by Jack Lee
As a departure from our norm I wanted to bring you this brief summary of the Battle of the Somme. It has to be one of greatest testiments human fallability of all time. As you read the tragic mistakes made by trusted leaders contrast that against today’s high expectation of surgical warfare fought without error and a bare minimum of friendly casualties. Try to imagine the reporting and the impact on our society a battle like Somme would have today.
The year was 1916; WWI had stalled into trench warfare where the combatants were often within yelling distance of each. Near the Somme River in the north of France two massive armies gathered along a stretch of land about 12 miles wide. Both sides dug rows of zig zag trenches and deep underground fortifications. Between the trenches was no man’s land. It was devoid of trees, pock marked with shell holes and laced with an exaggerated form of barbed wire with sharp 1 inch spikes designed not injure but to snag just long enough for the opposing machine gunner to cut the trapped soldier in half.
The ancient tactics of cavalry charges and human waves used to overwhelm the enemy were about to become the monumental blunders of aging generals, still fighting the last war as old generals so often do.
The British plan called for an artillery barrage completely off the scale of anything previously experienced in war, 1.7 million shells were fired into the concentrated German lines. After this Hellish shelling it was assumed the German’s would be virtually obliterated and resistance would be light. Then the combined forces of British and French could merely walk across the open area to occupy the enemy trenches.
What was not expected or factored into the plan was the fact that many of the artillery shells would not explode., As many as 1 in 3 failed, not because of sabotage, but because they were poorly assembled. On the British home front inexperienced workers, mostly women without adequate instruction, assembled the shells improperly. There was also a serious shortage of high explosive shells that could effectively tear apart the soldier stopping barbed wire directly in front of the German trenches, but the plan was taking on a momentum that could not be stopped for such minor events like artillery shells being mostly the wrong type for the mission. They were shrapnel
type designed to be used against an exposed enemy. Another deadly factor was the British order for the advancing infantry to walk close abreast when they left the safely of their trenches. At the time it was felt that chaos would ensue if they charged the enemy. The generals concluded it was necessary for the infantry to carry 70 pound packs and this would also make a running charge impossible. All this was to have drastic consequences for the allies at the Somme.
If the German lines had been decimated as they had expected this slow march forward might have worked well enough, it would certainly have been more orderly than dropping packs and running zig zaging across open ground to avoid being cut down easily. The British no doubt would have moved the needed supplies forward for occupation and fortification quickly and efficiently. However, when zero came on 16 July at 7:30 a.m. the British and French moved over the top into the open ground only to discover to their great surprise tand horror the German forces were still in tact! As the allies marched without cover the German machine gun nests poured out hot lead cutting down the well formed waves of soldiers advancing in steadly right into their gun sights. In that first assault some allied regiments suffered over 90% casualties. The first day’s tally was a horrific 57,470 wounded 19,240 dead. The French prefered to send small units crawling forward under the cover of darkness and then when in place and the main assault was launched they would spring forward causing chaos in the enemy trenches. This was great tactic not accepted by the British until much later in the war.
Among the dead was an American by the name of Alan Seeger. He was a 1910 graduate of Harvard and the Uncle of folk singer Pete Seeger. Alan was in France and enlisted in the French Foreign Legion when the war broke out and wrote this prophetic poem the day before his death.
“I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air–
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.”
The battle ended with the onset of winter when it became clear no side could achieve victory. In the beginning the allies committed 13 British divisions and 11 French and the Germans defended with 10.5 divisions. Before it was over the British has spun up 51 divisions, the French 48 against the German’s 50.
The battle of the Somme was the bloodiest in history. 620,000 dead, wounded, missing, or captured, 100 tanks destroyed and 782 aircraft shot down. For all their effort the allies gained about 2 miles of ground!
WWI was a (1) wasteful contest that was ignited over the death of one man. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria who was shot by a single anarchist. This young nobody asassin was part of a small group of nobodies who conspired against the ruling class because of social grievances. Distrust, alliances and poor communications fueled by disinformation, accusations and other events quickly spiraled out of control. This forced the mightiest nations of Europe to war against each other and it changed our world forever. Germany’s expansionism and the issues from the previous Franco-Prussian war were also factors in WWI.
1. I have now eliminated the word “pointless” just before the word wasteful. While I believe WWI was largely a pointless war done more to satisfy a few militarists, there were some serious points of contention that could have provoked war. Ironically it was not [those points] that was the rational for war, it was the assassination of the Archduke by pawns in the greater game.