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Battle of the somme military tradgedy
Significance of the battle of the somme
Battle of the somme military tradgedy
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The British launched The Battle of the Somme to achieve two objectives. The first and most important goal was to relieve pressure on the French Army at Verdun, and the second was to inflict as heavy a loss as possible on the German Armies. The Battle of the Somme had to be fought to save the French Army from the crucifixion of Verdun. The head of the French Army, General Fock, and some leading British commanders did not believe this battle would help, but political masters in London and Paris supported the campaign. For many years The Battle of the Somme received much criticism for the way the battle was fought based on the number of casualties.
Joseph Joffre, The French Commander in Chief, wrote a letter to Douglas Haig on December 15, 1915, stating a great battle would need to take place in order to save the French Army from the massive killing taking place in the Battle of Verdun. Initially, Haig opposed a battle on the Somme front, but in the end agreed that the Somme would lead to a final victory because of the great trenches.
On December 19, 1915, Douglas Haig became the new commander of the BEF’s “British Expedition Force” First Army. He was a hard person to get to know and seemed to have no concern for the human suffering caused by the war. His colleagues found him strange because of his spiritual practices and religious beliefs. In spite of his strangeness, Haig was a very efficient soldier and excellent military technician. It was under his direction, that the back area of the Somme, from Albert to Amiens was transformed into an enormous military camp, which included new roads leading to the front, gun positions, and camps for the army that would launch the attack. The army, being put together on the Somme,...
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...ution to make it quite clear beforehand that the nature of success with the Somme campaign might be put to a halt. The need to relieve pressure off of the French Army at Verdun stayed the same and is more crucial than ever before. Therefore, the first objective, to construe the British and French offensive to relieve British pressure and the second objective, to inflict as many heavy losses as possible upon the German armies were a success.
Works Cited
Atwood, Marshall. World War I. New York: Marshall S.L.A 2001
"Battle of the Somme." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
"The Battle of the Somme." The Battle of the Somme. n.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
"Firstworldwar.com." First World War.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Keegan, John. The First World War. Great Britain: Keegan John, 1998
The purpose of this speech for the class is to gain better knowledge of one of the most tragic and devastating battles of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge.
With careful planning, co-operation, good leadership and courage, Currie managed to bring out the characteristics of a well thought out success at Vimy Ridge in April of 1917 (Dancocks, 1985). Sir Arthur Currie’s responsibility was to command the 1st Canadian Division (Hyatt, 1987). He pushed his troops to undergo rigorous training and to prepare themselves by using a life-size course, with every trench marked by tape and a flag (Dancocks, 1985). Currie designed very accurate maps and he had a small-scale plasticine model built so that it could be studied by all soldiers. Arthur Currie insisted that his division’s knowledge of the enemy was excellent (Dancocks, 1985).
Source A tells us that Haig did not care about his men and is willing
“BritishBattles.Com Analysing and Documenting British Battles from the Previous Centuries.” BritishBattlescom. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
middle of paper ... ... Haig came under intense criticism both in 1917, and since, for persisting with the offensive after it became clear that a breakthrough was unlikely to happen. Critics have argued that the main launch pad for the attack should have been sited at Messines Ridge, captured. by Plumer in June; but Haig’s original plans precluded this, viewing.
Columbia University, Press. "Battle Of Britain." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 2 May 2014.
Sister Claire Evelyn Trestrail was the eldest of five being born on the 10th of December, 1877 in Clare, South Australia. Trestrail served in the First World War as a nurse following in her mother’s footsteps who was a trained nurse, Acting Matron of King Edward Hospital in Perth and also had involvement within the Red Cross and the Saint John’s Ambulance Services. Trestrail’s younger siblings also had involvement within the First World War with her two younger brothers; John Henry and Amarald Glen, serving in the royal Flying Corps and respectively, 1 Machine Battalion. Amarald was also presented with a Military Medal for Gallantry at Villaret. Sister Ella also served as a nurse, got married, but tragically returned as an amputee. It was only her youngest sister Amy who did not serve during the war.
Keegan chooses the three well documented campaigns of Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and Somme in 1916 to answer the question of his thesis: To find out how men who are faced with the threat of single-missile and multiple-missile weapons control their fears, fix their wounds, and face their death. In his words he is seeking “to catch a glimpse of the face of battle.”
General Arthur Currie helped Canada to create an international reputation during World War One because he was a capable army commander who consistently has successful run of victories throughout the war. For example, his guts of going to the trenches while it was gassed and his calmness being under fire during the Second Battle of Ypres helped the allied won the battle. During the Poison Attack from the German, Currie issued from his brigade headquarter even though the area he was in was gassed and then destroyed by fire. He brought two regiments of British reinforcements. After several days later, the allied re-established a defense-line by counterattack the Germans. On May 25, 1915, the allied won the battle. This shows that General Arthur Currie played a big role in the Second Battle of Ypres and it helped Canada's reputations good. As a result of his instinct and his coolness under the fire, he was promoted to Major General. Another example of his actions would be the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Although it was controlled by the Germans, General Arthur Currie knew that sending men blindly across the no-man land would only raise the causalities up. Thus, he made a plan to have the troops closely follow a massive barrage of artillery on the German barrage. His preparations for the battle were extremely thorough and by following the barrage immediately, the Canadians infantrymen gained the element of surprise. They pushed forward by 100 yards per 3 minutes and successfully took the ridge. This shows that the Canadian won the only significant victory for the allied in 1917. General Arthur Currie's plan work and made Canada's reputation superior. In additions to his great actions, his characteristics defined him as a true Canadian hero....
Wolff, L. (1958). In Flanders fields: The 1917 campaign. (1st ed.). New York, NY: The Viking Press
To write this book the author, John Toland, had to devote 15 years researching different stories from all sides of the war. He studied war memoirs, interviewed war veterans, and read military documents. While doing this he focused on both the allied and axis forces to truly understand both sides of the story and be able to write such a descriptive and accurate piece of work. This research was used in the book to describe the unlikely victory of the Americans over the Germans during the “Battle of the Bulge”.
Field, Frank. British and French Operations of the First World War. Cambridge (England); New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
The Hundred Days Offensive, also known as the Advance to Victory, was a series of battles that took place at the end of World War I. These battles took place on the Western Front from August to November of 1918, and ultimately resulted in the Armistice of November 11 1918.Key battles during the 100 days offensive consisted of the Second Battle of Ypres, Battle of Somme, Battle of Cambrai, Battle of Verdun, The Battle of Jutland, Battle of Lys, Battle of Ecaust, Battle of Selle .The armistice stated Germans must Immediately clear Belgium, France,and Alsace-Lorraine. Any troops remaining in these areas to be interned or taken as prisoners of war. Surrender 5,000 cannons, 30,000 machine guns, 3,000 trench mortars,and 2,000 planes. Evacuation of the left bank of the Rhine, Mayence, Coblenz, Cologne, occupied by the enemy to an area of about 30 kilometers deep. On the right bank of the Rhine a neutral zone from 30 to 40 kilometers deep must be established, evacuation within 11 days. Nothing to be removed from the territory on the left bank of the Rhine, all factories, railroads, etc. to be left intact. Surrender of 5,000 locomotives, 150,000 railway coaches, 10,000 trucks. In the East all troops to withdraw behind the boundaries of August 1, 1914,.Renunciation of the Treaties of Brest-Litovsk and Bucharest. Unconditional surrender of East Africa. Return of the property of the Belgian Bank,
Battles such as Vimy Ridge, the Second Battle of Passchendaele and the Battle of the Somme were some of the worst battles that the world can find Canadian's. Our northern nation had boasted over 600,000 soldiers to the battlefields whilst also providing vital manufacturing facilities and training soldiers from across the world. The strong imperial bond between Canada and the 'Motherland' was an important factor in Canada's decision to participate wholeheartedly in World War I, and influenced many in their decision to join the army. Most Canadians felt a strong connection to the British Emp...