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Admin moved page Why did the Battle of the Somme largely fail to achieve its objectives? to Why did the Battle of the Somme largely fail to achieve its objectives
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[[File:British_Lancers.jpg|thumbnail|300px250px|left|18th King George’s Own Lancers near Mametz, on the Somme, 15 July 1916]]
The Battle of the Somme or the Somme Offensive was a series of battles that occurred during the Summer and Autumn of 1916. It involved British and French forces launching a massive offensive on the German lines to break the Western Front's stalemate. The Battle was primarily a battle between the Germans and the British. The offensive was not effective and achieved very little for the allies. The British only advanced a few miles, and the German lines held. The offensive did not break the stalemate and resulted in massive casualties for both sides.
==What was the Allied Strategy for the Battle of the Somme? ==
[[File: Somme 2.jpg|thumbnail|300px250px|left|left|German Soldier at the Somme]]
General Sir Douglas Haig assumed command of the British army in early 1916. He wanted to launch the offensive nearer the English Channel to be closer to the British supply lines. However, the French pressured the British to have the offensive in the Somme region. When the Verdun offensive started, the Somme area saw the withdrawal of many German units. The Germans had little reserves in the area, and it seemed that the Somme was the perfect location.<ref>Keegan, J.<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375700455/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375700455&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=05f6a7874da643b9c91e35ee4c241268 The First World War] </i>.(London: Random House, 1998), p. 12</ref>
==What happened during the Battles of the Somme? ==
[[File: Somme three.jpg|thumbnail|300px250px|left|British troops at the Somme]]
The first day of the Somme offensive started after the five-day barrage had ended. For five days, the British had blasted the German lines. Hundreds of thousands of shells landed on the German trenches. The British believed that they had obliterated the German defenses.<ref> Keegan, p. 134</ref> On the first of July, the British and the French ‘went over the top’, that is, they left their trenches and entered into no man's land. The British were ordered to advance at a walking pace. However, some officers on the ground ordered their men to rush across no man's land.
