Overview

Despite superior air and artillery power, British soldiers died in catastrophic numbers at the Battle of Somme in 1916. What went wrong, and who was responsible? This book meticulously reconstructs the battle, assigns responsibility to military and political leaders, and changes forever the way we understand this encounter and the history of the Western Front. ""A magisterial piece of scholarship...It is a model of historical research and should do much to further our understanding of the Great War and how it was fought.""--Contemporary Review ""Revisionist history at its best.""--Library Journal (starred review) ""A major addition to the literature on the military history of the Great War"" -- Jay Winter

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9780300119633

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Reviews

"""'The strength of Prior and Wilson's book lies in the detailed breakdown at the operational level of command' Times Literary Supplement 'Prior and Wilson persuasively attribute the grisly cost of 1 July not to inadequate infantry training and tactics... but to inadequate artillery support' Spectator 'A magisterial piece of scholarship... It is a model of historical research and should do much to further our understanding of the Great War and how it was fought.' Contemporary Review 'Revisionist history at its best.' Library Journal (starred review) 'A major addition to the literature on the military history of the Great War' Jay Winter 'Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson have put together a painstakingly detailed analysis of one of the great stuff-ups of modern war... Morbidly compelling.' The Age 'With a fine sense of detail and a style that is fresh and accessible, Australian academics Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson have analysed the flawed decision-making leading up to the battle, detailed the day-by-day disasters that occurred during the battle and provided a very clear analysis of the consequences.' Sydney Morning Herald"""

'The strength of Prior and Wilson's book lies in the detailed breakdown at the operational level of command' Times Literary Supplement 'Prior and Wilson persuasively attribute the grisly cost of 1 July not to inadequate infantry training and tactics... but to inadequate artillery support' Spectator 'A magisterial piece of scholarship... It is a model of historical research and should do much to further our understanding of the Great War and how it was fought.' Contemporary Review 'Revisionist history at its best.' Library Journal (starred review) 'A major addition to the literature on the military history of the Great War' Jay Winter 'Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson have put together a painstakingly detailed analysis of one of the great stuff-ups of modern war... Morbidly compelling.' The Age 'With a fine sense of detail and a style that is fresh and accessible, Australian academics Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson have analysed the flawed decision-making leading up to the battle, detailed the day-by-day disasters that occurred during the battle and provided a very clear analysis of the consequences.' Sydney Morning Herald

Author Information

Robin Prior is professor and head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra. Trevor Wilson is professor emeritus of history at the University of Adelaide. They are the authors of Passchendaele: The Untold Story, also published by Yale University Press.

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