A Brief Note On The Battle Of Somme

The British launched The Battle of the Somme to achieve two objectives. The first and most important goal was to relieve pressure on the French Army at Verdun, and the second was to inflict as heavy a loss as possible on the German Armies. The Battle of the Somme had to be fought to save the French Army from the crucifixion of Verdun. The head of the French Army, General Fock, and some leading British commanders did not believe this battle would help, but political masters in London and Paris supported the campaign. For many years The Battle of the Somme received much criticism for the way the battle was fought based on the number of casualties.

The Battle of The Somme was the most significant battle in World War I because the tactics used on both the offensive and defensive side caused one of the bloodiest battles in military history. The Battle of The Somme was an enormous battle that lasted from July 1st, 1916, all the way to November 18th, 1916. The Battle of The Somme is also known as the Somme Offensive and was actually one of the bloodiest military battles in history. On just the first day, the British had already lost over 57,000 men. In the battle the British, later to be joined by the French as well, intended to take down the Germans on the Somme River, deep in northern France. By the time the battle ended in November, the British had suffered around 420,000 casualties, and the French lost about 200,000.

World War I was known for its very slow-paced battle and the stage of stalemate. After advancing from Germany on France, battle turned into trench warfare. Trench Warfare is a defensive strategy in a field where the army stays in rows of trenches that were placed along the Western Front during the war. The use of trenches during the Great War was a very significant tactic during battle, by making soldiers hidden but exposed just enough to be able to attack the enemy. On a daily basis, life in the trenches was very scary and filled with horror. Death was upon the soldiers even if there was nobody attacking them. There was a continuous shell fire that would randomly take the lives of many. Some men died on their first day in the trenches, and very few were lucky to make it out unharmed. Shell fire was not the only issue in the trenches. There were plenty of diseases and infections spreading around like a wildfire. Many soldiers got infections and diseases that could not be treated such as Trench Foot or Trench Fever. Although trench warfare acts as a great defensive and offensive measure, it became very dangerous because of the many different causes of death including shell fire, diseases, and infections.

The British went into the Somme with a mixed attack plan, which led to an unsuccessful first assault resulting in a battle of attrition. The opening day of The Battle of the Somme resulted in near 60,000 casualties for the British, the largest in British military history for a single day. Originally the Somme was supposed to be a French dominated offensive, however the Germans attacked to the South in Verdun occupying the majority of French troops. The British were then thrust into control of the offensive, leaving Sir Douglas Haig and General Rawlinson to arrange an offensive strike against the Germans. Haig advocated for the use of infantry including foot soldiers as well as cavalry to lead the offensive. Rawlinson countered with a bite and hold strategy, which involved fortifying a strong defense and warding off German counter attacks. Rather than committing to one strategy, the two were combined in order to create a week-long bombardment followed by an offensive attack on foot.

Soon the machine gun became a defensive weapon rather than an offensive weapon, as it was used to stop offensive enemy troops across this no man’s land. Gas was used infinitely by both sides in an effort to triumph over the trenches. If any trench was taken by an opposing force, a succeeding trench was dug just meters behind the one taken, making advancements longstanding and difficult. In this process many troops lost their lives, more so than any other war.

In “The Face of Battle,” John Keegan analyzed the experiences of the individuals involved in the battles of the Somme and Waterloo; he thoroughly examined the advancements of industrialization in warfare and battle strategy between 1815 and 1916. The industrialization of modern warfare during the battle of the Somme, while progressive, was very much still in its experimental stages. While the inventions during this time period were later evolved into much more useful products, it seems as though the organized warfare in Waterloo was much more effective; the soldier’s mediocre training for the Somme was obvious in the chaotic events that occurred. While each battle was disastrous in their own ways, industrialization certainly improved means of warfare and the experience that the soldiers had.

The Somme: The Darkest Hour on the Western Front by Peter Hart is a narrative describing the battle at the Somme. It begins with a description of the war before for the action and the preparations that took place to prepare for this battle. It progresses quickly then to the opening day, with its goal of breaking through the German lines. The author then discusses the numerous battles that occurred over this four and a half months long battle until the stalemate ending. The author then offers an assessment of this brutal and futile military encounter; one of the bloodiest and deadliest battles of all time.

William T Sherman, a union General during the American civil war,is quoted as saying “It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry allowed for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell”. A Timeless saying, that reflects the toll of war. He describes the trauma that the War inflicted on him. WW1 was certainly no exception in regards to it’s cost. Trench conditions were severely damaging to the psychological well being of alliance and entente soldiers alike. Soldiers could not predict if they would be the next man to die, even while safe in the trenches.Some soldiers decided to walk into enemy fire rather than continue to serve. Many of the Soldiers relied heavily on

During the portions we viewed in class, The Last Voices of World War I covered the dangers of trench warfare, as well as the medical system devised to treat casualties. Trench warfare developed as a result of the old style of fighting, where formations of soldiers would battle on open fields, met modern weaponry such as artillery and machine guns. This led to extreme danger, not only during, but after battles. Filth, and vermin developed quickly due to the close quarters or the trench. Thus, a strong effort was made by the British to develop top of the line medical care for the wounded. This included stretcher bearers to move the men to first aid tents, then to hospitals. Consequently, World War I became one of the first wars where disease was not the primary cause of death. Disease, notwithstanding, was still a factor, as well as ailments such as trenchfoot.

Furthermore, Not everything in The Somme was good. The soldiers at The Somme experienced more traumatic events than the soldiers in the battle waterloo. The technology at The Somme was more advanced therefore, there was bullets flying everywhere. The soldiers could not see anything they were just running to make it somewhere. When they would turn around they would see their friends and family dead or wounded. In the months that the war lasted the British lost 50,000 lives. Many of the soldiers who went the battle in The Somme only went to make there families proud and get new girlfriends, of course to show their love for their country. Also, the soldiers and the family and friends would go war together. Most of the soldiers in The Somme

July 1st, 1916 marks the commencement of a memorable battle in the world’s history: the Battle of the Somme. This eminent battle, as well as its catastrophic first day is referred to as a symbol of the extravagancy and unfortunate outcome of Britain’s First World War. It was originally arranged to relieve the pressure on the French at Verdun. The immense count of casualties and deaths during this battle have totaled to a record of over 1.25 million dead on both sides. Both the Allies and Central Powers experienced great losses as a result of the poor decisions made on behalf of the higher commanders. The relation between the total casualties and ineffective strategies are clearly seen through the outcome of this battle; with a gain of only

Why the Battle of the Somme is Regarded as a Great Military Tragedy On 1st July 1916, General Haig prepared the battle plan for an offensive on German lines, designed to relieve the strain on French forces at Verdun and break through a strong line of German defences. While Haig would have preferred an attack further north, he was hopeful that the operation should be successful in drawing forces away from Verdun and killing as many German troops as possible as part of the “war of attrition”. The location was the Somme River. The details were worked out by General Haig and his deputy, General Rawlinson.

The Battle of the Somme occurred during July 1 to November 18, 1916. The British and their allies, the French, wanted to claim the Germans territory on the Western Front. Before, this war transpired in December of 1915 the British had their allied commanders to plan and analyze how they were going to achieve the idea of bombarding the Germans province, which, was the River Somme. Then, the British and French came up with their conclusion on how to attack this region later that year in 1916. The German military intimated the French at Verdun which lead to the British obtaining the major role in the offensive. Furthermore, the Germans were aware that the British and the Germans we're gonna eventually go to war. Prior, to the war the British and

It was created during WWI after the Battle of Somme in 1916, as during the 5 months of battle, both sides suffered heavy losses; there were more than 1.25 million casualties, with almost 24 000 Canadians among them. The Canadian force needed more men as thousands of Canadian men had been killed and many thousand more had been seriously injured; many men were working in essential industries at home to support the war effort, so there were not enough volunteers to replenish the Canadian forces in Europe.

The Battle of the Somme was primarily a British army offensive on the Western Front. After months of preparation it started on 1st July 1916 and was called off on 18th November 1916. The Battle of the Somme has been viewed as the bloodiest battle of WW1. In this way John Keegan highlights the significance of the Battle of the Somme since, “in British life nothing is more moving than to visit the Somme battle field”. According to Keegan, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and wider British population were filled with a vital optimism before 1916. ‘But I think in an optimistic – and perhaps, not even forced optimism – I think they really believed they were going to win a great victory on July the first.’ However the Somme shattered this optimism and destroyed the innocence of British society casting a