Battle of the Somme

By Liam McCann

The offensive on the Somme took place between July 1 and November 18 1916 and is arguably the most iconic battle of the Great War. Kitchener's infamous Pals Battalions were first sent into the battlefield en masse and it was a here where many of the dreams and aspirations of a nation, hopeful of victory, were agonizingly dashed. More than three million men fought in the battle and one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: G2 Rights
• Release date: Jul 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781782812944

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Trigger for War

When Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Bosnian-Serb gunman Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, few would have predicted how quickly international relations would deteriorate. Indeed, reaction in Vienna and across Austria was muted. In Sarajevo, on the other hand, Austrian authorities encouraged anti-Serbian riots. They then imprisoned nearly 6,000 influential Serbs, of whom 500 were sentenced to death.

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Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophie leave the Sarajevo Guildhall on June 28, 1914. They were assassinated minutes later

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Italian newspapers run the story of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination by Gavrilo Princip

Within days, Austria-Hungary, then one of the most powerful states in central Europe, would issue Serbia an ultimatum, the contents of which stipulated that Serbia should suppress all publications denouncing the Austro-Hungarian Empire; dissolve the Serbian Nationalist Organization; bring to trial all the conspirators in the assassination; and cease trafficking arms across the border.

The Serbian government viewed compliance with the ultimatum as impossible for a nation with the ‘slightest regard for its dignity’ but, with a lack of support from Britain, France and Russia, none of whom had any desire for war, they were forced to accept the terms. Winston Churchill, then the First Lord of the Admiralty, realised that the incident could trigger a general war because of the complex alliances between nations across Europe, but he insisted that Britain would remain neutral. He and Foreign Secretary Edward Grey tried to convince Germany to force Austria-Hungary to give the Serbs leeway, while also asking the Russians to mediate on their behalf.

By the end of July, however, war between Austria and Serbia seemed inevitable. The Serbs had largely rejected their demands, while the Austrians clearly wanted control of the Balkans. Emperor Franz Joseph then ordered his army mobilised for action on July 28. Grey continued trying to mediate but Karl Max, Prince Lichnowsky, the German ambassador to Britain, ignored his threat that Britain would side with Russia and France against Germany and Austria-Hungary if Austrian aggression led to war.

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There were anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo the following day

Not even the intervention of King George V could prevent the inevitable and Austria declared war on Serbia on the morning of July 28. The first shots were fired the following day when Serbian sappers blew up the railway bridge over the River Sava and the monitor SMS Bodrog retaliated by bombarding Belgrade. Each country now fell back on its treaties, which left Britain and the Commonwealth, Russia and France lining up against Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. (Italy eventually reneged on the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria, and in May 1915 they joined the Allies.)

The Russians mobilised on July 30, which forced the Germans to do likewise. The Schlieffen Plan – a first-strike scenario that targeted Belgium and France – was instantly put into operation, although Kaiser Wilhelm tried to deflect responsibility by claiming that Britain, France and Russia had initiated the war to break up the mighty German Empire.

The British saw things differently and even offered to guarantee French neutrality, which would limit proceedings to a localised war in the east. Wilhelm