John French - Santone History



Student Name

Mr. Santone

CHC 2D

Thursday October 16 2014

The Greatest of the Slaughters

The Battle of the Somme took place during the summer of 1916 and was one of the largest of the Great War. Characterized as a useless slaughter, the Somme highlighted for many the brutalities of war. The Somme was the most important battle in World War I. This can be demonstrated through an examination of its reputation as the bloodiest battle in human history, the complete disregard for human life on the part of British commanders, and the specific case of the Newfoundlanders at Beaumont-Hamel.

The Battle of the Somme was the bloodiest battle in human history. More than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed during this 141 day campaign. (Wikipedia, 2014) On the first day alone, the British suffered over 57,000 casualties, with more than 19,000 killed. It was the single bloodiest day in British military history. (First World War, 2009) By the end of the battle, the troops of the British and French empires suffered over 600,000 losses, while the forces of Germany lost almost 500,000 men. (Veterans Affairs Canada, 2014)

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, chief of staff of the British Expeditionary Force, was the architect of the battle. After the slaughter on the first day of the battle, Haig insisted the Germans had “undoubtedly been shaken and have few reserves in hand.” (HistoryNet, 2014) Haig continued to fight the battle for four months before winter forced the hostilities to end. By then, his army had suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties. Military historian John Keegan has characterized Haig’s leadership as the “greatest tragedy in Britain’s military history.” (Keegan, 1999) Haig continued to believe in the cavalry long after it was proven that mounted soldiers were useless in World War I. (HistoryNet, 2014) Haig’s Somme offensive was badly planned and badly organized, and highlights the brutalities of the Great War.

One of the most striking examples of the destructiveness of the Battle of the Somme occurred at Beaumont-Hamel where the Newfoundland Regiment was almost completely destroyed. No covering artillery fire supported the Newfoundlanders as they left their trenches and German machine gun fire mowed them down in large numbers before they even reached the gaps in their own barbed wire. (Newfoundland and the Great War, 2014) Private Anthony Stacey, who watched the assault from a forward trench, recalled he “could see no moving, but lots of heaps of khaki slumped on the ground.” (Veterans Affairs, 2014) The few Newfoundlanders who made it to the German lines realized the week-long artillery barrage that preceded the battle had not cut the German barbed wire. In 30 minutes, it was all over. Over 700 members of the Newfoundland Regiment were killed, wounded, or missing. Only 68 responded to roll call the next day. (Munroe, 2014) The battle had annihilated the Newfoundland Regiment.

The Battle of the Somme was the bloodiest battle in human history. For this reason it was the most important battle of the Great War. Poor planning and bad organization resulted in the most destructive battle in the history of the British Empire. The almost complete destruction of the Newfoundland Regiment is an important example of this. The brutalities of the Somme represent everything that was wrong with the First World War.

References

(2009). First world - battles - the battle of the somme, 1916. [online] Retrieved from: [Accessed: 10 Oct 2014].

Heritage.nf.ca (2014). Newfoundland regiment: the somme, 1916. [online] Retrieved from: [Accessed: 15 Oct 2014].

History Net: Where History Comes Alive - World & US History Online (2014). Field marshal sir douglas haig: world war i's worst general. [online] Retrieved from: [Accessed: 12 Oct 2014].

Keegan, J. (1999). The first world war. New York: A. Knopf.

Munroe, S. (2014). Newfoundland still mourns its losses at beaumont hamel. [online] Retrieved from: [Accessed: 15 Oct 2014].

Veterans.gc.ca (2014). Battle of the somme historical sheet - historical sheets - the first world war - history - remembrance - veterans affairs canada. [online] Retrieved from: [Accessed: 10 Oct 2014].

Veterans.gc.ca (2014). Battle of the somme historical sheet - historical sheets - the first world war - history - remembrance - veterans affairs canada. [online] Retrieved from: [Accessed: 15 Oct 2014].

Wikipedia (2014). Battle of the somme. [online] Retrieved from: [Accessed: 10 Oct 2014].

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