In hindsight, we can see that the offensive very much failed to live up to expectations. Such terrible failure is possibly attributable to poor tactics and leadership on the part of Douglas Haig and his advisors. Haig certainly knew of the masses of barbed wire separating the German forces from his men; however the General grossly overestimated the ability of his artillery to destroy German defences, eventually spelling doom for the attacking infantry. Numerous factors would also appear to have been overlooked by Haig, such as the position of the defenders on high ground, with a good view of any attacking forces. The strength of German defences was also underestimated, seeing as the Germans had been in place since 1914 and had set about placing their dug-outs deep underground and fortifying them with concrete. The barbed wire had been stretched out more than thirty metres wide, making it almost impossible to penetrate, regardless of artillery. It was not only poor forward-planning that resulted in such terrible losses however. For example, the shells supplied to British forces were not as Haig had envisaged, many of which were of low quality, or failed to go off at all.
Over confidence resulted in the offensive’s first major flaw; it’s timing. The infantry attack began at 7.30 am on 1st July, rather than at dawn when no-man’s land would be covered in a thick mist which would naturally make the task of the German gunner much more difficult. Such a time was chosen by Commanders who were confident that there would be little, if any, resistance along the German front.
The attack began after the detonation of two huge mines placed under German lines, the explosion of which could be heard in London. This, another flaw in scheme, only served to inform German forces that an attack was coming. The assault consisted of twenty seven divisions, approximately three quarters of a million men, going over the top against sixteen divisions of German troops, waiting to defend their lines. French forces succeeded in capturing certain objectives after running at German lines, not weighed down with heavy packs and equipment. These early gains were quickly lost however, as Allied forces found themselves isolated and had to fall back due to the British forces’ slow advance.
Some historians claim that the sheer numbers of British forces should have overwhelmed the German lines, however the order of a slow, steady advance gave defenders all the time they needed to emerge from their dug-outs and set up machine guns and other defences. British troops found themselves bottle-necked at small gaps in the wire, effectively making them sitting targets for German machine guns. Tragic failures like these resulted in over 57, 000 casualties, around 20,000 of which were killed.
The battle devastated the ranks of junior officers with chaos ensuing amongst British forces, unprepared for what they were facing with no orders to follow. The first day of the Battle of the Somme was chaotic to say the least; however the impression of a military disaster – the worst in the history of the British military – soon emerged. However, many lessons were learned after the disaster of the first day and some gains, though small, were made. Haig eventually varied his tactics, introducing the tank and the “creeping barrage” in hope of breaking the stalemate.
By 18th November, the battle was over, a strip of land roughly 25km long captured at the cost of more than 620,000 allied casualties. Haig was bitterly criticised for his role in the madness, by his own soldiers, politicians and the press. Despite warning people that heavy losses would be necessary, Haig gained the title “Butcher of the Somme.”
Haig argued that the objective, Verdun, was saved however this was of little comfort to British people becoming increasingly aware of the grim nature of the war and the lives it had cost. The battle brought the realisation to the home-front that the war would be a long, grim battle of attrition and not the swift outcome they were expecting. The battle also resulted in a loss of confidence in Britain’s leaders, as the optimistic reports turned out to be false or exaggerated.
Arguably the most tragic side to this military disaster was the sheer loss of life. Horrific casualty figures saw entire regiments lost, including many pals battalions practically wiped out. Britain lost an entire generation of young men to the battle of the Somme, a military tragedy that brought the horrors of war to Britain in a way nobody had ever witnessed. The Battle of the Somme will always be remembered as a great, military tragedy.
