British Attitudes To The Battle Of The Somme

503 Words3 Pages
British and French forces came together with their massive arsenals of artillery to bombard German forces in an attempt to create the first successful offensive of the war. This was five days prior to the official start date of the Battle of the Somme. It was the recent innovation in the realm of artillery that led the British to stockpile such a large quantity of guns and shells and place them in a position to gain an advantage in the war. One of the most interesting was the no. 106 fuze that drew off the French technology that allowed something to detonate on the slightest contact with an object. Comparing this to the shrapnel shells fired from 18 pounder field guns that had to be precisely detonated or the barbed wire would not be affected, Britain had found a more effective way to…show more content…
Though it is often said that all new age weaponry developed during World War 1 helped push the war in the trenches forward, this time it advanced the war in a different way in Great Britain. A report from the British 7th Division’s history noted, “during these days the British gunners sent in to the enemy’s positions more shells than had been fired in the first twelve months of the war.” This massive five day artillery bombardment and Battle of the Somme became the turning point in British attitudes towards the war. At the start of the war a British Lord named Kitchener called for recruits through a program seeking volunteers who were prepared to fight. Unfortunately Kitchener’s Army debuted in the Battle of the Somme following the Artillery bombardment, causing more casualties than the British army had ever seen before. The Battle of the Somme was the first major example of how technology had surpassed tactics, damaging the British army significantly. The big guns artillery race that
Show More
Related

  • Technology In Ww1

    1702 Words  | 7 Pages

    hugely effective reconnaissance tool in spotting artillery positions, enemy trenches and battle movements. The planes were firstly equipped with large cameras and would take photos of enemy positions, which proved important in pinpointing the enemy’s movements and location. This was showed at the battle of Mons in August 1914, when an allied aircraft spotted German troops attempting to flank and surround the British Expeditionary Force. The BEF managed to escape the manoeuvre thanks to the reconnaissance

    Read More

  • Conscription Crisis Research Paper

    1181 Words  | 5 Pages

    employees. Most women worked in factories or served as nurses/ ambulance drivers in the war. It was because of Conscription that women were given rights. Conscription allowed women to vote and join the work force, though it was just temporary, the attitudes of women changed

    Read More

More about British Attitudes To The Battle Of The Somme

Open Document