Battle of the Somme centenary: How is it being commemorated and why was it so important?

[TomSea]

Battle of the Somme centenary: How is it being commemorated and why was it so important?

What was the Battle of the Somme?

Fought between July and November 1916, the Battle of the Somme was one of the defining events of the First World War and the largest battle on the western front.

It saw over one million wounded, killed or missing on both sides of the battlefield – affecting the lives of millions more back home.

The first day of the 141-day campaign, July 1 1916, was and still is the deadliest day in the history of the British Army. Almost 20,000 British Empire soldiers lost their lives in just 24 hours.

As well as being the deadliest battle of the 1914-1918 conflict, it was also one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Only the German clashes with Russia during the Second World War caused more deaths.

Pictures and more at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/30/battle-of-the-somme-centenary-how-is-it-being-commemorated-and-w/

Sometimes it is lost on us about how bloody World War I was; it looks like we are upon the centenary of the battle of Somme.

Much is said, of how the Nazis stormed into France, derisory things but I believe France lost millions fighting in World War I.   But not just France, Italy as an ally suffered many casualties and so on. Those figures can be found.

[TomSea]

Per the same article, just in Canada when it was still a part of the British Empire:

A small dominion, Newfoundland – now part of Canada – suffered 90 per cent losses to their 2,000 strong force on the opening day of the battle.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/30/battle-of-the-somme-centenary-how-is-it-being-commemorated-and-w/

[Chieftain]

It was idiotic British military "leadership" that caused those casualties.  The insanity of constantly sending ground troops over the top out of their trenches to be mown down by machine gun fire and non-stop artillery barrages.  There were British Officers who lead these charges carrying nothing more threatening than a swagger stick.

There were smaller armies in Europe that tried to go up against the Kaiser's machine guns and Krupp artillery with troops in tight formations armed with muskets, commanded by Officers sitting up high on horseback.

And the Somme wasn't the only British military disaster of WWI.  Gallipoli is another.  Then we have the near disaster of Dunkirk in WWII.  Its a wonder the British survived two World Wars at all.

 

[Jazzhead]

In Flanders Fields (1915, John McRae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
 Between the crosses, row on row,
 That mark our place; and in the sky
 The larks, still bravely singing, fly
 Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
 We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
 Loved and were loved, and now we lie
 In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
 To you from failing hands we throw
 The torch; be yours to hold it high.
 If ye break faith with us who die
 We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
 In Flanders fields.

This poem was inspired by the second battle of Ypre, but applies with equal force to the Somme.  When we buy a poppy from a veteran on Memorial Day, we are honoring the fallen generally, but especially those who died in the meatgrinder known as "the war to end all wars" - surely, the most ironic appellation in human history.   

[TomSea]

It was idiotic British military "leadership" that caused those casualties.  The insanity of constantly sending ground troops over the top out of their trenches to be mown down by machine gun fire and non-stop artillery barrages.  There were British Officers who lead these charges carrying nothing more threatening than a swagger stick.

There were smaller armies in Europe that tried to go up against the Kaiser's machine guns and Krupp artillery with troops in tight formations armed with muskets, commanded by Officers sitting up high on horseback.

And the Somme wasn't the only British military disaster of WWI.  Gallipoli is another.  Then we have the near disaster of Dunkirk in WWII.  Its a wonder the British survived two World Wars at all.

 

Thanks for the input, folks don't know World War I as we should while the next war is very well known.

[TomSea]

In Flanders Fields (1915, John McRae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
 Between the crosses, row on row,
 That mark our place; and in the sky
 The larks, still bravely singing, fly
 Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
 We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
 Loved and were loved, and now we lie
 In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
 To you from failing hands we throw
 The torch; be yours to hold it high.
 If ye break faith with us who die
 We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
 In Flanders fields.

This poem was inspired by the second battle of Ypre, but applies with equal force to the Somme.  When we buy a poppy from a veteran on Memorial Day, we are honoring the fallen generally, but especially those who died in the meatgrinder known as "the war to end all wars" - surely, the most ironic appellation in human history.

Yes, thanks for this as well.

[TomSea]

 

[Free Vulcan]

Thanks for the input, folks don't know World War I as we should while the next war is very well known.

No they don't. Walking in, we had all the grand monarchies of Europe at the peak of their power and civilization, and battles by sword, musket, and horseback.

Walking out, we had secular states, including the first communist state, the horrors of mechanized war, and the  first steps toward globalism, with the best of Europe snuffed out.

WWI was probably one of the most pivotal turning points in all of history, and we are still feeling it's effects today.

[Chieftain]

No they don't. Walking in, we had all the grand monarchies of Europe at the peak of their power and civilization, and battles by sword, musket, and horseback.

Walking out, we had secular states, including the first communist state, the horrors of mechanized war, and the  first steps toward globalism, with the best of Europe snuffed out.

WWI was probably one of the most pivotal turning points in all of history, and we are still feeling it's effects today.

There were a number of pivotal turning points over centuries of warfare in Europe.  Agincourt, where the creme of the French Aristocracy were mown down by a British arrow storm.  Waterloo where thousands were slaughtered using cannister rounds in the cannon.  Three or four centuries of Hapsbergs, Hohenzollerns, Romanovs, and dozens of other dynasties were little better at running things than the current batch at the EU. 

WWI was indeed the brutal introduction of total war with weapons that defied imagination up against military tactics that were developed to fight Napoleon.  The Russians were 200 years behind everyone else but made up for it in numbers.  As Stalin said, "Quantity as a quality of its own.".

But poor leadership is what resulted in the massive slaughter of British doughboys in the Somme and elsewhere in WWI.  Under Montgomery in WWII they did not do much better.

[r9etb]

Fought between July and November 1916, the Battle of the Somme was one of the defining events of the First World War and the largest battle on the western front.

Considering that it basically wiped out an entire generation of Britain's best and brightest, and who knows how many of Germany's, I'd say it was one of the defining events of Western history.

And it was all for naught.  A utter waste of life, to no useful end.

[Free Vulcan]

There were a number of pivotal turning points over centuries of warfare in Europe.  Agincourt, where the creme of the French Aristocracy were mown down by a British arrow storm.  Waterloo where thousands were slaughtered using cannister rounds in the cannon.  Three or four centuries of Hapsbergs, Hohenzollerns, Romanovs, and dozens of other dynasties were little better at running things than the current batch at the EU. 

WWI was indeed the brutal introduction of total war with weapons that defied imagination up against military tactics that were developed to fight Napoleon.  The Russians were 200 years behind everyone else but made up for it in numbers.  As Stalin said, "Quantity as a quality of its own.".

But poor leadership is what resulted in the massive slaughter of British doughboys in the Somme and elsewhere in WWI.  Under Montgomery in WWII they did not do much better.

What I find fascinating is that going into WWI we have a world for of old time monarchies and empires, still virtually in the horse and buggy era, and a very non-secular world where religion had heavy influence

Five years later that was all washed away. Secular states, modernization, all the 'isms' - fascism, communism, globalism...virtually a whole new global order in the blink of an eye that has marched forward from there. Just a complete turn on a dime. That has never happened in history on a global scale.

[Chieftain]

What I find fascinating is that going into WWI we have a world for of old time monarchies and empires, still virtually in the horse and buggy era, and a very non-secular world where religion had heavy influence

Five years later that was all washed away. Secular states, modernization, all the 'isms' - fascism, communism, globalism...virtually a whole new global order in the blink of an eye that has marched forward from there. Just a complete turn on a dime. That has never happened in history on a global scale.

I just finished reading "The Romanovs" by Simon Sebag Montefiore, and he gives a fascinating account of 300 years of Russian and European History that many people in this country are completely unaware of.  He's a great writer and a thorough historian, a good read...

The only thing comparable to two World Wars, short of an all out nuclear exchange in my view would be a large asteroid strike or a Tambora sized volcanic cataclysm.  People know all about the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis, but how about the 30 million Chinese that were slaughtered by the Japanese??

[EC]

I would recommend Graves' "Goodbye to All That" and Sassoon's "Memoirs of a Fox Hunting Man" to get an on the ground look from the perspective of a class that pretty much no longer exists - since they nearly all died during the War.

[Smokin Joe]

No they don't. Walking in, we had all the grand monarchies of Europe at the peak of their power and civilization, and battles by sword, musket, and horseback.

Walking out, we had secular states, including the first communist state, the horrors of mechanized war, and the  first steps toward globalism, with the best of Europe snuffed out.

WWI was probably one of the most pivotal turning points in all of history, and we are still feeling it's effects today.

The unreal part of that is that the Monarchs of the major powers involved: Kaiser Wilhelm, George V of England, and Tsar Nicholas, were cousins.

Technological advances during the war were phenomenal, and the tactics simply did not catch up until later on--many were still being developed at the start of WWII in pursuit of technological advances.

[Smokin Joe]

I just finished reading "The Romanovs" by Simon Sebag Montefiore, and he gives a fascinating account of 300 years of Russian and European History that many people in this country are completely unaware of.  He's a great writer and a thorough historian, a good read...

The only thing comparable to two World Wars, short of an all out nuclear exchange in my view would be a large asteroid strike or a Tambora sized volcanic cataclysm.  People know all about the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis, but how about the 30 million Chinese that were slaughtered by the Japanese??

The 6 million Jews leaves out the estimated 15 million Slavs, Poles, Gypsies, Catholics, Dissidents, and others slaughtered by the Nazis. Stalin was little better. Those who desire rule by a "strongman", take note. More often than not the streets will run with blood.