The Meaning Of Battle Of The Somme

The plan was simple, practically unbeatable, and a sure win for the Allies. Nothing could possibly allow it to fail. The Battle of the Somme was a complete military blunder when the fight broke out on that dreadful July 1st morning in 1916, to when it ended on November 18th, 1916. Despite the fact that the French needed relief from the German’s at Verdun, the Somme Offensive was only supposed to be a short battle. What it turned into was a mass killing of numerous troops on both sides of the battle due to failed strategies and relentless pressure despite the death. Therefore, while the Battle of the Somme may have accomplished most of its duties, it still remains a costly reminder of what happens when plans are not put together properly. To understand the entire Battle’s meaning, the focus must be shifted to February 21st, 1916 when the German’s tried to invade the sacred military town of Verdun. Under German rule, the troops were told to, ‘bleed them [France] white,’ and they very nearly did. France knew that they would need to protect Verdun at all costs and its 19 forts, so they directed most of their troops to that battle. The German’s, knowing that France would do this, proceeded to stage a bloody battle on them because with all the French troops in one place, they were under the impression that France …show more content…
For their endeavors they received close to 6 miles of land, but in turn they had 400,000 casualties, and the French had over 200,000. The Germans ended the battle with close to 650,000 casualties in their own effort. These staggering numbers have never been experienced before in war. The estimated 1.27 million casualties was unfeasible in any other war, and it goes to show to the great extent in which the plan failed and the power of the weapons being used. To this day, the British forever remember the Somme, as the worst military mistake and loss of life in their