However, Haig’s theory was way off mark. The German bunkers were dug especially deep and were therefore unaffected by the bombardment. Also the barbed wire that was to be blown to smithereens had merely been thrown in the air, returning to land in an even more tangled, menacing state. In their preparations the Germans had added more wire, making it impossible to find a way through.
When the shelling stopped, the Germans scrambled to their posts. Machine guns and rifles were all positioned in an arc, covering the entire of no mans land. As the British advanced, their enemy attacked. Haig's men did not stand a chance. Most of those no killed in the first waved of bullets became stuck in vicious barbed wire. Of the few that managed to overcome the defence, they were forced to fight the desperate battles in hope that assistance would soon arrive.
In that morning alone, the British suffered sixty thousand casualties, twenty thousand of which died. Of the survivors, many had arms, legs, and even parts of their faces blown off, and the fields hospitals had to perform many amputations.
Haig however was not concerned with the huge loss of live, as he believed victory was still in sight. He ordered the attacks to continue. Over the next four months, the combined effort of the British and French could only gain small advantages; positions were never held for long due to lack of reinforcements. IT could be argued that they weren’t completely over-powered, as they did briefly capture the fortress at the Beaumont Hamel on the 13th November.
Towards the end of the battle, the weather made a big impact on events. The heavy snow forced the allied forces to retreat, and soon afterwards, Haig called an end to the Battle of the Somme.
In conclusion, there are many reasons as to why The Battle of the Somme was a great tragedy.
Casualties were the greatest reason for the tragic first day of the Somme. Over 60 000 of the Allied troops were injured or killed in the first 24 hours of the battle. It is estimated that the British suffered 420,000 casualties, and the French 200,00.
The battle of Somme also left many communities in devastation. The Cambridgeshire Battalion sent 750 men over the top on July 1st and 691 of these became casualties of war. The town of Accrington is another that suffered a huge dent to its population when many Young men at the age of 18 and 19, who had no experience in the acts of war, went to Somme and became casualties.
The tactics that were used in the war also contributed to the loss of lives. Haig went into Somme knowing about the design of the Germans deep dugouts, and the existence of the vast barbed wire, which was to come across. Yet knowing this, he overestimated the artilleries ability to destroy the enemy’s defences. Some believe that Haig had his own, selfish, objectives. Pulling out of the Somme would have affected his career, and made him less popular to the British public back home.
However it could be argued that Somme was a tragedy due to the greatness of the Germans tactics. The Germans were situated on high ground, with a good view of any British presence. The Germans defences had been in place since 1914 and their soldiers were prepared, both mentally and physically. Their dugouts were deep within the ground, and fortified with concrete. Barbed wire had been placed 30 metres wide around the dugouts, and made it almost impossible to gain entry.
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After reviewing the battle of the Somme, I personally believe that it was a tragedy. The biggest distance gained in the battle was one of a mere twelve kilometres and the Germans 500,000/ It could be argued that the battle was a success for the British, because one of their objectives was to inflict heavy losses on the German army. But in the way in which it was achieved, with the immense amount of human lives lost, it has made the Battle of Somme a terrible tragedy in Britain’s History.
