Somme, July 1st 1916

On the 1st of July 2006 it was 90 years ago.
The battle of the Somme a combined action of Britain and France.
One of the biggest slaughters the world ever faced.
The bloodiest day in British military history, 57,470 casualties, 19,240 of them killed or died of wounds.
A shocking total compared with the 10,000 to 12,000 Germans killed or wounded during the bombardment and on
the battle the first day.

The battle ended in November 1916 after winning some seven miles.
The Allies cost was almost 624,000 casualties, nearly 420,000 of them British.
The Germans casualties between 500,000 and 680,000.

If History learns us something, this definitely is one to keep in mind.
War is madness!

It has been stated the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was not well trained on July 1st 1916.
The initiating bombardment did not destroy the barbed wire and stopped too early.
The defending Germans were already in their trenches when the attackers game.
Machine-guns made crossing open ground a nightmarish prospect and created a massacre.

Later attacks learned from these failures.
In 1917 the Canadian attack on Vimy Ridge, one of the most heavily defended points on the entire Western Front,
was trained in advance using the platoon-level tactics.
This breakthrough had tremendous tactical importance.
It relieved the city of Arras from immediate threat of attack and proved that the front lines could be moved
forward once again, after years of bloody stalemate.
Vimy Ridge was the first Allied victory in almost a year and a half and it was especially demoralizing
for the Germans who had viewed the Ridge as one of their most impregnable strong points.

Does this makes war acceptable? No, it makes war incomprehensibly!

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