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Victory at Villers-Bretonneux
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 24 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Military
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Overall
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On 19 July 1916, 7,000 Australian soldiers - in the first major action of the AIF on the Western Front - attacked entrenched German positions at Fromelles, in Northern France. By the next day, no fewer than 5,500 were wounded and just under 1,900 were dead - a bloodbath that the Australian War Memorial describes as 'the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history'. Just days later, three Australian divisions attacked German positions at nearby Pozières, and over the next six weeks they suffered another 23,000 casualties.
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incredible account. .. not to be forgotten.
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Publisher's Summary
On Anzac Day 1918, when the town of Villers-Bretonneux falls to the British defenders, it is the Australians who are called on to save the day, the town and the entire battle.
It's early 1918, and after four brutal years the fate of the Great War hangs in the balance. On the one hand, the fact that Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks have seized power in Russia - immediately suing for peace with Germany - means that no fewer than one million of the Kaiser's soldiers can now be transferred from there to the Western Front. On the other, now that America has entered the war, it means that two million American soldiers are also on their way, to tip the scales of war in favor of the Allies.
The Germans, realising that their only hope is striking at the Allied lines first, do exactly that, and on the morning of 21 March 1918, the Kaiserschlacht, the Kaiser's battle, is launched - the biggest set-piece battle the world has ever seen.
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What listeners say about Victory at Villers-Bretonneux
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sharon Livingstone
- 08-05-2017
Well structured story but new narrator needed
What did you like most about Victory at Villers-Bretonneux?
Good balance provided by including the perspective of all participants - French, English, German, Canadian, Russian and Australian. Although parochial, it was perhaps needed to right the wrongs inflicted by an embarrassed British Military, who gave little mention of the involvement of the Australian soldiers in the 2nd battle of Villers-Bretonneux. I loved the insight provided by letters and diary entries.
How could the performance have been better?
The narrator used a plummy British accent which grated and lost the impact of the FitzSimons narration style, which is very much Australian. Place names in Australia were mispronounced (Walcha, Murwillumbah as examples), which is unforgivable. And don't get me started on the narrator's Scottish accent. I would have loved to have heard FitzSimons narrate this himself.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Both. There was a spontaneous poem written by a private soldier about his recently deceased battalion commander - raw and beautiful and very emotional. The demise of the "Red Baron" was also beautifully re-told.
2 people found this helpful
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- Pete
- 04-02-2017
Wonderful book. A story ever Australian should know.
This devastatingly tragic but equally inspiring story of Australian history is something that every Australian adult should know and one which must not be forgotten as the years grow old.
Do yourself a favour and learn of the extreme sacrifice and unimaginable bravery of the young Australians and indeed the whole allied forces.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-08-2022
Victory at VB
Another amazing book by Peter F, thank you I have learnt so much of our history from your extensive investigation and I am so looking forward to visiting VB in the near future. I live fairly close to Strathewen PS and didn’t know that final story about the connection to VB, it brought tears to my eyes and will visit there also. Thank you Peter for rounding off your books with what happened post event to the main figures, it ties off the book well.
So looking forward to reading another of your wonderful books .
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-06-2022
cried at the end
was amazing i cried a a a a a a a a a as ad
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- Anonymous User
- 26-11-2020
Loved every minute of it.
What an absolutely magnificent book. Once again Peter Fitzsimons has delivered one hundred percent wow.
Listening to this book certainly stirred up the Aussie spirit and pride that wanders around in this old body of mine. And for that, I say " Good onya Peter Fitzsimons you are a typical ex Wallaby, a bloody ripper of a bloke."
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- Kindle Customer
- 21-03-2020
A Textbook
Very well researched, but very dry. A great text for anyone looking to learn more about this period in history, as there is an abundance of information. Not one for the casual history buffs though as it will leave them alienated and bored.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-03-2020
such important Australian history
I thoroughly enjoyed tgis book - so much so that I listened twice! Well be travelling to Northern France and Belgium in April 2020 and doing some WW1 battlefields tours so I wanted to be better prepared.
I loved the very personal human detail of the story telling.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-09-2019
Australian heroics
Such an important part of Australian history that we all should be aware of. Without the heroics of the Australians who knows how different the outcome may have been. They deserve the recognition today that they did not receive 100 years ago.
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- Anonymous User
- 19-12-2018
awesome
great book loved it if you are into war amd especially Australian war history youll love this book
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- Edward S Morrisoin
- 04-08-2018
outstanding
An incredible account of some of Australia's critical contribution to the victory of the First World War.
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