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
The Battle of the Somme, or “humanity’s bloodiest battle”, took place between July 1st and November 18th, 1916 (Wikipedia). The German Empire was pitted against the French and British Empires, resulting in over 1,000,000 men wounded or killed, 60,000 of them being on the first day of the battle. This battle was one of the largest and bloodiest battles on World War I, making it consequential to the French, British, and German Empires. Although there were many consequences of the battle the main consequences
“The Battle of the Somme, July-November 1916, was the largest military encounter in history to date, involving over 1.5 million men”, says Furtado, author for History Today (10). Out of this 1.5 million, around 75 to 83 percent died or were injured by the end of the Battle of the Somme. Furtado later remarks that “...troops from Canada, Newfoundland..., South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India, China, Senegal, North Africa, Madagascar, Somalia, Indochina, and others” were all at
The Battle of The Somme The Battle of the Somme also known as the Somme Offensive was a significant battle that was fought during World War One and had a major impact on the outcome of the war. This battle was fought between 1 July 1916 to 18 November 1916 along the Western Front as well as many other battles. The British and French empires fought against the German Empire with the intention to relieve the French Army fighting at Verdun and to weaken the German Army. The location of this battle is
Planning the Battle of the Somme On 1st July 1916, Haig and Joffre planned a joint attack on the German lines near Bapaume (although Haig would have preferred to fight further north). The action was designed to relieve some of the strain on Verdun. Haig was quite hopeful that it would break through the German lines and bring the Allies victory. Artillery Bombardment The attack was preceded by an eight-day artillery bombardment, in which 1537 British guns fired 1,723,873 rounds. The
of the Somme Battle. In the morning, as soon as I had got up, the first Englishmen arrived, and the last did not disappear until long after sunset. Boelcke once said that this was the El Dorado of the flying men”. This was quoted from a German soldier named Manfred von Richthofen. This was how he was describing July 1st 1916 as the British forces were walking towards his position in no mans land. July 1st would go down as the bloodiest day in the British military history. Battle of Somme was one
Battle of the Somme as a Military Disaster The battle of the Somme was fought in France by the combined British and French armies against the Germans. On the 21st of February 1916 the Germans launched an attack to capture Verdun, which held a key position over the River Meuse and the Eastern front. The German offensive slowly gained ground and the desperate French pleaded for assistance from the British. In an effort to relieve the pressure on the French, the British commander in chief
Mr Mcconville, today I’m here to tell you about the Battle of the Somme, the biggest battles within WW1. In early 1916, the French initiated a joint offensive with the British along the valley of the Somme, France. The Somme Offensive took place between the 1st of July to the 18th of November 1916. The Somme offensive was intended to achieve a victory over the Germans on the Western Front after just under 2 years of stalemate deadlock. This battle was mainly a return fire at the Germans for deploying
The Realism of the Film The Battle of The Somme The film 'The Battle of The Somme' was released in Londonon the 10th of August 1916, it was a famous documentary that was filmed by Geoffrey Malins and J.B. McDowell. They were one of the first groups of cameramen to film the British soldiers on the Battlefields of the Western Front. They helped the government to produce a video, to show people that War wasn't as bad as it seemed. It was however a silent film and so captions had to be use to
Military Achievements of the British at the Battle of the Somme Post-war British folklore has deemed the Battle of the Somme a military catastrophe of the greatest kind. The image of the reckless slaughter of British troops on July 1st 1916 and the idea of "Lions being led by Donkeys"1 to their fate, which compromised of death is what resides in the minds of most regarding the Battle of the Somme. If at all a victory, it would have been classed as a 'Phyrric Victory'. On the surface it seems
The Battle of the Somme was one of the most famous battles that took place during World War One. Germany had believed that a war with Russia was likely to occur and if that happened then they would also come into attack from France. In order to avoid attack from both sides Germany planned to attack France first and then Russia, believing that Russia would need 6 weeks to attack them and they could defeat France in that time. This was the basis of the Schlieffen Plan. Germany attacked France through
Film The Battle of the Somme Compared With the Real Event Casualty figures over 60,000 by the 19th December 1915. The Battle of the Somme continues until General Haig calls a halt to the attack and even then the British have only gained 8 km and lost over 400,000 men. In August 1916, the film, 'The battle of the Somme' was released by the British government to provide a realistic source of information into what the war was really like for the General Public. Over the past decades historians
Reasons Why the Battle of the Somme is Regarded as Such a military Tradgedy Introduction ============ The battle of the Somme was a battle that took place in Eastern France and close to the border of Belgium. The battle of the Somme got its name because it was fought along the valley of the River Somme. The battle of the Somme began on the 1st of July 1916; the aim of the battle was to try and break the stalemate and to help relieve some of the pressure on the French at Verdun. The
overall, fighting battles for their allies. On one side of the war was the Triple Alliance, consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. On the othe side was the Triple Entente, which included Great Britain, France, and Russia. With the formation of alliances between world superpowers, many dangerous and deadly battles took place during World War I. Perhaps the most deadly battle in World War I and one of the most deadly in military history would be the Battle of the Somme. The battle took place
Why the Battle of the Somme is Regarded as a Great Military Tragedy On 1st July 1916, General Haig prepared the battle plan for an offensive on German lines, designed to relieve the strain on French forces at Verdun and break through a strong line of German defences. While Haig would have preferred an attack further north, he was hopeful that the operation should be successful in drawing forces away from Verdun and killing as many German troops as possible as part of the “war of attrition”
soldiers on the British side were new to war and saw battle for the first time. This was also a factor in the large amount of casualties on the British side. There were also many colonial troops involved from the british commonwealth, for example: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India,etc. Leaders of the Somme Offensive: Sir Douglas Haig (1861-1928) Haig’s name is usually associated with the attack he lead on Somme due to its controversies of the amount of soldiers
the greatest victories in Britain’s military history – the involvement during the Battle of the Somme, lead him to become one of the most criticized Commanders in the WWI. The Battle of the Somme is the battle with one of the highest casualties in Britain military history, alongside with the highest single casualties in the whole history of British military. General Haig was the commander of the BEF in the battle. Some of the British regard the man who led Britain’s biggest-ever army to one of
Haig was in charge of the British Army from 1915-1918; he led thousands of men to their deaths in the battle of the Somme earning him the nickname butcher of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme took place between 1st July and 18th November 1916, on the first day alone 20,000 British soldiers lost their lives. Critics of Haig often described the British army as ‘lions led by donkeys’ meaning that the brave soldiers were being led by fools. This essay will evaluate whether Haig deserved his nickname
The battle of the Somme was one of the most tragic battles fought during World War I. The amount of life lost on both sides was tremendous and historians everywhere agree that this battle was one of the bloodiest battles fought. With casualties upwards of a million, it is not surprising that the Somme is often referred to as the ‘bloodbath’. Historian Martin Gilbert explores the severity of the battle in his book; The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War. In his book he attempts to pay
interpretation? There are those that believe Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig was 'the Butcher of the Somme', those who would agree with John Keegan's opinion of Haig and those who see arguments for both views. Sources D, F, G and J do not support Keegan's interpretation of Haig. Source D is a cartoon, the cartoonist clearly of the opinion that Haig was indeed 'the Butcher of the Somme'. So while it does not offer support to Keegan's opinion of Haig, the message of the cartoon is the opinion