Paige


 * You don't seem to have source information. Do you have print sources too?

Trench Warfare -- Battle of the Somme** STYLE TIPS
 * strong words at the beginning/end of a sentence/paragraph
 * period causes a pause, makes the last word read resonate with the reader
 * strong verbs
 * always use verbs in the active; not passive
 * "take it easy on the "ing" verbs; use the present or the past

The Battle of the Somme epitomizes the harsh realities of trench warfare for the Allies and represents the negligent battle planning and technological advancements that are associated with the stalemate of World War One. Trench warfare was common across the Western Front, with similar strategies being employed by both opposing sides. Sir Douglas Haig, one of the British coordinators for the Somme offensive is blamed with an offensive strategy destined for failure. The British offensive, an utter failure, resulted in a stalemate, which was common throughout World War One. The British development of the tank, while it eventually ended the horrendous stalemate, was ineffectively used during the Somme.


 * THESIS: The Battle of the Somme epitomizes the harsh realities of trench warfare for both the Allies and the Germans in World War One. The Somme is representative of negligent battle planning as well as technological advancements which led to the prolonged stalemate associated with World War One. **

I. Trench warfare became a common practice in World War One, leading the war to become one of attrition. Both sides enacted similar basic strategies and dealt with many of the same debilitating conditions.
 * Use of barbed wire
 * Conditions in the trenches
 * Food rations
 * Lice/rat infestation
 * Trench foot/ other diseases
 * Weather
 * Rainy season led to mud traps where no battle could be fought

II. The British went into the Somme with a mixed attack plan, which led to an unsuccessful first assault resulting in a battle of attrition.
 * Haig vs. Rawlinson
 * Haig = infantry over artillery – wanted to attack and siege the German trenches
 * Lack of trust for volunteer units
 * Rawlinson = “bite and hold” – defend and pressure on German counter-attacks
 * Chose a mix
 * Heavy bombardment followed by an offensive
 * Heavily weighed down so they can keep the trench they overtake
 * HUGE loss – 60,000 men
 * Lack of follow through with sections overtaken trenches
 * Communication failure

III. German Defense
 * deeply dug trenches (bunkers) -- how deep?
 * Safe from all artillery shelling
 * Would remain in the trenches until the firing had stopped then return to their positions
 * Made it hard to destroy the front line to overtake
 * Machine gunners
 * Would sit behind the walls and pick off British soldiers as they slowly came towards the trenches

IV. During the battle of the Somme the invention of the tank, which ultimately helped the British to gain an advantage in the overall war was developed and tested.
 * Female vs. male tanks
 * Ineffective at first
 * Psychological effects
 * Made Germans feel powerless to see huge “monsters” coming at them

· Troops were largely protected against the enemies small artillery o Defense has the advantage · Often resulted in stalemate – little battle progress made o Slow weakening of the enemy · Even victories often resulted in high casualties for both sides · Most Famous: Western Front of WWI o 2 years (1914-1918) o Border between France and Belgium was completely fortified · Others: o Italy/ Gallipoli · The Somme à result of trench warfare · Viewed during WWI as brave men going to their deaths because of narrow minded commanders who didn’t adapt to the new war situations; needless slaughter in bad conditions · 10% of fighting soldiers were killed; 56% of total troops became casualties (injury or death) · Occasional ceasefires would be called in order to allow for the dead to be buried – disapproved of by war commanders · Defend your own trenches while trying to make a break through into the enemy lines · Main tactic was to attack from no man’s land during the night · Infantry bombardments were used to try to destroy the enemies defenses but often proved ineffective because they warned enemy of the coming attack · Communication proved to be a key issue while trying to attack – no mass wireless communication devices · · Elaborate systems by both sides opposite the enemy · Middle ground was filled with barbed wire to protect both sides – called “No Man’s Land” o Played a key role and defensive parties were sent at night to better the wiring · Early trenches were much simpler – many men fighting side by side in a single trench · **Defensive Trenches** o 3 parallel lines connected by communication trenches · Built in a zigzag pattern so that if the enemy gained one point; or a bomb hit the impact would not travel far easily
 * __English Research Paper – Trench Warfare__**
 * Strategy**
 * Structure**

· Time at the front line was limited – people would cycle between different trenches · Typical battalions would only be called on for battle a few times a year · Trenches were quiet during the day because of sniper watches and artillery observers · Most supply movement, fortifying, etc took place at night · Poor sanitary conditions lead to disease outbreak in trenches
 * Life in the Trenches**

· Constant shelling resulted in random death among the trenches · Snipers – took out men who peered over the edge of the trench into No Man’s Land · 1/3 allied casualties resulted from the trenches · Millions of rats infested the trenches o Contaminated food o Fed on human remains Trench Fever · Headaches, skin rashes, inflamed eyes, leg pains · One of the biggest causes of sickness · Transmitted through lice bites

Trench Foot · Fungal infection on the feet

The Trench Cycle · Rotation men were expected to follow while serving in the trenches · 3 different areas: Front-line; support; reserves

Stand To/Morning Hate · Men awoke and prepared for a dawn attack by the enemy · Both sides would do this – often times attacks actually happened; even though the enemy was aware · Opposing sides would issue breakfast truces where they would ceasefire for food to be supplied and eaten o High ranking officers/officials disliked these truces and would try to stop them if they found out about them · Men were assigned daily chores in the trenches such as refilling sandbags, repairing trench floors, draining the trenches

Nights in the Trenches · Little sleep for the soldiers · Stand to from the morning is repeated to ward off against an enemy attack · Supplies were moved about under the cover of night · Men would be relieved during the night hours – under the cover of dark


 * Battle of the Somme**
 * July 1st 1916 -- November 18 1916
 * epitomizes the horrendous effects of trench warfare
 * one of the costliest battles of WWI
 * 30 km front -- British were attacking the Germans in order to relieve the French lines to the South(?)
 * French were occupied at Verdun where they were under attack from Germans
 * meant that the British had to take a large majority in the Somme
 * was planned to be a joint French-British attack
 * battle of attrition
 * wear down the enemy; make them use all their supplies
 * land gain = secondary goal
 * Joffre (French) and Haig (British) = leaders of the Allied armies

Structure/Timing
 * goal was to attack and take a 20 mile front then turn North and drive the Germans back to allow room for the cavalry to come through
 * 8 day preliminary bombardment of German Trenches (June 24)
 * thought this would destroy all German attack trenches so that British could easily obtain No Man's Land and attack the trenches
 * did not have the desired result -- did not destroy barbed wire or concrete bunkers
 * warned the Germans that an attack was coming
 * attack began with 17 mines detonated by Allies
 * early attacks made little progress because Germans were prepared and barbed wire wasn't destroyed in bombardment


 * 58,000 British killed in the first day
 * Haig originally said that if they did not have a decisive victory early on the battle would be stopped -- changed his mind

__Use of Artillery__ __British__ __French__ __Germany__
 * decided to use a massive amount of artillery prior to the offensive assault
 * thought that the heavy bombardment would destroy German barbed wire and significantly effect their front lines
 * would make up for the inexperienced British army
 * hoped to win the battle from the start
 * instead there was a large amount of defective shells and instead of destroying the wire it moved it in various directions where infantry still could not pass easily
 * 420,000 casualties
 * military disaster due the to the rigidity of their planning
 * Haig presented the soldiers with a plan that required no thinking and was based on a strict timetable
 * didn't trust the common person to think for themselves
 * saw warfare as a large industrial operation
 * INFANTRY OVER ARTILLERY -- rather than Rawlinson's "bite and hold" theory
 * ended with a mixed plan of attack
 * heavy bombardment
 * limited objectives in the Southern part of the line
 * problem: infantry consolidation after the capture of German trenches to hold off counter attacks
 * soldiers who went "over the top" on the first day were heavily laden with supplies so that they would be able to hold the trenches -- meant that they moved slowly and were easy targets for German machine gunners
 * tried to control every uncertainty by ignoring them --- meaning that the British couldn't capitalize on advancements made
 * THE PLAN: bombard German trenches and destroy front line and defense then move through No Man's Land and take the trenches. Following the taking of the trenches cavalry would rush through and pursue the fleeing Germans
 * was supposed to be a decisive victory
 * were forced to take responsibility for the majority of the Somme -- against the original plan
 * never achieved their goal of capturing Bapaume
 * STRATEGY
 * instead of using quick infantry attacks with "fire and movement tactics" the British decided to march forward in lines at a steady pace -- BAD
 * strategy was unclear -- didn't respond as the Germans continued to strengthen their defenses
 * didnt consider the Germans have the geographic advantage
 * Bombardment failed to destroy the barbed wires and front lines
 * many defective shells
 * deployed mines that had been laid underneath the German defense
 * THE FIRST DAY
 * perfect weather -- sent large amounts of troops out in broad daylight to march towards the German defense
 * NO element of surprise anymore
 * conditions favored the defending Germans
 * few gaps in barbed wire created a bottleneck effect which resulted in easy slaughter for the Germans
 * captured German trenches in few areas but were unable to hold them because no reinforcement was able to reach there
 * only success was that the French has captured Mametz and Montauban
 * NIGHT ATTACKS
 * surprise attack at night on July 13 gave the British new hope
 * broke through a 3.5 mile sector
 * poor communication however allowed the Germans to restore their defenses and retake that sector
 * tried to create a diversionary attack to the North in order to keep German reinforcement from reaching the Somme
 * seemed to be useless when the German defense still seemed formidable but attacked anyway because it would be "bad for morale" if they didn't attack
 * British government was unhappy with the large casualty number that was a result of the Somme
 * became a battle of attrition following the first day where no significant gain was made
 * largely inexperienced volunteer troops
 * very optimistic; no experience
 * few divisions made it to the German trenches on Day 1 but was
 * offensive was a huge failure
 * after the first offensive tried to to focus on the Southern sector of German trenches
 * would make progress but no back-up = retreat
 * bad planning prior to offensives led to large casualtie
 * 200,000 casualties
 * had a more successful offensive than British -- stronger artillery and weaker defense
 * weren't able to exploit their advances without British support and were forced to retreat
 * were originally supposed to lead the offensive at the Somme
 * following the German offensive they had to lessen their activity at the Somme and focus on Verdun
 * 500,000 casualties
 * had already dug deep well fortified trenches in hopes of staying on French soil
 * remained underground protected from the shellfire until they offensive started; when they emerged to man their defensive positions
 * were forced to move men from their offensive at Verdun to protect the defense at the Somme
 * ultimately held their ground -- were only repulsed a few miles (after 10 days)

__NEW WEAPON -- THE TANK__
 * creeping barrage
 * antidote to the machine gun -- helped to become a solution for the Trench Warfare stalemate
 * were only available in small numbers and used ineffectively
 * only about 50 tanks available at the time
 * many broke down and never actually made it to the enemy trenches
 * however had a psychological effect in favor of the British
 * Germans felt powerless when "monsters" came at them across the fields and were able to roll over trenches while dispensing machine gun fire
 * tank turned the battle in favor of the British -- allowed them to more easily take towns that had been under siege

__THE RAIN__
 * huge disadvantage for the British -- turned everything to a mud field
 * illuminated the disadvantages of heavy bombardment
 * the rain tore up the ground which the offensive hoped to cover and thus when it rained it became huge mud pits completely uncrossable



[] [] -- life in the trenches http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/somme.htm http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/somme.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_somme.shtml http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/battlefields/137-brit-tact-somme.html The Experience of World War 1 -- J.M. Winter