This groundbreaking WWI history presents a detailed narrative of German Army operations from the start of the war to the 1st Battle of the Somme.

A renowned expert on the German Army during the First World War, historian Jack Sheldon draws on his extensive research into German sources to shed new light on the famous battleground. In an account filled with graphic descriptions of life and death in the trenches, Sheldon demonstrates that the dreadful losses of July 1st, 1916, were a direct consequence of meticulous German planning and preparation.

Although the Battle of the Somme was a close-run affair, poor Allied co-ordination played into the hands of the German commanders. The German Army was able to maintain the overall integrity of its defenses and continue its delaying of battle until winter ultimately neutralized the considerable Allied superiority in men and material.