Page 49 - History of War - Issue 30-16

THE SOMME: 1916–2016

scale offensive north and south of the Somme. directly under the positions held by the 119th
Their views were dismissed by Erich von Reserve-Infantry Regiment. The effect was
Falkenhayn, Chief of the German General Staff, as spectacular as the decision to detonate “It is clear that the enemy is planning
who was convinced that the Allied attack was to the charge before the planned Zero Hour a major offensive. Our patrols have
target Rupprecht’s 6th Army around the Scarpe was disastrous. The explosion heralded the snatched some Englishmen from their
river, near Vimy Ridge and Arras. Yet despite imminent British attack across the front lines trenches and these prisoners reported
von Falkenhayn’s view, a number of British and the soldiers of the German 26th and 52nd that the enemy is planning to attack
prisoners, taken in raids between 24-27 June, Reserve Divisions reacted immediately. Now after a 4- to 5-day artillery barrage
reported that a major attack was going to take was the time to i ght back, and movements on a front 48 kilometres wide. These
place along the Somme front, a report backed that the defenders had practiced continually for preparations were to end in a 12-hour
up by the opening of the British preliminary months were now set in motion. HVYQ¿VI SJ LMKL I\TPSWMZI WLIPPW ERH
bombardment on 24 June. As the Allied barrage inally lifted, the gas. We will greet him accordingly.”
It lasted for seven days, and saw 1,537 defenders were fully prepared and waiting to
Lieutenant Wilhelm Schmeel
artillery pieces ire over 1.5 million shells of receive the British attack. Emerging from their Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr 15
all calibres into the German positions. It was dugouts, the moment had come to resist, and
a bombardment of hitherto unseen scope the fate of the Pals Battalions at Serre, of the
and vehemence. On the receiving end, in their 29th Division at Beaumont-Hamel and of 4th
bunkers, dugouts, and underground redoubts Division at Redan Ridge had been sealed. The
the German defenders suffered – and waited. German defenders set about stopping the
The relentless artillery bombardment levelled ‘race to the parapet’ being run by the British. “Dear parents, I hope you are still
trenches, caved in defensive positions and By the end of the day, the British 4th Army well. I am still all right. By now the
turned survival above ground into a matter of had suffered more than 57,000 casualties, damned shooting has been going
luck; nevertheless, casualties inlicted were with over 19,240 of them dead. Between on for 5 days! The effect though is
lower than both the attackers and defenders Gommecourt and Montauban four German relatively small. Best wishes to you
had expected. But for the Germans sheltering divisions had taken on 12 British ones and had all! Wilhelm. If God wills it, we'll
underground a week of continuous Trommelfeuer dealt them a terrible blow. Across the front, the see each other again.”
(drumire) was a psychological ordeal. The German 2nd Army had suffered about 5,000 to
defenders were desperate to get out of their 6,000 killed, wounded or taken prisoner. GefreiterWilhelmKarlScheuermann
Reserve-Infanterie-RegimentNr121
dugouts and felt utterly helpless, vulnerable and
lost. They waited; there was little to do but write Materialschlacht
letters to their loved ones at home. In the following 140 days, the Allies continued
to deliver blow after blow. Learning from 1 July,
Triumph and catastrophe on they employed more methodical approaches in
1 July 1916 an attempt to wear their enemy down. Focus was
In the early morning hours of 1 July the artillery switched to taking key terrain features, instead “The thunder of the guns and the
sound of detonating shells is
bombardment still raged when, at 7.20am, of trying to punch through the German lines. To ear-deafening. It is pounding
the sound of a massive explosion broke the do this they employed new artillery and offensive through the night like the surf of a
continuous roll of drumire. The British had tactics – innovations that slowly took their toll storm-beaten sea. We can only sit
blown a 40,000-pound explosive charge under on the defenders – but interestingly it was the and wait. It is hell. Please Lord, let
the Hawthorne Redoubt near Beaumont-Hamel, Germans themselves who, by following strict
them come!”
LieutenantWilhelmSchmeel
“THE EFFECT WAS AS SPECTACULAR AS THE DECISION TO DETONATE Reserve-Infanterie-RegimentNr15
THE CHARGE BEFORE THE PLANNED ZERO HOUR WAS DISASTROUS”

Machine-gun position at the Somme,
October 1916

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