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Overview of Strategies to Break Stalemate (WEAPONS (Gas (most feaed weapon…

- - - - brainchild of General Haig
      - original intention = to break through German lines, however quickly realised there was no chance
      - Haig later claimed intention = attrition (relieve pressure on French, prevent Germany from transferring troops to E, and wear down troops in W (however we know he doctored his diary entries to save face)
    - - belief that artillery barrage would be so effective that troops could just walk across no-man's land, orders given to 'walk' across in 1 min intervals
        
        indicates view that Kitchener's new army could no nothing but follow basic instructions
      - rehearsal's had been carried out
      - pre-battle bombardment: - >1.6 million shells, - 400,000 shells dropped on June 30 however this was TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE
    - - conditions ideal for Germans, wasted no time resuming machine gun fire on advancing troops
      - By end of 1st day > 60,000 British casualties, 20,000 dead
      - not just British failure, casualties heavily felt on both sides
      - British tanks employed in Sept, no success
      - gained very little (about 8kms of territory, proved to be of no use after Hindenburg repositioned to the Hindenburg Line
      - Haig claimed it as a victory
      - 'almost useless from the military point of view and merely revealed the vainglory of the generals' - Marc Ferro
  - - - Haig hoped to relieve French, capture Belgian ports (being used by German submarines) and wearing German army
    - - ammunition destroyed landscape, resulting in a corpse filled muddy quagmire
      - up to a dozen bearers needed for 1 stretcher
    - - Allied casualties disputed, between 260,000 on each side to 400,000 Allied
      - Allies had taken territory (so could claim victory) but it provided no opportunity for further advance
- - - - Creeping Barrages provided screen of cover for moving troops
      - Box Barrages used to support trench raiding teams by creating a safe araea into which advancing troops could move
- - - - drew the Americans into the war (factor in German defeat)