"The Battle of the Somme has an enduring legacy - the image of 'lions led by donkeys', brave soldiers sent to their death by incompetent generals. But, as Christopher Duffy reveals in this groundbreaking study, this was never the German view. The evidence that the Germans had great respect for the British forces is both copious and unfamiliar. Duffy has examined official papers, histories, memoirs and letters and the revealing results of the interrogation of British prisoners of war. This book is not another of the number of comprehensive histories of the Battle of the Somme. Instead, it looks at aspects of the battle from the German point of view, showing in particular the Germans' perception of the British performance and mentality in the course of that long struggle."--Back cover.