Study source A. Do you agree with this interpretation of the importance of the Battle of the Somme? Use the source and knowledge from your studies to explain your answer.
Source A was part of a report written in December 1916 by General Haig. It was written to the Cabinet about the aftermath of the Somme. It says that the Somme was a success, that the Germans were ready to surrender and even though they had not gained much land, they had weakened the German army considerably.
I agree with source A when it says that the German casualties were higher, which they were. However that is only if you are comparing them with the British casualties not the Allied casualties. It also says that they didn’t gain much land, which is true. The reason for this is because they couldn’t support the attacks quick enough, which meant they would be pushed back. This meant that overall they gained 12km of land. The reason that Haig would mention this was because he would have to tell the Cabinet, however he justifies his actions by saying that it wasn’t the aim of the battle to gain land. It also says that it affected the moral of the soldiers. This is because the Germans had lost many of their best officers. This could show that the battle was a success, in that the Allies could afford to lose more men than the Germans because of the British Empire. Also even though not much land was gained it wasn't the point of the battle, it was to relieve pressure off Verdun. Which it did because the Germans had to take men from Verdun for support at the Somme. This allowed the French to beat them. The battle of the Somme also showed that the British were able to fight for a long period of time without surrendering.
