The Battle Of The Somme: Flashcards
What time did the battle start?
1st July, 1916, at approximately 7:30a.m.
Explain the Battle Plan.
British: attacking on a 15 mile front to the north of the Somme.
French: attacking on a 8 mile front in the south to the Somme.
Why were the tactics used bad?
NAÏVETY:
Ever since the British had had 99 years of relative peace, the people had forgotten how arduous war could truly be, and assumed nothing could really go wrong. The British were overconfident in their tactics- so sure of themselves, they ordered a regiment of cavalry to be put on standby, to exploit the hole that would be created by a devastating infantry attack. The strategy was that the cavalry units would run down the Germans. This was naïve, as it assumed that the Germans would flee and be easily taken down. However, Germans were a nationalistic, proud nation, and could not be taken down that easily.
HEAVY RELIANCE ON ASSUMPTION:
The Allied plan however, did not take into account that the Germans had sunk deep bomb proof shelters or bunkers in which to take refuge, so when the bombardment started, the German soldiers simply moved underground and waited. When the bombardment stopped the Germans, recognising that this would signal an infantry advance, climbed up from the safety of their bunkers and manned their machine guns to face the oncoming British and French.
How many casualties and deaths for the British Army was there on the first day?
Approximately 60,000 casualties, with approximately 20,000 being deaths.
Out of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment of the Canadian Army, how many men were left after the first day?
68 out of the 680 men.
Between 3 - 13th July, how many casualties were there?
25,000.
On the 15th September, where did the British attack?
Flers-Courcelette.
On 14th July, when and where did four British divisions attack?
Supported by intense artillery bombardment, the British attacked Longueval Ridge at dawn, caught the Germans by surprise, and were able to secure the place at mid-morning.
List the number of casualties and deaths.
BRITISH: 360,000. 64,000 were from troops located from abroad.
FRENCH: Almost 200,000.
GERMANS: Approximately 450,000.
125,000 Allied soldiers died for every 1 mile secured.
Why did Germany lose the Battle of the Somme?
However, the German Army in 1916 had a smaller army than the combination of the French and British armies, so, the losses had a greater impact to the Germans than their enemies. So it could be said that they lost.
Furthermore, it has been stated (by the Germans) that at the beginning of 1916 the ‘old’ prewar German Army was still intact relatively. By the end of 1916 (Battle of the Somme) the Germans stated that this battle was the ‘death of the old army’ Therefore from 1917 onward the German Army was made up of wartime recruits and not quite up to the same standard as it was before 1916. Yet again, it could be said that they lost.
Overall, it is generally accepted that the two battles affected the Germans more than their enemies, lowering the morale of the Germans. This morale collapsed in the summer of 1918.
