Battle of somme----Casualties by The numbers
Battle of Somme
Just how deadly was the Battle of Somme? On July 1st, 1916, Great Britain endured what wikipedia.com describes as “the bloodiest day in its history” during the Battle of Somme. Britain had 57,470 casualties, and not to mention 60,000 dead, on the first day alone. Most of the casualties during this battle occurred during just the first hour of the attack. Although the beginning of the battle cost a large blow to Great Britain, ironically enough, Germany lost more men to this battle than both Great Britain and France. By the end of the battle, Great Britain had lost 420,000 soldiers, France had lost 200,000, and Germany had lost 500,000. Nearly 88,000 Allied men were lost for every one mile gained in the advance.
Weapons Used
Soldiers manning a machine gun
There were numerous different weapons used, not only during the Battle of Somme, but during the entire First World War such as machine guns, tanks, airplanes, and even chemicals such as poison gas. Below are descriptions/facts about the various weapons used.
WEAPONS USED DURING WORLD WAR I:
Machine Guns: Machine guns required 4-6 men to operate. They were the cause of most of the causualties at the Battle of Somme. 60,000 British men died in one day.
Tanks: Tanks were vehicles built to travel across virtually any kind of terrain. Although they were big and powerful, they were not very fast. Their maximum speed was 3 miles per hour.
Airplanes: Airplanes were used mainly for observing enemies. At the beginning of the war, France had less than 140 airplanes. Early models were unarmed, and pilots would try to throw small artillery, such as rocks or bricks at enemy planes flying alongside. As weapon technology improved during the war, airplanes began to include real weapons.
Poison Gas: Poison gas was extremely deadly and caused horrible reactions. One of the only ways to avoid poison gas was to wear a gas mask, which provided clean air to the wearer. The German army was the first to use chlorine gas, which was later banned from warfare, due to its deadly side effects.
WEAPONS USED DURING WORLD WAR I:
Machine Guns: Machine guns required 4-6 men to operate. They were the cause of most of the causualties at the Battle of Somme. 60,000 British men died in one day.
Tanks: Tanks were vehicles built to travel across virtually any kind of terrain. Although they were big and powerful, they were not very fast. Their maximum speed was 3 miles per hour.
Airplanes: Airplanes were used mainly for observing enemies. At the beginning of the war, France had less than 140 airplanes. Early models were unarmed, and pilots would try to throw small artillery, such as rocks or bricks at enemy planes flying alongside. As weapon technology improved during the war, airplanes began to include real weapons.
Poison Gas: Poison gas was extremely deadly and caused horrible reactions. One of the only ways to avoid poison gas was to wear a gas mask, which provided clean air to the wearer. The German army was the first to use chlorine gas, which was later banned from warfare, due to its deadly side effects.