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Somme, Battle of the
Somme, Battle of the (World War I) (1 July–18 Nov. 1916) The bloodiest battle in history, orchestrated by General Haig to relieve pressure on the embattled Allied positions at Verdun. Fighting extended over a twenty-mile front, and the brunt of the offensive was borne by the British. A preliminary eight days' bombardment pounded 52,000 tonnes of ammunition onto the German positions. This loosened the soil to such an extent that heavy rainfall transformed the area into a sea of mud, in which countless soldiers drowned when the attack was ordered on 1 July. Contrary to Haig's calculations, the German positions were not weakened sufficiently by the initial bombardment, so that on the first day of the Allied attack, the British suffered 57,470 casualties, with over 19,000 dead. On that day, the Germans lost just 185 men. Instead of stopping the slaughter there and then, Haig continued the attack. After twenty weeks, around 10 km (6 miles) had been gained, while the Germans held on to the strategically important railway junction of Bapaume. Revisionists have argued that the battle was crucial in that it weakened the German troops, while new forms of warfare were introduced during the battle, particularly tanks, though their success was limited by the difficult terrain. Nevertheless, this hardly justified the slaughter of one million men, 600,000 of which were on the Allied side (400,000 British). This ‘mule-like’ stubbornness earned Haig the sorry reputation of a donkey leading heroes.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Somme, Battle of the." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Somme, Battle of the." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-SommeBattleofthe.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Somme, Battle of the." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-SommeBattleofthe.html |
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Somme, battle of the
Somme, battle of the, 1916. When he became commander-in-chief, Haig wanted to advance from Ypres to liberate the Belgian coast. However, the allies had already concerted their operations for 1916, so he agreed to take part in an Anglo-French offensive further south, astride the river Somme, where the British and French armies met. This was part of a plan by which each of the allied armies would attack simultaneously and compel the Germans to sue for peace by Christmas 1916. Haig hoped that he would break through the German defences in a single day. But despite a lengthy bombardment, when his infantry advanced on 1 July, they suffered nearly 60,000 casualties and only dented the German line. The battle continued until mid-November, by which time the British had suffered approximately 400,000 casualties and advanced a maximum of only 8 miles.
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JOHN CANNON. "Somme, battle of the." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Somme, battle of the." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Sommebattleofthe.html JOHN CANNON. "Somme, battle of the." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Sommebattleofthe.html |
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Somme, Battle of the
Somme, Battle of the (July–November 1916) A major battle fought between British and German forces in northern France during World War I. The battle was planned by JOFFRE and HAIG. Before it began the Germans attacked VERDUN, the defence of which nearly destroyed the French army. To relieve pressure on Verdun the brunt of the Somme offensive fell on the British. On 1 July the British advanced from their trenches almost shoulder to shoulder, presenting a perfect target for German machine gunners. The Germans fell back on the Hindenburg Line defences (a barrier of concrete pillboxes armed with machine guns; see SIEGFRIED LINE), while for the loss of some 600,000 men the Allies had gained a few kilometres of mud.
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"Somme, Battle of the." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Somme, Battle of the." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-SommeBattleofthe.html "Somme, Battle of the." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-SommeBattleofthe.html |
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Somme, Battle of the
Somme, Battle of the Major World War I engagement along the River Somme, n France. It was launched by the British Commander Douglas Haig on July 1, 1916. On the first day, the British suffered more than 60,000 casualties in a futile attempt to break through the German lines. A desperate trench war of attrition continued until the offensive was abandoned on November 19, 1916. Total casualties were more than one million, and the British advanced a mere 16km (10mi). A second battle around St Quentin (March–April 1918) is sometimes referred to as the Second Battle of the Somme. A German offensive, designed to secure a victory before the arrival of US troops, was halted by Anglo-French forces.
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"Somme, Battle of the." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Somme, Battle of the." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-SommeBattleofthe.html "Somme, Battle of the." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-SommeBattleofthe.html |
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Somme, battle of the
Somme, battle of the, 1916. When he became commander‐in‐chief, Haig wanted to advance from Ypres to liberate the Belgian coast. However, the allies had already concerted their operations for 1916, so he agreed to take part in an Anglo‐French offensive further south, astride the river Somme. Haig hoped that he would break through the German defences in a single day. But despite a lengthy bombardment, when his infantry advanced on 1 July, they suffered nearly 60,000 casualties and only dented the German line.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Somme, battle of the." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Somme, battle of the." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Sommebattleofthe.html JOHN CANNON. "Somme, battle of the." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Sommebattleofthe.html |
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Somme, Battle of the
Somme, Battle of the a long-running battle in World War I near the upper basin of the Somme River in France. In the four and a half months of fighting (July to mid-November, 1916) little ground was gained by the British and French, attacking entrenched German positions. Casualties were in the hundreds of thousands on both sides, leading to the battle to become a emblem of the destructiveness of war. A smaller battle was fought in the same area in World War II.
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Cite this article
"Somme, Battle of the." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Somme, Battle of the." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-SommeBattleofthe.html "Somme, Battle of the." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-SommeBattleofthe.html |
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