Attrition: The Great War on the Western Front – 1916 by Neillands Robin

Author:Neillands, Robin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: 2015-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

8 - The Mort Homme, Côte 304, the Somme March—May 1916

'This fighting without visible or - for the man at the front - tangible result, afforded the sternest test imaginable of the capabilities of our troops.'

General Erich von Falkenhayn,

General Headquarters 1914-1916 and Its Critical Decisions

While the Verdun battle grew in fury during March and April and on into May, the British armies in France had not been idle. They were as yet unable to launch any major attack, one that might divert German forces or reserves from Verdun, because the situation which had obliged General Haig to postpone the offensive proposed by Joffre until mid-summer had not substantially changed: he needed more men and those he had needed more training. Even so, fighting went on continually along the British front.

More British divisions, many of them New Army formations, were now coming out to the Western Front, but they needed further training and sometime in the line before they could be fully effective. It was also necessary to increase the artillery element of Fourth Army considerably before even contemplating the details of an offensive. However, on 1 March, General Sir Henry Rawlinson took command of Fourth Army north of the Somme and, on 6 March, he called his Corps commanders together for a conference. He told them that, when fully formed, his Army would consist of four corps, and each corps would be twice the usual size and consist of four divisions. (1)

At that time Fourth Army contained XIII and X Corps, which were currently in the line, and VIII Corps, which was in reserve and as yet only had one division, the 38th. Only three of Rawlinson's corps commanders were present at Querrieu and not all of their corps were up to strength: the promised III Corps, which was now forming, still only had one division, the 8th. But, as the corps were formed, they were to move into line north of the River Somme and begin training for a major offensive to be launched sometime in June or July - unless it was necessary to attack sooner, to ease the growing pressure on the French Second Army at Verdun.

At Joffre's request, soon after the Verdun attack opened, Haig took over the entire front held by the French Tenth Army, a move completed by 27 February. On 25 February Haig discussed the Verdun situation with Kitchener and suggested three likely courses of action for his forces in the coming summer, all dependent on how the Verdun battle developed. (2) If Verdun became 'a kind of stalemate', Haig suggested the French should take over some of the British front in order to free British troops for an offensive between Ypres and Armentières - in Haig's favourite area.

On the other hand, if the French managed to defeat the Germans at Verdun, the British Third Army must attack at once, in expectation of a breakthrough, since the Germans would probably have thinned out their line in front of the British, in order to send more troops to Verdun.

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