The Somme-From both sides of the wire.

Did you catch the above excellent three part documentary on the Battle of the Somme by military historian Peter Barton?
Much has been written,said and broadcast about this battle but Peter Barton had done it a little differently, he has painstakingly researched the German archives as well as the British. It's always the victors that write the histories of course, so much of what he has to say hasn't been widely known. The fact that German intelligence  had intercepted British phone calls a good ten weeks before the battle. They knew in part what was going to happen they just didn't know exactly when. When tanks first appeared on the battlefield in October 1916 within a couple of weeks all German units had a detailed report of what they were and the best way to tackle and stop them. Top secret reports stating clearly 'Not to be taken into the front line' were taken either from prisoners or dead bodies and some POW's did not hold back with information, all of this meticulously noted in the German archives. The Germans on the Somme were out gunned and out manned but according to the historian the tactical victory was theirs.
With his fedora hat and tweedy waistcoat Peter Barton walks you across 'no mans land' carrying a 303 Enfield rifle, he stands on remains of pillboxes,trenches and redoubts, he has an obvious passion for the subject and presents it in a very digestible way. I haven't read any of his books on World War One but with my obsession for the period I will be looking for some.
Whatever you think of war it's a terrible thing and he does go into on the human side of it rather than just orders from commanders and statistics. He quotes an Australian soldier  as summing up the terrain of the Somme (forgive the language!) as 'miles of shit coloured fuck all.' An honest opinion if ever I heard one, and don't forget the Aussies were all volunteers, they did not have conscription.
 The Whitehall committee that was tasked with naming and dating all the actions of the war record that the Battle of the Somme concluded in November 1916, Peter Barton has suggested it was later than that in Spring 1917 when the Germans fell back to the well prepared defensive positions of the Hindenberg Line which rendered many of the villages and woods and hills taken at such a high cost by the British pretty well null and void.
There will forever be discussion and argument on what did or did not happen and who was to blame. I think this documentary series has shed alittle light onto an area that hasn't been really looked at and I found it fascinating. If you get the chance do watch these programmes, follow this link http://bbc.in/29r3QfI  I don't think you'll be disappointed.