World War One - The Somme - 100 years ago - photos of Tommies

[Nick Walker]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3666866/Relaxing-carnage-Heartbreaking-photos-troops-eve-Somme-100-years-ago.html

Also 4000 images found
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3607433/Amazing-trove-4-000-incredibly-detailed-pictures-northern-France-faces-World-War-soldiers-eve-battle.html

[RSL]

Thanks Nick. It's a salute to incredible stupidity on the part of the "leaders." It was the first time the tank was used, but it was used in what mainly was a demonstration. The Germans got the message and started using tanks too. The Brits lost their advantage. If the British had paid attention to Churchill, who invented the tank, and had produced them in quantity the outcome of the Somme offensive might have been very different.

Very sad stuff.

[Telecaster]

Churchill advocated for the development of existing rudimentary tank technology, which eventually led to the tanks deployed in the battle of the Somme, but he didn't invent that tech. There were parallel efforts made by France (successfully) and Russia (not so much) too. The idea was in the air.

The photos are quite something…

-Dave-

[RSL]

You're right, Dave. He didn't invent the tank but he pushed the idea, which was tantamount to inventing it, and the morons running the kind of butchery represented by the Somme didn't really pay much attention.

[Jim Pascoe]

You're right, Dave. He didn't invent the tank but he pushed the idea, which was tantamount to inventing it, and the morons running the kind of butchery represented by the Somme didn't really pay much attention.

With the benefits of hindsight we can call them morons - but they were under intense pressure from the French to launch an attack.  The French army were engaged in an intense struggle (even more destructive) at Verdun and needed the British to attack and relieve that pressure as soon as possible.  The tanks of the time might or might not have made a big difference - but infantry tactics were still evolving from the beginning of the war when Cavalry were the main tool for exploiting an attack.  Churchill may have been right about the tank - but his record from the the Great War was not without catastrophic failure too....

Jim

[RSL]

Yes, but who was at fault in Churchill's disaster is questionable. The answer to the question depends on whom you read. According to The World Crisis Churchill was blameless. According to those who were blamed in The World Crisis the fault was Churchill's. I'll believe Churchill. He always told the truth. Didn't he?

[BobShaw]

Well Churchill planned Gallipoli a year before also.
250,000 died in that one before we withdrew.
Impressive CV.

[Zorki5]

Churchill advocated for the development of existing rudimentary tank technology, which eventually led to the tanks deployed in the battle of the Somme, but he didn't invent that tech. There were parallel efforts made by France (successfully) and Russia (not so much) too. The idea was in the air.

The inertia of military commanders on all sides was immense, but the British arguably were stuck with "old school", as long as tank development and use was concerned, longer than others. Even in WWII their tanks were subdivided into "infantry" and "cavalry" classes...

Here's a fun short video to watch: Tales of Cromwell tanks