History- The battle of the Somme and the generals

Stalemate

A deadlock in a battle situation where neither side makes any progress

Attrition

Gradually making something weaker and destroying it through sustained attack or pressure

Conscription

Where everybody in the country has to be in the army and fight

Why did the Battle of the Somme happen?

To gain territory and draw the German troops away from Verdun

What are the main weapons and strategies used

There was huge artillery bombardment and mines would devastate Germans positions. The enemy is barred wire would be cut and the German trenches and dugout smashed

What was Britain’s army like

What was Britain’s army likeIt was made up of volunteers unlike Germans army which was full of trained soldiers

What vital weapon did the Germans have

They had a machine guns that killed many English soldiers whilst they’re in no man’s land

Which general missed that opportunity to change the battle plans and therefore the English army didn’t conquer Thiepval

Sir Thomas Morland

Could the English keep up with the Germans intelligence

No

What did the commanders failed to adapt throughout the day

The original Battleplans

How many English soldiers were killed on the first day of the Somme

19240

How many English soldiers were wounded on the first day of the Somme

37,000

What did England used to break the stalemate

A creeping barrage to fight and move forwards

What did the British invent during the somme

Tanks

What was the German strategy

To bleed France white

Pyrrhic victory

At victory where you lose almost as much as you gain

Who was in charge of the BEF

Sir Douglas Haig

How far the general is behind the front line

35 miles

What unsuccessful tactics did the generals keep on using

Artillery barrages, infantry charges across no mans land

How many generals were killed

97

What did Haig do about cavalry

He kept large numbers of them even when they were useless for most of the war due to the trenches

What new technology were the generals hesitant to use

Tanks, aircraft, gas

What was the British battleplan

To kill as many Germans as possible, to gain territory, to draw the German troops away from verdun

How would the british carry out their battle plan

They would do a bombardment to kill most of the German soldiers however that failed. They would use tanks to defend themselves they would use artillery barrages and carry out infantry charges across no mans land