This book is sub-titled "The British Retreat of 1918", and is all about the fighting that took place following the launch of the mighty German offensive on the Somme on 21 March 1918.

As an overview of what happened at that time it is something of a rarity, and the subject is covered well. The main body of the work is about the Somme battle, but it also covers Flanders and the Chemin des Dames actions. The final chapter is by way of a battlefield tour.

There are thirteen good sketch-style maps, covering the phases of the battle from the initial overwhelming bombardment to the British counter-attack at Villers-Bretonneux. There is also an order of battle and some useful appendices on the armies and armaments.

I found the style not unlike that adopted by Cornelius Ryan in his works on D-Day and Arnhem. Very readable and pacy, threading personal tales and comments with the higher-level view.

I was afraid when I saw the title and the date of publication that this work would be all about chaos and headlong retreat. It pleased me greatly that William Moore demonstrated that while these were desparate times, the British resistance was magnificent.

Long out of print, but readily available. Try www.abebooks.co.uk - Find used, rare and out-of-print books worldwide.