Question four:
Explain why the battle of the Somme failed to achieve British objectives.
Before the attack on the Somme the British and the French forces had set high expectations of the results of the battle. The plan was carefully mapped months in advance by the French and British Commander-in-chiefs Joseph Joffre, Sir Douglas Haig and the governments of the two countries. Planes had been used so the Allied forces could have a vision of the German trenches and were to specifically strike. During the Allies seven day bombardment on the German trenches an estimated 1,500,000 shells, and 2,000 pieces of artillery was hurled over along a 30km German front line. After the bombardment sappers had managed to plant two mines beneath the German trenches. The devastation of the mines could be heard in London. Sir Douglas Haig was so confident that the bombardment had succeeded he said “not even a rat would be alive.” The soldiers were also told to walk across no man’s land “The British were coming-slowly” German soldier’s account of the Somme. The results of the attack were however surprising and reversed. 58,000 British casualties were inflicted on the first day of the infantry attack, of which over 18,000 had been killed, making it the worst day in terms of casualties in British military history. The objective was to dent the German morale, instead the British had their own morale severely dented.
