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Breaking the Deadlock | Verdun | The Somme | Cambrai
While Verdun represented a German attempt to break through the French lines, the Somme was a Franco-British attempt to pierce the German lines further north. Initially conceived as a small-scale offensive based mainly on artillery firepower, General Haig expanded the offensive throughout the second half of 1916 in an attempt to achieve a major breakthrough.
The attack opened on 24 June 1916 with a tremendous artillery assault that, according to reports, rattled windows in London more than 160 miles away. The purpose of this bombardment was to obliterate the German positions so that the British troops could then move forward unchallenged.
However, Britain's failure on the Somme can be directly attributed to the ineffectiveness of this bombardment. Many - up to 30% - of the shells fired during the first week of the offensive were duds that failed to explode. In addition, the British had insufficient numbers of the heavy guns and high-explosive shells needed to destroy the German positions.
In contrast, the French possessed a greater number of powerful artillery pieces and directed a shorter and more intense barrage across a narrower front, a tactic that more effectively neutralised the German positions.
The difference between the two approaches is evident in the contrasting casualty rates on the first day of the infantry assault (1 July). On that day, French troops captured all their objectives while sustaining only light casualties, whereas the British gained very little territory and lost 58,000 men - the highest losses sustained by any army in a single day during the entire war.
Despite such sacrifice, Haig (at the prompting of the French) continued with the offensive until mid-November. By the time it was abandoned, 1.1m British, French and German troops had been killed or wounded and the deadlock remained.
Despite such sacrifice, Haig (at the prompting of the French) continued with the offensive until mid-November. By the time it was abandoned, 1.1m British, French and German troops had been killed or wounded [Britain, France and Germany had lost 1.1 million men] and the deadlock remained.
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