The book was published about six months after the battle ended in November 1916. In England, it was published as part 16 of Nelson's History of the War. Parts of the book were published earlier under the titles The Battle of the Somme: First Phase and The Battle of the Somme: Second Phase.
The Battle of the Somme was a major offensive by the French and British armies in northern France near the Somme River. Its objective was to deplete the troops, supplies, and morale of the German army. It was in part a response to the Battle of Verdun, a major German offensive that started in February 1916.
The Battle of the Somme is a well-organized, straightforward account of the battle, with commentary by Buchan. A chapter on the Allied Forces' preparation for the battle is followed by chapters about the four stages of the battle, which lasted from July 1, 1916 to November 18, 1916. Buchan gave a heroic tone to much of his descriptions of the British and French troops, similar to the tone used by Stephen E. Ambrose in his books about World War II.
A major highlight of the book are the many maps of the battlefield, including several foldout maps. These help the reader understand the different parts of the battle line, which stretched for more than 20 miles. The intricate German trench system is shown in several maps. The book also includes many photographs.
History remembers the Battle of the Somme as a costly step forward for the Allied Forces. A failed attack by one group of British soldiers on the first day of fighting was particularly deadly. Buchan acknowledged this defeat by writing:
The British moved forward in line after line, dressed as if on parade; not a man wavered or broke rank; but minute by minute the ordered lines melted away under the deluge of high-explosive, shrapnel, rifle, and machine-gun fire. There was no question about the German weight of artillery. From dawn to long after noon they maintained this steady drenching fire. Gallant individuals or isolated detachments managed here and there to break into the enemy position, and some even penetrated well behind it, but these were episodes, and the ground they won could not be held. By the evening, from Gommecourt to Theipval, the attack had been everywhere checked, and our troops—what was left of them—were back again in their old line. They had struck the core of the main German defence.The Battle of the Somme includes much detail about military units, locations, and troop maneuvers. Buchan served in the British army during World War I in positions relating to intelligence and public information, and he made good use of this special access to military information.
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| British tank near Thiepval, France on September 25, 1916 |
Adding depth and perspective to the book are two appendices that include detailed reports on the battle from both the British and German points of view.
A December 23, 1916 report from the British troop commander Douglas Haig to the British War Office includes Haig's assessment that the objectives of the battle were fulfilled:
Verdun had been relieved; the main German forces had been held on the Western front; and the enemy's strength had been very considerably worn down.A report by German General Sixt von Armin analyzed the performance of the German troops during the battle in such areas as tactics, supplies, and machine operation. In business management terms, it was a "lessons learned" document that would be used for continuous improvement of the German military.
Von Armin's report includes fascinating and valuable information about the hundreds of details that must be monitored during a war. It includes statements like:
The existing telephone system proved totally inadequate in consequence of the development which the fighting took.
The hand grenade was the most important infantry weapon both in attack and defence.At the end of the book, Buchan emphasized that the ground gained by the Allied Forces in the Battle of the Somme gave them more confidence in fighting the Germans in a war that so far had lasted more than two years.
Newspaper reviews of The Battle of the Somme in 1917 were mostly positive. "This book tells more than has been told heretofore of a battle which is now being regarded as a turning point in the war," read a July 22, 1917 review in the Oakland (California) Tribune.
These reviews contrast with later historical accounts of the Battle of the Somme, which take a more negative view as they focus on the hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed on both sides.
The Battle of the Somme was published in the United States around May 11, 1917, when it was publicized in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. It was published in England in April 1917. Front page headlines in the May 11, 1917 edition of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle included:
- GERMANS RUSHING FRESH DIVISIONS TO SOISSONS LINE / Nivelle Captures Strong German Position—British Repulse Teuton Attacks. / BIG ALLIED AIR LOSSES
- BALFOUR NOW HERE; BAR HAILS VIVIANI; JOFFRE UP STATE / British Envoys City's Guests, While French Marshal Meets Whitman at Newburgh.
- RUSSIAN COUNCIL TO DISCUSS PEACE. NATION DISINTEGRATED—GURCHKOFF. GREAT BATTLE RAGING IN MACEDONIA
Online versions:
Newspaper information from Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/)
Photograph of British tank by Ernest Brooks [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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