These Englishmen Who Died for France: 1st July 1916: The Bloodiest Day in British History

Description

"In what context was the offensive conceived? What happened on the field that day? What factors contributed to this human catastrophe? Were errors made which could have been avoided? These are the questions that this book tries to answer, narrated very often in the present tense to better enable us to experience the main stages of the battle - from tactical preparations to combat, including the state of mind of the troops and their commanders." La MarseillaiseOn 1st July 1916, the Bay of Somme was the scene of the deadliest day in British military history. What happened there? Englishmen, Scotsmen, Irishmen, Welshmen, Canadians, South Africans, Australians, New Zealanders - many soldiers from Great Britain and the Commonwealth volunteered in 1916 to attack on the front in Picardy, a much heavier involvement than in the previous years of the First World War. On that day more than 20,000 of them lost their lives on the battlefield, coming to the aid of a French army exhausted by Verdun. Written in direct, vivid prose, Jean-Michel Steg gives this episode its central place in the memory of the Great War, and attempts to make sense of the tragedy and horror of the event. Drawing on many moving first-hand accounts - including those of celebrated poets Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves - These Englishmen Who Died for France dives into a detailed, exhilarating, harrowing account of the experiences of British soldiers as they unfolded on the front that day in July.

Jean-Michel Steg works as a Senior Adviser to financial firm Greenhill & Co. Heholds a PhD in History from EHESS in Paris, a Master's degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree from the Institut d'Etudes Politique de Paris. He has been nominated in France to the Ordre National du Merite. Ethan Rundell is a writer, translator and once-aspirant historian with degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales (EHESS). He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

CONTENTS Foreword by John Horne..........................................................................1 Preface.......................................................................................................4 Introduction.............................................................................................12 The Bloodiest Day in British History Chapter 1.................................................................................................14 The Annihilation of the Newfoundland Regiment Chapter 2.................................................................................................22 Why a Franco-British Offensive on the Somme in the Summer of 1916? Chapter 3.................................................................................................30 The Strategic Context: Trench Warfare Chapter 4.................................................................................................37 The Tactical Context: The Evolution of Arms between 1914 and 1916 Chapter 5.................................................................................................44 The Creation of a British 'New Army' Chapter 6.................................................................................................51 Preparing the British Battle Plan for 1 July 1916 Chapter 7.................................................................................................58 The French Battle Plan on the Somme Chapter 8.................................................................................................63 The German Army on the Somme in 1916 Chapter 9.................................................................................................69 Preparations for the 1 July 1916 Attack Chapter 10..............................................................................................82 1 July 1916: The First Hour Chapter 11..............................................................................................92 1 July 1916: The Rest of the Day Chapter 12.............................................................................................101 1 July 1916: Dead and Wounded Chapter 13.............................................................................................108 Why Did 1 July 1916 End in Defeat? Chapter 14.............................................................................................119 The Battle of the Somme from 2 July Chapter 15.............................................................................................128 The Consequences of the Battle of the Somme Chapter 16.............................................................................................144 Return to Beaumont-Hamel: A Path of Memory Bibliography..........................................................................................149 Acknowledgements...............................................................................152 Endnotes...............................................................................................154