How did the Ulster 36th Division prepare for the battle

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HOW DID THE ULSTER 36TH DIVISION PREPARE FOR THE BATTLE

The Ulster 36th Division were from Ulster and other parts of Ireland.  They were all members of the U.V.F. (Ulster Volunteer Force) that was formed in 1913 to resist Home Rule in Ulster.  It was led by two men, E. Carson and J. Craig who had promised their men that if they fought in the war against Germans, that Britain would not impose Home Rule on Ireland and Ulster.

        The Ulster 36th division were involved in preparing for the battle along side the rest of Haigs soldiers.  In preparation for the advance rehearsals were carried out on land behind the front line with trenches marked out by tape.  Troops were to advance “at a steady pace” in wave formation, each man five yard from the next and each line a hundred yards in front of the next.  New roads and rail-tracks were constructed and 120 miles of water pipes were laid.  Tented accommodation for half a million men and 100,000 horses was put up.  Mines were tunnelled, placed and charges under enemy strong points.  Barbed wire cages were built for prisoners.  Casualty clearings stations and mass graves were prepared and huge guns were placed wheel to wheel while planes shot down German “sausage” observation balloons.

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        Battle plans were made in detail.  The aims of the battle were;

  1. To relive pressure on Verdun
  2. To inflict grate loss on the enemy
  3. to make a gap in the German lines, to restore open warfare and cause a German retreat.

There were also methods of attack, which went into detail about the initial bombardment and how the battle should be live.  The most important part of the training was when soldiers practiced rapid firing, bayoneting and the consolidation of captured ground.


WHY DID THE BATTLE NOT GO ACCORDING TO PLAN?

Field Marshall Haig ...

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