The Battle of the Somme Lesson Resources PDF

The Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Passchendaele Lesson Resources for Week 8-9 1 How to use this booklet The information and tasks should follow your lessons. The idea here is that you ‘use the notes; don’t make the notes.’ This means that we would rather you engage in the lesso...

The Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Passchendaele Lesson Resources for Week 8-9 1 How to use this booklet The information and tasks should follow your lessons. The idea here is that you ‘use the notes; don’t make the notes.’ This means that we would rather you engage in the lessons, ask and answer questions, highlight key bits of information, complete tasks rather than copying down the information from the ppts. In the Discovery sessions we ask you to watch a video and read some new information and complete some tasks based on this. This should prepare you for the Explore lessons and make them less overwhelming. The booklet also contains additional questions related to the Discovery content that you can use for Cycle Test, Summative and final exam revision This way of learning should help to make sure that you have a firm understanding of the content before we move onto the Explore lessons. It is crucial that the Discovery tasks are completed. The textbook that we have asked you to buy will still be a valuable aide. It will offer further detail to extend your understanding of the subject. Please make sure that you have this booklet with you for each lesson and then you can follow the lessons seamlessly. You can print it out and write on it or save it to your computer, whichever works best for you. 2  Week 8 Discovery Lesson: The Battle of the Somme The Somme: the largest and bloodiest battle The Battle of the Somme took place between 1st July and the 18th November 1916 It was fought near the River Somme in northern France by the armies of the British and French against German forces. It was the largest battle of WW1 with more than 3 million men taking part. With around one million men being wounded or killed it was also one of the bloodiest battles to ever have taken place in human history. Why the Somme? Since the summer of 1915 the British commander on the Western Front, General Douglas Haig and the French commander General Joffre had been planning a coordinated attack in the hope of breaking the stalemate and pushing the German forces back. The French and British lines of trenches met around the river Somme, and this was selected as the place where the attack would take place. Haig had wanted to attack the Germans in Flanders (Belgium) but Joffre, a French general, successfully argued for the Somme. The first half of 1916 was spent planning and preparing for the battle which was to begin in the summer of 1916. Things, however, did not go to plan….. Verdun In February 1916 German forces attacked the French at the French fortress of Verdun. Whilst Verdun was not of any real strategic importance, its historical significance meant that the French were prepared to defend it at any cost. This is exactly what the Germans had planned. The German commander planned to ‘bleed France white’. France was therefore no longer able to play a major role in the Battle of Somme that had been planned for the Summer. France would send 5 divisions instead of 40. 3  Moreover, the Battle of the Somme now gained another crucial objective. It was now essential to draw German troops away from Verdun and relieve pressure on the French forces. The Plan The plan for the Battle of the Somme was uncomplicated. Douglas Haig, commander of the British forces at the Somme, believed that an intense bombardment of German forces would destroy their ability to oppose an infantry advancement. The British would then march over No-Man’s land unopposed. Soldiers would carry heavy backpacks and tools, so that they could repair the captured trenches when they got there The artillery bombardment began on June 24th 1916. In total, 1.7 million shells were fired towards the German trenches and No-Man’s Land. According to Haig, ‘The wire has never been so well cut, nor military preparations so thorough.’ 4 Revision questions Question Answer When did the Battle of 1 the Somme take place? 2 Give one objective of the Battle of the Somme 3 How many shells were first in the week before the Battle? 4 What was the bombardment meant to do? 5 The First Day At 7.30 am on the 1st of July the first wave of soldiers ‘went over the top’. On the first day alone, the British suffered 60,000 casualties - 20,000 dead, 40,000 wounded or taken prisoner, on the first day. The highest number of casualties and deaths ever recorded in a single day by the British Army What went wrong? The Germans were aware that an attack on the Somme was being planned by Britain and France. German observers in planes and balloons had noted the newly constructed roads and railways lines and had watched the movements of guns and soldiers. They were therefore not taken by surprise when the massive artillery attack started on the 24th June 1916; they were prepared German troops quickly moved back from the front-line trenches to specially built, strengthened trenches and bunkers, meaning the month-long artillery failed to kill the expected number of Germans. Worse still, one third of the shells fired were duds: they did not explode. The type of artillery used was also inefficient. Shrapnel rounds (shells that throw out small pieces of metal) were used more than high explosive shells, meaning the German concrete bunkers were not destroyed. Once the shelling stopped the German soldiers left their shelters, dragged their machine guns to the front lines and waited for the attack on foot to begin The artillery behind the German lines was not destroyed, meaning that when British soldiers left their trenches, they were faced with intense artillery bombardments as well as resistance from the German trenches. 6 And there is more… One intention of the shelling was to destroy the barbed wire that surrounded German trenches. The shells did not destroy the barbed wire but often just lifted it up and dropped it back down in a more tangled mess. Places where gaps had been made became bottlenecks. They were easy targets for enemy machine gunners. The slow pace of the British advance (remember they had been ordered to walk rather than run) only made these problems worse. British communication trenches (the trenches that connected the front-line trenches to the support trenches) were too narrow. This meant that reinforcements were slow to attack the Germans and made it easier for the Germans to prepare for each wave of attack. What happened next? Despite heavy losses, Haig continued to send men ‘over the top’ throughout the summer. He was confident of victory and knew that he had to relive the pressure at Verdun. Some gains were made, and different tactics were used, for example the creeping barrage. Tanks were also used (against the advice of experts). Out of the 50 tanks used 29 broke down before reaching the battlefield and the rest soon became stuck in the mud. However, the breakthrough that Haig hoped for never happened Haig had believed that British and French forces would take roughly 20 miles of land. By the end of the battle on 18th November 1916 only 5 miles had been secured. British casualties totalled 420,000, French 200,000 and German casualties were at around 500,000. 7 Revision Question Answer 5 How many casualties did the British suffer on the first day? 6 Give three reasons why the first day was such a disaster. 7 How much land had Haig hoped to take and how much was captured? 8 How many Allied casualties were there? How many German causalities? 9 Give one way in which the Battle of the Somme can be viewed as a failure 10 Give one way that it can be viewed as a success? 8  Week 8 Explore 1: How successful was the Battle of the Somme Starter: Put the phases of Haig’s plan of attack for the Battle of the Somme into the correct chronological order. Order Stage of the plan of attack Cavalry advance through the gap in the enemy lines, attack the German flanks & restart the war of movement. German trenches are bombarded with artillery along a 25 km stretch of the Western Front for seven days. Most German defending soldiers are killed & barbed wire trench defences destroyed. Allied Infantry advance across No Man’s Land to occupy German trenches. We will gather a huge new army of soldiers and send thousands of shells and supplies to the reserve trenches. Ten mines will be dug under German strong points. They will be exploded 2 minutes before the attack. We will send out spotter planes to report on progress as the allied soldiers capture the trenches. 9 Task: Find the incorrect statement and correct it! The Reality 1 Women on the home front worked hard to send thousands of shells and supplies to the reserve trenches. New recruits were quickly trained and sent to the Western Front. 2 The barbed wire was not cut by artillery shells. 3 The call to go ‘over the top’ was delayed until 2pm. 4 As the British soldiers were easy targets for the German machine guns. 5 During the bombardment many of the new shells were duds which failed to explode. The German dugouts were not destroyed as the Germans had reinforced them with concrete. 6 The mines were not positioned correctly and did not explode under the German bunkers. 7 Low cloud prevented the British spotter planes from realising that the plans were not working. 10  Task: Connect the error with the correct explanation of what went wrong British errors during the Battle of Explanation of the effect of the the Somme error Haig ordered a seven-day British The Germans were effectively artillery bombardment designed to warned the infantry attack was kill the German defenders in their about to begin. trenches. Haig believed the artillery Most Germans were safe bombardment would cut the barbed underground in reinforced wire defending the German trenches. bunkers. They returned to their positions in the trenches once the artillery bombardment was over. The British detonated the mine at The British infantry were easy Hawthorne Ridge 10 minutes before targets for German machine gun the infantry advanced so it could be fire. filmed. British soldiers were ordered to walk The artillery tangled the wire towards the enemy trenches as Haig worse than before making it even was confident the German defenders more difficult for the British to were dead. get through. 11 Task: Categorise the statements below to show successes and failures of the Somme. The battle destroyed the On the first day of the last of the German On the 11th day of the Battle battle, the British suffered professional army. Germany of the Somme, the Germans 57,470 casualties. Of these, replaced these troops with halted their assault on 21,392 were killed or missing; untrained men, which had a French positions at Verdun. the bloodiest day in British massive impact on their military history. morale and ability to fight. Despite 1 million shells being By the end of the Battle in British soldiers were largely fired over seven days by November, the British had told to advance at a steady British artillery, the suffered 420,000 killed or pace at the start of the German’s deep dugouts had wounded and the French battle rather than run or not been destroyed, nor had 200,000 killed or wounded. make use of cover. the German barbed wire. Haig refused to change his Tanks, used by the British in tactics, despite significant The Germans suffered battle for the first time, failures on the first day. He 500,000 killed or wounded by broke down without winning was nicknamed ‘The Butcher the end of the battle. much territory. of the Somme’ The volunteer soldiers who By the end of the battle in The British were not able to fought for Britain on the November, the British had end the stalemate of trench Somme gained valuable advanced 6 miles rather than warfare by breaking through experience which helped the expected 20 miles. German lines. Britain in later battles. 12 Task: How far does Source A support the evidence of source B about the Battle of the Somme? Explain your answer. (8 marks) Source A – A German soldier’s eyewitness account of the first day of the Battle of the Somme At 7.30am the hurricane of shells ceased as suddenly as it had begun. Our men at once clambered up the steep shafts leading from the dugouts. The German machine guns were hurriedly put into position. A series of long lines of infantry were seen moving forward from the British trenches. They came on at a steady pace as if expecting to find nothing alive in our trenches. A few moments later, when the leading British line was within a hundred yards, the rattle of machine gun fire broke out. Whole sections of the line seemed to fall. All along the line, men could be seen throwing up their arms and collapsing, never to move again. Source B – Written by a British soldier who fought on the first day of the Battle of the Somme We lost as many men, shot whilst trying to get through the barbed wire as we did whilst crossing No Man’s Land. I think the Germans had been reinforcing their barbed wire before the battle. Our generals thought that the artillery bombardment had destroyed the German barbed wire. I can’t understand why they thought that. All artillery does to barbed wire is to make it even more tangled up. The soldiers all knew that, so why didn’t the generals? 13  What is Source A saying about the Battle of the Somme? In what ways does Source B AGREE with In what ways does Source B DISAGREE with Source A? Don’t forget those SSQ (short Source A? Don’t forget those SSQ (short sharp quotations) sharp quotations) How far does Source A support the evidence of Source B? 14 Plenary: Match the question with the correct answer: What was Britain’s reason for 1st July 1916, the order was given to go attacking at the Somme? over the top When did the Battle start? Only a few square kilometres had been gained. How long did it last? Hundreds of thousands. How had it helped the French? 18 November 1916. How much land had been gained? To take the pressure off the French army at Verdun How many soldiers had been 5 months killed? When did the Battle end? The pressure at Verdun had been lifted. 15  Week 8 Explore 2: The Battle of the Somme Challenge yourself! How many of these questions can you answer? 1) When did the Battle of the Somme first begin? 2) What was the name of the General who led the offensive at the Battle of the Somme? 3) What weapon was used for the first time at the Battle of the Somme? 4) Give one feature of a trench 5) Give one disease suffered by soldiers in the trenches 6) Give one use of aircraft during WW1? 7) The Schlieffen Plan was designed to avoid what? 8) At which river was the German advance stopped? 9) What is stalemate? 16 Read the below statement by Henry Hamilton, a war reporter during the war. “The Somme and Haig were, in truth, very disappointing. Haig looked the part but had little general intelligence, no imagination or creative spirit. Haig will be held accountable for the appalling slaughter in the Somme battles, caused by his flinging masses of men against positions far too strong to be taken by assault. Summarise in your own words his view on Haig and the Somme Highlight the key words and phrases that give you this impression 17 Task: Highlight the sources which support Hamilton’s view - green. Highlight the sources which do not support Hamilton’s view - red. A: N Jones in ‘The War Walk’ (1983) B: A documentary on the Somme ‘The British fired 1,783,000 shells, 3 per second, (2016). at the Germans. The British were confident the ‘Ypres was more ideal where the land was wire and defences had been wiped out…but they flatter, and the strategic value was were wrong. They failed to realise that German higher. But pressure to relieve the French bunkers were sometimes dug 40 feet deep. Many meant the British needed to make their had been unaffected and now knew the British push at the Somme River. In doing so, it were coming.’ forced the British’s hand, but it diverted German forces north, away from Verdun. Without it, the French would most certainly have been overwhelmed.’ C: A modern historian (2020) D: Retired British army officer (2003) Haig was the first general to use the tank in big ‘British generals were not uncaring, they numbers. It was a new bold strategy.’ accepted, as they had to, that the very nature of war would lead to many deaths, however hard they tried to avoid them’. E: George Alexander Haig, General Haig’s son F: Philip Warner in ‘Field Marshal Haig’ (2006). (1991). ‘The Battle of Somme broke the German’s. ‘The cost of victory at Somme was Without attacks, the war would have gone on and appalling, but Haig’s military methods were on. This was a war of attrition, and someone had in line with the ideas of the time, when to break first.’ attrition was the method used to achieve victory.’ 18  The Butcher of the Somme? General Haig has often been blamed for the losses at the Battle of the Somme. Some historians call him the ‘Butcher’ , a heartless general who cared little for his soldiers and sent them needlessly to deaths using outdated methods. Some have dismissed this highlighting the problems facing all generals at the time and the successes at the Somme. Think! ‘General Haig thoroughly deserves the nickname the ‘Butcher’. He was a heartless general who cared little for his soldiers and sent them needlessly to deaths using outdated methods’ How far do you agree with this interpretation of Haig? 19 On the one hand, given the horrendous casualties suffered by Allied forces at the Somme, it is perhaps understandable that Haig has received such criticism and has been labelled ‘The Butcher of the Somme.’ The first day alone saw Britain suffer 60,000 casualties , the worst single day in British military history. A substantial number of these casualties could have been avoided if better planning and preparation had taken place. Haig knew about the barbed wire and the German dug outs yet he seriously over estimated the ability of the artillery to destroy German defences. Moreover, Haig refused to alter his main tactics even after the first day and continued to send men ‘over the top’ time and time again. Ultimately, 4 months of fighting and over 620,00 Allied casualties failed to make the breakthrough that Haig had hoped for. At most the Allies had only advanced by 5 miles along just part of the Western Front. Label the paragraph above to show The opening point that makes it clear what this paragraph will argue. Refers back to the question. Detailed subject knowledge Use of connectives to build up your argument 20