5/30/2023 0 Comments Verdun casualties![]() ![]() In the best case, they would hastily execute an offensive at the Somme, suffer heavy casualties as well, and open themselves up for a decisive German counterattack. The French would be tied down, and if they lost badly, the British would be forced to intervene. By capturing the heights east of the River Meuse and loading them with artillery, the Germans could constantly threaten the city and the local defences, forcing the French to continuously attack the German defences. Verdun was not Falkenhayn’s first choice, since it was a heavily fortified area, but it was also a commanding location. It must be a place the enemy could not afford to lose, for strategic or propagandistic purposes, and would thus fight until wiped out. In order to deliver the blow in the north, he would attack at a place further south that would draw in as many French forces as possible. But he’d learned the hard way that without eliminating or at least tying down the French beforehand, the defence would be too strong. The British lost 419,634 men, the French 204,253 and the Germans an estimated 415,000.To Falkenhayn, the weakest point of the Western Front was the British sector, and attacking at Artois could, he believed, lead to a decisive breakthrough that would collapse the whole Western Front. When winter brought the offensive to a halt, the Allies had advanced about 6 miles. They captured Beaumont-Hamel, but failed to take the village of Serre. On 13 November, they launched their last attack across the Ancre. ![]() Thiepval was finally captured, and in October the British attacked the high ground overlooking Le Transloy and the River Ancre. Tanks were used for the first time at Flers-Courcelette, but they were few in numbers and mechanically unreliable. In mid-September, the Allies resumed their general offensive. There followed weeks of bitter fighting at Pozieres, High Wood, Delville Wood, Guillemont and Ginchy before the third position was breached. ![]() The British captured La Boiselle, Contalmaison and Mametz Wood, and a night attack on 13/14 July broke through the second German defensive position at Bazentin. Over the next few days, a series of smaller attacks developed. ![]() The worst casualties were suffered by: Regimentġ0th West Yorkshire (Prince of Wales’ Own)ġ5th West Yorkshire (Prince of Wales’ Own)ġ6th West Yorkshire (Prince of Wales’ Own)ġ2th York and Lancaster (Sheffield City Battalion)Ģnd West Yorkshire (Prince of Wales’ Own) The Yorkshire regiments who took part in the attack on the first day suffered 9,000 men killed, wounded and missing, more than any other region in the UK. The volunteers of the New Armies advanced into battle in long, close-formed lines, presenting a perfect target to the German machine gunners. Some troops managed to reach their objectives, but others were unable to cross No Man’s Land in the face of heavy machine gun fire. In the north, however, German defences were largely undamaged, and the attacking infantry suffered heavy casualties. In the south, where the bombardment was effective, the Allies advanced rapidly and captured the villages of Montauban and Mametz. The aim was to cut the barbed wire, destroy the trenches and dugouts, and silence the enemy’s gun batteries. A further 230,000 shells were fired in the hour before the attack, and when the attacking troops rose from their trenches ten huge mines were exploded. In the 7 days before the battle, the British artillery fired 1,508,652 shells against the first German defensive position. For many of the men who had volunteered to serve in the ‘Pals’ and ‘Chums’ battalions, it was their first experience of war. The majority of the troops were volunteers of Kitchener’s New Armies: ordinary men from all walks of life, who were enthusiastic but poorly trained. There were only a handful of Regular battalions that had crossed the Channel with the British Expeditionary Force in 1914, and a few more Territorials that had already seen action in 1915. The British Army that fought on the Somme lacked experience. The battle, which raged for four and a half months, was fought to relieve pressure on the French forces, who were engaged in the fierce struggle for Verdun, and to reduce by attrition the German army’s ability to fight. Soldiers go over the top at the Battle of the Somme ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |