Who Fought In The Battle Of Somme ?
The Battle of the Somme was fought between the British Expeditionary Force and the Germans. The British Expeditionary Force, or the BEF, comprised of British soldiers, and soldiers from Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Newfoundland and South Africa. The BEF was under the command of Sir Douglas Haig, the British Commander-in-Chief, while the Germans were under the command of General Erich von Falkenhayn, the Chief of Staff of the German army. |
Initially, the battle was supposed to be a joint operation involving the French and British troops. In fact, the idea of having a battle of attrition was the brainchild of the French Commander-in-Chief Joffre. However, with the French being busy at Verdun, the onus fell on the British Expeditionary Force.
General Haig, who had been given authorization by the British government, agreed to launch an attack on the Germans. The offensive was meant to divide the German troops and ensure that all their reserves were drained. Initially, the offensive was due to start in August, but with the heavy losses the French were taking in Verdun prompted Joffre to ask Haig to bring forward the date of the offensive. Hence, the BEF decided to attack the German front line at Somme on 1st July 1916.
The battle was fought until 18th November 1916, with both sides incurring heavy loss of soldiers. The entire planning and execution of the battle was overseen by Haig, and even though the British suffered heavy losses early on in the battle, Haig persisted with the policy of moving on. The 30-kilometer stretch on which the Battle of the Somme was fought ended up being the most expensive battle of the First World War in terms of casualties and loss of life.
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The Battle of the Somme that was fought primarily between the English and German troops was one of the most expensive wars in terms of casualties. Both sides lost thousands of men, and this battle was considered to be a war of attrition rather than looking to seek territorial advances. 