The Somme was a river east of the city Amiens, and was to be the site for the Allied Offensive as was decided between General Joffre and General Haig via their meeting in late 1915. Additionally, it was to start in the summer of the 1916, as a joint offensive of the British and French into German territory, but do to early start to the Battle of Verdun, the British would be almost be alone for the operations as Verdun was exhausting French forces at an alarming rate.
Initial Troops on the Ground: Allied Forces, would have a considerable advantage in this aspect as they had amassed, "18 British Divisions and Five French Divisions." In addition, the allied forces would amass 2,400 artillery guns along the 25 mile front, which would consist of almost 1,000 heavy guns, between both of the joint forces. As for the Central Forces, they would have the short end of the stick as they would have only six divisions, but had a tremendous variable in their favor, being their defensive positions, that would be describe by the "British Bulldog," Winston Churchill, as "undoubtedly the strongest and most perfectly defended position in the world." (Lyons,2000). The Battle of Somme Begins: The Offensive was scheduled to begin on June 29th, 1916 after a preliminary shelling of five days beginning on June 24th, 1916, but was delayed like the Battle of Verdun, due to inclement weather conditions. Although, the bombardment when on almost as scheduled, the attacks had little to no effect due the under-skilled manufacturing of British Munitions which, would have little effect on the German Defensive positions. So, the 141 day battle along "No Man's Land," Began.
The Nature of the Fighting:
The nature of fighting at the Battle of Somme, was much of the same as the Battle of Verdun, Trench warfare and the utilization of artillery and machine guns creating a tug of war that would last almost 5 months. Yet, the Battle of Somme would deliver the world into a new type of warfare as the Tank Warfare would finally be born. This type of fighting although, ineffective at this Battle would later change the course of the Great War and ultimately help lead the Allied Forces to Victory.
Casualties:
Total Allied Casualties: 620,000 Wounded or Killed Total Central Casualties: 465,000 Wounded or Killed Total Casualties: 1,105,000 Wounded or Killed (Brosnan, 2017).
The Advance:
The Offensive of this Battle originated by the Allied Forces, as they began their assault into German Lines, which ironically were abandoned for stronger positions in the months following the Battle.
The Disposition of the Forces at the Battles Conclusion:
As for the Disposition of the Forces on both sides, the horrors of the scorched earth at Somme, weighed heavy. As due to the incredible losses on both sides, complete changes in leadership were done in response to the incredible loss of life at not only the Battle of Somme but, at the Battle of Verdun. With over one million soldiers dead or wounded, the disposition of the both forces and respective countries were disbelief and fatigue, as well as a bewilderment of how and why this had happened.
The Geography of the Battle of Somme:
The geography of this battle was pretty cut and dry for both sides, being that the location of the Battle was out on the countryside near the banks of Somme River and nearly 20 miles from the town of Amiens. This Battle had its interesting points though, with German Forces literally dug into the area, with heavy fortifications completely along their lines, ranging from 40-yard-deep barbwire front-lines and deep underground shelters, as well as additional high fortifications located in the Chalk Ridges and even more fortifications built into the small villages and wooded areas surrounding the region. Overall, the geography of region favored the German Defensive and would prove a very daunting task for the Allied Forces. (Lyons, 2000).