What Was Allenby's Army Involved In The Battle Of The Somme?

The Battle of the Bulge also known as “Ardennes Offensive”, started on December 16, 1944. The Battle of the bulge, is significantly known as what ruined the German army and brought about the end of the war. The battle got its name from poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest “bulge” that Germans made between its allies. Hitler used this area of 80-mile dense forest, believing that his forces would be able to surround and cut off

Haig expected a breakthrough of up to seven miles from the start line. Rawlinson believed they would take a “bite” into the German trenches to be followed by more little bites to gain territory. Both generals were proven wrong on their expectations, but Rawlinson’s was the more realistic objective. The artillery plan was that the field guns would destroy the German barbed wire in front of the trenches and the heavy guns were to attack the enemy’s artillery and trenches. The artillery was to be the key to the offensive.

The first day of the battle of the Somme was a dreadful scene but a victory for the Germans.According to Document B: George Coppard (British soldier) ,it states that ,” Hundreds of dead,many of the British 37th Brigade..Quite as many died on the enemy wire as on the ground,like a fish caught in the net...The Germans faith in the wire had paid off.” This evidence shows that a lot of the British army had died due to the German’s barbed wire and as a result is was an horrendous scene to look at.Also written in Document C: Ottis Lais(German soldier),it states that,”As the destructive British shell rushed towards our artillery which was firing courageously..the british keep charging forward...Despite the fact that hundreds are already lying dead

Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived day and night. There were many lines of German trenches on one side and many lines of the trenches on the allied side. In the middle there was no-man’s land, so called because it didn’t belong to either army. Soldiers crossed no- man’s land when they wanted to attack. Soldiers in the trenches did not get much sleep, but when they did it was in the afternoon during daylight and at night for only 1 hour at a time. They were woken up at different times, either to complete one of the daily chores or the go to fight. The system of trenches was employed because a German commander, General Erich von Falkenhayn, decided that his troops must at all costs hold onto those parts of France and Belgium that Germany still occupied. Falkenhayn ordered his men to dig trenches that would provide them with protection from the advancing French and British troops. The Allies soon realised that they could not break through this line and they also began to dig trenches.

The battle of the Somme, intended to end the war that year, had ambitious objectives, it was significant for failing to achieve almost all of these. One of these was Beaumont Hamel, a fortified village behind the German lines. The Battle plan called for the village to be taken on the first day. The fact that the village was not taken until the very end of the battle on the 13th of November, illustrates how much the plan failed. Demonstrating the level to which the plan failed Private Anthony Stacey reports that this was a death trap for our boys as the enemy just set the sights of their machine guns on the gaps in the barbed wire and fired . Another objective, Serre, was not taken at all. In fact, the British staff were so unaware of modern weapons, that they had cavalry ready to attack after the infantry broke through. This is significant as it shows how inexperienced the British army was when it came to trench warfare. Had the staff understood the trench tactics better, they would not have

The Battle of the Somme epitomizes the harsh realities of trench warfare for the Allies and represents the negligent battle planning and technological advancements that are associated with the stalemate of World War One. Trench warfare was common across the Western Front, with similar strategies being employed by both opposing sides. Sir Douglas Haig, one of the British coordinators for the Somme offensive is blamed with an offensive strategy destined for failure. The British offensive, an utter failure, resulted in a stalemate, which was common throughout World War One. The British development of the tank, while it eventually ended the horrendous stalemate, was ineffectively used during the Somme.

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 Second Battle of Ypres was the first time a former colonial force defeated a European power on European soil. It was the most gruesome battle fought in World War I because of the chemical warfare and Germany’s use of advanced technology. After a torturous month of fighting the German army, however, the Canadian soldiers emerged victorious.

In specific, I will be talking about the Battle of Somme the 1st July, 1916 as it is not as discussed as happier moments during the war such as the takeover at Vimy Ridge and that memorial. A quick overview for the battle of Somme would be that it was fought with the British forces under the command of their General Haig and dragged on for 141 days. By the end, casualties totaled 1.2 million on both sides after the British advanced 11km. It is still known to be the greatest single disaster in 500+ years of history for Newfoundland and Labrador, and it is now a memorial day for them. Soon later, the French attacked Somme and achieved advances greater than what he British did, with fewer divisions and close to 2000 casualties.

Nearing the end of World War II and after the successful D-Day invasion by Allied Forces, Adolf Hitler would personally plan a counteroffensive he believed would turn the tied of the war in his favor and prevent his unconditional surrender. Historically known as the Battle of the Bulge, the Ardennes Counteroffensive, from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945, would showcase the power of a full-scale German offensive while highlighting the ingenuity and heart of the United States Army as they encountered a seemingly undefeatable foe.

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.

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.

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

In British history, the Battle of the Somme has become one of the most significant battles due to the death and the horrendous casualties caused with that have made it become an emotive topic. It lasted from 1st July to 18th November, 1916. The unnecessary sacrifice led to the view that the brave British soldiers were ‘lions led by donkeys’ who were sent to their deaths by uncaring and unskilful generals. Many historians agree on the significance of the battle not in terms of its success or failure but how it had important results including the reduction of the German army as well as how the battle had helped the British learn valuable lessons to improve and prepare for future battles.

I think that in the battles of Somme and Passchendaele, live were needlessly wasted. During the battles, there was a clear lack of planning. An example is the battle of Somme.Officers would apply rigid, unflexible tactics. They misunderstood German defences. As proof, the first day of that battle, the British lost 58,000 men, the largest lost in history and gained almost little to no ground at all. I think that the adoption of Currie's casualty minimizing tactics by both sides compensates for the heavy losses suffered in past battles. I think so because you while the losses were severe, leaders would try and make sure that future lossses wouldn't be as heavy as before. I think that leaders are morally and