Stephen Bull - World War I Trench Warfare (2): 1916–18

CONTENTS

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Editors note

This book is the second of a two-part study; the first volume is available as Elite 78: World War I Trench Warfare (1) 191416. Although the division is basically chronological, it cannot be rigid, and readers are invited to regard the two parts together as a single source of reference.

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TRENCH WARFARE (2) 191618

THE BIG PUSH

A T 7.30 AM ON 1 J ULY 1916 the first waves of 13 British divisions responded to the sound of officers whistles, mounted ladders and sortie steps, and emerged from forward saps, to go over the top into the teeth of machine guns and shrapnel. As an officer of Wrttembergisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr 180 described the scene: ... A series of extended lines of infantry were seen moving forward from the British trenches. The first line appeared to continue without end to right and left. It was quickly followed by a second, then a third and fourth. They came on at a steady easy pace as though expecting to find nothing alive in our front trenches... The front line, preceded by a thin line of skirmishers and bombers, was now half way across No Mans Land... when the British line was within a hundred yards, the rattle of machine gun and rifle fire broke out... immediately afterwards a mass of shells from the German batteries in the rear tore through the air and burst among the advancing lines. Whole sections seemed to fall, and the rear formations, moving in close order, quickly scattered. The advance rapidly crumbled under this hail of shells and bullets. All along the line men could be seen throwing up their arms and collapsing... Again and again the extended lines of British infantry broke against the German defence.

This resolute, profligate onslaught of manpower and material resources followed a week-long bombardment of 1,700,000 shells.