Aim: pupils can understand why the British attack at the Somme, 1916, was not the break through they hoped.

Task 1: Read through all the evidence to see if you can figure out why the attack failed.

Evidence: Barbed Wire

The German general, called Falkenhayn, had massively enlarged their barbed wire defences. They started with one line of barbed wire, which was 5-10 yards thick and ended with two lines of wire, each about 30 yards thick!

Those shells that landed did not always destroy the barbed wire and often the blown up pieces landed back down on earth in an even more tangled mess.

It remained intact in places and gaps turned into ‘death corridors’ for German machine gunners to shoot at.

Evidence: Artillery Bombardment

The British initially planned to bombard the Germans for five days (but this was extended to seven days).

The first two days were designed to cut through the barbed wire. The remaining three days used heavier artillery to attack the German trenches, dug outs and their artillery, kept behind their trenches.

But General Haig decided to spread out the artillery fire to attack the German supply trenches as well. This meant that the British could not fire enough shells on one area to do enough damage.

Evidence: Shells

The British did not always use the right type of shells for the job. Shrapnel shells were fired on barbed wire, even though these were only designed for killing infantry.

When it came to bombarding the German trenches and dugouts, the British did not have enough ‘heavy artillery’, the sort that fired shells strong enough to break through strong defences.

Finally, many of the shells fired were ‘duds’ and did not even detonate at all!

Evidence: Taking Aim

British accuracy when it came to artillery was much improved by the end of the war. But at the Somme in 1916 they still had much to learn.

They soon gave up on trying to hit the German artillery, which was kept behind the German trenches. This meant that the Germans could fire shells on the advancing British as they crossed no-man’s land.

Evidence: German Dugouts

The German general, Falkenhayn, deepened the German dugouts. The had been 6-9 feet deep but he made them 20-30 feet deep to stop shell fire reaching them. They were big enough to hold 25 men.

Evidence: The French

The Somme was the ideal location for an Allied attack as it was exactly where the French and British trench lines met. The plan was for both the French and British to attack the Germans together.

However, the Germans attacked the French Verdun and so they could not help the British in the attack at the Somme. The British expected a joint effort but had to do it alone.

Evidence: Pals Battalions

The Somme was a real test for the new ‘Kitchener’s Army’. Many of these were new recruits who were inexperienced and lacked proper training.

Many men enlisted as Pal’s Battalians, serving as a group from a single location to help improve their moral. But this could be devasting for certain towns, such as Accrington. In the first day of the Somme, 250 of the 700 Accrington Pals were killed and another 350 were wounded in the space of 20 minutes.

Evidence: Tanks

The tank was a new invention that the British hoped would shock the Germans. The British could advance behind them to avoid getting shot and the tanks themselves could roll over barbed wire and fire a machinegun.

However, the tanks could only move at walking pace at this early stage. Further delays occurred when more than half of them broke down in the attack.

The first day of the Somme was the bloodiest in British History. There were 57,470 casualties (of which 19,240 were killed).

Despite this, the battle continued for 141 days before the overall attack was finally called off.

In some places, the British had captured land 10 miles beyond the German starting position.

This video from the Imperial War Museum shows the wounded being brought back to the British lines.

Task 2: Now you need to decide whether you think the British failure at the Somme was their own fault or whether the Germans deserve credit themselves. This is this term's assessment so be sure to give it your best shot. Attached is a planning template to help you out. There's also a writing frame, but feel free to go it alone if you feel confident.