Battle Of Somme Outline Essay
The Battle of Somme
Thesis: The Battle of Somme the bloodiest battle of WWI because they had insufficient weaponry, poor war tactics, and constantly underestimating the enemy.
I. Summary
A. July 1, 1916 beginning of the war
B. Also known as the Anglo-French attempt
B.1. Break through German lines
B.2. Make it possible so Calvary could speed up the pace
B.3. Try for an early victory
II. First Day of War
A. Began the morning of July 1, 1916
B. ¼ of a million bullets fired by British
B.1. “average of 3,500 a minute”
B.2. The shells were made of cheap metal and didn’t damage the German trenches
III. First Day Casualties
A. British began with 120,000 men
A.1. 20,000 dead
A.2. 40,000 missing or wounded
A.3. 60% officers killed
A.4. …show more content…
60,000 left
B. The British suffered major casualties on just the first day
IV. Early Battle
A. July2nd through July 13th the British made no coordinated attack
A.1. Gave Germans time to regroup
A.2. Cost British 25,000 casualties
B. On July 14th the Germans defeated the British in a nighttime attack
V. Commander for Britain
A. General Hubert Gough
B. Planned several successful offensive attacks
VI. Second Battle of Somme
A. Beginning
A.1. March21- April 5, 1918
A.2. Successful German offense
B. German Success
B.1. Attacked weakest part of British defense
B.1.a. Massive gunfire
B.1.b. Gassed
B.1.c. Attacked later in dense fog
B.2. Took British by surprise
C. German Advance
C.1. Pushed front 40 miles
C.2. Took 70,000 prisoners
C.3. Exhausted resources
C.4. Allied lines not broken just bent
VII. Somme Offensive
A. British- 163,00 casualties
B. French- 77,000 casualties
C. Germans
C.1. Nearly 80,000
C.2. Death Toll not accurately recorded by the Germans
VIII. Death Toll
A. Deaths
A.1. British
A.1.a. 431,000 died
A.1.b.
288,000 wounded
A.2. French
A.2.a. 204,000 died
A.3. German
A.3.a. 450,000-600,000
A.3.b. estimation (not accurately recorded)
B. Comparison
B.1. Remembered for loses
B.2. Resulted in 57,470 casualties
B.2.a. Number greater than Crimean Boer Korean wars combined
Conclusion- The Battle of Somme was the bloodiest battle in WWI because of setting sights to high, inaccurate weaponry, and poor tactics.
Works Cited
“Battle of the Somme.” History.com.A&E Television Networks, n.d. web. 17 Oct. 2013.
"Battle of the Somme WWI Great War Veteran Remembrance Poppy Coin Gift Set 1916." EBay. Historic Gifts, 21 Sept. 2013.Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Gilbert, Martin. The Battle of the Somme: “It Is going to Be A Bloody Holocaust” The First World War. New York; Henry Holt & LLC, 1994. 1-615. Print.
Prior, Robin, and Trevor Wilson. “Summing up Somme.” History Today 41.11 (1991): 37. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
"Second Battle of the Somme." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
“Somme, Battles Of The.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2013): 1. Master FILE Premier Web. 14 Oct.
2013.
Thesis: The Battle of Somme the bloodiest battle of WWI because they had insufficient weaponry, poor war tactics, and constantly underestimating the enemy.
I. Summary
A. July 1, 1916 beginning of the war
B. Also known as the Anglo-French attempt
B.1. Break through German lines
B.2. Make it possible so Calvary could speed up the pace
B.3. Try for an early victory
II. First Day of War
A. Began the morning of July 1, 1916
B. ¼ of a million bullets fired by British
B.1. “average of 3,500 a minute”
B.2. The shells were made of cheap metal and didn’t damage the German trenches
III. First Day Casualties
A. British began with 120,000 men
A.1. 20,000 dead
A.2. 40,000 missing or wounded
A.3. 60% officers killed
A.4. …show more content…
60,000 left
B. The British suffered major casualties on just the first day
IV. Early Battle
A. July2nd through July 13th the British made no coordinated attack
A.1. Gave Germans time to regroup
A.2. Cost British 25,000 casualties
B. On July 14th the Germans defeated the British in a nighttime attack
V. Commander for Britain
A. General Hubert Gough
B. Planned several successful offensive attacks
VI. Second Battle of Somme
A. Beginning
A.1. March21- April 5, 1918
A.2. Successful German offense
B. German Success
B.1. Attacked weakest part of British defense
B.1.a. Massive gunfire
B.1.b. Gassed
B.1.c. Attacked later in dense fog
B.2. Took British by surprise
C. German Advance
C.1. Pushed front 40 miles
C.2. Took 70,000 prisoners
C.3. Exhausted resources
C.4. Allied lines not broken just bent
VII. Somme Offensive
A. British- 163,00 casualties
B. French- 77,000 casualties
C. Germans
C.1. Nearly 80,000
C.2. Death Toll not accurately recorded by the Germans
VIII. Death Toll
A. Deaths
A.1. British
A.1.a. 431,000 died
A.1.b.
288,000 wounded
A.2. French
A.2.a. 204,000 died
A.3. German
A.3.a. 450,000-600,000
A.3.b. estimation (not accurately recorded)
B. Comparison
B.1. Remembered for loses
B.2. Resulted in 57,470 casualties
B.2.a. Number greater than Crimean Boer Korean wars combined
Conclusion- The Battle of Somme was the bloodiest battle in WWI because of setting sights to high, inaccurate weaponry, and poor tactics.
Works Cited
“Battle of the Somme.” History.com.A&E Television Networks, n.d. web. 17 Oct. 2013.
"Battle of the Somme WWI Great War Veteran Remembrance Poppy Coin Gift Set 1916." EBay. Historic Gifts, 21 Sept. 2013.Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Gilbert, Martin. The Battle of the Somme: “It Is going to Be A Bloody Holocaust” The First World War. New York; Henry Holt & LLC, 1994. 1-615. Print.
Prior, Robin, and Trevor Wilson. “Summing up Somme.” History Today 41.11 (1991): 37. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
"Second Battle of the Somme." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
“Somme, Battles Of The.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2013): 1. Master FILE Premier Web. 14 Oct.
2013.