Battle of the Somme WW1 | Illustrated London News
from the archives of The Illustrated London News
Main menu
Home
Newspapers
The Illustrated War News
The Illustrated London News
The Sphere
The Tatler
The Bystander
The Sketch
The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
The Graphic
Buy the Magazine
Explore
Highlights
Map
Topics
War Artists
Learning
Timeline
Timeline
1914
Franz Ferdinand assassinated
Europe declares war
Recruitment begins
Battle of Mons
Battle of the Marne
Battle of the Aisne
East Coast bombed
1915
Edith Cavell executed
Poison gas introduced
Gallipoli Campaign begins
RMS Lusitania sunk
Munitions Ministry created
1916
Verdun Offensive begins
Battle of Jutland
Somme Offensive begins
1917
USA enters the war
W.A.A.C. established
The Battle of Passchendaele
1918
Rationing introduced
Russian Armistice signed
Operation Michael begins
Hundred Days Offensive
Spanish Flu peaks
Armistice signed
1919
Peace Treaty signed at Versailles
Cenotaph unveiled
About
The ILN at War
Highlights
map
Search
advanced search
Publication
The Illustrated War News
The Illustrated London News
The Sphere
The Tatler
The Bystander
The Sketch
Sporting & Dramatic News
Date
Home
Somme Offensive begins
Somme Offensive begins
The London Territorials charge a German trench at Pozieres during the Somme Offensive
The Battle of the Somme was the main Allied attack on the Western Front in 1916; today, it is primarily remembered for the scale of casualties. It was originally planned as a predominantly French offensive, but the heavy demands on the French army at Verdun meant it became a mainly British operation.
Before the attack, the British implemented a week-long bombardment of the German front lines in an attempt to shatter the German defences. The Illustrated London News remarked that “not a roof was left on any of the houses” in the village of Montbauan, near the Somme, and that “all had been shattered by our bombardment”.
However, the German trenches were heavily fortified and the bombardment failed to destroy their front-line barbed wire or their robust concrete bunkers. Consequently, the German forces simply went underground and waited for the bombing to cease.
On 1 July 1916, 11 British divisions advanced to the German lines and were quickly met with machine-gun fire. By the end of the first day, the British had suffered 60,000 casualties, their largest single loss up to this point in the war. Douglas, Haig, Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, ordered his troops to continue the offensive for the next few days, with little success.
The next two months saw an arduous stalemate. On 15 September, Haig renewed the attack with the help of tanks, though they were primitive at this stage and made little impact. However, The Sphere reported that a Canadian regiment had enjoyed some success in capturing the village of Courcelette. Heavy rain soon turned the battlefield into a muddy swamp-like arena and in November the fighting ceased. The British had suffered roughly 420,000 casualties and had only advanced five miles.
Today, the Somme Offensive and Haig’s tactics of sending wave after wave of men to “wear down the enemy” are typically considered to have been a naive and senseless response to the demands of trench warfare. The rate of casualties as well as depictions of the battle as a “horrific slaughter” in war poetry have helped to solidify the Somme as one of the greatest atrocities in the First World War.
However, in 1916 this was not how the Somme Offensive was perceived. Various articles in The Illustrated London News, and the Great Eight publications, portray the Somme as a glorious Allied victory. The ILN published articles about British war films that depicted the Somme as “an epic of self-sacrifice and gallantry”. Haig himself became a popular figure in the public sphere as a result, “chiefly [because] of the great Battle of the Somme with its remarkable ‘pushes’”.
Click here to access the archive for more articles related to the Somme Offensive
Browse the Timeline
Current event01/07/1916
Most popular
The Orange and Green: Irish-Canadian Rangers in … 18 views
Oases in Western Egypt from Which British … 16 views
War Prizes: Ships Taken from Germany by … 15 views
The Dead Irish Leader: At the Funeral … 14 views
“The Old Business of Trench-Warfare Has Been … 14 views
A Leader in the Great Crisis in … 14 views
The Greatest of Modern Battlefields: Achi Baba … 14 views
Visited by the Prince of Wales: The … 13 views
Dead on the Field of Honour: Officers … 12 views
Another Monarch in Exile: Ex-King Ludwig of … 12 views
Related articlesThe British Offensive on the Somme: Troops Who Beat the Prussian Guard; and Other War ScenesThe defeat of the Prussian Guard before Thiepval was a brilliant incdent in the recent fighting on our front. The splendid spirit and cheerful demeanour of the gallant men from…The French Offensive on the Somme: Infantry Attacking; Guns; Harvesting; Artillery Instruction The French troops on the Somme have been making continual progress since the first victorious advance. At the moment of writing, their latest maccem b been the m Maurepas…The Great British Offensive North of the Somme: Troops Advancing to the Capture of MontaubanThe village of Montauban, some five miles east of Albert, was one of the most important poitions captured in an early sage o the British eollsive, and was succesfuly held…
Find us onTwitter
History Pin
DiscoverTimeline
The ILN at War
War Artists
The Newspapers
Topics
HelpHow to Use This Site
Terms and Conditions
Privacy
CompanyAbout Us
Contact Us
Copyright and Credits
© 2016 Copyright ILN LIMITED. All rights reserved.