Robert Colley does not just cover the gruesome catastrophe of the Battle of the Somme, he makes sure that reader understands the reasoning behind the attack and the reasoning for Great Britain entering the war against Germany. Once revered as the greatest nation in the world, Great Britain was definitely put to the test in 1914. As the war began to pick up, so did the number of casualties that the British Army began to take. The BEF or the British Expeditionary Forces, were known as the “professional forces began to take losses to and force the hand of the British Government. With the Government needing more men to fight in the war, they began a scheme to lure in young men and “boys” to volunteer for the war effort. Horatio Kitchener was the face of these posters that caught the patriotic eye of these men, but there …show more content…
The reasoning for the plan was to draw Germans troops away from the ancient city of France, Verdun. Verdun was being attack heavily by the Germans and at first according to Colley, the French Leadership was not afraid of losing the city. The City of Verdun meant everything to the citizens of France, the tradition and history behind the city made the leadership act and the Battle of Verdun began. The Battle of Somme was to happen west of Verdun and the British was planning on a non-stop barrage on the German frontline, with the hope of wiping out the entire German line. According to Colley the plan was simply this, “The attack on the Somme would be preceded by a preliminary bombardment of the German lines 4,500 yards in depth, utilizing some 1,500 artillery guns, about one big gun for every 17 yards of German Frontline. Beginning on Saturday 24 June and lasting eight days, they would fire 1.5 million shells (more than had been fired during the whole first year of the war).” The plan was simple, but biggest question on the minds of the British would it
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.
World War II was a very important event in American History. During these times, America had gone to war against Germany, Italy and Japan. The three nations called themselves the Axis Powers. The Allied Forces, America, Great Britain and France, were up against Hitler and the Axis Powers. There were two attacks that made a difference during the war, the Battle of the Bulge and the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Battle of the Bulge and the attack on Pearl Harbor were a huge turning point in World War II and would affect the future of American History.
after the allied forces were kicked off the beaches of Dunkirk, we were left out of the battle in Europe. We still had the red army (russia) (or sovite union) in the eastern frount and joint british and american forces fighting in North Africa and Italy. But these battles were'nt enough to get the allies to the heart of germany. the allias had to open up another frount to fight the Nazis would. to acupy axis land somewhere other than Italy or eastern europe. The Allies needed to establish a foothold in Nazi occupied France by sending troops onto beaches named Juno, Gold, Soared,Utah, and Omaha. Canadian forces landed on Juno beach, british forces stormed Golden and Soard while the american armies were held responcible for Utah and Omaha beach.
In relation to the statement made I think that this source I quite useful as it depicts our victory – showing it as not a disaster. This source is useful as a whole too because after cross-referencing to source A and then also seeing it to be the opposite of source C, we can declare this last source historically accurate. Yet still as with all the sources there are some limitations. Just like source D, this source does not reflect the negative aspects of the Battle of the Somme for the British. Additionally, as I have just made some predictions about the purpose of this source, my theory is probably not correct but it s a possibility. If I ignore my own thoughts about the purpose, we could think about how the government would not want to convey their forces badly and so the artist may have been under the influence to make up some factors which again makes us question how reliable parts of this source are. As a whole the uncertainties of this source make it difficult to draw any conclusions about some elements but we know it is in opposition to the statement and also that it has some factors which are definitely
The battle of Somme was initiated by the German with the objective of the Germans was to destroy the German trenches. Originally planned as part of a wider strategy of attacking Germany simul
The Royal British Army at the time of the Battle of Somme was 256 years old, and they had plenty of success as an Army. The French Army was 471 years old, and shared in their own success as a military. The success of the Battle of the Somme would lean heavily on artillery support. The British had 1,500 artillery pieces ranging from light artillery 18 pounder guns, to heavy artillery 15 inch howitzers. The French brought an equal amount of artillery to support in the success of the mission. Throughout the Great War the British had great success in using artillery to shape the battlefield, setting the conditions for battle and would do so again in the Battle of Somme.
Additionally, Sheers reinforces the preciousness of human life and the violence of war by using language features that include verbs, imagery and metaphors through, “This morning, twenty men buried in one long grave, a broken mosaic of bone linked arm in arm, their skeletons paused mid dance-macabre.” The metaphor of ‘broken mosaic’ highlights the violence and impact of war. ‘Broken’ alone suggests that the soldiers were blown to pieces by the Germans. Sheers however, described these fragmented bones in a respectful was. This was respectfully described as a ‘broken mosaic’ because the 38th Welsh Division soldiers went to fight for their country and unfortunately died because of it. As a reader, we must understand that they sacrificed their lives to fight for their families, friends and country when they went to war in the Battle of Somme. Referencing to ‘broken,’ it also tells us that they families of the soldiers were mentally broken as well. The Battle of Somme tore families apart and broke parent’s hearts. Sheers wants to imply the knowledge to the reader that violence of war impacts many other people including the soldiers themselves. It damaged the families of the 38th Welsh Division soldiers. Although war has ‘broken’ each soldier a sense of brotherhood is shown through the verb ‘linked’ in, ‘linked arm in arm.’ All these soldiers went to fight together and happen to have died together. This shows the strength of mankind and unity through tough times as these men were
Assess the significance of the battle of the Somme in the first world war The battle of the Somme or Somme offensive was one of the largest battles of the first world war. The battle went on between July 1st and November 1st, 1916 near the Somme river located in France. It was one of the bloodiest battles in military history and this is not surprising with the allies and central powers losing 1.5 million men. This was the first great offensive of the war for the British and tactics improved both during and after the event.
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
The Battle of the Somme is perhaps one of the greatest military disasters in British military history, with losses being around 600,000 men. However, nothing major was achieved, and it certainly didn't live up to its expectations, making whether it’s significant or not a controversial topic. One reason that the Battle of the Somme could be seen as significant is because it was a catastrophe that led to 100,000s of death, which had large impact on the British army the and the people at home. The British plan was to obliterate the german defences, with an enormous artillery bombardment, and then for British troops to advance as if it were a “Sunday afternoon stroll in the park”.
Prepare for war! That is what you hear and your heart stops while your jaw opens and you gasp for air that is not there. While talking about the history and establishment of Camp Lewis is not as important as preparing for war, it is important in that the knowledge of our past will help posture and mold the future of tomorrow.
Prepare for war! That is what you hear and your heart stops, your jaw opens and you gasp for air that is not there. While the history and establishment of Camp Lewis is not as important or as serious as preparing for war, it is important to know the past. The past helps posture and mold the future of tomorrow as we learn and grow from the success and/or mistakes of those before us.
Infantry containing new machinery and lack of protection and medical equipment was a major cause of the lethality during the Battle of Somme. In fact, the highest casualties were found in units manned by infantry. Machine guns, tanks, gasses, and new explosives were massively powerful; artillery heavier than ever, but protection was not. On the first of July, 1916 “mines under the German strong points were exploded”, leaving creators that still mark the battle field, and the beginning of chaos for the Battle of Somme, exemplifying the new abilities of destruction. Moving forward, firepower was to overwhelmingly lethal for medical assistance and medics struggled to keep up. Artillery covered a larger surface area and could shoot off more
While the allied losses were at the time shocking, the attrition of the German army’s moral and resources would have dramatic effects as the war continued. By the Somme’s end, total resulting casualties on both sides were appalling: 419,654 British Commonwealth and domain soldiers, near to 200,000 French soldiers, and 465,000 German troops. Physically, the 4 month campaign resulted in very limited allied advances, varying from a few hundred yards to 7 miles along a thirty mile front. This was not however the only achievement of the battle of the Somme. Hindenburg, a German general admitted within his Memoirs that while very little land was lost fighting in the Somme, the German army wouldn’t have survived many more campaigns similar to it or Verdun. Moreover, the Somme marked a change in the global perception of Britain; it became a force to be reckoned with. Erich von Falkenhayn, Chief of the German General Staff had anticipated a major, but inept, British attack, and without Allied efforts to conceal preparations for the Somme, he was aware of its location. Falkenhayn could not, however, have anticipated the commitment of Britain and France at the Somme and the drawn out erosion of his resources that the battle would become. His original intentions were to launch a swift counter attack, driving the BEF out of Europe while wearing down the French army to an eventual defeat. With this in mind, on July 1st 1916 to prevent the 27 divisions, or around 750,000 Allied
Outlasting the worst catastrophes Earth has undergone, it seemed merely forty years ago sharks could and would outlive any event. Yet, even as sharks have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, the summer of 1916 presented the first unexpected change for these great animals.