George

=The Battle of The Somme (//July 1st 1916 - 18th November 1916//)=

What was the Battle of the Somme?
In order to relieve the pressure from the battle of Verdun, Field Marshal Haig launched a “//long planned offensive//”// // at the Somme. The Somme Offensive was a battle between Germany, France and British Support.

The attack is considered the main allied attack on the Western Front, incorporating a whopping 30km of battle front. It lasted five months resulting in the colossal loss of 1.25million men. It was planned as an attack by the French using British support, however, due to the attack at Verdun, it resulted in the British Commander General Haig leading a //“mainly British offensive in the area around the River Somme” // The battle showed that this war was, //“a contest to see which side could last out the long and dreadful war of attrition.” //

Why Did the Battle of the Somme Take Place? And What Tactics were used?
As stated above, the battle was put in place to relieve the pressure further down the front at Verdun where the French were exhausted. The __‘GCSE Modern World History’__ book addresses the tactics used in two sections; the tactics and whether they were the right tactics to use. The plan was that there was to be a huge military bombardment, using mines to destroy the German’s position. This would be followed by cutting the enemies barbed wire, and then devastating German dug-outs and trenches. The key to this battle was that the British troops would be able to walk across no-mans land instead of running – this was later considered a mistake as some German gunners recount, //“The sheer numbers of British Forces would have overwhelmed them, if they had charged more quickly.”// Once the Troops made it to the German trenches they would repair it and defend the German trenches to stop the Germans retaking what was once theirs. However, as Walsh explains, the defenders were on high ground with a great view of no-mans land. The German’s dug-outs were deep underground and fortified with concrete. On top of this, there was little chance in reaching these trenches as the German’s had managed to stretch wire more than 30 metres wide all along the front, making it almost impenetrable. All of these problems weren’t helped by a commander overestimating the enemies ability to withstand their artillery, he was also well aware of the vast amounts of wire that surrounded their target, yet he chose to ignore this key issue.

To What Extent Was the Battle of the Somme Successful for Both Germany and Britain?
In actual fact, little was gained from this battle other than a slight increase in territory; but very little that was significant. So perhaps it will be better to ask, what the results were from the Battle of the Somme.

Britain
Britain managed to gain about six miles of territory, “//four miles short of the first day’s objectives//”. As Brendon states, “//Obviously there had been no significant breakthrough//”. They had, however, succeeded in releasing the tension at Verdun, Falkenhayn was obliged to move numerous battalions up to the Somme. Historians such as Sheffield felt that the war managed to turn the British army into a, “//hard-bitten and effective//” force. There are many negative effects to this battle as well, Soldiers started to question their leaders, their government, one soldier recounts, “//It was criminal to send men in broad daylight, into machine-gun fire, without any cover of any sort whatsoever//.” This was devastating for morale, and, “//changed British attitudes to the war//.” Haig was also criticised by everyone, even his own government, he inherited the title of, ‘//The Butcher of the Somme//.’ Something I personally feel is acrimoniously wrong due to the fact that Haig had warned the Government that they need to be prepared for heavy losses for them to win this war.

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Germany
Falkenhayn, the German chief of staff, also demanded that “//not one foot off the ground should be lost//” – With this amount of determination from one commander, the result was inevitably thousands of casualties. Not only that, but it also cost him his post on the German army and was later dismissed in August 1916. Like the British, the Germans also gained effectiveness and force from this battle, they were already incredibly powerful with vast underground, concreted trenches, and many had the possibility of electricity. However, the Germans lost some of its best troops, something which came back and haunted them in 1918.

The British had completed their central objective of easing the tension at Verdun, and had also wounded the German defenses - By the time of April 1917, the German's had to retreat around 25miles eastwards.

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Three Useful Weblinks

 * http://www.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.00o - A great site that has countless numbers of useful links, including personal stories, the cost of the battle and numerous interesting images.
 * http://www.thelearningcentre.org/ww1/sect3_p1.htm - It addresses every aspect of the battle, from the causes to the aftermath.


 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme - Obviously the common link to go for, however, the page has many good statistics about the war and useful links that the author used.