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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:12:32 AM EDT
102 years since The Battle of the Somme began.
 The Dubliners - The battle of the Somme 
10 facts about the Battle of the Somme Battle of the Somme in pictures feel free to add more pictures/links/video |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:25:14 AM EDT
[#1]
thankfully we don't fight wars that way anymore..(not that Im saying the way we fight now is pleasant).
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:32:01 AM EDT
[#2]
I have done extensive reading on the battle of the Somme and World War I in general. The refusal of the British and French to modify their tactics in the face of new technology and tactics used by the Germans is criminal. The mass human waves against machine gun emplacements while having to cross open ground was criminal.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:32:22 AM EDT
[#3]
Simply insane.
I couldn't even imagine. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:35:56 AM EDT
[#4]
The numbers are flat out staggering.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:38:57 AM EDT
[#5]
The Generals fucked over there men big time
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:44:21 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have done extensive reading on the battle of the Somme and World War I in general. The refusal of the British and French to modify their tactics in the face of new technology and tactics used by the Germans is criminal. The mass human waves against machine gun emplacements while having to cross open ground was criminal. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:46:23 AM EDT
[#7]
 Over The Top Blackadder Goes Fourth Final Scene |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:46:41 AM EDT
[#8]
The memorial to the over 70k missing commonwealth solders from the battle of the Somme. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:52:06 AM EDT
[#9]
I've read books on the Somme and Verdun.
The scale of the carnage is impossible to fathom. So much new technology introduced and a hell of a steep learning curve where old strategy was suicide. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:53:30 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've read books on the Somme and Verdun. The scale of the carnage is impossible to fathom. So much new technology introduced and a hell of a steep learning curve where old strategy was suicide. reading books or interviews from survivors on both sides or people who lived there, what a fucking mess. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:55:04 AM EDT
[#11]
I've said it before and I'll say it again: WWI was worse for the fighting man than WWII.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:58:00 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have done extensive reading on the battle of the Somme and World War I in general. The refusal of the British and French to modify their tactics in the face of new technology and tactics used by the Germans is criminal. The mass human waves against machine gun emplacements while having to cross open ground was criminal. /sarcasm |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 8:58:12 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: WWI was worse for the fighting man than WWII. grandfather fought in WWII both saw some shit GGF came out more fucked up but he ended up getting mustard gassed by the germans....twice. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:01:08 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have done extensive reading on the battle of the Somme and World War I in general. The refusal of the British and French to modify their tactics in the face of new technology and tactics used by the Germans is criminal. The mass human waves against machine gun emplacements while having to cross open ground was criminal. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:02:56 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've read books on the Somme and Verdun. The scale of the carnage is impossible to fathom. So much new technology introduced and a hell of a steep learning curve where old strategy was suicide. In the defense of the generals, until tanks showed up, how else were they supposed to engage the Germans? There was a system of trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea. The Italians were dug in the Alps dealing with the A-H Empire. All they could really do is what they did: hammer the enemy with artillery and then send in troops to exploit the bombardment. It sucks, but there it is. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:04:47 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: WWI was worse for the fighting man than WWII. And the commies just keep on coming... |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:05:55 AM EDT
[#17]
Something I have found interesting is the use of 'pals' battalions, troops all from the same village, region, or occupation. Many of these formations were entirely wiped out on July 1st, much to the devastation of people back in Blighty.
Some troops literally 'kicked off' with a soccer ball, thinking it was going to be a mere stroll into the German lines after the week of bombardment. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:11:26 AM EDT
[#18]
My great grandfather fought in WWI.
Got mustard gassed and sent home, almost died. Bought a farmhouse and became the patriarch of our family. Lived to 100 years old, was splitting and stacking firewood with a full head of hair in his 90s. The french government gave him the Legion of Honor before he died. He's one of my heroes. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:17:03 AM EDT
[#19]
One of my great grandfathers was a Marine at Belleau Wood. One was just a bit too young and missed WW1 but was too old for WW2. He sent two brothers to France, but only one came home. One was responsible for his siblings (parents died when he was 13) and worked in a steel mill so he got a deferment. One I don't know about.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:20:04 AM EDT
[#20]
I read the battle took 700,000 lives. One battle.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:22:10 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Something I have found interesting is the use of 'pals' battalions, troops all from the same village, region, or occupation. Many of these formations were entirely wiped out on July 1st, much to the devastation of people back in Blighty. Some troops literally 'kicked off' with a soccer ball, thinking it was going to be a mere stroll into the German lines after the week of bombardment. “I’m the last of the Tiddlywinking Leapfroggers from the Golden Summer of 1914.... I don’t want to die..” |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:24:18 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I read the battle took 700,000 lives. One battle. Just for comparison, the combined losses for Gettysburg were about 10,000 casusalties (killed, wounded, and missing). The British lost almost 20k dead on the first day of the Somme. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:26:03 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not going to argue, but the worst situation I can fathom is fighting on a WW2 eastern front for the Germans. Undermanned, low supplies, freezing conditions. And the commies just keep on coming... Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: WWI was worse for the fighting man than WWII. And the commies just keep on coming... |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:26:16 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 20,000 dead Brits on day one of the battle. In the defense of the generals, until tanks showed up, how else were they supposed to engage the Germans? There was a system of trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea. The Italians were dug in the Alps dealing with the A-H Empire. All they could really do is what they did: hammer the enemy with artillery and then send in troops to exploit the bombardment. It sucks, but there it is. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:30:04 AM EDT
[#25]
 British soldier Edward Dwyer sings "We''re Here Because We''re Here" 1916 It's amazing soldiers still feel the same way at times. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:30:25 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: WWI was worse for the fighting man than WWII. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:34:51 AM EDT
[#27]
Someone put up Elgar's Nimrod from YouTube, the video of Variations.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:36:08 AM EDT
[#28]
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:36:55 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I agree. The fighting conditions were miserable and humanity had never seen anything remotely like it before WW1. And hasn't touched on it since. It was truly a mind fuck for the soldiers. Some tuff SOBs. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:37:12 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
There were ways. The germans didn't hate a meaningful number of tanks for the Kaiserschlat. Rolling barrages that walked the infantry in, combined with squads allowed to react to changing conditions autonomously, worked quite well for the germans in 1918. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: 20,000 dead Brits on day one of the battle. In the defense of the generals, until tanks showed up, how else were they supposed to engage the Germans? There was a system of trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea. The Italians were dug in the Alps dealing with the A-H Empire. All they could really do is what they did: hammer the enemy with artillery and then send in troops to exploit the bombardment. It sucks, but there it is. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:37:14 AM EDT
[#31]
We lost 53,000 in less then one year
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:39:01 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: WWI was worse for the fighting man than WWII. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:39:04 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We lost 53,000 in less then one year And then we get to add in the Spanish Flu a year later. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:42:43 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It is amazing that any of the soldiers that were lucky enough to come home from that were able to function at all. To see that shit first hand had to be devastating. Some tuff SOBs. Perhaps, that kind of optimism and embrace of war is what allowed our Great Or Great Great Grand Fathers to endure it and still somehow function after that horror show. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:44:36 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have done extensive reading on the battle of the Somme and World War I in general. The refusal of the British and French to modify their tactics in the face of new technology and tactics used by the Germans is criminal. The mass human waves against machine gun emplacements while having to cross open ground was criminal. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:54:41 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have done extensive reading on the battle of the Somme and World War I in general. The refusal of the British and French to modify their tactics in the face of new technology and tactics used by the Germans is criminal. The mass human waves against machine gun emplacements while having to cross open ground was criminal. If you want to get really depressed, think of how many inventors, scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, etc., all got drafted and mowed down. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 9:55:01 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The Generals fucked over there men big time  Path of Glory - The execution scene Full - 1957 S. Kubrick |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 10:00:39 AM EDT
[#38]
WW1 has always fascinated me. What a shit show.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 10:16:13 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 20,000 dead Brits on day one of the battle. In the defense of the generals, until tanks showed up, how else were they supposed to engage the Germans? There was a system of trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea. The Italians were dug in the Alps dealing with the A-H Empire. All they could really do is what they did: hammer the enemy with artillery and then send in troops to exploit the bombardment. It sucks, but there it is. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 10:18:17 AM EDT
[#40]
The story of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment at the Battle of the Somme.
Of the 700 men who were present on 01 JUL 16, less than 110 were there on 02 JUL 16 and only 68 were fit for duty. The effects of the regiment's losses that day are still felt on the island today. The losses meant a great percentage of the able bodied men from the island were gone, which caused a huge economic impact, which led the island into poverty. That poverty led to an inability to self govern, and caused the island to have to join Canada. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 10:32:11 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
There were ways. The germans didn't hate a meaningful number of tanks for the Kaiserschlat. Rolling barrages that walked the infantry in, combined with squads allowed to react to changing conditions autonomously, worked quite well for the germans in 1918. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 10:34:32 AM EDT
[#42]
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Posted: 7/1/2018 10:39:01 AM EDT
[#43]
I am on the side that the generals should of been accountable. I am not thinking the war should of been given up on to avoid casualties. Losing wars usually has a severe cost. Just to win all need to be accountable not just the ones in the mud. They were really rough over there on the troops. Just look up how quick the French were to execute their own troops for rather shoddy reasons. The generals got a way with a lot. There is another side to the story. A number of those generals were not busy spending every waking moment trying to find a way out of the bloodbath for their troops. They were busy spending a lot of time enjoying the Paris nightlife. Then when it came to strategy just have the troops charge the guns. A lot of people who should not have been in a position of a authority banded together to cover for each other.
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Posted: 7/1/2018 10:56:32 AM EDT
[#44]
just found some books that belonged to my grandpa and his dad as well.
found his dads infantry drill regulations book from 1904. 
 hes the one that got gassed twice 
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Posted: 7/1/2018 11:17:58 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Someone put up Elgar's Nimrod from YouTube, the video of Variations.  Elgar - Nimrod "Enigma Variations" |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 11:24:23 AM EDT
[#46]
...reads thread in Dan Carlin's voice...
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Posted: 7/1/2018 11:25:44 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's a Korea or Vietnam in the space of a year. And then we get to add in the Spanish Flu a year later. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 11:36:02 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 20,000 dead Brits on day one of the battle. In the defense of the generals, until tanks showed up, how else were they supposed to engage the Germans? There was a system of trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea. The Italians were dug in the Alps dealing with the A-H Empire. All they could really do is what they did: hammer the enemy with artillery and then send in troops to exploit the bombardment. It sucks, but there it is. Was the one successful attack on Day 1. They made it to the 2nd line trenches IIRC but the Brit higher ups wouldnt move reinforcements to successful portions of the line so taking advantage was out of the question. In 1917, the Germans did just that and almost broke through. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 11:44:42 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It was bad, but not that bad. Allied losses were about 650k wounded with 150k killed. German losses were 600k wounded and 165k killed. Just for comparison, the combined losses for Gettysburg were about 10,000 casusalties (killed, wounded, and missing). The British lost almost 20k dead on the first day of the Somme. |
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Posted: 7/1/2018 11:50:04 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryYes.
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