the bloodiest blood bath yet unknown battle of the somme b b l n
TRANSCRIPT
BATTLE OF THE SOMME
BY LOUIS N AND BEN B
“Lions led by Donkeys”
The Big Push
The Battle of the Somme began on the 1st July 1916. The commander of the British forces,General Haig, thought his army of young
recruits would storm across the German line and advance for miles before the end of the 1st day. He thought it would be ”The Big
Push” that would win the war.
The Battle of the Somme lasted for five months. It was the most costly battle of the 1st World War. The British gained a few miles of muddy
ground and over 1,000,000 men lost their lives
These are the allies killed
• Over twenty thousand British soldiers were killed on the first day(that is only the British).
• Overall over one million men were killed during the course of the battle.
THIS IS HOW THEY GOT MEN TO SIGN UP
If you look at this picture no matter from what angle the finger will always be pointing at you.Try it see how it goes.
The Land Forces
BROWN-GERMAN EMPIREGREEN-THE ALLIES
Trench conditionsTrench conditions were dingy and damp. if a shell landed near them it could collapse on you. Trenches could also be the thing that saved your life shielding you from the gunfire over no mans land. They also were full of rats.
PMDuring WW1 H.H. Asquith was the prime minister of England. Although he may not be as famous as Winston Churchill he did a lot for Britain.
GasGetting gassed was really nasty, the gas masks back then were unreliable and it was a big palaver to put some of them on, so you had to be quick so as not to inhale any gas.
Over the Top
• All the people managing the war had fought previously with swords and on horses, so the only way they knew to attack was to charge.
• As a result they sent men over the top of trenches with guns and they got shot down by the opposing side’s machine guns, before they went very far.
The Generals
• The generals didn’t understand modern warfare and so the men were at even more of a risk of death.
• This is why so many men were shot for cowardice.
SoldiersSoldiers were always prepared for shells that could hit at any time of the day or night. They fought very bravely, even when they knew they would probably loose their lives.
