Pozieres - The Anzac Story

[marmi01]

Has anyone read "Pozieres - The Anzac Story" by Scott Bennett yet?

Pozieres is one of my interests and I'm keen to have a read of this if its any good.

Does anyone know if it has as much detail as Peter Charlton's Australians on the Somme - Pozieres?

Mick

[moggs]

Haven't read it either but did have a look at it in the shop.

I'm likely biased but I tend to look at the index for a hint as to who is being represented or written about. Normally Albert Jacka at least gets a mention - not here and his battalion are only mentioned on a few pages. As I said I haven't read it but from my point of view this book appears to miss an important aspect of the campaign.

I hope I'm wrong and the book is a faithful representation because I want all books on the war to be worthwhile.

Jonathan

[marmi01]

Thanks mate!

Mick

[Michael Molkentin]

I'm reading it- about 100 pages in at the moment.

It is good so far- but you should know that it is not an operational history of the campaign (we still wait for a good one of those). He has written a social history, focusing on the soldiers' experiences. He has read a lot of diaries and manuscripts which is admirable- so you're not just getting pre-published stuff regurgitated. He doesn't use block quotes but weaves the quotes into his narrative. The approach works quite well.

The book is a breeze to read so far- he has a very easy style that should appeal to a wide readership. His habit of referring to generals by their nicknames ('Hooky', 'Birdy' etc) annoys me but that is a relatively small gripe.

It will be interesting to see whether he can (a) maintain a balance between the soldier's-eye view of the battle and also a sense of the wider context and how well he handles the complexity of the later stages of the campaign. I reckon he was game to tackle Pozieres as a first book- it is such a confusing battle.

I'll let you know...

[Andrew P]

Yes it will be good to know if this is a decent book. I always feel that when the Australian Pozieres/Mouquet Farm operations are looked at as a whole the latter actions at Mouquet Farm by the 4th Brigade in late August and the 13th Brigade on September 3rd 1916 aren't given a decent coverage as compared to the initial actions in July. But perhaps that is just me...............

[Robert Dunlop]

I finished the book during my trip to Oz. Very well written. It is always interesting to 'hear' from the men who were involved in these campaigns. Bennett has focused a lot of attention on the various levels of infantry command, from corps downwards. I hadn't expected this and it was a nice surprise. There are fleeting glimpses of support units, especially the medical services. It would have been nice to have more information about the artillery, machine gun, trench mortars and aerial assets. The anecdotal accounts are mainly directed at debunking the Anzac myth of the super soldier. Bennett has emphasised the psychological impact of heavy shelling, relatively long periods at the front, and the difficult conditions. The issue of shell shock features throughout. There is information about the attacks on Mouquet Farm but the book doesn't aim to go into every tactical detail.

Bennett has taken the opportunity to incorporate information from Sheldon and Duffy's books. It isn't much though, so the German perspective is only glimpsed.

At the start, Bennett raised the question about the human cost of capturing such a small amount of territory. His subsequent analysis of this issue was more sophisticated than I expected. He doesn't shirk from the problems that were of the Anzac's making, which was nice to see.

A good book but not the definitive account of the Australian contribution to the Somme campaign. It provides some very specific perspectives that should be read in combination with other sources, especially on the German side.

Robert

[Michael Molkentin]

Ok- finished. I can report back that 'Pozieres: the Anzac Story' is a fantastic read- highly recommended.

I actually found that it became stronger as I read on to the point that the last few chapters were outstanding. Bennett writes with a light touch that somehow manage to pack a massive emotional punch- yet it never comes across as sentimental. It is a really effective style.

Despite my fears, he maintained an appropriate balance between the Pozieres operations and the wider campaign (and Australian home front) and I didn't feel too lost in that confusing morass around Mouquet Farm. That said, there could have been more maps (which was perhaps publisher's responsibility, depending on the details of the contract).

I agree heartily with Robert- this is not the 'definitive' history of Australia's part in the Somme campaign. But then again, I don't believe there is such thing as 'definitive history'- in fact, I reckon the term is an oxymoron. All history, by definition, is contemporary history. It is never finished, complete, or indeed, 'definitive'. 'Pozieres: the Anzac Story' is a history that contributes to our understanding of the AIF in 1916 but also about Australia in 2011. It reflects the growing interest in battlefield touring to France and an emerging curiosity about the 'darker' corners of the 'Anzac story'; places that take the sheen of the legend and force us to re-conceptualise the 'nation-defining' Gallipoli campaign within the broader experience of the Great War.

[AnthonyStaunton]

. 'Pozieres: the Anzac Story' is a history that contributes to our understanding of the AIF in 1916 ...

Glad to hear that it contributes to a good understanding of the AIF in 1916 but what about the New Zealand story since Anzac in the title implies a New Zealand component.

[Michael Molkentin]

Glad to hear that it contributes to a good understanding of the AIF in 1916 but what about the New Zealand story since Anzac in the title implies a New Zealand component.

As I understand it, the NZ Division didn't even arrive in the Somme sector until the first week of September 1916 so had nothing to do with the capture of Pozieres and the attempts to seize Mouquet Farm. You're right though in that Aust historians often neglect the NZ in Anzac.

In any case, I suspect 'Pozieres: the Australian Story' would sell less books (although my publisher stated from the outset that my book on the AFC was not to use the word 'Anzac' in the title unless I gave significant attention to NZ airmen too- they believed it was misleading).

[Robert Dunlop]

ANZAC was used to name a corps. Originally, there was 1 NZ Division in the 1st ANZAC Corps. II ANZAC Corps was raised soon afterwards but there were no more NZ divisions to go into it. So it was an all-Australian corps. When the NZ Division shipped out to France, I ANZAC Corps then became an all-Australian corps too. This was the status at the time of Pozières. Bennett covers this off in the first chapter IIRC.

Robert