William Philpott - Three Armies on the Somme: The First Battle of the Twentieth Century

THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK
PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

Copyright 2009 by William Philpott

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.aaknopf.com

Originally published in Great Britain in different form as Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on the Somme and the Making of the Twentieth Century: The Battle, the Myth, the Legacy by Little, Brown, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, London, in 2009.

Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Philpott, William James.
Three armies on the Somme : the first battle of the twentieth century / by William Philpott.
p. cm.
A Borzoi book T.p. verso.
eISBN: 978-0-307-59372-6
1. Somme, 1st Battle of the, France, 1916.
2. Great Britain. ArmyHistoryWorld War, 19141918.
3. France. ArmeHistoryWorld War, 19141918.
4. Germany. HeerHistoryWorld War, 19141918. I. Title.
D545.S7P495 2010
940.4'272 dc22 2010004070

First United States Edition

v3.1

Dedicated to the memory of my grandfather
Sergeant James Erswell Philpott MM
and his daughters,
Joan Ella and Jean Gladys

I would like to thank the following individuals and institutions for permission to quote and cite material in their possession, or for which they hold the copyright: Her Majesty the Queen and the Controller of Her Majestys Stationery Office; the Trustees of the National Library of Scotland; the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, Kings College London; the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum; the Master and Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge; the Bodleian Library, Oxford; the Bonham Carter Trustees; the Councillors of the Army Records Society; the Cheshire Military Museum; the National Library of Australia, Canberra; the Australian War Memorial, Canberra; the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney; Archives and Special Collections, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University, Newfoundland; the Archives de larme de terre, Service historique de la dfense, Vincennes; the Archives dpartementales de la Somme, Amiens; the Historial de la Grande Guerre, Pronne; Earl Haig; Lord Esher; Mr. M. A. F. Rawlinson. Finally I would like to thank Pen and Sword publishers for permission to quote from Jack Sheldons excellent anthology of German combatants writings, The German Army on the Somme, 19141916.

I also owe many personal and professional debts to those who have provided practical assistance and support during the writing of this book. Its preparation and publication have been greatly assisted by many individuals. Of these I would in particular like to thank Charlie Viney, my agent; Andrew Miller, my editor at Knopf; Maria Massey, production editor at Knopf; John Gilkes, who prepared the maps; and Philip Parr, who meticulously copyedited the manuscript.

Research for this book in France was supported by a small personal research grant from the British Academy. At the Archives de larme de terre, Vincennes, Colonel Frdric Guelton and Lieutenant-Colonel Rmy Porte and their colleagues provided invaluable assistance and guidance. Laurent Henninger and his colleagues at the Centre dtudes dhistoire de la dfense offered a warm reception and valuable facilities while I was in Vincennes. Christopher Goscha provided a comfortable home away from home in Vincennes. The Australian governments Bicentennial Fellowships fund supported research in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. Dr. Peter Stanley and his colleagues at the Memorials research centre were welcoming and hospitable to the Pom who appeared in their midst. Professor Carl Bridge of the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, Kings College London, offered help and advice before, during and after that fellowship. The Arts and Humanities Research Council funded a term of research leave to enable me to finish the manuscript.

Over the years my research students, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate classes, in the Department of War Studies, Kings College London, have been a constant source of stimulation and inspiration in understanding the complexities of the First World War. In particular the members of the Coal Hole Club military operations study group have provided a lively and sociable forum in which to refine my understanding of the dynamics of the Great War battlefield. They will see where their insights, sadly unattributable, have informed and improved this work. Similarly, my colleagues in the Department of War Studies have been helpful and supportive during the writing of this book. While it is invidious to single out individuals, nevertheless my successive Heads of Department, Professor Brian Holden Reid and Professor Mervyn Frost, must be thanked for supporting my periods of research leave without which this book might never have been finished. Similarly, Professor James Gow and Professor Theo Farrell gave valuable advice on my applications for funding which assisted the writing of this book. Over the years the Institute of Historical Researchs Military History research seminar has been a lively forum for debate, and I thank Professor Brian Bond and its members for their friendship, and for hearing me out and offering professional insights on the occasions when I spoke on aspects of my ongoing research. The membership of the British Commission for Military History have also been stimulating, interested and patient in equal measure over the many years in which I have been obsessing about the Somme, to the point of letting me guide them over the less remembered corners of the battlefield. Professors Hew Strachan, Martin Alexander, David French and John Gooch have always been wise friends, as well as strong supporters of this research project.

Family and friends too, if not possessing the expertise of colleagues and students, still demonstrated interest and patience while this lengthy project was completed. Many have been helpful or supportive along the way; a few deserve individual mention. Above all, my parents, my sisters and their families (who I will not name, since they know who they are); Professor Michael Neiberg, who read and provided insightful comments on the manuscript in draft; Sophy Kershaw, who read the manuscript in draft with a professional and personal eye, and was always supportive while the book rolled ever onwards (and remembering her grandfather Second-Lieutenant Raymond Kershaw MC, 2nd Battalion Australian Machine Gun Corps, wounded in the Battle of Hamel, 4 July 1918); Richard Kershaw and Jann Parry, who shared an authors ups and downs; the late Venetia Murray, who gave valuable advice on the ins and outs of the publishing trade when this project was in its infancy; Matthew and Carol Cragoe, my writing companions and hospitable friends; Rachel Mustalish, who looked after me in New York; Sian Evans, who kept me company in Paris; Jeremy Hughes, for his research assistance; Genevieve Ford-Saville, for our musings over one too many pints; Charlie, Sarah, Eleanor and Hebe Robinson, Kate and John Madin, welcoming friends always.

And finally, thank you to Elizabeth Greenhalgh: without her provocation, this book might never have been written.