (Simon Humphrey)
'A searing story. A meticulous military history and a deeply moving testimony to the extraordinary bravery of individual soldiers.' (About Dunkirk)
Sebag-Montefiore tells it with gusto, a remarkable attention to detail... The sense of confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and intrepid courage which characterized this disastrous campaign is captured more successfully than any other existing account. (Richard Overy)
Several fine books have been written about "the miracle of Dunkirk", but none better than this. (About Dunkirk) (Andrew Roberts)
All stars
Most relevant

Any additional comments?

A very good balance between narratives of the military action, personal accounts of military personnel of all ranks and discussion of the mistakes made by those far from the front, notably Haig and Rawlinson. The criticism seems fair, not overdone, though I am not an expert. Descriptions of the horrors of trench warfare are, again, not overdone or sensationalised but amply serve to convey the sheer horror and futility of it all.

Although this accusation could be levelled at many historical audiobooks, this book suffers from not providing the extensive maps of the printed version as supplementary material. These can, fortunately, be previewed on the Amazon site, but this is less than ideal.

Needs Supplementary Material

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have had to listen to this book is small portions as it is almost overwhelming to hear the tragedy of the Somme. It is interesting to hear first hand accounts but this is invariably followed by the writer's death. However, it is definitely a book theat should be widely read so that modern readers understand the hellos suffering endured by soldiers 100 years ago.

Harrowing to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve read the book and looked forward to hearing the audio version. It’s pretty good, but I cannot help that the narrator’s dismal accents (particularly the German, Northern Irish, Scottish, Canadian, Australian and West Country accents) detract from the overall impression. Why not use actors with the accents as their natural voice ? It turns an excellent book into an amateur ‘Crap Accents’ event.

Excellent detail - awful accents

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The book is written very well from the point of view of strategy, tactics, logistics, artillery preparations, the ground etc. and of course the horrifying experiences of the people who participated in this mid war slaughter when things were not still completely figured out. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart as the memoirs, letters etc. of the officers and men are full of horror written in detail.

Touching and informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Definitely well worth a read. Excellent coverage of the whole period of the battle. I am a New Zealander living in London & Gallopoli is the defining WW1 battle for our nation. Fascinating to read of ANZAC contribution here, not an area I know well. Sadly it appears our Australian cousins were better at protecting their countrymen from British Military Justice than we were.

I don't think there is anyone from later generations will ever understand the sacrifice that was allowed to happen & the lack of Information received by those back home. The losses on the first day are of course the most obvious, but for what was achieved, all seem truly pointless.

Excellent Read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews