Contents

List of Maps

List of Plates

Abbreviations

The Men

Introduction

  1 The Men

  2 The Western Front

  3 The Somme and the Germans

  4 The Plan

  5 The Preparations

  6 The Last Few Hours

  7 Zero Hour

  8 Review at 8.30 A.M.

  9 The Morning

  10 Review at Noon

  11 The Afternoon

  12 Review at Dusk

  13 The Night

  14 The Aftermath

  15 The Cost

  16 An Analysis

  17 The Years that Followed

  Appendix 1 Order of Battle of British Infantry Units

  Appendix 2 Order of Battle of German Divisions Facing the British Attack

  Appendix 3 Senior Officer Casualties

  Appendix 4 Victoria Cross Winners of 1 July 1916

  Appendix 5 Battalions Suffering More than 500 Casualties

  Appendix 6 A Tour of the Somme Battlefield

Acknowledgements

Bibliography