First and foremost, the excessive number of deaths during the Battle of the Somme led to conscription at the homefront. After the British suffered 420,000 casualties, the western front was in desperate need of men. The relentless human tolls …show more content…
Battlefield planning was abysmal, on rare occasions where it was present. The British abandoned walking in the assault and attempted to exert a creeping barrage directing artillery fire at targets just in front of the advancing troops, which led to the mass fatalities of the soldiers at the Somme. Inchoate planning was made for the timings and coordination of the barrage. Despite the British extending the duration of the bombardment to seven days and firing 1.7 million shells, the shelling failed to destroy the German wire. This shows the incipient planning, as even after such tremendous efforts and heavy shelling, it failed to destroy the wire, the basic line of defense. This hasty planning contributed greatly to the failure at the …show more content…
They learned to use their resources in a wise manner that would be propitious for them. During the Battle of Hill 70, the Allies poured a cauldron of burning oil onto Cite St-Elizabeth, on the southern slopes of Hill 70, from batteries of livens projectors. The ensuing fire and smoke from the oil-blackened the sky and screened the attacking battalions from defensive fire from Lens. Pernicious Gas also accompanied the oil, making it strenuous for the German forces to defend and attack. The smoke screen produced by the British made it arduous for the Germans to target the British army. The smoke became an obstacle for the Germans as opposed to the Somme, where it was effortless to shoot down the allies. A German prisoner stated, "British [your] gas shells descended on us by the ton, and life in the underground defense of Lens is simply Hell". This shows the tactical success the Allies gained through enhanced strategy such as the smoke screen which made it arduous for the enemies to defend. Moreover, the Battle of the Somme taught the Allies numerous lessons such as punctilious planning, improved leadership skills, and contemporary battlefield tactics.
Despite the fact the Somme was not an amiable battle for the triple entente, it metamorphosed numerous developments. In the Canadian homefront, it introduced conscription and the Wartimes Election Act. The Somme also taught subsequent battles in the western front battlefield