Who introduced the technology of the tank at the First Battle of Somme

van Hartesveldt has recently compiled an annotated bibliography of works addressing these and similar questions. As with all such costly battles, compelling questions have emerged concerning the Somme Offensive: Was General Douglas Haig correct to launch the offensive when and where he did? What did it achieve and did the results warrant the massive cost? Did lack of imagination and inflexible generalship on the part of the British high command create unnecessary casualties and hardships for the common soldier? Should the introduction of the tank have been delayed until more were available to increase its shock effect and potential for success? Could different tactics, techniques, and procedures have been used to reduce casualties?ĭr. Actual losses for the six-month campaign remain a matter of considerable debate, however, as incomplete and 'doctored' records have created much confusion. Losses on both sides were appalling, with the British suffering over 57,000 casualties (19,240 dead) on the first day. Nonetheless, except in the south, in the area around Montauban where the greater concentration of French artillery helped pave the way, the assaults made little headway. The initial attack followed a five-day artillery barrage. At 0730 on that date, 100,000 men went 'over the top' along an eighteen-mile front, reaching from Gommecourt to Maricourt. Originally scheduled to commence in late June, the offensive did not begin until 1 July due to poor weather. A turning point in the war, the Somme battles marked the beginning of greater British influence in Entente strategy, saw the introduction of new technologies, especially the tank, and tipped the strategic initiative away from the Central Powers. The important Somme Offensive which lasted 141 days (1 July - 19 November 1916) lays claim to a number of such controversies. Over eighty years after the fact, questions concerning the generalship, strategies, technologies, tactics, techniques, and procedures of the First World War continue to provoke controversy among historians and students of war.

London and Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996. The Battles of the Somme: Historiography and Annotated Bibliography.

Who introduced the technology of the tank at the First Battle of Somme