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Remembered Today:

Germans on the Somme


Dikke Bertha

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Not sure if I have title correct but I saw this book in the shops yesterday. It is a bit pricey so thought I would ask if others have seen it first. Already have a copy of Sheldon's book.

I know that Christopher Duffy has a long interest in the 18th century and has written on German armies of that period but did not know that his interest came as far as 1916.

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I've known Chris Duffy on and off for the better part of 20 years. He gave a talk on this book in February (both erudite and witty) which made it a must buy for me. His interests in the German armies mean that he has tremendous knowledge and experience to get the most out of the archives, so I'll be off to get a copy. He's done some fascinating research on German interrogations of British prisoners captured in WW1 as well.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyone else read this? Got sent a copy and was disappointed. Seems like mainly a narrative of the battle from the British angle with some German sources thrown in.

BTW the title is 'Through German Eyes: The British and the Somme 1916'

Personally I would rather the content to have been rather more 'The Germans and the Somme'. And still no real analysis of the German tactics and their response to the offensive in any book I have seen.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I was disappointed also. A dull read and poorly footnoted. My purchase was based on Amazon ratings, which I now question for several reasons. Jack Sheldon's book is a better read.

Andy M

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  • 3 weeks later...
I was disappointed also. A dull read and poorly footnoted. My purchase was based on Amazon ratings, which I now question for several reasons. Jack Sheldon's book is a better read.

Andy M

For the Germanophones among us, this is an excellent paperback which I picked up recently on a trip to the BA-MA in Freiburg:

Die Deutschen an der Somme 1914-1918

An excellent mix of Feldpostbriefe, Tagebucher - most previously unpublished - giving a glimpse of life for the ordinary landser during the battles on the Somme.

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Anyone else read this? Got sent a copy and was disappointed. Seems like mainly a narrative of the battle from the British angle with some German sources thrown in.

BTW the title is 'Through German Eyes: The British and the Somme 1916'

Personally I would rather the content to have been rather more 'The Germans and the Somme'. And still no real analysis of the German tactics and their response to the offensive in any book I have seen.

I managed to have a good look at this book in the bookshop yesterday and found that almost all of the photographs are of the British Army. The text does contain rather a lot of accounts of the British and their difficulties rather than the Germans. I decided not to buy and to stick with Sheldon's book. I think I will buy the two new Battleground Europe series on the Germans on the Somme instead.

Thanks to those who contributed.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just in the process of reading this book now and I must say I find it a refreshing perpective on the Somme and am quite enjoying the read.

Maybe I'm too overloaded with standard Somme books and like the change of inference. Still would rate Jack Sheldon's book higher, but this book is not "disappointing", I cannot agree with that.....

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I agree with the last poster. You cannot beat Jack Sheldons books, this perspective was a long time coming and to be honest I think the 2 battleground books are the best of the series. I'm in the process of reading Chris Duffy's and it really isn't a disapointment. I must have every book ever printed with Somme in its title and it certainly isn't the worst.

Mick

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I hope to add to the availability of books on the Germans on the Somme. I am completing the book at present working on the index and acknowledgement section. Once done I will add the illustrations, most of which are taken from my collection of period postcards of regiments on the Somme and from sources not seen in 70 years or more. It takes a slightly different form than Jack's excellent book and covers the period from September 1914 through June 30, 1916 on how the front formed and developed over time using period sources, unpublished diaries and letters as well as an almost complete list of the German fatal casualties in the 26th and 28th Reserve Divisions. It will end up between 400-500 pages when all done.

I hope by using the unique illustrations as well as rarely seen photos and diagrams that directly relate to the men who fought on the Somme that the reader will come away with a better idea of the German side. I would say the book would be a perfect companion to Jack's.

Ralph

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I heard Christopher Duffy speak about this book at the Edinburgh Book Festival & it isn't a book about the German Army. It's about the British Army but attempts to find a new angle by analysing what the Germans thought of the British. I've not yet read it but based on this talk & a browse in a bookshop I think that it would have been better if the main & sub titles had been reversed to make the British more prominent in the title than the Germans & the book called The British and the Somme 1916; Through German Eyes.

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I've really only seen 'small portions' of what Mr. Whitehead has to offer .... if they are anything to go by, his long awaited publication will be a magnum opus (is that the right term?) .. anyway, it'll be top class!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was also dissapointed with this book. On reflection the title is very accurate ( Through German Eyes: The British and the Somme 1916) but I thought it would tell me more about the Germans - perhaps I should take more notice of titles in future.

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