Battle of the Somme Essays

Battle of Somme During World War 1, many battles occurred throughout the war, but one battle was a major loss for the Allies, especially to the British losing a major portion of there army in the first day of the battle. The outcome of the battle would be a bloody fight to capture Somme from German forces. The aim was to divert German attention from Verdun in defense of the Somme.The Battle of Somme was a devastating loss to the British for these reasons.The reasons the British suffered major loss

The battle of the Somme was a joint operation between the British and French forces against the German empire, with the intention to be the battle that won the war. The battle plan included the British bombarding German trenches for seven days and seven nights, then the British attacking on a 15 mile front north to the Somme, with the French supporting from the south and the cavalry on standby. It lasted between the 1st of July to the 18th November 1916; within that time the British lost 420,000

Does General Haig deserve to be remembered as the "Butcher of the Somme"? By Joshua Lawrence Early life Douglas Haig was born on 19 June 1861 in a house on Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. His father, John Richard Haig, was an alcoholic and owned Haig & Haig whisky distillery. His mother’s name was Rachel and she was the daughter of Hugh Veitch of Stewartfield. Marriage Haig married a woman named Dorothy Maud Vivian on 11 July 1905. Dorothy was a daughter of Hussey Crespigny Vivian and Louisa Duff

eventually took over the position of commander-in-chief by 1915. Haig is best known for ordering the Somme offensive on July 1st, 1916. It was his way of breaking the stalemate on the Western Front. On the Somme, The British Army suffered the most causalities of any battle it ever fought, with 60,000 casualties on the first day alone. A year later, Haig began a new offensive, the Third Battle of Ypres. This battle ended in even more casualties, but it helped to weaken the German forces and help Britain win

More British generals were slaughtered than in the entire Second World War during the Battle of Loos. Statistics show that the casualty rates of ordinary soldiers were around 12% while the generals were 17% between the years of 1914-18. This cannot happen if the idea of the “generals hardly being in the front lines” were true. AJP Taylor’s

system to lose ground. They were dug to protect from enemy fire and hold ground. They were so effective because frontal attack would mean heavy casualties for the opposition and the length of the trenches meant that flanking was almost impossible. Battles where both sides used trenches usually went for a long time and ground was rarely gained by either side. Trenches were dug with walls about 10 feet high that were often reinforced with sandbags or planks of wood. Barbwire was placed out the front

“The disaster of the Somme was General Haig’s fault” Do you agree? The Battle of the Somme took place between July and November 1916. The battle was designed to help French troops by distracting German forces. However, many died and little ground was gained from poor planning and un-effective leadership. In my opinion Haig was to blame for the failures to and extent however some parts he had no or limited control over. Haig’s planning was poor when it came to directing his troops forward towards

on German lines during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 lasted for two weeks! Over 4.5 million shells were fired from British artillery batteries from over 3,000 guns. Field guns like the British Howitzer Mk1 fired 2 290lb shells a minute. They were used throughout the whole of the war by the British, American, Canada, Belgium and the Russian Empire. The Howitzer weighted 5 tons and a total of 650 guns were built. They were used in both world wars and in many battles. It fired high explosive shells

no part in, further escalating the problem. World War One was divided into two major alliances that fought against each other. As a result of Great Britain’s involvement, Canada was led into war as well, where Canadians distinguished themselves in battles

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a very successful battle not only for the Allies but, for the Canadian army. The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place in April 1917 in France. The battlefield gave Germany the upper hand as their trenches were located on a hill. Therefore giving Germany a commanding view of the British trenches and troops. Britain and France had tried on countless occasions to capture the area, however they were forced back by German artillery. Thus, leaving the capture in the hands of the

The war lasted four years because of the brutal battle tactics taking place. Generals sent out scores of soldiers into the battlefield, and almost everyone would be killed down by guns. The artillery would try to give the soldiers some cover by sending shells over the bunkers and into the enemy's trench. The armies would take turns sending men into battle, which it did not work. This hassle would only gain yards at a time. The Allies and the Central

Machine guns were a major ingredient of World War one. They were one of the main killers in the war and accountable for thousands of deaths. They were what made no mans land so terrifying, as they could shoot hundreds of rounds in one minute, making it almost impossible to step out of a trench without getting shot down. Without machine guns it would have made it much easier to make progress in no mans land, but much more difficult to defend your side from the enemy. Soldiers didn’t make much progress

Trench warfare could also impact a person’s mental stability and health as a result of witnessing heart-breaking scenes, mainly death. Trenches also limit your movement to a couple of meters for a long period of time (until a battle is won or lost), which could drive a soldier crazy. During World War I on the Western Front, opposing sides created intricate dugout systems protected by barbed wire to ultimately slow down the enemy. The land in-between the opposing sides is referred

“Through thundering gun, and cannon fire, you can hear shouting of wounded soldiers or bold attackers, storming and laughing at death” (Calm, Unknown). Trench warfare is probably one of the most iconic and studied factors of WWI. Soldier’s accounts and documented experiences of the warfare on European frontlines have illustrated the terrible and miserable conditions soldiers faced. “By late 1916 the Western Front containted more than 1,000 kilometers of frontline and reserve trenches” (Alpha History:TrenchWarfare

The battle of Passchendaele was the most symbolic tragedy of all the battles of the First World War. It is remembered as the battle of the mud. Passchendaele is a powerful symbol of the mud, madness, and the mindless slaughter of World War I (Foot). The never-ending rain was one reason why it was so significant. The shellfire as well as four months of rain turned the battlefield into a muddy swamp. Soldiers had to take shelter in water-filled craters. The mud covered rifle barrels and breeches making

The main focus of the book All Quiet in the Western Front, the author illustrates his ideas of war through writing. Understanding the nature of warfare allows the reader to easily be able to know specific events in that time period. The story involves a young man Paul and his beliefs and observations throughout his experience in war. His knowledge of warfare will change from when he first joined and to the end of his journey. - Erich Maria Remarque's classic war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front

on the Western Front (the area where Germany, Britain, and France fought) a joint British and French offensive was planned to break through the German lines north of the River Somme in mid-1916 It went down as one of the most famous events in British military history. The clear winner that first day of the Battle of the Somme was the German Empire due to the

geo-political landscape and destruction of three empires: Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian. While the men were off fighting in the war, women had to work in the factories. “Voices From the Battle Of Somme” was written in 1916 about the battle in northeastern France. The authors tell of their lives during this battle and seeing horrible images from the trenches. Recalling memories

Marne in 1914, The Battles of Ypres in 1914, The Battle of Somme in 1916, and The Battle of Cambrai in 1917. The Battle of of Verdun was between the french and german armies and lasted ten months. The battle is one of the brutalist battles of the World War. This battle was ultimately a waste of time because neither side gained new advantages or land. The Battles of Marne started in 1914 and ended in 1918. Marne costed both sides thousands of lives and both armies were basically where they started

The Battle of the Somme was a very significant event in World War 1. It was a four-month long battle that began on July 1st, 1916 and ended on November 18th, 1916. Known as one of the bloodiest and largest military battles in history, the battle was fought between the Allies and the German Empire. The casualties suffered during just the first day were extremely high-the highest single day loss in warfare history. The British and the Canadians lost more than 57 000 men, including the 700 men apart