*VIRTUAL TOUR - The Somme Offensive Continued*

The Battle Of Thiepval - 1st July 1916


German Officers
Because of its geographical location, Thiepval was to become a significant position during the Somme Offensive. In the early months of the War, the Germans dominated over the French Army, whose trenches were farther down in the Ancre Valley. Mobile Warfare quickly led to Static, or Trench Warfare, the front stabilised and the Armies started to dig in, creating vast networks of trenches. The Germans reinforced their positions on Thiepval ridge, including underground fortifications, and a maze of communication lines. After a six-day Artillery bombardment, the Infantry attacked on the 1st July. 100,000 young Soldiers, carrying 66lbs of equipment, went into Battle in successive waves. But the Germans met them with deadly machine-gun and Artillery fire. By the end of the first day of the Somme Offensive, 60,000 British Soldiers had been injured, including 20,000 killed in action; the German losses represent about 10% of this number. 

The first day of the Somme Offensive had been a failure, a disaster for the British Army, and the worst day in British Military history. The British eventually captured Thiepval on the 27th September 1916, and the Somme Offensive ended in November 1916. A complete breakthrough had not been possible, but the Battle had enabled the French to keep a hold on Verdun. The British Army suffered more than 420,000 casualties, killed, injured, missing, or taken prisoner, and the French lost some 200,000 Men during the Somme Offensive. In March 1918, as part of the German Spring Offensive, Thiepval was recaptured by the Germans, but returned to Allied hands in August of the same year. 

Ulster Rifleman
On the 1st July 1916, the Soldiers of 36th Division left the British Front-Line from the Eastern end of Thiepval Wood, they crossed No-Man's-Land and broke through the badly damaged German Front-Line trench. They also captured one of the most difficult obstacles, the large German stronghold at the Schwaben Redoubt, just beyond the German Front-Line; the Redoubt was known as the Feste Schwaben by the German Troops. During the day, the Troops successfully managed to advance their position for about a mile beyond their starting point, almost reaching the German field gun positions located in the valley leading to Grandcourt. However, their flanking Units were unable to advance, due to Artillery problems, and heavy fire from the Enemy. Regrettably, due to the difficulty of supplying ammunition, equipment, food, and water to the men in their forward positions, the position was considered untenable for the Troops; therefore, the decision was made to withdraw back to the German Front-Line. 

Anglo - French Cemetery
It could be argued that the Germans learnt new tactics from this attack, in that by allowing a single advancing Unit to push forward through their Front-Line, while preventing the advance from flanking Units, would cause a veritable open box where the enemy could be ambushed from the front and both sides. By the end of the day on the 1st July, the 36th (Ulster) Division had suffered over 4,900 casualties:

  • 79 Officers and 1,777 Other Ranks killed
  • 102 Officers and 2,626 Other Ranks wounded
  • 7 Officers and 206 Other Ranks missing
  • 1 Officer and 164 Other Ranks taken prisoner

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