Key Facts

The aim of the British attack was to break through the German lines and defeat the German army. It was also hoped that this attack would help the French army which had been under a strong German attack at Verdun.

General Haig believed that he had the secret of a successful allied attack. A heavy bombardment by the artillery would destroy the German barbed wire, trenches, machine guns and soldiers. The bombardment would lift and at dawn on 1st July 1916 the British troops would cross No Man's Land and occupy the German trenches. Heavy casualties were not expected. Soldiers were assured by their officers that it would simply be a matter of stroll across No Man's Land on a sunny day.

The German trenches were bombarded for a week but the German soldiers were secure in concrete bunkers 10 metres underground. The shells bounced off the concrete. Also they did not destroy the barbed wire but blew it up into the air and it fell down again more entangled than before.

At the appointed hour the artillery moved away from the German trenches and the infantry left the British trenches and headed into No Man's Land. As they did so German troops raced up from their bunkers, manned the machine guns and started to fire at the advancing troops.

The British troops advanced in straight lines as if on a parade ground and as they did so the German machine guns opened fire. Very few British troops reached the German barbed wire and those that did were too weak to capture the German trenches.

The first day was a complete disaster for the British. 20,000 British troops were killed on the first day and nearly another 40,000 were taken prisoner or so badly wounded that they were unfit for service the next day.

The battle dragged on until November when it was called off. There had been no breakthrough despite the use of tanks at one point and victory seemed as far away as ever.

Read pages 44 and 45 and answer the following questions-

What preparations did the British make for the attack on the Somme?

How did the British hope to knock out the German defences?

How is this confirmed in sources B and C on page 44?

How long was the British bombardment?

Why did it not work?

What was the impact of this on the British attack?

What were the casualties for the first day of the Somme?

The Battle of the Somme Help Sheet

Answer questions 1 and 2 on page 45.