24 Hours at the Somme

"24 Hours on the Somme describes the catastrophic battle hour by hour through the differing perspectives of both sides. No single battle has had such a widespread emotional impact on the psyche of the British public. By nightfall 57,470 men lay dead, wounded or were missing at a cost of just 6,000 German dead. 13% of the island community was affected by one day's events. It was the day when hope died. Even more shocking, a mere two hours of that fateful day decided the battle. Here, Robert Kershaw asks what motivated the soldiers to advance to certain death in the face of intense machine gun fire? And how senior officers could order them to do so, knowing what awaited them? 24 Hours on the Somme attempts to offer some answers by using the words of the soldiers themselves."