Somme

Into the Breach

By: Hugh Sebag-Montefiore

Narrated by: Roy McMillan

Penguin presents Somme by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, read by Roy McMillan.

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 first-hand experiences, creating a remarkable portrait of life at the Front.

Critic reviews

Magisterial, exemplary, heartbreaking. So original is the material, and so inventive is Sebag-Montefiore's approach . . . that this well-known tale is rendered strange again. Written with great style and sensitivity, superbly illustrated with many original plates and beautifully drawn maps, Sebag-Montefiore's brilliant new study will set the benchmark for a generation (Saul David)

Sebag-Montefiore tells it with gusto, a remarkable attention to detail . . . The sense of confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and intrepid courage which characterized this disastrous campaign is captured more successfully than any other existing account (Richard Overy)

A beautifully crafted, blow-by-blow account with deep insight into the lives of these diverse young men

In his previous book, Dunkirk, one of Sebag-Montefiore's talents as a historian is never to lose sight of the variety of individual experience. It is impossible to read this book without being stuck afresh by the ripples of mourning and anxiety spreading out from the battlefield in France (Daniel Todman)

Hugh Sebag-Montefiore's heroes are the junior officers and the ordinary soldiers. Their voices emerge loud and clear in his pages . . . The best historians of the war have always made good use of the words written by the participants themselves, but few have done so as effectively as here (Nick Rennison)

The author's combination of thoughtful analysis with first-hand testimony from army soldiers, cameramen and diarists lends a gritty immediacy (Ian Thomson)

Comprehensive, authoritative and meticulously researched... [Of recent publications] it is the weightiest and best written (Simon Humphrey)

'A searing story. A meticulous military history and a deeply moving testimony to the extraordinary bravery of individual soldiers.' (About Dunkirk)

Sebag-Montefiore tells it with gusto, a remarkable attention to detail... The sense of confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and intrepid courage which characterized this disastrous campaign is captured more successfully than any other existing account. (Richard Overy)

Several fine books have been written about "the miracle of Dunkirk", but none better than this. (About Dunkirk) (Andrew Roberts)

You'll listen to it twice!!

Would you listen to Somme again? Why?

I would because if you listen to it normally, you'll miss details. I want to listen to it slower with maps in front of me.

What did you like best about this story?

The reading of letters from participants and the narration in between that puts it into modern day perspectives.

Which character – as performed by Roy McMillan – was your favorite?

Roy did an amazing job, I don't know if he performed all the different accents, but if he was, he was spot on doing English, Australian, German, Scottish, Irish, New Zealand and Canadian accents.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I could I would, except its rather long for that. I'd rather listen to it in chunks and replay parts.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was like watching a documentary on tv. However, it was better because more details are brough forward and paints a more livid picture than what's edited out of television versions.

A gentle look at a horrific subject

This is by far one of my favorite books on the Somme and the audio version of it brings a more gentle delivery to the horrors faced on the battle field. All around a fantastic listen.

Somme

Not much in the way of opinion. Like reading a long time line. Interesting but not gripping

A visceral account of the Somme battle

A magnificent work. I have both the audio and hardback copies for reference. Well researched for a historical hobbyist yet easy enough for a novice on the subject.

Be prepared to feel the shell shock and terror of the men who fought this battle and the sadness of their families. So many personal accounts, letters home, and diary entries (sadly, many found on their owners’ corpses) display the human impact of the dry, gruff, generals orders for each step of the fight.

At several points in this book I had to stop, and said to myself “man this is a slog through the bodies” and realized YES that’s the point of telling a story of WWI!

My only addition would be to have more of the German side of this fight; for while great detail has been given about the backgrounds of the Entente men and leaders, even how their relationships shaped the fight, their opponents at times are given far less detail, beyond a stated order, or a picture or diary picked off an enemy. Maybe it’s a result of less source material, but while it does not trouble this book’s story wealth, it could add a chapter or two both as to the battle’s causes and effects.

Awesome and incredible

Certainly the best book I have ever read on ww1 and to couple that thought with the fact it just covered the Somme is as I said incredible.mr mcmillion the narrator was very enjoyable. He was able to clearly reflect the accents of the Irish, the Australians, the kiwis and the scots. again a wonderful book