"Why Is The Battle of The Somme Regarded As Such A Military Tragedy"

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"Why Is The Battle of The Somme Regarded As Such A Military Tragedy"

This essay will examine the many reasons why some people regarded the Battle of the Somme as a military tragedy. The original plan for the Battle of the Somme was supposed to be a joint Anglo-French attack on 1st August 1916 and the British commander, General Sir Douglas Haig, favoured an attack further north and west in Flanders. However, the heavy French losses at Verdun brought the date forward by a month, to 1st July. Their objectives now were to divert German attention from Verdun and gain territory, also to kill as many German soldiers as possible. The new plan was straightforward. After an initial weeklong bombardment of the German front line their defences would be destroyed. The infantry would then advance to take hold of the German positions and a charge of Cavalry would exploit the gap that was expected to appear in the German front-line. Haig and his Generals expected the Battle to be won quickly; they thought that after the bombardment not many Germans would have survived, he claimed, "not even a rat would be alive" at the end of it.