Somme: Into the Breach

No conflict better encapsulates all that went wrong on the Western Front during World War One than the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

2016 marks the centenary of this battle, which ended with a tragic loss of life,  2000 New Zealanders killed and 6000 wounded. Both the British and Allied troops endured stoically, even when it seemed they were being sent as lambs to the slaughter, and questions were asked about the competency of those in charge.

But was it as simple as that? Author Hugh Sebag-Montefiore made it a personal mission to find the truth about the Battle of the Somme, and searched through archives in Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and Canada, as well as in France and Germany, and of course Britain.

His new book Somme: Into the Breach, re-examines the actions of the battle. He includes not just the British viewpoint, but also the moving testimony collected in countries which were once British dominions.

Without for a moment excusing the tactics and callous disregard for the soldiers’ safety, this book shows the extent to which the Allies were in fact often able to break through the German front lines. While it now seems apparent that the generals were inexperienced, and lacked foresight, he concludes their actions, with different support, could have brought about a very different result.

It is the courage shown by the British and Allied troops in the course of these actions which forms the core of this book. The fighting continued for more than four months – from July through to November, its catastrophic casualties. The reader is reminded of the cruel punishment endured by the intrepid New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans and Canadians as they advanced into Pozières and Flers, Delville Wood and Courcelette. However there is a positive underlying message. Not only did the Battle form a crucial part of the learning process which helped the British generals adopt winning tactics eventually, but it also ripped out the heart of the German Army. It was certainly not a British victory, but it was the beginning of the German slide towards defeat.

Author Hugh Sebag-Montefiore was a barrister before becoming a journalist and then a historian. His bestselling book Enigma: The Battle For The Code describes how the Polish, French and British cryptographers cracked the German Enigma code. Another of the great events of World War 2 was the subject of his next bestseller Dunkirk: Fight To The Last Man.

He lives in North London with his wife and three children.

Somme: Into the Breach 

Trade Paperback

Viking (UK Adult)

RRP $40.00