Battle of Somme Documents

(Doc 1) After the war, Sir William Robertson , Chief of the Imperial General Staff, attempted to explain the strategy at the Battle of the Somme.

Remembering the dissatisfaction displayed by ministers at the end of 1915 because the operations had not come up to their expectations, the General Staff took the precaution to make quite clear beforehand the nature of the success which the Somme campaign might yield. The necessity of relieving pressure on the French Army at Verdun remains, and is more urgent than ever. This is, therefore, the first objective to be obtained by the combined British and French offensive. The second objective is to inflict as heavy losses as possible upon the German armies.

(Doc 2) Sir Douglas Haig explained the importance of using heavy artillery at the Battle of the Somme in his book Dispatches , that was published after the war.

The enemy's position to be attacked was of a very formidable character, situated on a high, undulating tract of ground. The first and second systems each consisted of several lines of deep trenches, well provided with bomb-proof shelters and with numerous communication trenches connecting them. The front of the trenches in each system was protected by wire entanglements, many of them in two belts forty yards broad,  built of iron stakes, interlaced with barbed-wire, often almost as thick as a man's finger. Defenses of this nature could only be attacked with the prospect of success after careful artillery preparation.

Fact about the Battle of Somme

• Attempted to relieve pressure on Germany attack on the French fort at Verdun
• General Sir Douglas Haig was the British commander was masterminded the attack
• The tank was first used in this battle – it was most ineffective
• Allies gained only 12 kilometers in their victory
• On the first day of the battle, some 20,000 were killed and 35,000 wounded

Casualties during the Battle of Somme