Richard A. Baumgartner

This Carnival of Hell, written by Richard A. Baumgartner, is a compilation of written and verbal experiences of German soldiers who fought on the Somme in 1916. The book covers the period from the opening bombardment in late June thru the finish in November, 1916. All the information is obtained first hand from interviews, correspondence and material provided by German veterans of the battle. The author is to be congratulated for his efforts in preserving these experiences from those with living memory of the Battle of the Somme from the German side.

Virtually all the veterans contacted served in the capacity of Company Commander down to rifleman. This is not a book dealing with strategy or the big picture. The men represented here were in the trenches during the battle, serving a medics or delivering ammunition to the front under intense shell fire. This is the strength of the work, but also a weakness. Not surprisingly, as the saga nears completion in October/November, 1916 the information becomes repetitive. All the soldiers experienced similar intense shell fire, lack of food and water, mud, fear and grief over lost commrades.

The last view aside, this is a book worth reading to understand the German experience on this epic battle. If your interest is WWI in general, the Battle of the Somme specifically or the German experience, this is a volume to read and view. There are many never before seen photos included; also good use maps to position the narrative.

I recommend reading this one. Some sellers price this book over $300. That is not a typo. I just do not understand that pricing. I purchased mine copy via Borders online for less than $30 total. I had to wait a bit since it was out of stock. That was OK since there is always something else to read......… (lisätietoja)