Battle Of Somme Research Paper

One hundred plus years after the Battle of Somme recounting it can still arouse awe together with bewilderment at the savage brutality man can inflict upon its kind in the first modern era of total war. In the nearly two years since the start of the war, in 1914, the conflict had ground to a halt that eventually morphed into trench warfare. The area of battle, a fifteen mile front through northern France along the river Somme, is the largest battle of the First World War. It witnessed one of the sanguinary campaigns in human history.

For five months, between 1st of July through November 18th, 1916, the soldiers from both opposing armies fought for literal yards of open, torn up ground called “no man’s land” situated between the trenches during …show more content…
A few do stand out when studying the mêlée. First, would be the inexperience of the British troops at the start resulting in horrendous losses on that first day. That is to say the Somme had proved to be a grisly “training ground” that gave a true meaning to “baptism under fire”. Also a critically important point not to be overlooked is British industry’s inexperience in wartime manufacturing that had a tremendous negative effect meeting the demand of quality ammunition coupled with equipment at the beginning of the war. Specifically, the seven day bombardment preceding the assault as a prime example of this shortcoming. To emphasize, the ammunition was completely ineffective including poor quality control with an estimated one third of the million plus shells having never gone off once fired. To make matters worse the shells that did manage to explode were of the wrong type. In fact anti personnel shells showering pellets that did nothing against the Germans defenses nor the soldiers hunkered down deep in their well made trench system. Notably, some of these of which were reinforced in concrete as the Germans considered them a vital in warfare. Secondly, a major complication during the battle is the equipment the British soldier is required to carry into battle. For instance, nearly sixty six pounds of rifle, entrenching tools, ammunition and rations made it extremely difficult to run while maneuvering towards an enemy position. Thirdly but not least, the German Maxim machine. It is a terrifying weapon never taken out during the initial bombardment as planned. These weapons are set in nest positions along the trenches with the fields of fire over lapped across no man’s land. In essence creating a devastating kill zone. An incredible terrible shock to the British soldiers who are told to expect a battered and demoralized enemy. The Maxim accounted for a very large percentage of the casualties

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Battle Of Somme Research Paper

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