The Influence Of The Somme Offensive On The Western Front

On July 1st, 1916, the foundation of today’s artillery profession was forever established. The Battle of the Somme (otherwise known as the Somme Offensive) was actually a series of battles that spanned over 141 days, from July 1st to November 18th, 1916. The Battle of the Somme would claim over one million casualties in the end. Three hundred thousand would be killed in action, effectively making this battle one of the deadliest in history. The militaries of 1916 were very tactically awkward. Commanders never before truly experimented with the concept of combine arms on this grand of a scale. This battle was famous for its advances in aerial tactics, as well as the first appearance of the British Mark 1 Tank. However, one of the key aspects of the Somme Offensive was not only did it feature one of the largest artillery barrages in history, …show more content…
Parts of the German trench line were successfully assaulted, and now provided shelter for the front line troops. On the conclusion of the first day, the officers understood they needed to drastically change their artillery tactics. The first thing the British demanded were high explosive shells that were designed to penetrated defenses. As the rounds were being delivered with the upmost urgency, the British used their forward positions in the newly conquered trenches to better see the placement of the German defensives. With one of the world’s greatest concentration of howitzers behind them, the British Officers began to prefect not only their forward observation skills, but skills needed to make proper adjustments. As the battle wore on, the quick learning British soldiers also implemented the proper math steps to perfect the creeping barrage that would give the Allies the ability to properly move under suppressive fire. The British would use this newly mastered technique until the conclusion of the