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The Battle of the Somme or the Somme Offensive was a series of battles that occurred during the Summer and Autumn of 1916. It involved British and French forces launching a massive offensive on the German lines to break the Western Front's stalemate. The Battle was primarily a battle between the Germans and the British. The offensive was not effective and achieved very little for the allies. The British only advanced a few miles, and the German lines held. The offensive did not break the stalemate and resulted in massive casualties for both sides.

==What was the Allied Strategy for the Battle of the Somme? ==

General Sir Douglas Haig assumed command of the British army in early 1916. He wanted to launch the offensive nearer the English Channel to be closer to the British supply lines. However, the French pressured the British to have the offensive in the Somme region. When the Verdun offensive started, the Somme area saw the withdrawal of many German units. The Germans had little reserves in the area, and it seemed that the Somme was the perfect location.<ref>Keegan, J.<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375700455/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375700455&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=05f6a7874da643b9c91e35ee4c241268 The First World War] </i>.(London: Random House, 1998), p. 12</ref>

==What happened during the Battles of the Somme? ==

The first day of the Somme offensive started after the five-day barrage had ended. For five days, the British had blasted the German lines. Hundreds of thousands of shells landed on the German trenches. The British believed that they had obliterated the German defenses.<ref> Keegan, p. 134</ref> On the first of July, the British and the French ‘went over the top’, that is, they left their trenches and entered into no man's land. The British were ordered to advance at a walking pace. However, some officers on the ground ordered their men to rush across no man's land.

However, they had failed to take many of their objectives, such as Peronne and Bapume. It could be argued that the Battle of the Somme did not end as the British resumed their attacks in the area in 1917. The Somme did not deliver a death blow to the Germans; they were forced back to their second and third defense lines. They had retreated in good order, and they had been able to maintain their lines, and there was no general Allied breakthrough. However, the only benefit to Allies was that they caused 500,000 German casualties. The Germans suffered significant losses, and it may have contributed to their eventual collapse in 1918.<ref>Prior, p. 211</ref> This contention is debatable because Germany could move a significant number of troops to the Western Front after Russia's collapse and replenished their front lines on the Western Front.

The planning for the Somme offensive was rushed. Haig had only been in his role since the previous December. He wanted the British army to attack further north, but political considerations meant that he had to heed the French's opinions. The planning was accelerated because the British needed to come to the aid of the French at Verdun. Additionally, the British wanted to coordinate their attack with Russia during their offensive. This meant that there was a failure to coordinate the British units effectively. Many have argued that the Somme offensive would have had a better chance of success if it had not been rushed. However, it was not only rushed planning that was a problem.

Furthermore, the British generals had been very conservative in their battle tactics. This can be seen in the orders they gave to walk across no man's land and their continued belief in cavalry's effectiveness. If the British High Command had planned the offensive better, it could have been a true success instead of being at best only a partial success. Then there was the fact that the British High Command was reluctant to change the tactics. They persisted using the same tactics from July to November, and after the first day, their enemy knew what to expect and planned accordingly. This meant that the Allies did not secure all their stated objectives.<ref> Wilson, p. 221</ref>

One of the major reasons why the Germans had been able to limit the Allied offensive from July to November was their defenses. They had managed to develop a very sophisticated defensive line. This line allowed them to emerge after the barrages and allowed them to defend their positions against superior numbers. The Germans proved to be very resilient under the brutal Allied onslaught. Their units and the men on the ground had proved to be able to adapt to the terrible conditions of the battle, which Adolf Hitler called ‘not war, but Hell.’” <ref> Victor, George, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574882287/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1574882287&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=8e7a3aab0d3b57441ff3150d411f96cc Hitler: Pathology of Evil]</i>. (Washington, DC, Brassey's Inc. 2008) p. 28</ref>

Furthermore, although they had far fewer guns, the Germans had them organized very effectively in so-called ‘barrage sectors, which allowed them to inflict devastating casualties at the Somme. This was not expected, which meant that the Allies did not achieve the breakthrough they hoped. Then the German soldiers during the battle had been better prepared for example they did not find themselves loaded down with equipment like the British who had to carry almost eight pounds into battle.<ref> Middlebrooks, p. 116</ref> Furthermore, German units proved to be more flexible and could respond better to the dynamic battlefield situation. For example, the Germans proved to adapt to the tanks' threats and found ways to disable and neutralize them.

The Battle of the Somme was not the failure it is often portrayed. It did play an important role in the eventual German defeat in 1918 and did allow the allies to recapture some strategic territory. However, given the losses, the battle did not achieve much, and the Germans did not suffer any major strategic defeats. They proved capable of continuing the fight on the western front for another two years.

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