The Battle of The Somme

1. The Battle of The Somme

2. The Battle of the Somme • July 1 1916 • French and British offensive meant to drain the German reserves • Beginning 1916 Germany begins attack at Verdun • The Somme becomes a method of pulling German troops from Verdun

4. The Battle of the Somme • France is unable to contribute as many soldiers as initially thought as they are defending Verdun • Attack preceded by 8 days of artillery bombardment • Artillery was supposed to virtually destroy German defenses

5. The Battle of the Somme • Artillery bombardment was ineffective • Barbed wire was still intact, German machine guns were not destroyed, bunkers were intact, troops took shelter until barrage was over

6. The Battle of the Somme • British shells were poorly made, some didn’t explode, others did not hit their targets • 7:30am first wave of troops goes “over the top” • Attack was not a surprise to the Germans and they were ready

7. The Battle of the Somme • British suffered 58 000 casualties the first day alone • The 1st NFlD regiment suffered 91% casualties • Most did not even make it to the front lines before they were killed • French made more significant gains to the south

8. The Battle of the Somme • The offensive lasted until November • Resulted in 12km of territory gained for the allies • The tank was employed for the first time by the British

12. The Battle of the Somme • The failures of the battle: • Lack of planning • Lack of reconnaissance • Poor communication • Poor quality artillery shells • Poor military strategy ie. Start time • Unwillingness to change plan after initial tragedy • Lack of surprise