- "The Somme" redirects here. For the region, see Somme. The Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river.
| Somme Offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Western Front of World War I | |||||||
 Men of the 11th Battalion, the Cheshire Regiment, near La Boisselle, July 1916 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom France Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa |
 German Empire |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Douglas Haig Ferdinand Foch |
Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 13 British and 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) |
10½ divisions (initial) 50 divisions (final) |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 620,000 dead, wounded, missing, or captured, 100 tanks lost, 782 RFC aircraft lost[1] |
450,000 dead, wounded, missing, or captured[2] | ||||||
The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916, was among the largest battles of the First World War. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Cheshire Regiment was an Infantry Regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. Ovillers-la-Boisselle is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Events 326 - The old St Peter's Basilica is consecrated 1302 - Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal bull Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. Picardy (Picardie is an historical Province of France, in the north of France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. When World War I broke out in 1914 all of the Commonwealth nations including Australia were called to defend Great Britain. When World War I broke out in 1914, all Dominions of the British Empire including Canada, were called upon by Great Britain to fight on The Dominion of New Zealand is the former name of the Realm of New Zealand. The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British dominion from 1907 (before which the territory had the status of a British colony to 1949 } The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day state of the Republic of South Africa. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification Field Marshal Douglas Haig 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, Ferdinand Foch OM GCB (2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929 was a French soldier military theorist and writer credited with possessing "the most original Max Karl Wilhelm von Gallwitz ( 2 May 1852 &ndash 18 April 1937) was a German general from Breslau (Wrocław, Fritz Wilhelm Theodor Karl von Below (* 23 September 1853 in Danzig (today Gdańsk) † 23 November 1918 in Weimar The Royal Flying Corps (RFC was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt was a German front-line fortification west of the village of Beaumont Hamel on the Somme. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All With more than 1. 5 million casualties, it is also one of the bloodiest military operations recorded. The Allied forces attempted to break through the German lines along a 12-mile (19 km) front north and south of the River Somme in northern France. The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. One purpose of the battle was to draw German forces away from the Battle of Verdun; however, by its end the losses on the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun. The Battle of Verdun was one of the most critical battles in World War I on the Western Front, fought between the German and French By the end of the war the Allied losses proved replaceable, the German losses less so.
Verdun was an icon that would affect the national consciousness of France for generations, and the Somme would have the same effect on generations of Britons. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The battle is best remembered for its first day, 1 July 1916, on which the British suffered 67,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead—the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. For the first time, the home front in the United Kingdom was exposed to the horrors of modern war with the release in August of the propaganda film The Battle of the Somme, which used actual footage from the first days of the battle. A propaganda film is a Film, either a documentary -style production or a fictional screenplay that is produced to convince the viewer of a certain political point The Battle of the Somme ( 1916) was a documentary and Propaganda Film made by British official Cinematographers
Contents |
Prelude
The Allied war strategy for 1916 was largely formulated during a conference at Chantilly, held between 6 December and 8 December 1915. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year It was decided that for the next year, simultaneous offensives were to be mounted by the Russians in the East, the Italians (who had by now joined the Entente) in the Alps and the Anglo-French on the Western Front, thereby assailing the Central Powers from all sides. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and primarily Eastern Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Flag of the United Kingdomsvg|right|70px]] The Entente cordiale is a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining The Central Powers ( German: "Mittelmächte" Hungarian: "Központi hatalmak" Turkish: "İttifak
In late December 1915, General Sir Douglas Haig had replaced General Sir John French as Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Field Marshal Douglas Haig 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French 1st Earl of Ypres KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC ( The British Expeditionary Force ( BEF) was the British army sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium on the outbreak of Haig favoured a British offensive in Flanders—it was close to BEF supply routes via the Channel ports and had a strategic goal of driving the Germans from the North Sea coast of Belgium, from which their U-boats were menacing Britain. Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers However, although there was no formal arrangement, the British were as yet the junior partner on the Western Front and had to comply with French policy. In January 1916 the French commander, General Joseph Joffre, had agreed to the BEF making their main effort in Flanders, but after further discussions in February, the decision was reached to mount a combined offensive where the French and British armies met astride the Somme River in Picardy. Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 - 3 January 1931 was a French General who was Commander-in-Chief of the French Army between Picardy (Picardie is an historical Province of France, in the north of France.
Plans for the joint offensive on the Somme had barely begun to take shape when the Germans launched the Battle of Verdun on 21 February 1916. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year As the French committed themselves to defending Verdun, their capacity to carry out their role on the Somme disappeared, and the burden shifted more to the British. France would end up contributing three corps to the opening of the attack (the XX, I Colonial, and XXXV Corps of the 6th Army). [3] As the Battle of Verdun dragged on, the aim of the Somme offensive changed from delivering a decisive blow against Germany, to relieving the pressure on the French army, as the balance of forces changed to 13 French and 20 British divisions at the Somme. [4]
Moreover, there was disagreement between Haig and his senior local commander, General Sir Henry Rawlinson, GOC Fourth British Army, who favoured a "bite and hold" approach rather than Haig's "decisive battle" concept. Henry Rawlinson may be Henry Rawlinson MP, member of parliament for Liverpool in the late 18th century Sir Henry Rawlinson 1st Baronet, (1810&ndash1895 The Fourth Army was a field Army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. [5]
The original British regular army, six divisions strong at the start of the war, had been effectively wiped out by the battles of 1914 and 1915. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers The bulk of the army was now made up of volunteers of the Territorial Force and Lord Kitchener's New Army, which had begun forming in August 1914. The Territorial Force ( TF) was the volunteer component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920 when it became the Territorial Army. Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener 1st Earl Kitchener, KG, KP, GCB, OM The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army, was an (initially all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in The expansion demanded generals for the senior commands, so promotion came at a dizzying pace and did not always reflect competence or ability. Haig himself had started the war as commander of I British Corps before commanding the First British Army, then BEF (which was, in effect, an army group made up of four armies, soon five, of sixty divisions). The I Corps was a military formation, specifically a field corps headquarters of the British Army The First Army was a field army of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars First World War An army group is a Military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods Yet this vast increase in raw numbers also diluted the overall troop quality, and undermined the confidence commanders had in their men. [5] This was especially true for Rawlinson. [6]
By mid-1916 the Fokker Scourge was over, and the Royal Flying Corps had achieved air supremacy over the Somme battlefield. The Fokker Scourge was a term coined by the British press in the summer of 1915 to describe the then-current ascendency of the Fokker Eindecker monoplane fighters The Royal Flying Corps (RFC was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. Air supremacy is the most favorable state of control of the air On the Somme front, the RFC fielded ten squadrons and 185 aircraft against 129 German. The British pursued a vigorous offensive policy enabling them to spot for artillery, via aircraft or tethered balloons, while denying the Germans the same ability. "Ballooning" redirects here For the behavior of Spiders and other Arthropods see Ballooning (spider. Not until September would introduction of new aircraft swing the balance back in favour of the German Air Service once again; British losses, a product of Trenchard's aggressively offensive posture to the exclusion of superior German Air Service mobility and weather (prevailing winds blew toward the Allied side),[7] contributed. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO (3 February 1873 - 10 February
For the defence, the Germans held the high ground, and had been more or less unmolested since October 1914, with plenty of time to construct extensive trench lines and deep shellproof bunkers in the chalky soil. [4] Nor was the attack a surprise. [5]
Battle of Albert
1–13 July 1916
First day
The battle was preceded by 7 days of preliminary artillery bombardment, in which the British fired over 1. The first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, was the opening day of the Battle of Albert, which was the first phase of the British Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine 7 million shells. Seventeen mines had also been planted in tunnels beneath the German front-line trenches and strongpoints; the three largest tunnels contained about 21 tons (20. Mining, undermining, or sapping was a Siege method used since antiquity against a Walled city, Fortress or Castle Units of mass There are three similar units of Mass called the ton: Long ton (simply ton in countries such as the United 7 metric tonnes) of explosives each.
The attack would be made by 13 British divisions (11 from the Fourth Army and two from the Third Army) north of the Somme River and 11 divisions of the French Sixth Army astride and south of the river. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers The Fourth Army was a field Army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The Third Army was a British Army unit World War I In World War I the Third Army fought on the Western Front in France The Sixth Army (VIe Armée was a Field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II. They were opposed by the German Second Army of General Fritz von Below. The 2nd Army (German 2 Armee Oberkommando) was a World War I and World War II field army Fritz Wilhelm Theodor Karl von Below (* 23 September 1853 in Danzig (today Gdańsk) † 23 November 1918 in Weimar The axis of the advance was centred on the Roman road that ran from Albert in the west to Bapaume 12 miles (19 km) to the northeast. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Albert is a commune of the Somme department in Picardy in northern France. Bapaume is a commune and the chief town of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region
Zero hour was 7:30 a. m. on 1 July 1916. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Ten minutes prior, an officer detonated the mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt, the decision to blow the mine at 7:20 a. Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt was a German front-line fortification west of the village of Beaumont Hamel on the Somme. m. was a compromise between the corps commander Lt-Gen Hunter-Weston, who wanted it detonated several hours before zero hour and other officers who wanted it blown two minutes before zero hour. At 7:28 a. m. the remaining mines were set off (except for the mine at Kasino Point, which was late). Kasino Point was the name given to a German Machine gun post on the Somme battlefield in 1916 At zero hour there was a brief and unsettling silence as artillery shifted their aim onto the next line of targets. Corporal Darcy S. Hodgson was one of the first men to bravely rush on to the battlefield on the back of a horse and was one of the last to die. Then, in the words of poet John Masefield:
| “ | . A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" John Edward Masefield, OM, ( 1 June 1878 &ndash 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer and Poet Laureate . . the hand of time rested on the half-hour mark, and all along that old front line of the English there came a whistling and a crying. The men of the first wave climbed up the parapets, in tumult, darkness, and the presence of death, and having done with all pleasant things, advanced across No Man's Land to begin the Battle of the Somme. No man's land is a term for land that is not occupied or more specifically land that is under dispute between countries or areas that will not occupy it because of fear or uncertainty | ” |
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—John Masefield, (The Old Front Line, 1917) |
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The infantry were burdened with 70 pounds (32 kg) of equipment (there is a quote below which suggests that this is a myth and that the 70 lb (32 kg) figure included all uniform, boots etc. The Old Front Line (ISBN 0-85052-936-0 is a Military history book by English Poet John Masefield, first published in 1917 The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass ) and in some cases had been ordered to form up into uniform waves and advance at a walking pace. [8] Elsewhere, units had crawled out into no man's land early so they could rush the front German trench as soon as the barrage lifted. A barrage' is a line or barrier of exploding Artillery shells, created by the co-ordinated targeting of a large number of Guns firing continuously Despite the heavy bombardment, many of the German defenders had survived, protected in deep dugouts, and they were able to inflict a terrible toll on the vulnerable infantry.
This should not have been news to the British, since previous barrages had depended on surprise and poor German bunkers for success, neither of which existed at the Somme. Furthermore, of 1,437 British guns, only 467 were heavies, and just 34 of those 9. 2" (234 mm) or greater calibre; only 30 tons of explosive would fall per mile of British front. [8] Of the 12,000 tons fired, two thirds was fragmentation, only 900 tons high explosive capable of penetrating bunkers. [9]
Furthermore, British gunners lacked the accuracy to bring fire in on close German trenches, keeping a safe separation of 300 yards (275 m), compared to the French gunners' 60 yards (55 m)—and British troops were often less than 300 yd (270 m) away, meaning German fortifications were untouched by even the ineffectual barrage. [9]
North of the Albert-Bapaume road, the advance was almost a complete failure from the outset. In a few places, the attackers got into the German front-line trench system or even the support line, but invariably, their numbers were too few to withstand the German counter-attacks. As the German defensive counterbarrage descended on no man's land, it became impossible for reinforcements to get through or for reports to get back.
Communications were completely inadequate, and commanders were largely ignorant of the progress of the battle. A mistaken report that the 29th Division had succeeded at Beaumont Hamel led to the reserve brigade being ordered forward in support. The British 29th Division, known as the Incomparable Division, was a First World War regular army Infantry division formed in early 1915 Beaumont-Hamel is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. The 1st Newfoundland Regiment was unable to reach the forward trenches, so it advanced from the reserve trench. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment - (R NFLD R traces its origins to 1795 and since 1949 it has been a Militia or reserve unit of the Canadian Forces. Most of the battalion was killed before it crossed the front line, and it suffered 91% casualties, the second worst battalion loss of the day. Eight hundred and one men from the regiment marched onto the battle field that day, and only 68 made it out unharmed, with over 500 dead. Nearly an entire generation of Newfoundland's future leaders was killed. For their efforts, The 1st Newfoundland Regiment was given the name "The Royal Newfoundland Regiment" by George V. [10]
British progress astride the Albert-Bapaume road was likewise a failure, despite the explosion of the two mines at La Boisselle. Ovillers-la-Boisselle is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. Here another tragic advance was made by the Tyneside Irish Brigade of the 34th Division, which started nearly one mile from the German front line, in full view of the defenders' machine guns, and was effectively wiped out before it reached its own friendly forward trench line. The Tyneside Irish Brigade was a British First World War Infantry Brigade of Kitchener's Army, raised in 1914 The British 34th Division was a New Army division formed in April 1915 as part of the K4 Army Group For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation.
In the sector south of the road, the French divisions had greater success. Here the German defences were relatively weak, and the French artillery, which was superior in numbers and experience to the British, was highly effective. From the town of Montauban to the Somme River, all the first-day objectives were reached. Montauban-de-Picardie is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. Though the French XX Corps was to only act in a supporting role in this sector, in the event they would help lead the way. South of the Somme, French forces fared very well, surpassing their intended objectives. The I Colonial Corps departed their trenches at 9:30 a. m. as part of a feint meant to lure the Germans opposite into a false sense of security. The feint was successful as, like the French divisions to the north, they advanced easily. In under an hour, they had stormed Fay, Dompierre and Becquincourt, and attained a foothold on the Flaucourt plateau. The entire German first line was in French hands. By 11:00 a. m. the second line — marked by Assevillers, Herbecourt and Feuillères — was reached without even having to send reserves. To the right of the Colonial Corps, the XXXV Corps also attacked at 9:30 a. m. but, having only one division in the first line, had made less progress. Nevertheless, all first-day objectives were met. The Germans trenches had been completely overwhelmed, and the enemy had been completely surprised by the attack. The French had advanced 1,600 yards (1. 5 km) and 2,200 yards (2 km) on the North and South banks respectively.
Some British/Irish divisions managed to perform extremely well; according to Middlebrook:
| “ | The leading battalions (of the 36th (Ulster) Division) had been ordered out from the wood just before 7. Martin Middlebrook (born Boston Lincolnshire, 1932 is a British Military historian and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society The 36th (Ulster Division was a division of Lord Kitchener's New Army formed in September 1914 30 a. m. and laid down near the German trenches . . . At zero hour the British barrage lifted. Bugles blew the "Advance". Up sprang the Ulstermen and, without forming up in the waves adopted by other divisions, they rushed the German front line . . . By a combination of sensible tactics and Ulster dash, the prize that eluded so many, the capture of a long section of the German front line, had been accomplished. | ” |
And in another sector:
| “ | At Gommecourt . Martin Middlebrook (born Boston Lincolnshire, 1932 is a British Military historian and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society The First Day on the Somme (ISBN 0-14-139071-9 is a First World War Military history book by Martin Middlebrook, published in 1971 . . Attacking from the south, the 56th (London) Division had performed brilliantly. The British 56th (London Infantry Division was a Territorial Army division of the First and Second World War. Making use of the new trench they had dug in No Man's Land and a smoke-screen, four battalions had captured the whole of the German front-line system. | ” |
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—Martin Middlebrook, The First Day on the Somme |
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Overall, however, the first day on the Somme was a failure. The British had suffered 19,240 dead, 35,493 wounded, 2,152 missing and 585 prisoners for a total loss of 57,470. Initial casualties were especially heavy among officers, who still dressed differently from non-commissioned officers and other ranks, and whose uniforms the Germans had been trained to recognise. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force The French Army suffered 7,000 casualties during the day.
An exact count of German casualties for 1 July is difficult to make, because German units only submitted casualty returns every ten days. It is estimated that the Germans suffered 8,000 casualties on the British front, 2,200 of which were prisoners of war. The disparity between British and German casualties was highest at Ovillers, where the 8th British Division suffered 5,121 casualties, while the defending German 180th Regiment had only 280—a ratio of 18 to 1. Ovillers-la-Boisselle is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. The British Army 's 8th Infantry Division was active in both World War I and World War II.
Aftermath of the first day
At 22:00 on 1 July, the commander of the British Fourth Army, Lieutenant-General Henry Rawlinson, had issued orders for the attack to be resumed. "Ballooning" redirects here For the behavior of Spiders and other Arthropods see Ballooning (spider. Bécourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. The Fourth Army was a field Army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. General Henry Seymour Rawlinson 1st Baron Rawlinson, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG (20 February 1864 &ndash 28 March 1925 known as Confusion and poor communications through the extended chain of command meant it was some days before the British leaders realised the scale of the disaster. Haig appointed Lieutenant-General Hubert Gough to take over the northern sector, while the Fourth Army dealt with the southern sector. General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough, GCB, GCMG, KCVO (12 August 1870 &ndash 1963 was a British World War I general who Gough recognised the fiasco in his sector and prevented an immediate resumption of the offensive—operations would not resume until 3 July. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.
The British were also ignorant of opportunities south of the Albert-Bapaume road, where they had achieved partial success. It is now known that there existed for a time a large gap in the German defences between Ovillers (on the road) and Longueval. On 3 July, a reconnaissance patrol from the 18th (Eastern) Division ranged two miles (3 km) into German territory without encountering an established defensive position. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information The British 18th (Eastern Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group However, the opportunity was missed or the British lacked the resources to exploit it, and the Germans were able to fill the gap in time.
Mametz Wood was still vacant on 3 July, but was reoccupied by the Germans the following day and would not be captured until 10 July after two costly attempts. Mametz Wood was the objective of the 38th (Welsh Division during the First Battle of the Somme. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Places such as High Wood and Delville Wood, there for the taking in the aftermath of the first day, would require an enormous expenditure of lives before they were eventually captured in August and September. High Wood is a small Forest near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme département of northern France which was the 049 South Afican Memorial Delville Wood Francejpg|thumb|right|300px|The South African Memorial in Delville Wood December 2005]] Delville Wood (in French, Bois Delville In August, Rawlinson wrote of the period 1–4 July:
| “ | These four days would in all probability have enabled us to gain full possession of the hostile third line of defence, which was at that time less than half finished. . . It makes me sick to think of the 'might have beens'. | ” |
As the British struggled to jump-start their offensive, the French continued their rapid advance south of the Somme. General Henry Seymour Rawlinson 1st Baron Rawlinson, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG (20 February 1864 &ndash 28 March 1925 known as The critical point in the offensive was 3 and 4 July, when the possibility of a breakthrough actually seemed achievable. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples But just as quickly as it appeared, it began to slip away. When the XX Corps was forced to halt its advance on the north bank in order to wait for the British to catch up, a simmering hostility toward the British rose up among the rank and file of the French army. Elsewhere, the I Colonial Corps pressed on, and by the end of 3 July, Frise, Méréaucourt Wood, Herbécourt, Buscourt, Chapitre Wood, Flaucourt, and Asseviller were all in French hands. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. In so doing, 8,000 Germans had been made prisoner, while the taking of the Flaucourt plateau would allow Foch to move heavy artillery up to support the XX Corps on the north bank. The French continued their attack on 5 July as Hem was taken. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. On 8 July, Hardecourt-aux-Bois and Monacu Farm (a veritable fortress, surrounded by hidden machine-gun nests in the nearby marsh) both fell, followed by Biaches, Maisonnette, and Fortress Biaches on 9 July and 10 July. Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia.
Thus, in ten days of fighting, on nearly a 12½ mile (20 km) front, the French 6th Army had progressed as far as six miles (10 km) at points. It had occupied the entire Flaucourt plateau (which constituted the principal defence of Péronne) while taking 12,000 prisoners, 85 cannons, 26 minenwerfers, 100 machine guns, and other assorted materials, all with relatively minimal losses. Minenwerfer ("mine launcher" is the German name for a class of short range mortars used extensively during the First World War by the German
For the British, the first two weeks of the battle had degenerated into a series of disjointed, small-scale actions, ostensibly in preparation for making a major push. From 3 to 13 July, Rawlinson's Fourth Army carried out 46 "actions" resulting in 25,000 casualties, but no significant advance. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to This demonstrated a difference in strategy between Haig and his French counterparts and was a source of friction. Haig's purpose was to maintain continual pressure on the enemy, while Joffre and Foch preferred to conserve their strength in preparation for a single, heavy blow.
In one significant respect, the Battle of the Somme was a major strategic success for the allies, as on 12 July, in response to the Somme fighting and the situation in the east, Falkenhayn called off the German offensive at Verdun. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. While the fighting would continue there until December, it would be the French who dictated the course of the battle.
On the Somme, von Below's Second Army would not be able to endure the continued British and French pressure alone. Each front-line German division was being attacked by three or four Allied divisions. On 19 July, the German forces were reorganised with von Below taking command of the German First Army, responsible for the northern sector, and General Max von Gallwitz taking over the Second Army, which covered the southern sector. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. The 1st Army (German 1 Armee) was a World War I and World War II field army Max Karl Wilhelm von Gallwitz ( 2 May 1852 &ndash 18 April 1937) was a German general from Breslau (Wrocław, In addition, von Gallwitz was made army group commander responsible for both German armies on the Somme. An army group is a Military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods
As early as 2 July, seven German divisions were on their way to the Somme as reinforcements, and seven more were on their way within another week. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival In July and August, the Germans poured in 35 extra divisions on the British sectors and a further seven divisions on the French sector. The combined pressure on Germany meant that Oberste Heeresleitung (OHL, army high command) had only one division left in reserve by August. The Oberste Heeresleitung or OHL (Supreme Army Command was Germany 's highest echelon of command of the German Army ( Heer) in
The British had hoped to stem this flow of German reinforcements to the Somme from other sectors of the front. To do this, a series of raids and demonstrations were carried out with the aim of "pinning" the German divisions to the front. The largest and most infamous of these was the Battle of Fromelles, 19 July – 20 July, opposite Aubers Ridge in Artois. The Battle of Fromelles, sometimes known as the Action at Fromelles or the Battle of Fleurbaix, occurred in France on July 19 -20 1916 Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold The Second Battle of Artois, of which the British contribution was the Battle of Aubers Ridge, was a battle on the Western Front of World War I, it was Artois (Artesië (adjective Artesian) is a former province of northern France. For the cost of 7,080 Australian and British casualties, no ground was captured and no halt was made to the transfer of German divisions from Artois to the Somme. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.
Battle of Bazentin Ridge
14 July 1916
On 14 July (Bastille Day), the Fourth Army was finally ready to resume the offensive in the southern sector. The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July, 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. The attack, known as the Battle of Bazentin Ridge, was aimed at capturing the German second defensive position which ran along the crest of the ridge from Pozières, on the Albert–Bapaume road, south-east towards the villages of Guillemont and Ginchy. The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July, 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle Pozières is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. Guillemont is a small village and commune roughly 8 miles east of Albert in the Somme département of northern France. Ginchy is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. The objectives were the villages of Bazentin le Petit, Bazentin le Grand and Longueval, which was adjacent to Delville Wood. Bazentin is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. Bazentin is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. Longueval is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. 049 South Afican Memorial Delville Wood Francejpg|thumb|right|300px|The South African Memorial in Delville Wood December 2005]] Delville Wood (in French, Bois Delville Beyond this line, on the reverse slope of the ridge, lay High Wood. High Wood is a small Forest near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme département of northern France which was the
There is considerable contrast between the preparation and execution of this attack and that of 1 July. The attack on Bazentin Ridge was made by four divisions on a front of 6,000 yards (5. 5 km) with the troops going over before dawn at 3:25 a. m. after a surprise five-minute artillery bombardment. The artillery laid down a creeping barrage, and the attacking waves pushed up close behind it in no man's land, leaving them only a short distance to cross when the barrage lifted from the German front trench.
By mid-morning the first phase of the attack was a success with nearly all objectives taken, and as on 1 July, a gap was made in the German defences. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. However, again as on 1 July, the British were unable to successfully exploit it. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Their attempt to do so created the most famous cavalry action of the Battle of the Somme, when the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 2nd Deccan Horse attempted to capture High Wood. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on The 7th (The Princess Royal's Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1688 It is likely the infantry could have captured the wood in the morning, but by the time the cavalry were in position to attack, the Germans had begun to recover. Though the cavalry held on in the wood through the night of 14 July, they had to withdraw the following day.
The British had a foothold in High Wood and would continue to fight over it as well as Delville Wood, neighbouring Longueval, for many days. Unfortunately for them, the successful opening attack of 14 July did not mean they had learnt how to conduct trench battles. On the night of 22 July, Rawlinson launched an attack using six divisions along the length of the Fourth Army front that failed completely. The Germans were learning; they had begun to move away from trench-based defences and towards a flexible defence in depth system of strongpoints that was difficult for the supporting artillery to suppress. Defence in depth is a Military strategy sometimes referred to as elastic defence or deep defence.
Pozières and Mouquet Farm
23 July – 8 August 1916
- Main articles: Battle of Pozières – Battle of Mouquet Farm
No significant progress was made in the northern sector in the first few weeks of July. The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières, and the ridge on which it stands during the middle stages of the 1916 The Battle of Mouquet Farm, which began on 8 August, 1916, was part of the Battle of the Somme and followed the Battle of Pozières. Ovillers, just north of the Albert-Bapaume road, was not captured until 16 July. Its capture, and the foothold the British had obtained in the German second position on 14 July, meant that the chance now existed for the German northern defences to be taken in the flank. The key to this was Pozières. Pozières is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France.
The village of Pozières lay on the Albert-Bapaume road at the crest of the ridge. Just behind (east) the village ran the trenches of the German second position. The Fourth Army made three attempts to seize the village between 14 and 17 July before Haig relieved Rawlinson's army of responsibility for its northern flank. The capture of Pozières became a task for Gough's Reserve Army, and the tool he would use was the two Australian and one New Zealand divisions of I Anzac Corps. The Reserve Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The I Anzac Corps was an Australian and New Zealand World War I army Corps formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganization
Gough wanted the Australian 1st Division to attack immediately, but the division's British commander, Major General Harold Walker, refused to send his men in without adequate preparation. The 1st Division is the main formation of the Australian Army and contains the majority of the army's regular forces Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Lieutenant General Sir Harold Bridgwood Walker KCB, KCMG, DSO ( 26 April, 1862 &ndash 5 November, 1934 The attack was scheduled for the night of 23 July to coincide with the Fourth Army attack of 22–23 July.
Going in shortly after midnight, the attack on Pozières was a success, largely thanks to Walker's insistence on careful preparation and an overwhelming supporting bombardment; however, an attempt to capture the neighbouring German second position failed, though two Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross in the attempt. See below the section "Separate Commonwealth awards" Note that since The Germans, recognising the critical importance of the village to their defensive network, made three unsuccessful counter-attacks before beginning a prolonged and methodical bombardment of the village. The final German effort to reclaim Pozières came before dawn on 7 August following a particularly heavy bombardment. The Germans overran the forward Anzac defences, and a wild mêlée developed from which the Anzacs emerged victorious.
Gough planned to drive north along the ridge towards Mouquet Farm, allowing him to threaten the German bastion of Thiepval from the rear. The Battle of Mouquet Farm, which began on 8 August, 1916, was part of the Battle of the Somme and followed the Battle of Pozières. Thiepval is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. However, the further the Australians and New Zealanders advanced, the deeper was the salient they created such that the German artillery could concentrate on them from three directions. Salient Salients can be formed in a number of ways An attacker can produce a salient in the defender's line by either intentionally making a Pincer movement around the
On 8 August the Anzacs began pushing north along the ridge with the British II Corps advancing from Ovillers on their left. The British II Corps was formed in both World War I and World War II. By 10 August a line had been established just south of the farm, which the Germans had turned into a fortress with deep dugouts and tunnels connecting to distant redoubts. The Anzacs made numerous attempts to capture the farm between 12 August and 3 September, inching closer with each attempt; however, the German garrison held out. The Anzacs were relieved by the Canadian Corps, who would briefly capture Mouquet Farm on 16 September, the day after the next major British offensive. The Canadian Corps was a World War I Corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian The farm was finally overrun on 26 September, and the garrison surrendered the following day.
By the time New Zealand's artillery gunners were withdrawn from the line in October 1916, they had fired more than 500,000 shells at the Germans.
In the fighting at Pozières and Mouquet Farm, the Australian divisions suffered over 23,000 casualties. If the losses from Fromelles on 19 July are included, Australia had sustained more casualties in six weeks in France than they had in the eight months of the Battle of Gallipoli. The Battle of Fromelles, sometimes known as the Action at Fromelles or the Battle of Fleurbaix, occurred in France on July 19 -20 1916
The New Zealanders suffered 8,000 casualties in six weeks—nearly one per cent of their nation's population. These losses were about the same as New Zealand suffered at Gallipoli.
Attrition: August and September
- Main articles: Battle of Guillemont – Battle of Ginchy
By the start of August, Haig had accepted that the prospect of achieving a breakthrough was now unlikely; the Germans had "recovered to a great extent from the disorganisation" of July. The Battle of Guillemont was a British assault on the German -held village of Guillemont during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. The Battle of Ginchy took place on 9 September, 1916 during the Battle of the Somme when the British 16th (Irish Division captured the The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's was an Infantry Regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 62nd Thiepval is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. For the next six weeks, the British would engage in a series of small-scale actions in preparation for the next major push. On 29 August the German Chief of the General Staff, Erich Falkenhayn, was replaced by General Paul von Hindenburg, with General Erich Ludendorff as his deputy, but in effect the operational commander. Erich von Falkenhayn ( 11 September 1861 &ndash 8 April 1922) was a German Soldier and Chief of the General Staff Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg ( known universally as Paul von Hindenburg ( ( October 2, 1847 &ndash August 2 Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (sometimes given incorrectly as von Ludendorff) (9 April 1865–20 December 1937 was a German Army officer, Generalquartiermeister The immediate effect of this change was the introduction of a new defensive doctrine. On 23 September the Germans began constructing the Siegfried Stellung, called the Hindenburg Line by the British. The Hindenburg Line (also known as the Siegfried Line) was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I.
On the Fourth Army's front, the struggle for High Wood, Delville Wood and the Switch Line dragged on. High Wood is a small Forest near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme département of northern France which was the 049 South Afican Memorial Delville Wood Francejpg|thumb|right|300px|The South African Memorial in Delville Wood December 2005]] Delville Wood (in French, Bois Delville The boundary between the British and French armies lay south-east of Delville Wood, beyond the villages of Guillemont and Ginchy. The Battle of Guillemont was a British assault on the German -held village of Guillemont during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. The Battle of Ginchy took place on 9 September, 1916 during the Battle of the Somme when the British 16th (Irish Division captured the Here the British line had not progressed significantly since the first day of the battle, and the two armies were in echelon, making progress impossible until the villages were captured. echelon formation is a military formation in which members are arranged diagonally The first British effort to seize Guillemont on 8 August was a debacle. On 18 August a larger effort began, involving three British corps as well as the French, but it took until 3 September before Guillemont was in British hands. Attention now turned to Ginchy, which was captured by the 16th (Irish) Division on 9 September. The French had also made progress, and once Ginchy fell, the two armies were linked near Combles. Combles is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France.
The British now had an almost straight front line from near Mouquet Farm in the north-west to Combles in the south-east, providing a suitable jumping-off position for another large-scale attack. Guillemont is a small village and commune roughly 8 miles east of Albert in the Somme département of northern France. In 1916 a straight front was considered necessary to enable the supporting artillery to lay down an effective creeping barrage behind which the infantry could advance.
This intermediate phase of the Battle of the Somme had been costly for the Fourth Army, despite there being no major offensive. Between 15 July and 14 September (the eve of the next battle), the Fourth Army made around 90 attacks of battalion strength or more with only four being general attacks across the length of the army's five miles (8 km) of front. A battalion is a Military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel The result was 82,000 casualties and an advance of approximately 1,000 yards (915 m)—a performance even worse than on 1 July.
Debut of the tank
- Main articles: Battle of Flers-Courcelette – Battle of Morval
The last great Allied effort to achieve a breakthrough came on 15 September in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette with the initial advance made by 11 British divisions (nine from Fourth Army, two Canadian divisions on the Reserve Army sector) and a later attack by four French corps. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which began on 15 September, 1916 and lasted for one week was the third and last of the large-scale offensives mounted by the The Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September, 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German -held villages of Morval A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which began on 15 September, 1916 and lasted for one week was the third and last of the large-scale offensives mounted by the When World War I broke out in 1914, all Dominions of the British Empire including Canada, were called upon by Great Britain to fight on
The battle is chiefly remembered today as the debut of the tank. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical The British had high hopes that this secret weapon would break the deadlock of the trenches. Early tanks were not weapons of mobile warfare—with a top speed of 2 mph (3. 2 km/h), they were easily outpaced by the infantry—but were designed for trench warfare. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static They were untroubled by barbed wire obstacles and impervious to rifle and machine gun fire, though highly vulnerable to artillery. Barbed wire, also known as barb wire (and frequently in dialect form spelled bob or bobbed) is a type of fencing Wire constructed A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. Additionally, the tanks were notoriously unreliable; of the 49 tanks available on 15 September, only 32 made it to the start line, and of these, only 21 made it into action. Mechanical breakdowns were common, and many others became bogged or ditched in the shell holes and trenches of the churned battlefield.
The British made gains across the length of their front, the greatest being in the centre at Flers with an advance of 3,500 yards (3. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 2 km), a feat achieved by the newest British division in France, the 41st Division, in their first action. The British 41st Division is a New Army division formed in September 1915 as part of the K5 Army They were supported by several tanks, including D-17 (known as Dinnaken) which smashed through the barbed wire protecting the village, crossed the main defensive trench and then drove up the main street, using its guns to destroy defenders in the houses. This gave rise to the optimistic press report: "A tank is walking up the High Street of Flers with the British Army cheering behind. "
It was also the first major Western Front battle for the New Zealand Division, at the time part of the British XV Corps, which captured part of the Switch Line west of Flers. The New Zealand Division was a World War I division formed in Egypt in January 1916 following the evacuation of Gallipoli. On the left flank, the Canadian 2nd Division captured the village of Courcelette after heavy fighting, with some assistance from two tanks. The 2nd Canadian Division was an infantry formation that saw service in the First World War Courcelette is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. And finally after two months of fighting, the British captured all of High Wood, though not without another costly struggle. High Wood is a small Forest near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme département of northern France which was the The plan was to use tanks in support of infantry from the 47th (1/2nd London) Division, but the wood was an impassable landscape of shattered stumps and shell holes, and only one tank managed to penetrate any distance. The British 47th (1/2nd London Division was a first-line Territorial Force division. The German defenders were forced to abandon High Wood once British progress on the flanks threatened to encircle them.
The British had managed to advance during Flers-Courcelette, capturing 4,500 yards (4. Ginchy is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. The Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September, 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German -held villages of Morval 1 km) of the German third position, but fell short of all their objectives, and once again the breakthrough eluded them. The tank had shown promise, but its lack of reliability limited its impact, and the tactics of tank warfare were obviously in their infancy. Military tactics ( Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating
The least successful sector on 15 September had been east of Ginchy, where the Quadrilateral redoubt had held up the advance towards Morval—the Quadrilateral was not captured until 18 September. In Geometry, a quadrilateral is a Polygon with four sides or edges and four vertices or corners. Morval is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. Another attack was planned for 25 September with the objectives of the villages of Thiepval; Gueudecourt, Lesbœufs and Morval. Gueudecourt is a commune of the Somme département in northern France. Lesbœufs is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. Like the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14 July, the limited objectives, concentrated artillery and weak German defences resulted in a successful attack and, although the number of tanks deployed was small, the tanks provided useful assistance in the destruction of machine gun positions. The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July, 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle
Final phase
- Main articles: Battle of Thiepval Ridge – Battle of Le Transloy – Battle of the Ancre Heights – Battle of the Ancre
On 26 September Gough's Reserve Army launched its first major offensive since the opening day of the battle in an attempt to capture the German fortress of Thiepval. The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive mounted by the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough during the Battle The Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army and the Canadian Corps during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Ancre Heights was a prolonged Battle of attrition in October 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive mounted by the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough during the Battle Thiepval is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. The 18th (Eastern) Division, which had excelled on 1 July, once more demonstrated by capturing most of Thiepval on the first day that careful training, preparation and leadership could overcome the obstacles of trench warfare. The British 18th (Eastern Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group Mouquet Farm finally fell to the 11th (Northern) Division, and the Canadians advanced 1,000 yards (915 m) from Courcelette. The Battle of Mouquet Farm, which began on 8 August, 1916, was part of the Battle of the Somme and followed the Battle of Pozières.
There followed a period from 1 October to 11 November, known as the Battle of the Ancre Heights, of grinding attritional fighting for little gain. The Battle of the Ancre Heights was a prolonged Battle of attrition in October 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. At the end of October, Gough's army was renamed the British Fifth Army. The Fifth Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War.
Meanwhile on the Fourth Army's front, Haig was still under the illusion that a breakthrough was imminent. On 29 September he had outlined plans for Allenby's Third Army to rejoin the battle in the north around Gommecourt and for the Fourth Army to attack towards Cambrai. Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby 1st Viscount Allenby GCB GCMG GCVO ( April 23 1861 - May 14 1936 The Third Army was a British Army unit World War I In World War I the Third Army fought on the Western Front in France Cambrai (Dutch Kamerijk; old spelling Cambray) is a French town and commune, in the Nord département, The first step required the capture of the German Transloy Line, effectively the German fourth defensive position that ran from the village of Le Transloy in the east to Le Sars on the Albert-Bapaume road. Le Transloy is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. Le Sars is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.
Opening on 1 October, the Battle of Le Transloy became bogged down as the weather broke, and heavy rain turned the churned battlefield into a quagmire. The Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army and the Canadian Corps during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Le Sars was captured on 7 October, but elsewhere there was little progress and a continual flow of casualties. The final throe came on 5 November with a failed attack on the Butte de Warlencourt. The Butte de Warlencourt is an ancient Burial mound alongside the Albert - Bapaume road north-east of the village of Le Sars in the Somme On the Fourth Army's front, major operations in the Battle of the Somme had now ceased.
.jpg/180px-Mametz_Western_Front_(Frank_Crozier).jpg)
The final act of the Battle of the Somme was played out between 13 and 18 November along the Ancre River, north of Thiepval. Frank Crozier was an Official War Artist who is represented in the Australian War Memorial 's art collection along with other Official War Artists such as The Ancre is a river of Picardie, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Haig's purpose for the attack was more political than military—with winter setting in, there was no longer any prospect of a breakthrough. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Instead, with another conference at Chantilly starting on 15 November, he hoped to be able to report a success to his French counterparts.
The opening moves were almost a replay of 1 July, even down to another mine being detonated beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt west of Beaumont Hamel. Mining, undermining, or sapping was a Siege method used since antiquity against a Walled city, Fortress or Castle Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt was a German front-line fortification west of the village of Beaumont Hamel on the Somme. Beaumont-Hamel is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. The 31st Division had attacked Serre on 1 July and four and a half months later, was called on to do it again; the results were similar. The British 31st Division was a New Army division formed in April 1915 as part of the K4 Army Group and taken over by the War Office on 10 August South of Serre, the British, with the benefit of their hard-earned experience, succeeded in capturing most of their objectives. The 51st (Highland) Division took Beaumont Hamel, while on their right the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division captured Beaucourt-sur-l'Ancre, Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Freyberg winning the Victoria Cross in the process. The 51st (Highland Division was a British Territorial Force division that fought on the Western Front in France during the The British 63rd (Royal Naval Division was a First World War division of the New Army. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Lieutenant General Bernard Cyril Freyberg 1st Baron Freyberg VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO and three Bars (21 March 1889 See below the section "Separate Commonwealth awards" Note that since South of the Ancre, II Corps had also made progress. The British II Corps was formed in both World War I and World War II.
Haig was satisfied with the result, but Gough argued for a final effort, which was made on 18 November with an attack on the Munich and Frankfurt Trenches and a push towards Grandcourt. Grandcourt is the name of the following communes in France Grandcourt Seine-Maritime, in the Seine-Maritime department Grandcourt Somme Ninety men of the 16th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (the "Glasgow Boys Brigade" Pals battalion) were cut off in Frankfurt Trench, where they held out until 21 November when the 45 survivors— thirty of them wounded—surrendered. The Highland Light Infantry was a Regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959 The Pals battalions of World War I were units of the British Army that consisted of men who had enlisted together at special local recruiting drives with the promise So ended the Battle of the Ancre, and with it the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme.
Conclusion
It is difficult to declare the Battle of the Somme a victory for either side. The British and French captured little more than five miles (8 km) at the deepest point of penetration—well short of their original objectives. The British themselves had gained approximately only two miles and lost about 420,000 soldiers in the process, meaning that a centimetre cost about two men. A group of British and Commonwealth historians have since the 1960s argued against the long-held consensus that the battle was a disaster; arguing that the Battle of the Somme delivered more benefits for the British than it did for the Germans. As British historian Gary Sheffield said, "The battle of the Somme was not a victory in itself, but without it the Entente would not have emerged victorious in 1918. Professor Gary Sheffield is an English Academic and Military historian. The Triple Entente (" entente " — French for "agreement" was the name given to the loose alignment of the United Kingdom, the "
Strategic effects
Prior to the battle, Germany had regarded Britain as a naval power and discounted her as a military force to be reckoned with, believing Germany's major enemies were France and Russia. According to some historians, starting with the Somme, Britain began to gain influence in the coalition. In recognition of the growing threat she posed, on 31 January 1917, Germany adopted the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve the island nation of supplies. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of Naval warfare in which Submarines sink merchant ships without warning as opposed to attacks per prize regulations Other historians would argue Britain's growing influence in the war had nothing to do with the battle and everything to do with her great financial and industrial strength, which inevitably increased in importance in a stalemate war.
At the start of 1916, the British Army had been a largely inexperienced, but well trained mass of volunteers. The Somme was the first real test of this newly raised "citizen army" created following Lord Kitchener's call for recruits at the start of the war. At the start of 1914 the British Army had a reported strength of 710000 men including reserves of which around 80000 were regular troops ready for War. It is brutal but accurate to observe many British soldiers killed on the Somme lacked experience, and therefore, their loss was of little military significance. However, they had been the first to volunteer and so were often the fittest, most enthusiastic and best educated citizen soldiers. For Germany, which had entered the war with a trained force of regulars and reservists, each casualty was sapping the experience and effectiveness of the German army. The German Army Group Commander Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria stated: "What remained of the old first-class peace-trained German infantry had been expended on the battlefield. Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria or Crown Prince Rupert of Bavaria ( German: Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern) ( 18 May 1869 &ndash " Despite being promoted to Field-Marshal, Rupprecht infuriated the new German High Command (Hindenburg and Ludendorff) by advising them to make peace. A war of attrition was better for Britain with her population of some fifty million than Germany whose population of some seventy million also had to sustain operations against the French and Russians.
Some historians hold the Battle of the Somme damaged the German Army beyond repair, after which it was never able to adequately replace casualties with the same calibre of soldier that doggedly held its ground during most of the battle, the implication being that by the end of the battle, the Allied and German armies were closer to being equally matched. However, the German Army not only maintained its line unbroken throughout, but actually drew a few divisions away from the Western Front at the height of the offensive for use in its concurrent invasion of Romania. The Romanian Campaign was a campaign in the Balkan theatre of World War I, with Romania and Russia allied against the armies of the Central In 1917, the Germans were still able to defend effectively against British and French attacks at Arras, Champagne (the Nivelle Offensive), and Passchendaele. "Passchendaele" redirects here For the 2008 film by that name see Passchendaele (film The 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, also known as
On 24 February 1917, the German army made a strategic scorched earth withdrawal from the Somme battlefield to the prepared fortifications of the Hindenburg Line, thereby shortening the front line they had to occupy. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method (possibly more often referred to as a tactic but this is not entirely correct as there is a difference between The Hindenburg Line (also known as the Siegfried Line) was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. The purpose of military commanders is not to test their army to destruction, and it has been suggested German commanders did not believe the army could endure continual battles of attrition like the Somme. This article is about the military strategy For the Israeli-Egyptian conflict see War of Attrition, for the game theoretical model see War of attrition (game Loss of German territory was repaid many times over in the strengthening of defensive lines, an option which was not open to the Allies because of the political impossibility of surrendering French or Belgian territory (despite Napoleon's commonsense dictum about the advantages of sacrificing ground).
The strategic effects of the Battle of the Somme cannot obscure the fact it was one of the costliest battles of the First World War. A German officer, Friedrich Steinbrecher, wrote:
| “ | Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word. | ” |
|
—Friedrich Steinbrecher |
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Another, Captain von Hentig, described the Battle of the Somme as "the muddy grave of the German Field Army".
Casualties
| Nationality | Total casualties |
Killed & missing |
Prisoners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 360,000+ | - | - |
| Canada | 24,029 | - | - |
| Australia | 23,000 | < 200 | |
| New Zealand | 7,408 | - | - |
| Ireland | 25,000 | - | - |
| South Africa | 3,000+ | - | - |
| Newfoundland | 2,000+ | - | - |
| Total British Empire | 419,654 | 95,675 | - |
| French | 204,253 | 50,756 | - |
| Total Allied | 623,907 | 146,431 | - |
| Germany | 465,000 | 164,055 | 31,000 |
The original Allied estimate of casualties on the Somme, made at the Chantilly conference on 15 November, was 485,000 British and French casualties versus 630,000 German. These figures were used to support the argument that the Somme was a successful battle of attrition for the Allies. However, there was considerable scepticism at the time of the accuracy of the counts. After the war a final tally showed that 419,654 British and 204,253 French were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner; of the 623,907 total casualties, 146,431 were either killed or missing.
The British official historian Sir James Edmonds maintained that German losses were 680,000, but this figure has been discredited. James Edmonds may refer to James Barker Edmonds (1832-1900 American lawyer and politician James Edward Edmonds (1861–1956 British A separate statistical report by the British War Office concluded that German casualties on the British sector could be as low as 180,000 during the battle. The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963 when In compiling his biography of General Rawlinson, Major-General Sir Frederick Maurice was supplied by the Reichsarchiv with a figure of 164,055 for the German killed or missing. General Henry Seymour Rawlinson 1st Baron Rawlinson, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG (20 February 1864 &ndash 28 March 1925 known as
The average casualties per division (consisting of circa 10,000 soldiers) on the British sector up until 19 November was 8,026—6,329 for the four Canadian divisions, 7,408 for the New Zealand Division, 8,133 for the 43 British divisions and 8,960 for the three Australian divisions. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land The New Zealand Division was a World War I division formed in Egypt in January 1916 following the evacuation of Gallipoli. The British daily loss rate during the Battle of the Somme was 2,943 men, which exceeded the loss rate during the Third Battle of Ypres but was not as severe as the two months of the Battle of Arras (1917) (4,076 per day) or the final Hundred Days offensive in 1918 (3,685 per day). "Passchendaele" redirects here For the 2008 film by that name see Passchendaele (film The 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, also known as WikipediaHow to fix bunched-up edit links --> WikipediaHow The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of World War I, where the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the
The Royal Flying Corps lost 782 aircraft and 576 pilots during the battle. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War.
Notes
- ^ The Battle of the Somme, historylearningsite. co. uk
- ^ Prior & Wilson p. 128
- ^ Doughty, Robert A. Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operation in the Great War. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University, 2005. p. 291
- ^ a b Regan, Geoffrey. The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders (London: Guinness Publishing, 1993), p. 154.
- ^ a b c Regan, Geoffrey. The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders (London: Guinness Publishing, 1993), p. 155.
- ^ Regan, Geoffrey. The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders (London: Guinness Publishing, 1993), pp. 155–6.
- ^ Johnson, W. E. "Johnny". History of Air Fighting.
- ^ a b Gordon Corrigan (Mud, Blood and Poppycock, p. 274) has defended these orders as military necessity, thus:
Others are less generous. Regan (op. cit. , p. 156) blames Rawlinson's distrust of the New Army troops and his belief they would be inclined to just dive for cover if given the opportunity, despite warnings they would be massacred. The Germans professed astonishment, with reason.Critics of the Somme make much of what they see as insistence on parade ground precision, with men being ordered to walk and keep in line. This had nothing to do with ceremonial parades, but was a perfectly sensible rule to ensure that control was not lost, that men were not shot by their own side, and that they all arrived on the objective together and in a fit state to engage the enemy. Scorn is also poured on the need for the attacking infantry to carry packs weighing sixty pounds. This is one of the enduring myths of the First World War, and derives from an imperfect reading of Field Service Regulations. In fact, it was everything that the man carried and wore that weighed sixty pounds: the uniform he stood up in, the boots on his feet, his weapon and its ammunition. In the attack large packs were left behind, and the small pack contained only the essentials for the operation. That said, each man still had to carry his entrenching tool, extra rations, two gas helmets, wire cutters, 220 rounds of ammunition, two grenades and two sandbags, while ten picks and fifty shovels were taken by each leading company. " This was no light burden, and the follow up troops, coming immediately after those who carried out the actual assault, carried a great deal more. It is one thing to capture ground, quite another to hold it. Once into a German position the objective had to be consolidated and held against the inevitable counter attack. This meant that the existing defence works had to be turned round to face the other way, wire obstacles had to be constructed and communications had to be established. Ammunition, grenades and digging implements had to be there, to say nothing of signals cable, water and food, and there was no other way of making all this immediately available to the infantry than by having them carry it with them.
- ^ a b Regan, Geoffrey. The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders (London: Guinness Publishing, 1993), p. 158.
- ^ The date is still commemorated in Newfoundland, while the rest of Canada celebrates a national birthday.
References
- The First Day on the Somme, Martin Middlebrook, 1971, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-139071-9
- Somme 1916, Lyn MacDonald, 1983, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-017867-8
- The 1916 Battle of the Somme, Peter Liddle, 1992, Pen & Sword, ISBN 1-84022-240-9
- The Somme, Gary Sheffield, 2003, Cassell, ISBN 0-304-36649-8
- The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme, John Keegan, 1976, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-004897-9
- The Somme, Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson, 2005, UNSW Press, ISBN 0-86840-977-4
- The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War, Sir Martin Gilbert, 2006, Henry Holt and Company, ISBN 0-8050-8127-5
- "The Somme" in Oral Histories of the First World War: Veterans 1914-1918 at Library and Archives Canada
External links
- The British Army in the Great War: The Battles of the Somme, 1916
- New Zealand and the Battle of the Somme
- Peronne Great War Historial
- The Somme - Northern Ireland Remembers
- Padre E. C. Crosse and 'the Devonshire Epitaph': The Astonishing Story of One Man at the Battle of the Somme (with Antecedents to Today's 'Just War' Dialogue)
- The Friends of Lochnagar
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