By 1916, trench warfare in the French theater of operations dragged on for too long a period. For many months, the soldiers of the opposing armies could not move a kilometer.
Preparation
The allies represented by the British and the French agreed among themselves on a cohesive offensive. The main role was prepared for the Republican units, while the British undertook to perform support functions. It was the Battle of the Somme, which became one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
According to the plan, the Entente allies were to attack on three fronts at once: Russian, Italian and French. The main points were discussed in December 1915 in the town of Chantilly in Picardy. The Italians and Russians were going to start their operations in June, while the attack on the Somme was scheduled for July 1.
Five armies took part: three French and two English. However, the battle on the Somme did not go at all as planned, when a huge number of soldiers perished at Verdun (about 160 thousand). The front on which the offensive was organized had a width of 40 kilometers. Generals Rawlinson and Fayol commanded this sector. General management was carried out by Ferdinand Foch. German defense was handled by Fritz von Below.
Still in planning stageit became clear that the battle of the Somme would be a long and intense battle, requiring the use of all available resources. The region was pitted with many lines and trenches. The command expected that at first the artillery would devastate each line, after which the infantry would occupy it. This was to be repeated until the last redoubt fell.
Start of offensive
Initially, the positions of the Germans were supposed to be fired upon by artillery. This preparation began even before the large-scale offensive on 24 June. For a whole week, the redoubts and fortifications of the German army were systematically destroyed in order to open the way for the infantry to the defenseless positions of the enemy. The guns also suffered. About half of the combat-ready units were disabled.
As predicted, the infantry set out on July 1st. On the first day, at least 20,000 British soldiers died, including members of the expeditionary corps from the colonies of the empire. On the right flank, it was possible to take the enemy's positions, while on the left, the same attempt failed and ended in a large number of irretrievable losses. Against this background, some French units advanced too far and were under the threat of encirclement and the emergence of a “cauldron”. Therefore, Fayol ordered his soldiers to retreat somewhat and let the allies catch up with them.
Positional battle
The offensive remained extremely slow, which was generally a feature of the entire First World War. Each kilometer was given at the cost of a large number of victims. Sometimes the soldiers returned toplaces where their predecessors were killed and left a year ago. The pre-war border of France, Belgium and Germany has become a cemetery.
By July, neither side was able to achieve strategic success. Therefore, the battle on the Somme drew in more and more divisions transferred from other fronts. Soon the Germans felt a shortage of forces, since in parallel with the events in Western Europe, the Brusilov offensive of the Russian army was developing in the east. There, Austria became the target of the attack, and Germany had to transfer a lot of soldiers and equipment to help her, so as not to meet the divisions of Nicholas II in her peaceful rear.
Depletion of the Germans
By September, the war of attrition had turned for the Germans in that they had to suspend all their offensive actions in the fight against the British and French. This was an important turn in the course of events, helped by the Battle of the Somme. The result of this decision was obvious: the Entente decided to repeat the large-scale July offensive.
Mathematically, the two sides of the conflict were represented by 58 and 40 divisions, not in favor of the Germans. In order to raise the morale of tired soldiers, the heir to the Bavarian kingdom, Ruprecht, arrived in the army. The British responded by using tanks for the first time in history. It was a Mark V model, which had machine guns and cannons (depending on configuration). The machine was unfinished, vulnerable and inefficient. However, it completely demoralized the Germans, who had no idea what the battle on the Somme was preparing for them. The date of the battle stretched out for fourmonth (July 1 - November 18).
Results
In late autumn, the British and French advanced 37 kilometers, after which the Battle of the Somme ended. Skirmishes continued briefly and fragmentarily. The front froze in another expectation. Time has shown that the losses bled Germany dry and gave the Entente the strategic initiative in the last phase of the war. The invaluable experience of cooperation allowed the headquarters of Great Britain and France to more effectively coordinate their actions in future operations.
The Allies lost about 146 thousand people killed and 450 thousand wounded during the offensive. The maimed remained disabled for life, and all because of new types of weapons, such as mortars. The Germans left 164,000 dead on the battlefield, and 300,000 were sent to hospitals.
