What happened at the Battle of the Somme in 1916?
Battle of the Somme, (July 1–Nov. 13, 1916) Allied offensive in World War I. British and French forces launched a frontal attack against an entrenched German army north of the Somme River in France. A weeklong artillery bombardment was followed by a British infantry assault on the still-impregnable German positions.
Who filmed the Battle of the Somme?
The Battle of the Somme (US title, Kitchener’s Great Army in the Battle of the Somme), is a 1916 British documentary and propaganda war film, shot by two official cinematographers, Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell.
Was the Battle of Somme worth it?
If the First World War was worth fighting, then the Battle of the Somme was worth the cost. The Somme was an Allied offensive. British government ministers expected heavy casualties, but feared that the French war effort might collapse if Britain did not participate in the joint campaign for 1916.
What was significant about the battle of Somme?
The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War I, and among the bloodiest in all of human history. A combination of a compact battlefield, destructive modern weaponry and several failures by British military leaders led to the unprecedented slaughter of wave after wave of young men.
What was the goal of the battle of Somme?
Battle of the Somme: The aim was to relieve the French army fighting at Verdun and to weaken the German army. In total, there were over one million dead and wounded on all sides, including 420,000 British casualties, about 200,000 from France, and an estimated 465,000 from Germany.
Did Germany win the battle of Somme?
However, despite these heavy losses, the battle of the Somme can be seen as a German victory. The Entente forces were unable to break through the German defence and were unable to achieve the victory for which they hoped in July.
Why the Battle of the Somme was a failure?
The British Generals in particularly placed too much faith in their new weapons, especially their tanks and artillery’s ability to dislodge and destroy defenders in networks of trenches. These all ensured that the Somme largely failed to be the decisive victory that its planners had hoped for in the Spring of 1916.
How bad was the Battle of Somme?
British forces suffered more than 57,000 casualties—including more than 19,000 soldiers killed—on the first day of the battle alone, making it the single most disastrous day in that nation’s military history.