The Battle of the Somme, 1916 (AQA GCSE History) : Revision Note
The Battle of the Somme, 1916 - Timeline & Summary
The Battle of the Somme, fought from 1st July to 19th November 1916, was the largest and bloodiest battle of the First World War. Lasting 140 days, it was a British-led offensive under General Sir Douglas Haig. It involved British, French, and Empire troops. The battle aimed to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun and weaken German forces.
On the first day, the British suffered over 60,000 casualties—the worst in their history—earning Haig the nickname 'the Butcher of the Somme.' However, the Allies adapted tactics as the battle continued, introducing new tactics like the creeping barrage and weaponry such as the tank.
By its end, the Allies had gained an area of land approximately 25 kilometres long, and six kilometres wide. While the territorial gains were limited and came at a cost of over one million casualties, the Somme succeeded in relieving Verdun and significantly weakening the German Army. Germany struggled to recover from the heavy losses.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
There are several battles which you will need to learn about in the AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension: The First World War course. Students often find it difficult to remember what happened at which battle. An easy way to remember each battle is to assign one key feature or outcome to each battle.
For example, the Battle of the Somme is significant due to its high casualty rate and the first use of the tank.
Causes of the Battle of the Somme
The Allies aims at the Battle of the Somme
The British offensive at the Somme aimed to:
break the stalemate
push back the Germans
The Allies plan for the Battle of the Somme
General Haig used aircraft for reconnaissance of the German trenches
Aircraft would look at the German position, front lines and weaponry
Haig planned for a large artillery bombardment of the German trenches
Haig hoped that the bombardment would:
destroy the German front lines
cut the barbed wire
destroy German artillery
kill Germans in the trenches
Once the bombardment stopped, Haig planned to send the soldiers 'over the top' and take the German trenches
It was believed that there would be no Germans left in the trenches and that the advance over no man's land would be easy
Events of the Battle of the Somme
June, 1916
On 24th June 1916, the artillery bombardment started and lasted for a week
Over 1.5 million shells were fired in eight days
July, 1916
On July 1st 1916, the bombardment stopped
The first wave of British soldiers went over the top of the trenches at 7:30 am
British and French soldiers were met by German machine gun fire and attacked the Allied advance with ease
On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the British suffered 60,000 casualties with 20,000 dead
Why did the attack on the 1st of July fail?
The Allied artillery bombardment had failed
The German army knew the attack was coming as they saw the reconnaissance aircraft
German soldiers were moved out of the trenches or into concrete-fortified dugouts
The artillery bombardment had failed to destroy:
the barbed wire
The shells were not strong enough to break the barbed wire
In some places, the barbed wire became even more tangled from the shelling
Some of the shells were poor quality and failed to explode
The barbed wire was cut in a few places along the German line which created a bottleneck and allowed German soldiers to easily kill the advancing Allied soldiers
the German trenches
The Allies did not know that the Germans had concrete-fortified trenches
the German artillery
The Germans knew the attack was coming so they moved their large artillery
When the artillery bombardment stopped, the Allied advance did not start straight away
This gave German soldiers time to get to their positions and prepare for an attack
The British generals did not change their tactics when it was made clear that the artillery bombardment had failed and continued to send soldiers over the top
In some areas, soldiers were ordered to walk over no man's land
Soldiers carried heavy backpacks and tools making it harder to manoeuvre their way through no man's land and the German machine gun fire
July - November, 1916
General Haig continues to use similar tactics to those used on the first day of the Battle of the Somme
The Allies saw some victories and gained German territory
Germany attempted to regain this land with a series of counter-attacks
The Battle of the Somme saw the first use of the creeping barrage and the tank in an attempt to break the stalemate and push the Germans back
The creeping barrage saw some success at the Battle of the Somme
In November, attacks were stopped due to the winter weather
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You could be asked to write a 'Write an account' question on the Battle of the Somme in the AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension: The First World War exam paper.
When revising this battle, you should focus on the sequence of events and organise them into causes and consequences. This will help you understand the battles and to answer the 'Write an account' question.
More help and guidance on the 'Write an account' question can be found here.
Significance of the Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme is generally considered an Allied victory as:
The French regained control of Verdun
The Allies gained land
25 kilometres long and six kilometres wide
However, the British and French suffered great casualties
Britain and France had approximately 620,000 casualties
Germany had approximately 500,000 casualties
German strategies were highly influenced by the outcomes of both the Battle of Verdun and the Somme, in 1916
Germany started to use 'unrestricted' submarine warfare in an attempt to remove Britain from the war
General Douglas Haig
After the battle, Haig was given the nickname 'The Butcher of the Somme'
Haig has been given this title as:
many claim he was responsible for the failure of the artillery bombardment
it is believed that the soldiers were 'lions led by donkeys'
Haig continued with the offensive using similar tactics
Haig warned politicians that the country needed to "be taught to bear losses"
the Somme was the first offensive using volunteers and Pals battalions, who received little training before the offensive
Although some historians believe that Haig was 'The Butcher of the Somme', others claim that Haig and the generals were not butchers
Generals created plans based on out-of-date information due to poor communications
Generals had no experience with this type of warfare and did the best that they could
They achieved many of their aims
The French regained Verdun
They gained German territory
Examiner Tips and Tricks
'Lions led by donkeys' is a historical phrase used to describe the soldiers (lions) who were led by the Generals (donkeys) in the First World War.
This phrase implies that the soldiers of the First World War were led to their deaths by incompetent Generals of the First World War. The Battle of the Somme provides a lot of historical evidence to support this idea.
However, many modern historians have debated and challenged this idea. As many argue that other factors caused high casualties during these battles, not just the Generals.
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