World War I Battles
The Battle of Somme
At roughly 7:30 a.m. on Saturday July 1st 1916 Britain sent out it’s young soldiers for one last attack of the Western frontier to end the war. For many of the soldiers they felt it their duty to give 100% effort in the hopes of doing their country proud and ending the War. Unfortunately for many of these brave soldiers it would be their last breath of air, and all this well before the unexpected ending of the War in two years time. By the close of that fateful July day 60,000 British soldiers, all of which loved dearly by someone back home, lay dead or wounded near a river whose name would live on forever; the River of Somme.
The Somme Battle lasted until late November 1916, during which one million two hundred thousand soldiers from all sides were killed or wounded in action to take woods, ridges and villages, which by the end of the battle were nothing but tree stumps and rubble. Those 142 days will be remembered in infamy. The Battle of Somme ranks as one of the two most, bloodiest battles ever fought on this earth up to that date.
It is claimed that the Battle of Somme destroyed the old German Army by killing off its best officers and men. The Battle of Somme was fought by volunteer soldiers raised in 1914 and 1915. These soldiers consisted of the finest and choicest of young manhood. The officers came mainly from public schools and universities.
Had it not been for the inexplicable stupidity of the Germans in provoking a quarrel with America and bringing that mighty people into the war against them just as they had succeeded in eliminating another powerful foe-Russia the Somme would not have saved many from the inextricable stalemate.
The Battle of Somme proved to be a waste of valuable lives, lives that could have amounted to something. The Battle of Somme did not accomplish what the Battle was intended to accomplish which was to end the War in 1916, but on the contrary the War ended in 1918.
A School Link Article. Courtesy of Sabrina Cinquino, LCCHS, March 18, 1999 .
