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 were that the British contribution to the battle took the strategic initiative from the German Army, secondly the British army lost thousands of men as well as suffered massive amounts of devastation to the many places the battle took place at, and lastly the battle caused many political consequences.
Although the battle was won by the Germans there were aftermaths of the war they still suffered through. The Brigadier General Sir James Edmonds made acclaims about the German Empire; he stated “the 24th June 1916 saw the German Army at its zenith,” Edmonds then went on to state “These troops sacrificed their lives to obey the order not to give up an inch of ground,” (Edmonds 243). Edmonds talks about how strict the orders given to the Germans were and how serious they were taken. In conclusion Edmonds continues to write “and after this loss the German Empire never fought so well again. Its morale for the first time was shaken, never quite to recover,” (Edmonds 244). After this battle the Germans strategy and initiative began to decrease, this consequence added to the many reasons for the defeat of the Germans in the entire war. Therefore this battle took a great toll on the German Army causing them to be less affective in their...
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Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review
Fellman, Paul. "The Battle of the Somme: How the 18th Division Avoided Disaster, 1 July 1916." Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2014. .
Three armies on the Somme by William Philpott
Philpott, William James. Three armies on the Somme: the first battle of the twentieth century. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 20102009. Print.
The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War by Martin Gilbert
Gilbert, Martin. The Somme: heroism and horror in the First World War. New York: H. Holt, 2006. Print.
The Somme: the darkest hour on the western front by Peter Hart
Hart, Peter. The Somme: the darkest hour on the Western Front. New York: Pegasus Books, 2008. Print.
The Courage and Strength in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
For many soldiers and volunteers, life on the fronts during the war means danger, and there are few if any distractions from its horrors. Each comradeship serves as a divergence from the daily atrocities and makes life tolerable. Yet, the same bonds that most World War literature romantically portrays can be equally negative. James Hanley’s “The German Prisoner”, shows the horrifying results of such alliances, while “Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemmingway reveal that occasionally, some individuals like Lieutenant Henri seek solidarity outside the combat zone. Smithy of “Not So Quiet” and Paul Baumer in “All Quiet on the Western Front” demonstrate the importance and advantages of comradeship while giving credence to the romance of these connections. Pat Barker’s “Regeneration” depicts Siegfried Sassoon, as an officer who places comradeship and honor above his own personal anti war convictions. Regardless of the consequences, each demonstrates not only the different results of comradeship but also its power and level of importance to each character in the abovementioned writings.
Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front gives you detail and insight into the long, destructive “Great War”. Quickly, romantic illusions about combat are disintegrate. Enthusiastic teenage boys convinced to fight for their country by their patriotic teachers came back feeling part of a lost generation . This novel teaches us what a terrifying and painful experience World War I was for those fighting in the trenches on the front.
"Feature Articles - Life in the Trenches." Firstworldwar.com. First World War, n.d. Web. 05 Apr.
The Battle of Somme is marked as one of the deadliest wars we had in world war 1. The article we were presented in source 8.1 is written by Phil Gibbs an English journalist who got to see the warhead on from the side of the French and British spectrum. The war consisted of the french and British armies take on the German empire. The war had over 60,000 casualties the first day with a mass number 1.5 million deaths at the end of the war. Seeing the inside of the war from Philip Gibbs perspective really gave us a more emotional connection to the story due to the vivid and graphic scene, he set up for us such as the ending when he quotes “They were silent, grave-eyed men who marched through the streets of French and Belgian towns to be entrained for the Somme front, for they had forebodings of the fate before them. (Excerpt From: “Sources of World History.” iBooks. ) . Next, in section 8.2 we transition into a perspective from the German side in the “All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) Erich Maria Remarque Excerpt From: “Sources of World History.” iBooks. This book is written from the perspective of someone that went to war and it showed the destruction of what happen with this man during his life and it goes through the story about his life
Columbia University, Press. "Battle Of Britain." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 2 May 2014.
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.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque displays unsettling images and symbols of war as it follows Paul Baumer, a young soldier, during World War I. The constant bombardments and escaped shells of war cause the soldier to sink into a barbaric mindset of war. By using imagery and symbols to show how soldiers sink into the mindset of war the author creates a vivid picture of the many horrors of war and its mentality.
In the history of modern western civilization, there have been few incidents of war, famine, and other calamities that severely affected the modern European society. The First World War was one such incident which served as a reflection of modern European society in its industrial age, altering mankind’s perception of war into catastrophic levels of carnage and violence. As a transition to modern warfare, the experiences of the Great War were entirely new and unfamiliar. In this anomalous environment, a range of first hand accounts have emerged, detailing the events and experiences of the authors. For instance, both the works of Ernst Junger and Erich Maria Remarque emphasize the frightening and inhumane nature of war to some degree – more explicit in Jünger’s than in Remarque’s – but the sense of glorification, heroism, and nationalism in Jünger’s The Storm of Steel is absent in Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. Instead, they are replaced by psychological damage caused by the war – the internalization of loss and pain, coupled with a sense of helplessness and disconnectedness with the past and the future. As such, the accounts of Jünger and Remarque reveal the similar experiences of extreme violence and danger of World War I shared by soldiers but draw from their experiences differing ideologies and perception of war.
Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. Trans. A. W. Wheen. New York: Ballantine, 1982.
Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. Trans. A. W. Wheen. New York: Ballantine, 1982.
O'Neill, William L. World War II: A Student Companion. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
2. Bloch, Michael. The Duke of Windsor's War. London, 1982. Illusts. Royal 8vo. or.cl. (398pp).
The Battle of the Somme epitomizes the harsh realities of trench warfare for the Allies and represents the negligent battle planning and technological advancements that are associated with the stalemate of World War One. Trench warfare was common across the Western Front, with similar strategies being employed by both opposing sides. Sir Douglas Haig, one of the British coordinators for the Somme offensive is blamed with an offensive strategy destined for failure. The British offensive, an utter failure, resulted in a stalemate, which was common throughout World War One. The British development of the tank, while it eventually ended the horrendous stalemate, was ineffectively used during the Somme.
Keegan, John and Richard Holmes. Soldiers: A History Of Men In Battle. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1986.