phil andrade Posted 16 November , 2022 Share Posted 16 November , 2022 (edited) Just released. Author : Benoit( accent over the i ) Chenu, himself a direct descendant of de Castlenau. A tad pricey, but the trailer I saw is so seductive that I spent £19.95 for the paperback and bought it immediately. Phil Edited 16 November , 2022 by phil andrade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil andrade Posted 14 December , 2022 Author Share Posted 14 December , 2022 Well worth the price. Changes my perspective and makes a compelling case. One or two clunky bits of translation have distorted the odd sentence, but it’s a book that you can open up randomly, dip into any page, and find yourself captivated and informed. It’s a controversial interpretation, but it works. Recommended. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 14 December , 2022 Share Posted 14 December , 2022 This utube link is of interest. https://youtube.com/@benoitchenu-historian5581 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil andrade Posted 14 December , 2022 Author Share Posted 14 December , 2022 You pitched that perfectly, Charlie, thanks. This makes it clear why I’ve found this book so alluring. What a change ! A Frenchman, of direct descent from one of the main players, telling us such a different narrative from the one we normally hear or read from his countrymen . This is a story that overturns the French refrain that the British claim undue credit for their role in the Great War, and that the French have not been acknowledged for their contribution after Verdun. It has about it the flavour of conspiracy theory , but it retains plausibility. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KernelPanic Posted 15 December , 2022 Share Posted 15 December , 2022 Thanks Phil and Charlie for the pointers to the book and the very interesting video link. The book seems like essential reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchenuhistorian Posted 20 December , 2022 Share Posted 20 December , 2022 Hello, I am Benoit Chenu. I thank you for your comments which are very encouraging.First of all, you should know that most of the information in this book comes from Castelnau's personal papers. These documents were written at the time of the events. They are therefore historically pure. It is not my personal analysis (more or less conspiratorial). Before publishing this book, I had shown it to several leading British WW1 specialists. They confirmed to me the totally unpublished character of the elements concerning the period July 1 - July 9 on the Somme on the French side as well as those concerning the attitude of France towards Bulgaria. I am at your disposal to provide you with explanations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil andrade Posted 20 December , 2022 Author Share Posted 20 December , 2022 (edited) Hello Monsieur ! As you can see, your book impresses me profoundly. Have you encountered the works of Jack Sheldon ? It would be interesting to read what you have to say about his book Fighting the Somme, which, like all his books, focuses on the German point of view, based on his great research into German archives, principally Bavarian. I very much look forward to liaising with you. Phil Edited 20 December , 2022 by phil andrade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 20 December , 2022 Share Posted 20 December , 2022 Bonjour et bienvenue au Forum. I have not read your book yet but would like to ask you how it has been received by French reviewers? I have read one review, it was very complimentary, but it was written by a cousin of yours. Thus he too is also inevitably a slightly biased (?) Castelnau supporter! I have not seen any English reviews. Merci, Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchenuhistorian Posted 20 December , 2022 Share Posted 20 December , 2022 Hello, First of all call me Benoit. Of course, I read Jack Sheldon book. He did a great job searching many sources. In his book he made a warning about the fact that as most of the German archives of WW1 had been lost. Then, he was forced to using post war memories or reports made by the soldiers. He tried to compensate the obvious non objective aspect of these documents. We can imagine that none of these people would be ready to confess that they flew while it was you can read in French report written when the event occurred. French readers gave good appraisal but you must know that French are usually not interested by the Somme battle. Regarding the book, they have been very interested by the diplomatic aspects and the Balkans issue. Regarding the review, I can confirm that it was totally biased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchenuhistorian Posted 20 December , 2022 Share Posted 20 December , 2022 The English version is currently between the hands of some British historians. We might expect that it would take them a bit of time before they could say something. Meanwhile, your comments are welcomed even the negative ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 20 December , 2022 Share Posted 20 December , 2022 7 hours ago, bchenuhistorian said: Regarding the review, I can confirm that it was totally biased I'm glad you fully understand English humour!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bchenuhistorian Posted 20 December , 2022 Share Posted 20 December , 2022 I am forced to like it my eldest son married a (nice) British girl and my daugher who lives in London has got a British passport ! Poor of me, I spend Christmas in UK and I start trembling at the prospect of eating English food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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