What went wrong at the battle of the Somme?

Answer 1

loats o stuf init and tha haig man iz liyk propa stuepid an that yano WA a mean, an like we ad like nefer plade cod an tha an we get killedd an tha u get me.

Translated into English by Pebsie:

Loads of stuff, Haig was stupid and....uhh...something...(what does an that yano WA a mean mean?), and we had never played Call Of Duty and so we got killed.

The person who answered this is an idiot.

Answer 2

I might say I am no military strategist.... What the British proposed, at the request of the French, was inheritantly sound. Haig, Rawlinson & so on, the Generals, did not intend to get their men killed in their thousands. The idea of a prolonged barrage was to deny the Germans the ability to defend their positions. The problem of soft ground & explosives which did not achieve what was intended all counted against the British. The fact that many of the British were machine gunned before they even reached the British line, never mind that of the enemy, is inexcusable. There was much bravery in their folly. One cannot impose tactics at the time which were not available, or weapons for that matter. What should not have happened was the loss of something in the region of 60 000 casualties in one day: that much is certain. I suppose the answer to the Q is that the Artillery barrage is stunningly successful and the British walk across no mans land & occupy deserted enemy trenches.... that was what was planned. The actuality was disasterously different.