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WW1 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Considered the 'Butcher of the Somme'
      - Blamed for mass Allied casualties due to his bad planning
      - Refused to change his plans even after many men were killed on the first day
    - - Attack at Verdun by Germans caused massive casualties among French. (542,000) French were no longer able to play a part in the Somme
      - The purpose of the Somme was not only to break the German line, but also draw troops away from Verdun
    - - Germans were aware that a full scale attack at the Somme would occur due to aircraft images of newly built railways and roads
      - Germans had built trenches that were 12m deep
      - They were not taken by surprise when an artillery began and simply just moved back to reserve trenches
    - - Allies fired 1.73 million shells over 1 week
      - Haig believed the artillery had knocked out most of the German front line
      - Haig did not know the bombardment had been shelling empty trenches which he confidently believed had been destroyed
      - After artillery stopped, Haig ordered 200,000 men to advance over the front line in a slow attrition style manner, carrying 30kg of equiptment
      - The Germans quickly rushed to the front trenches and mounted machine guns
      - Haig, against advice from military experts, used tanks in September. Only 50 were made and 29 broke down before battle. The rest got stuck in the mud.
    - - The first day was a disaster for British Troops. 57,000 were dead or wounded and only 8000 German casualties.
      - Haig saw no reason to change his tactics and continued. He ordered attack after attack with the same results
      - 1/3 of the shells did not explode and were a hazard to British soldiers
      - Artillery bombardment caused dreadful mud, which got many soldiers stuck. Some even drowned
      - By November, both sides were exhausted and there were 620,000 Allied casualties and 450,000 German
      - After all the deaths, allies managed to advance a mere 15 km
  - - - Haig wanted to capture the naval bases at Blankenberge and Ostend, and make it harder for the Germans to carry out submarine attacks on British shipping.
    - - British politicians were doubtful about another major offensive; they did not want to repeat the casualties of the Somme
      - They also knew the land that was being proposed to fight on was likely to flood
      - German troops were also in well constructed trenches
      - Nevertheless, Haig won the argument
    - - Attack with British and Canadian troops
      - Offensive started with 10 day bombardment with 4 million shells, like the Somme but even more. Turned the battlefield into a sea of mud
      - Allies made slow progress that led to huge casualties
    - - Crazy mud --> horses and men drowned. Created a horrible smell. Officials 8km away could smell the stench of mass mud and rotting bodies
    - - After 3 months of fighting, conditions just got worse and worse.
      - In November, Allies were able to capture the village of Passchendaele
      - Around 240,000 British and 220,000 Germans were killed or wounded
      - Allies gained 800m of mud