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The Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme. Learning Objectives: To understand what happened at The Battle of the Somme and why To examine if it was “worth it”?. Match the question with the answer…. Battle of the Somme.

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The Battle of the Somme

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  1. The Battle of the Somme Learning Objectives: To understand what happened at The Battle of the Somme and why To examine if it was “worth it”?

  2. Match the question with the answer…

  3. Battle of the Somme • The Battle was planned as a joint attack by the British and the French, however the French were under pressure at Verdun so they could not join in. • Haig wanted to delay the fighting so that his would have more time to prepare, but the French insisted so Haig organised the attack.

  4. The Plan • The attack would begin with a week-long artillery bombardment of the German front line to destroy their defences. (Haig claimed, 'not even a rat would be alive' at the end of it.) • The Infantry (foot soldiers) would then advance to take hold of the German positions, closely followed by a charge of Cavalry (soldiers on horses) who would sweep through breaking the enemy line in two.

  5. The Reality • The week-long artillery bombardment actually warned the enemy that an attack was coming. This gave them plenty of time to prepare for it. • The German dugouts were well made and heavily defended. The German soldiers were able to hide in their underground bunkers until the infantry attack started. • The bombardment had churned up the ground badly making the British advance more difficult. • Many British artillery shells failed to explode, so some parts of the German defences had not even been touched. • When the men went over-the-top at 7:30 am on 1st July, wave after wave were simply mown down by enemy fire.

  6. Plan vs Reality Diagram • Create your own diagram of the plan vs the reality • Use the Somme Fact File to help you decide what to include.

  7. The Plan vs The Reality

  8. Outcomes of the Battle • Approximately 60,000 men were killed or wounded by the end of the first day. • The French, attacking where the German defences were weaker, were more successful but without back up from the British they were unable to hold on to their advance. • Haig allowed the bloodshed to continue despite the growing losses. By the time he called off the attack on 28th November 1916, more than 450,000 British, 200,000 French and 650,000 German soldiers had been slaughtered. • After four months of fighting the Allies had advanced a distance of no more than five miles.

  9. Battle of the Somme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tv5gBa9DQs • After watching the video, you will have 2 choices: • Using moviemaker/powerpoint produce a presentation on the Battle, the reasons for it, the outcome and question “was it worth it?” • Take the role as a newspaper editor....

  10. Read all about it! • You are a journalist on the front line working for the Daily Mail and your editor has asked for a report on the battle of the Somme. You must include: • What happened and why • Whether you think the problems encountered were Haig’s fault • You must question “was it worth it?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ0pw_QVrXY

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