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
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
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
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
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”
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
General Haig's Background and Military Experience General Haig is one of the most important men in world war history, made famous for his tactics of the battle of the Somme, where thousands of soldiers died, apparently needlessly. In this question, I will be looking into Haig's life, and how it shaped him into the army leader in 1915. [IMAGE]Text Box: Haig at private school in 1887. He is at the extreme left of the back row. Haig was born in 1862, the youngest of eleven children, to
Fighting on the western front consisted of advanced technological warfare that relied heavily upon artillery, machine guns, tanks and gas, which characterises a 'war of attrition'. Source 19.J indicates the importance of firepower in winning battles whilst source 19.K further compliments the idea of a 'war of attrition' by depicting the emphasis placed upon tanks despite their apparent initial failure. The western front was too represented by the common held and often out-dated belief that
death. Jünger’s message seems to relate that it is sometimes necessary to fight in the name of family and to protect one’s nation. Jünger witnessed the brutality of the war and it shook him to a point of devastation (particularly after the Battle of Somme and toward the end), but he refused to allow it to overcome him and rejoiced in the short and simple moments of beauty in life. Works Cited Jünger, Ernst, and Michael Hofmann. Storm of Steel. New York: Penguin, 2004. Print.
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
allied losses was the lack of imagination in the plans of attack and that, even when the goal was nearly impossible, more and more men were thrown in to the equation until some gain was made. ... ... middle of paper ... ...out in the first battle of Ypres. The Generals themselves were inexperienced in this type of warfare as well, they had been used to battling armies in the colonies that didn't use guns so cavalry regiments were still needed and artillery was less useful, but now it was
stalemate on the Western Front of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. It was “the Canadians willingness to forgo nationalism in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness that marked a new” (Dickson 40) transition of the ending of war. Through the second battle of Ypres, the Battle of Aras, and observing the previous bloodbath at the Battle of The Somme, the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F) perfected their defense tactics and techniques to fight in the evolutionary battle that made Canada a nation. When
leadership throughout WW1 immediately tells you that he must have been successful to stay in such a high-ranking position to the end of such a big war. In his second year, he was in charge of one of the bloodiest battles in British warfare: the Somme, which was probably Haig's worst battle. - Already it sounds like he was a poor strategist and even ignorant-. ... ... middle of paper ... ...ks would have had the key technological advantage, needed for ending the war. Haig was on the right lines
assessment I am going to talk about Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, Haig was a war leader in the First World War who led the army on few occasions. One of his most memorable battles was the battle of the Somme; in this battle the allies suffered over 2 million causalities and over 500,000 deaths. We may have won the battle and the war, but at a huge cost. In this assessment I am going to try arguing the case that Haig was a fool who cost the lives of too many British soldiers. Johnny, the
death. Sebastian Faulks varies his accounts of different characters’ deaths, to the point where some are barely noticeable. The suicide of Barnes, for instance, is dealt with in one sentence as we are simply told that, while waiting for the Battle of the Somme to commence, he ‘shot himself through the palat... ... middle of paper ... ... stated that ‘There were only two ways of breaking the strain…this. (He holds up his glass.)’ This suggests prolonged exposure to the war situation, resulting
refers to the brave troops as 'lions' that are being led by stupid 'donkey' generals. It came about as much of the public and soldiers opinions stated that the generals were incompetents who led their men to the death regardless of whether the battle they were fighting was a lost cause. The quote originated from the German troops, who respectfully commented on the British soldiers' bravery and upon how their lives where so carelessly wasted by their 'idiot' generals; many modern books, films