Erine Posted 16 July , 2016 Share Posted 16 July , 2016 Hello, I have set up a new site to commemorate, from the German point of view, the Battle of the Somme. It is called "The Somme Reports", and contains reports from contemporary German newspapers. On a day-to-day basis, I am transcribing and translating into English the newspaper reports from the Somme battlefields, from the original German newspapers, starting in July 1916. The newspapers are preserved in our town's archives in Ettlingen, Germany and I thought that there was a lot of very interesting information in them which should be brought to life. I'm also publishing photos to which I've received access. To make the site a bit more interesting, I invented a radio station called Radio La Boisselle which holds fictitious interviews with personalities who were at the Front at the time. However, all the info in the interviews is based on actual information (also found in the newspapers). Here is the link: www.thesommereports.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 17 July , 2016 Share Posted 17 July , 2016 Thanks Erine for the news and the link - and for your dedication! I did like that quote from the "Exstrabladet", noting how "the English are the victims of completely wrong strategic calculations in the Battle at the Somme", as "the Germans had two years' time to fortify their lines and to construct their defense positions at least 15 kilometers deep. The German system which has now come to light is posing an extremely sobering surprise for the English, whose long calculated plan of attack was based on former types of combat and was reckoning on a relatively easy game. These misguided calculations are now obvious from the stagnation of the loudly praised offensive." Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Wood Posted 17 July , 2016 Share Posted 17 July , 2016 Fascinating stuff Erine - I look forward to seeing the battle develop from a different viewpount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 17 July , 2016 Share Posted 17 July , 2016 Erine It's very good, and inventive. I particularly liked Radio la Boisselle TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 17 July , 2016 Author Share Posted 17 July , 2016 Thank you very much! It's great to get such good feedback. @Terry_ReevesI love Radio la Boisselle - it's my favorite bit. Unfortunately, not so many people read that page according to the stats. But I enjoy writing it so much I don't mind! @trajan - yes, that was a very poignant quote from the Exstrabladet I think - I don't know how long it took for that to be generally realized? Especially with regard to somewhere like Mametz Wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 17 July , 2016 Share Posted 17 July , 2016 You are doing a damn good job there so don't forget or omit to re-post and so remind the more Anglo-Imperial-centric here on what you are doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mva Posted 17 July , 2016 Share Posted 17 July , 2016 Bonjour de la Somme, I just had a quick look at the website : wonderful job ! And I'm sure I won't change my mind when I read more. Just a question : will you consider the last Somme battles (sometimes called Amiens battle) : the beginning of the end, starting March 18 ? Kind regards from the Somme, Martine eigentlich komisch : eine Französin schreibt einer Deutschen auf Englisch !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 17 July , 2016 Author Share Posted 17 July , 2016 22 minutes ago, mva said: Bonjour de la Somme, I just had a quick look at the website : wonderful job ! And I'm sure I won't change my mind when I read more. Just a question : will you consider the last Somme battles (sometimes called Amiens battle) : the beginning of the end, starting March 18 ? Kind regards from the Somme, Martine eigentlich komisch : eine Französin schreibt einer Deutschen auf Englisch !!! @trajan: thank you very much! Hi Martine, thanks very much for your feedback. I had planned to only write the reports for the month of July, as it is a lot of work. And I'm already falling behind! Will have to do quite a few posts this week. What I've realized is that I will need to continue after July, but maybe just one or two posts a week. So I guess I will cover the last Somme battles in March. I will try my best, anyway! I am very much enjoying doing the research. Last year I was in the La Boisselle/Mametz region. I am not German, but English. But you can write to me in either German or English. 6 hours ago, Phil Wood said: Fascinating stuff Erine - I look forward to seeing the battle develop from a different viewpount! Thank you Phil. There are so many details in the newspaper reports that you really sometimes almost can see it developing on a daily basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 30 July , 2016 Author Share Posted 30 July , 2016 Hi, I have several new reports on the blog including some on Pozières, Delville Wood, Thiepval-Guillemont and Fromelles. Erine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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