Fighting the Somme

A fresh look at the German defense in the WW1 battle, "jam packed with history [and] tons of firsthand accounts . . . superb" (A Wargamers Needful Things).

Rather than a rehashed narrative history of the Battle of the Somme, this book draws heavily on examples that can be illustrated through exploitation of the primary sources still available in abundance in the archives at Stuttgart and Munich, as well as anecdotal accounts, to explain how and why the German defense was designed and conducted as it was.

Fighting the Somme explores the reasons for the dominance of the Great General Staff; the tensions between commanders and staff; the disagreements between the commanders of First and Second Army; and the replacement of General von Falkenhayn with the duumvirate of Hindenburg and Ludendorff. Specific case studies include the loss and recapture of Schwaben Redoubt on July 1; the British assault on the Second Position of July 14; the tank attack at Flers of September 15, and the autumn battles for Sailly Saillisel and St. Pierre Vaast Wood. It shows how the various levels of command from regiment to army group operated and responded to emergencies and crises, and examines changes in command philosophy, the introduction of new weapons and equipment, and the evolution of tactics to counter the massive Allied superiority in manpower and materiel.