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[[File:British_Lancers.jpg|thumbnail|300px|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 assault offensive on the German lines in an effort to break the stalemate on 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 and both sides suffered heavy casualtiesfor the allies. The British only advanced a few miles , and the German lines held and . The offensive did not break the stalemate was not brokenand resulted in massive casualties for both sides. Historians have argued whether the Somme was a failure or a partial success. It is clear that the The British and French did not secure their main objectives during the battle. This article will seek to understand the reasons why Why did the Somme offensive failed fail to achieve the majority of its planners’ primary goals? Mostly, the Allies failed at the Somme because of poor leadership, planning, and a stubborn German defense. == Why did the Allies decide to attack the Germans at Somme? ==Since 1914, the war on both the Eastern and the Western Fronts had become a war of attrition. This work will Both sides had established a series of defensive lines, involving thousands of miles of trenches and they regularly attacked and counter-attacked each other for little or no strategic or tactical advantage.<ref> Gilbert, M. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805081275/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0805081275&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=215891b2156d756f1e4b5799a19bf45c The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War]. </i> (Henry Holt and Company, 2006), p. 56</ref> The western military and the governments were eager to end the war or at least to be seen as delivering a victory. There were concerns that the public would not tolerate a war indefinitely. France and Britain's resources had become stretched, and they needed a victory to demonstrate that they were winning the war to their public. There was a genuine desire to end the stalemate which was costing thousands of lives per week.<ref> Gilbert, p. 112</ref> Then there was the strategic situation on both the eastern and the western front. The Russians had been planning their assault on the Austro-Hungarians in the east, an attack from the west would mean that the Germans could not come to the aid of their allies in Vienna. Then there were the almost simultaneous massive battles taking place in Verdun.<ref> Gilbert, p. 113</ref> The Germans and the French have engaged in a bloody battle forVerdun'se fortress. The French army had found itself hard-pressed, and many feared that they would break and this could result in the Germans driving a wedge between the British in the north and the French armies in the south. Somme was seen as necessary to alleviate the French's pressure and assist the Russian offensive. ==What was the Allied Strategy for the Battle of the Somme? ==[[File: Somme 2.jpg|thumbnail|300px|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> The Anglo-French attack was to break the German lines and achieve a breakthrough that would allow the allies to drive a wedge between the Germans armies in France. The British after a five-day bombardment was to launch a massive infantry assault; once the Germans had fled from their trenches, the British cavalry would push forward and seize key objectives such as railroads and bridges in the Somme.<ref>Keegan, p. 56</ref> However, the apparent failure British had failed to understand the nature of the German defenses on the Somme. They had added a third line of defense, had established a telephone system, and had dug even more trenches. The German defenses did have some deficiencies, but they proved to be formidable. The British underestimated the German defenses, and this was to prove costly during the coming battles.<ref> Keegan, p 116</ref> == What tactics did the Allies use during the Somme? ==[[File: British Mark I male tank Somme 25 September 1916.jpg|left|thumbnail|300px|British tank at the Somme]]The British committed hundreds of thousands of men to the fighting. The British troops on the Somme was due a mixture of the surviving members of the old regular army, the Territorial Force, and Kitchener's Army, comprised of volunteers including the ‘Pals Battalions,’ that had been recruited from the same towns and villages. <ref> Middlebrook, M. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141390719/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0141390719&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=a43b8bf537d738980065094321836135 The First Day on the Somme]. </i>(London, Penguin, 1971</ref> Many of their reserves were transferred to the area. They stationed thousands of artillery pieces in the region. These were expected to poor play a crucial role in the coming offensive. The British leadershipbelieved that a concentrated artillery barrage could either force the German defenders to flee or destroy their defenses. Crucially, the British had not mastered the tactic of the creeping barrage. This tactic would have allowed the infantry to advance under cover of shelling. The British failure to do so meant that when the artillery barrage ended that the Germans who survived the artillery onslaught could mow down the advancing soldiers with machine guns. New military technologies were also employed at the battle of the Somme. The British intended using airplanes and tanks in a major battle for the first time.<ref> Prior, R.; Wilson, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300119631/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0300119631&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=69f365fa66cf273dac5cb1fc7b6e7a3b The Somme]</i>. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005), p. 113</ref> They gave the British more capabilities. The tanks could be sued to punch through the German lines, planning and stubborn the airplanes could gather intelligence on German defencetroops' movements.
==StrategyWhat happened during the Battles of the Somme? ==[[File: Somme 2three.jpg|thumbnail|300px|German Soldier left|British troops at the Somme]]General Sir Douglas Haig assumed command The first day of the British army in early 1916. He wanted to launch the Somme offensive nearer started after the English Channel to be closer to the British supply linesfive-day barrage had ended. HoweverFor five days, the French pressurised the British to have had blasted the offensive in the Somme regionGerman lines. When Hundreds of thousands of shells landed on the Verdun offensive started the Somme area saw the withdrawal of many German unitstrenches. The Germans British believed that they had little reserves in obliterated the area and it seemed that the Somme was the perfect locationGerman defenses.<ref>Keegan, J.<i>The First World War </i>.(London: Random House, 1998), p. 12134</ref>. The Anglo-French attack was to break On the first of July, the German lines British and achieve a breakthrough that would allow the allies to drive a wedge between French ‘went over the Germans armies in Francetop’, that is, they left their trenches and entered into no man's land. The British after a five-day bombardment were ordered to launch advance at a massive infantry assault, once the Germans had fled from their trenches, the British cavalry would push forward and seize key objectives such as railroads and bridges in the Somme<ref>Keegan, p. 56</ref>walking pace. However, the British had failed to understand the nature of the German defences some officers on the Somme. They had added a third line of defence, had established a telephone system and had dug even more trenches. The German defences did have some deficiencies but they proved to be formidable. The British underestimated the German defences and this was ground ordered their men to prove costly during the coming battles<ref> Keegan, p 116</ref>rush across no man's land.
Contrary to Haig and the rest of the German High Command’s expectations, the Germans survived the barrage.<ref> Middlebrooke, p. 211</ref> They had sustained many casualties, and many soldiers had been driven mad during the five days of shelling. The Germans, once the barrage ended, were able to operate the front line. Critically they were able to use the machine gun nests and order up their artillery to fire on no-mans-land. The Germans picked off the British at will even though they had ‘inferior numbers and less firepower.’ <ref> Wilson, p. 115</ref>
==Conclusion==
The Battle of the Somme was not the failure it is often portrayed. It did play an important role in the eventual German defeat in 1918 and did allow the allies to recapture some strategic territory. However, given the losses , the battle did not achieve much , and the Germans did not suffer any major strategic defeats. In fact, they They proved capable of continuing the fight on the western front for another two years. The failure of the Allies to achieve their main objectives despite the massive losses was due to several factors and they include poor and rushed planning. These meant that there were deficiencies in the planning process and this hampered the allies advance. Then the Germans proved adept in defending their positions and they had established massive defensive lines. The British Generals in particularly placed too much faith on their new weapons especially their tanks and on the ability of artillery to dislodge and destroy defenders in networks of trenches. These all ensured that the Somme largely failed to be the decisive victory that its planners had hoped for in the Spring of 1916.
The Allies' failure to achieve their main objectives despite the massive losses was due to several factors, and they include poor and rushed planning. These meant that there were deficiencies in the planning process, and this hampered the allies' advance. Then the Germans proved adept in defending their positions, and they had established massive defensive lines. The British Generals in particularly placed too much faith in their new weapons, especially their tanks and artillery's ability to dislodge and destroy defenders in networks of trenches. These all ensured that the Somme largely failed to be the decisive victory that its planners had hoped for in the Spring of 1916. <div class="portal" style="width:85%;"> ====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====*[[Why was Germany defeated at the First Battle of the Marne (1914)]]*[[What was Blitzkrieg and Who Created it]]*[[Why did Germany not achieve victory at Verdun in 1916?]]*[[How did Winston Churchill become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in World War Two?]]</div> ====References====
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