Through German Eyes: The British and the Somme 1916

(Paperback)

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Description

The Battle of the Somme has an enduring legacy, the image established by Alan Clark of 'lions led by donkeys': brave British soldiers sent to their deaths by incompetent generals.

However, from the German point of view the battle was a disaster. Their own casualties were horrendous. As Christopher Duffy reveals, they had great respect for the British forces and German reports shed a fascinating light on the volunteer army recruited by General Kitchener. Their typically diligent reports have lain undisturbed in obscure archives until unearthed by Christopher Duffy.

The picture that emerges is a far cry from Blackadder: the Germans developed an increasing respect for the professionalism of the British Army. And the fact that every British soldier taken prisoner still believed Britain would win the war gave German intelligence teams their first indication that their Empire would go down to defeat.

Reviews

Subtle and intelligent * DAILY TELEGRAPH *
It is difficult to understate the importance of this book to our understanding of the Western Front in the First World War ... Exploiting both archival and published German-language material, Professor Duffy has produced a richly detailed, scholarly and immensely readable study of a vital but neglected subject ... THROUGH GERMAN EYES shows Christopher Duffy, one of the world's leading military historians, at the very top of his form. Every subsequent historian of the First World War will be forced to take account of his conclusions * BRITISH ARMY REVIEW *
Duffy's book is crisply written and an easy read * SCOTSMAN *
Not another comprehensive history of the Battle of the Somme, but a look at it from the German point of view * BELFAST TELEGRAPH *
Christopher Duffy's subtle and intelligent book... is a refreshing addition to the literature of the Western Front experience -- Patrick Bishop
Excellent ... fascinating first-hand reports ... enlightening * LITERARY REVIEW *

Author Bio

Dr Christopher Duffy was a Senior Lecturer at Sandhurst. Fluent in six languages, he is an acknowledged expert on the Austrian and German armies from the 18th century to 1945.