Somme cover art

Somme

Into the Breach

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Somme

By: Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
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About this listen

No conflict better encapsulates all that went wrong on the Western Front than the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The tragic loss of life and stoic endurance by troops who walked towards their death is an iconic image which will be hard to ignore during the centennial year.

Despite this, this book shows the extent to which the Allied armies were in fact able repeatedly to break through the German front lines. The author has uncovered some remarkable stories, as yet unknown, of action and heroism in the face of battle. He weaves in these firsthand experiences, creating a remarkable portrait of life at the front.

©2016 Hugh Sebag-Montefiore (P)2016 Penguin Audio Military World War Heartfelt Inspiring Scary Thought-Provoking

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An immense amount of research has gone into producing this immensely detailed account of the battles of The Somme: not just the descriptions of the sequence of engagements with the enemy but, even more impressive, the wealth of personal accounts written by the combatants recording their experiences and the letters they wrote to family back home.

It’s not a book to be ‘enjoyed’, but it serves as a salutary reminder of what the men at the front endured in the battles of The Somme during the months from July to November 1916. The book meticulously chronicles each of the battles on this one front and records that the same things happened again and again. I was carried along by the narrative but found the relentless repeating of the same horrors, set-backs and logistical errors depressing, but it did get over what the men saw and experienced at the front.

The sheer number of lives lost or ruined is appalling: statistics made worse by the futility of many of the battles and the callous disregard and, at times incompetence, of the generals directing the action.

The narrator has a pleasant voice and is good at different accents, but I did feel he spoke the text too fast much of the time. Fine for giving battle scenes a sense of urgency, but elsewhere it seems to overly hurried.

Blow by blow account of one front in WW1

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An exceptional look at the Battle of the Somme that gives an in depth account of both the failures and successes, the life of a soldier in trench warfare and the horrors and heroism of the engagement.
Poignant letters from the officers and men in the front lines reveal exactly how such warfare can turn men callous or break them mentally as well as physically but also how it can transform farmers and office clerks into heroes.
The narrator, Roy McMillan is tremendous in his delivery and tone whatever the subject matter.
The only slight downside of the book would be for those not familiar with the structure of the British Army in that often names and numbers of divisions, brigades, regiments, battalions and companies come thick and fast at some points.

Tremendous

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A clear concise history of one of WW1 most infamous battles. The level of bravery despite incredulous leadership was poignant & by the same token disturbing.
Brave men led to slaughter by Generals & Officers who failed to plan and consequently planned to fail. Vivid & traumatic a literacy masterpiece

Narrated with passion & great flexibility in accents. Conveying sadness & humour in equal levels. Absolutely brilliant

Disturbingly good

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Really interesting listen. A good combination of first hand accounts and factual analysis. Very much worth your time to read this if you enjoy history.

excellent!

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I’ve read the book and looked forward to hearing the audio version. It’s pretty good, but I cannot help that the narrator’s dismal accents (particularly the German, Northern Irish, Scottish, Canadian, Australian and West Country accents) detract from the overall impression. Why not use actors with the accents as their natural voice ? It turns an excellent book into an amateur ‘Crap Accents’ event.

Excellent detail - awful accents

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I have long wondered the details of the Battle of the Somme and it’s horrendous losses and whether there was any purpose to this bloodshed on either side. This book was wonderfully illustrative in superb detail but I do believe that it would been much more informative if a map was advised prior to its reading. However this is not a problem I will now purchase a map and read the book again thank you for the wonderful way in which it was put together.

Extremely educational

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I have often wondered about the Somme and what actually occurred. Until recently I believe my family had been lucky and had not been affected by it, but a search through the family tree found Arthur Baines 34819 Royal Fusiliers.
Even though hard at times to listen I did even just to get some sort of feeling of what he went through. Thank you Hugh.

Insightful

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Was an education of a listen which I enjoyed. Fantastically narrated and written. Well done

Fantastically narrated and written

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Excellent detail but really needs visuals - maps, organisational diagrams, photographs, timelines & more - to better convey the scale & complex relationships between technology, society, geography & politics.

How not to allow technology & class to deliver warfare unchecked!

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Very well narrated.
Excellent account of the campaign. Intelligent use of contemporary accounts.
Does not shy away from the killing of those who surrendered.
Primarily from the allied point of view.

Excellent

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