Battle of the Somme: The Deadliest Battle of WW1

[@mikebreaton7910]

"If you ever drive the motorways from Paris to Calais and you're not in any rush to move along just take a little side-trip through the green and the rolling hills down through Vimy, Passchendaele, and to the Somme. Stop your car and stand a while and listen to the wind and you just might hear it sing the soldier's song. A distant roll like thunder, and the muffled march of feet, and a ghostly army singing this old song..."

[@PerfectSense77]

"First Day On The Somme", written by Will Millar, frontman (at the time the song was written) of The Irish Rovers.

[@tlou2cinematicgameplay636]

Rather the cry’s and their moaning. This stupid romanticism….

[@NikHuhr]

@@PerfectSense77*that's gorgeous my man thank you for sharing* ❤

[@PL8901]

The first day of the Somme was devastating for Newfoundland. The (Royal) Newfoundland Regiment was fighting in Beaumont-Hamel. When they climbed out of the trenches, the German machine guns picked them off. Of the 780 who went to battle, only 68 answered the roll call the next day. They were essentially wiped out. This is why Newfoundland observes Memorial Day on July 1st, the same day as Canada Day. The battle site is now a Canadian national historic site, one of only two sites outside Canada (the other being the Vimy Memorial).

[@cleverusername9369]

It's haunting, looking at the Beaumont-Hamel battlefield on Google Earth, there are still trenches and craters visible, along with graveyard after graveyard after graveyard.

[@KeyWestGlenn]

They’re polite for our safety

[@church6882]

Yup, the Canadian flag still flies above every other on that site

[@BlueBirdsProductions]

bro its not "The (royal) Newfoundland Regiment" It was "The Royal Newfoundland Regiment". Don't put that important part in brackets, that's pretty disrespectful.

[@andreschavez9671]

I was fortunate enough to visit the site right before Covid. It’s a great historic site. You can see how they would get picked off so easily there

[@francispitts9440]

My Paternal Grandfather served in the Marine Corps during WW I. He saw a decent amount of action especially in Belleau Wood in June of 1918. I was fortunate enough to grow up with him and his account of history from the early 1900 through WW II and his return to service as a DI. I was always impressed by what Americans and European people went through during the war. Very difficult times.

[@davidburns1781]

@Hazen Machia his father's dad. Paternal is father, Maternal is mothers side

[@plushman3685]

outstanding

[@theawesomeman9821]

cool

[@mattweir9674]

@Hazen Machia bit of a bell-end aren't ya bud?

[@epozach8970]

Nice comment buddy. My great grandfather Edward Stone was taken prisoner outside of Belleau Wood after he was laying in no man’s land playing dead for four days. Coordinated artillery decimated his entire platoon and his favorite officer bled out slowly dispite edwards best efforts while waiting to be rescued. Obviously this didn’t happened he ended up in PoW camp and his mother was informed he was dead and they had a funeral in Ohio for him. He ate grass soup and occasionally a turnip or radish they could find in the field the Germans led them to for food. He quickly learned a hybrid German English language to speak to his guards. He was a devout baptist and dead from his bible to the guard Hans who became his friend and even allowed Edward to write a letter to his mother informing her that was in fact alive and in prison. After the war he walked and hopped trains from near the German border to the coast where he got a ride on a British ship to the uk and finally 10 months s after released making it to Boston then home to Ohio where he lived til the 1970s. I still have his bible. A most valuable heirloom in my family. Thanks for you post hope others hear these stories. Much love. Zachary Stone

[@MCR-M8]

My Great Grandad went over the top 3 times at he the Somme and survived til the end of the war. Came back a changed man although he was still a good father to his 7 kids the light had gone from his eyes. He despised Churchill too, blamed him from getting his best friend killed at Gallipoli. Staunch Labour man too.

[@Mister-w3k]

He was a very lucky man to survive 3 trips into hell and come out the other side, even if only physically. Thousands of young men only lasted a few feet past the mouth of the trench.

[@LennoxMatt1]

As a Canadian I'd love a video on Vimy Ridge, which is generally seen as the moment Canada distinguished itself from the British command. The monument there is considered Canadian sovereign land, and even Hitler ordered that the monument be preserved in WWII, himself laying a wreath at its base

[@rayross997]

Great suggestion and The Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont Hamel would make an excellent video.

[@Giveme1goodreason]

Vimy ridge and meseans ridge for Canada I’d also love frommels and hamal for Australia and the 100 days offensive for both.

[@jeffjeffrets3253]

@Kalimata101 I was just telling a friend today that Canada wasn't to be trifled with lol

[@amikokkoniemi3427]

Eiii

[@richardloach610]

damn

[@Gearparadummies]

I visited WWI's most prominent battlefields in 2017. The most humbling and horrifying things you can still see today in places like Verdun and Passchendaele is absence. What once stood there vanished not to ever return. Trees growing out of still visible craters where entire villages once stood and were all but wiped out by artillery barrages. Enormous graveyards filled with thousands of fallen soldiers. The Lochnagar Crater is pretty impressive even today. I recommend everyone interested in WWI to drive across those field. It is extremely educational as well as eye opening.

[@andyyang3029]

We should all be glad we were born after the world wars. What a horrible period of history

[@justinjenkins2682]

Our time has it's problems but damn I'm glad I'm not getting drafted at 18 to go fight Germans lmao

[@drewlovely2668]

The past was the worst.

[@resileaf9501]

Damn straight.

[@moritamikamikara3879]

You completely sure?

[@drewlovely2668]

@@moritamikamikara3879 yes.........

[@moritamikamikara3879]

My current town of residence, Salford (suburb of Manchester) was decimated by this battle. A bunch of guys from Salford fought in the "Salford Pals" in the battle of the Somme, they were some of the first to go over the top. There's a legend that two days after the battle started, a train pulled up in the station and a guy from the train called out "Is this Salford!?" and someone on the platform calls back "Yeah it is!" and train guy calls back "Your guys are all dead!" and then the train pulls out of the station and leaves. Salford Pals had been almost entirely destroyed in the first few hours, and that was most of the young male population. There aren't many Salforders left anymore, the suburb leans almost entirely on immigrants, that is to say usually University students like myself or entrepreneurs looking to make or work in businesses supporting the university.

[@mcoshea83]

Most working class parts of the UK were decimated, liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, East London etc, hundreds of thousands young lives lost

[@comradesionnach]

On the first day of the Somme, of the 800 men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who went forward, only 110 survived. Their losses were so great that in WWII Newfoundland couldn't field their own regiment.

[@alicialuxxx6088]

My great great uncle was one of 110 men who survived! But sadly died a year later in another battle

[@leahbray1862]

Great Big Sea wrote a song about them. It is a brilliant song.

[@karljonasson8429]

recruiting Sergaent I believe it is called.

[@Giveme1goodreason]

I’ve been there and it was emotional being there. I’m Australian so it’s not even personal for me.

[@maximilianodelrio]

That's just a battalion though, but damn

[@paul8467]

The first 7 minutes of this video spent talking about the 1st day perfectly set up the rest of the video. The emphasis on lost life, the failures, and the successes set up the truly grand scale of this battle. This is one of my favorite history youtube channels right now for sure.

[@hollieBlu303]

I'll be honest... every WW1 documentary I have watched in the last 25 years just brings me immediately back to Blackadder Goes Fourth....that series finale...heart wrenching.

[@hollieBlu303]

....and another excellent channel! Thanks for owning KZbin Mr.Whistler!

[@hollieBlu303]

...and there's the Blackadder reference.

[@ChristopherNFP]

Thank you for identifying Pozieres. A ferocious battle for the Australian 1st Division. Extraordinary bravery under heavy shelling. The village and the adjoining Mouquet Farm deserves a full episode on their own.

[@shellshell942]

The leader of the Australian army, General Sir John Monash, came up with a lot of battle strategies that were used for the first time in WW1. Scary thing is that he almost got pushed out of his job because he was Jewish and born to German parents. He even had to ask his family to write to him only in English because they were checking all his letters...imagine what a difference it could have made 🤔

[@jamieholtsclaw2305]

Sir John got his moment in the sun but that was during the 1918 Allied counteroffensive.

[@michaelsinger4638]

Also he has A LOT of stuff in Australia named after him as well.

[@frenzalrhomb6919]

@@michaelsinger4638 To bloody right he has mate, and so he should!! You should have a look at the channel "The People's Profiles," it gives you the entire biography of the Man's life, and in great detail. It even goes as far as to call him the "Father of Modern Warfare," as it was his very original idea of what became known as "Combined Arm's Warfare"

[@thenextbondvillainklaussch3266]

@@frenzalrhomb6919 As someone who has studied WW1 and WW2 for over 30 years , and has read about Monash off and on for most that time , the claim of " the Father of Modern Warfare. As it was his very original idea of what became known as Combined Arm's Warfare" - is not over stated , not even a little. The man single handedly changed how people looked at a battle field , and he undoubtedly saved many many men's lives serving under him, thanks to his idea's and especially his insistence on extensive preparation before a battle. He also turned his Aussie troops into feared and respected adversaries, a respect which probably carried over into WW2. He's the WW1 Goat , that many people forget.....

[@aSSGoblin1488]

JM

[@kingpin7666]

The British Army fired over a million shells a day for 3 days at the beginning of the Somme. The Germans responded by cutting entire corps when the charge came. It was a meat grinder.

[@68dgmitch]

Previous been told a large % of shells didn’t work

[@Combatchronicles1793]

The biggest cannon of the war, MLE 400mm, played a huge part on this battle ---> find the story here:kzbin.info/www/bejne/opbUoH2varyooLc

[@adamd5849]

Honestly, I would love a video on Belleau Wood. With it happening during the Spring Offensive, it would be very interesting in seeing how important it may have been for both sides

[@kiwi_comanche]

Teufelhunden for the win. Semper Fi.

[@Shadooe]

7:20 Royal Newfoundland Regiment. On July 1st, 801 went over the top, 68 answered roll the next day The advance on Beaumont-Hamel was the one time in the entire war that the RNFLDR was assigned an objective and failed to reach it

[@scottbivins4758]

That's pretty understandable why they didn't reach it. World War 1 was a different beast. Out with the old ways of war in with the new ways of way. Not only that but the new technology like machine guns. Fucking hell on earth thats for damn sure

[@hanjitomoe-kiryuin2593]

After going to Belgium and seeing these places, as well as all the mass graveyards and memorials, I can never watch these kinds of videos without getting emotional. Thank you Simon, and the whole Warographics crew for being so honest and frank about the massacre that was the Somme, and the impact it had

[@ChristinaMaterna]

Same. I've visited all the Australian sights in both France and Belgium (and where our families fought)and it still makes me tear.

[@acarmory]

Another excellent video! Would love to see more videos about WW1.

[@starbreeze7249]

Kind of sad that this is the loss it took for the higher ups to take the lives they threw away more seriously. It's also a big part in what made the Canadian divisions so effective in WW1, their training and competent leadership

[@captintinsmith3774]

Both my great grand fathers and both my great grand uncles fought in the Great War (French Army) My great grand Uncle Camille was killed between the 2nd and 3rd Battle of Artois (while digging lateral trenches with his men - he was a Sargent - , preparing for the 3rd assault) ... My great grand Uncle Adrian was at the Battle of Verdun, and survived.... Both my great grand fathers we're not sent to the front, due to their age, and served in the auxillary regiments.... Would be great if Simon could do a video of the Battle of Verdun, where the German Empire's aim was to "Bleed France White", which miserably failed, and bled itself instead....

[@babscabs1987]

Siegfried Sassoon - Memoirs of an Infantry Officer. He could hear the Welsh fighting in Mametz wood. P.s. Please do the Third Battle of Ypres next!

[@matthewcasey5059]

I love the quote from Black Adder when General Melchett said the Tommy’s need something to boost their morale and Black Adder responded with, “General Haig’s resignation and suicide would be in order.” More I’ve learned about his planning behind the Somme operation and planning, or lack there of, and insipid classism makes me realize just how true and accurate that statement really should have been.

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

Keep reading. That's a high school level take.

[@gchampi2]

To be fair to Haig, he never wanted to have his men fight the battle at The Somme. He intended to launch an attack some 30 miles west of The Somme, where the German lines were much less heavily defended, and much later in the year (August IIRC), so that his men could have several months of extra training. The Battle of The Somme was forced upon him by the French, who were obsessed with saving Verdun. That the French plan basically threw several hundred thousand inexperienced British volunteers into one of the most heavily defended parts of the German lines was irrelevant to them, as long as Verdun was saved...

[@HarryWHill-GA]

While an American, my maternal grandfather spent 2 1/2 years on the Somme as a doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps. We have a commendation for his hospital signed by King George V. He never would talk about his time other than the fine people he served with.

[@kiwi_comanche]

My Great Grandfather was with C Company, 12th Battalion, 27th Regiment Inniskilling Fusiliers, 36th Ulster Division. Joined up in 1912, demobbed in 1919. Survived the entire war. Shot twice and gassed once. The 36th Ulster Division was the only unit to achieve it's objectives on the first day of the Battle, only to be called back by Generals so far behind the lines they had no idea what was going on. So many lives wasted, and for nothing. We Will Remember Them.

[@Didyeaye404]

Those loyal ulstermen done us all proud. Long live the 36th

[@end8316]

My Great Uncle fought in the Welsh division in the Battle of the Somme. He was 20 years old from the village of Penygroes. He died in 1916. My grandmother still has the letters he sent home, my dad has read them and he doesn’t let me read them since they are so depressing. I will one day soon though I would love to have them properly documented in a museum and make copies. Rest In Peace Huwi

[@eonunderworld7814]

Vimy Ridge needs to be a video. The battle that effectively birthed a nation and proved commonwealth troops were far better than given credit for. Please add in the failures of other nations to take the ridge before the Canadians and the British failure to exploit the victory by being to drunk to fight assuming the Canadians wouldn’t make any progress.

[@Iris_and_or_George]

Over 1m dead in 140 days.... over 7,5k a day.... 5 every minute. Of all the wars ever, this is the one I'm glad i wasn't around for the most.

[@scottbivins4758]

I wonder if Soldiers from World War 1 would have preferred to be in World war 2.

[@DNoll-dx4ju]

@@scottbivins4758 if one considers how experimental alot of the doctrines and equipment were, not to mention how much more meleecombat was present. I'd say probably yes.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

​@@scottbivins4758WW2 was worse in every way than WW1.

[@vjbd2757]

1 million casualties on both sides. Not dead.

[@coitze8704]

I would recommend a future video to be on the Hunt for the Bismarck, when Churchill ordered the Royal Navy's finest to track down and destroy that ONE german ship.

[@The_Republic_of_Ireland]

Simon could you cover the role of a few irish regiments during the Somme, the best known is the 36th Ulster Division who were one of the first to successfully reach a German trench

[@caleblarsen5490]

Man, this must have been Somme battle to be talking about it over 100 yrs later. . . I'll see myself out.

[@bamacopeland4372]

Bhad boom boom shhhh

[@raptin1595]

Bruh 😂

[@4thamendment237]

Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

[@loke6664]

Germany's worst loss was not really that tiny bit of land but the loss of Oswald Boelcke near the end of the battle. That dude wrote the book on air war but you loose some and you gain some, Somme was really the start of another rising star, Manfred von Richthofen or as you might know him: "The red Baron". The battle was really a draw, both sides lost about the same amount of men, learned about the same tactical lessons and the land won was rather tiny. You could argue that the British and French won be default since they had an easier time replacing their losses but Germany did learn how to make far superior air planes which lead to "Black April" 1917 where RFC (RAFs predecessor) lost 245 of 360 air planes. Of course the British did learn from that and so on... But I honestly see no winner in this battle, it competes with Stalingrad for the most miserable battle ever fought. It was poor planning, The idea that you could surprise the enemy when you spent a week firing the heaviest artillery barrage over the area so far seen is just ridiculous. Instead of collecting the right kind of ammunition they stockpiled all kinds they could get their hands on and they assumed neither barbed wire nor humans and their defenses would survive the barrage. And walking straight into machine gun fire works as well as you would think. Sure, now and then there were new ideas and tactics popping up like the tank but if those tactics had been used the first day the battle might have ended differently. Germany also screwed up with constant counter attacks that were far costlier then either side could afford. If the Germans would have slowly backed a bit while the British losses ticked up they would have won but everyone was fighting for a tiny bit of worthless land. One would have thought humanity learned from this and we never had a trench war again but then Korea happened and while people rarely talks about it, it is bloody hard to see the difference between photographs from the Western front and from the trenches of Korea.

[@randalpumpkin2788]

Interesting, I know nothing about trenches in Korea. hopefully Simon will cover that soon

[@loke6664]

@@randalpumpkin2788 I kinda doubt it, when people talk about the Korean war they focus on the early part and Mig alley. The trench fighting were extremely static just like WW1, slightly more advanced weapons but otherwise pretty much the same. It was a rather odd war and never got a winner which is why there still is so much tension in the region to this day. It is however rather interesting but it had the misfortune of happening so close after WW2 that it never got the same recognition as for instance Vietnam did. It is more or less a forgotten war even if it still impacts the modern world, and it officially never ended, there was never a peace declared or signed.

[@nigelmceachern505]

I watch this channel like it’s prime time television

[@JacobGen]

It's alot better than what's on television currently lol

[@KendlickLama]

back in the day i went on joint operation too with my friends we went in to the woods and smoked a joint

[@TheRealWarHistory]

The Battle of the Somme reminds us of the fragility of life and the importance of preserving peace. May their sacrifice inspire us to build a better future.

[@robertbruce1887]

Excellent Simon! So much information packed into a relatively short time. As for the battle, such a horrible waste of young men's lives on both sides.

[@J.3.P0UCC0U1]

Fun Fact: My Great Great Granddad Fought In The Battle Of The Somme. He Was One Of The Survivors Of The French Army. Around 10 Years After The Battle, 1926, He Moved To Canada, Met My Great Great Grandmom, & Had My Great Grandmom.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Did you know that 74 percent of all British and Dominion troops who fought at the Somme survived without a scratch as it were. The Somme was not the worst battle of WW1 . Verdun was far worse than the Somme.

[@DC4260Productions]

There's a preserved New Zealand steam locomotive (AB 608) that was named 'Passchendaele' in either 1915 or 1916. She's a memorial locomotive for NZ soldiers who served in WW1, especially the Battle of the Somme. I know this'll sound dumb, but every time I hear Simon say 'no man's land' it reminds me of Blackadder.

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

It's not dumb. Don't sell yourself short. Blackadder had a WW1 series and "no man's land" was how it was called.

[@mitchellneu]

Thanks so much for this, Simon, been wondering what a vid on this would be like!

[@joeywheelerii9136]

Thanks for covering more than just the first day.

[@justinjenkins2682]

Gotta say as well, the updated music on the title screens is so epic, really sets the gloomy mood. Maybe amp it up in future videos?

[@sky_professor3051]

Tsingtao, Tannenberg, Sinai, Kilamenjaro, and Gallipoli would be cool to cover as well.

[@kennyle8640]

"Two and a half million people is a little more than the entire population of Houston, Texas; all with a helmet and a rifle...". In other words, not all that different than Houston, Texas sans the helmet...

[@mattday8208]

I found out no long ago that my great, great uncle went over the top on the first day as part of the 1/2 Battalion the London Regiment. Not long after he was shot and died of his wounds some weeks later.

[@vitorpereira9515]

Battle of Somme aka the birth of the modern warfare and the moment things got real for both sides.

[@b1646717]

"Wait a minute. I see no glory here, only death."

[@duncancurtis1758]

The Trench with Daniel Craig.

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

Kinda disagree. There were wars earlier that could be descirbed as the birth of modern warfare. Even that is debateable as we don't fight WW1 style battles anymore (in the west) The American Civil war had trench warfare for example. They also had machine guns (Gatling guns vs Cavalry charges) The American Civil might now have tanks, they did have armor (on ships, the battle between The USS Monitor vs the CSS Virginia) War has changed.

[@DekkarMTBtl]

9:47 What's up with this photo? It's clearly from WWII. It's even mentioned in the source...

[@rezarfar]

WW1 was the last war that honour and compassion among both sides existed. Allowing the gathering of the dead and wounded, the willingness to fight for ones country but still display compassion to your enemy. Even laying down your arms to kick a ball around on a shared holiday. Every war after was different, ideologies had jaded people and modern warfare, with long range rockets, aerial combat and eventually nukes, made it so you didn't have to look at your enemy anymore, it took the honour and compassion away from war. War was always ugly and grim, but at least there was a sense of honour before, now it's just ugly and grim, the honour is gone.

[@Nooinator]

Not really, there is always tales of compassion for the enemy during war, ww1 just tends to be more romanticised

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

That's an overly romantic view. Many, many massacres were carried out. WW1 Germany wasn't Nazi-Germany, but they weren't that much worse.

[@TheKlamminator]

My grandfather (american) got his leg blown off in WWII by a land mine and was rescued by two German soldiers. There can be compassion in any war, it's usually just confused, scared young men on both sides that don't really want to fight.

[@duncancurtis1758]

So, Darling how we doing? We've advanced this far, general. Oh splendid. On a scale of one to one, sir. Bittersweet comedy.

[@werewolfmoney6602]

"No Black Adder! I'm as English as queen Victoria!" "So your father was a German, you're half German, and you married a German?"

[@technovelo]

Baldrick's coffee. Thankfully I was not drinking any when I watched that as I take mine with extra cream and sugar.

[@TheEvilCommenter]

Good video 👍

[@multiyapples]

Rest In Peace to those that passed away.

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

My great great-grandfather died in Flanders fields. About 2 weeks before the armistice :(

[@ChristinaMaterna]

Anyone visiting the Somme should go see the Anzac memorial and esp the town of Villers Bretonneux (The place recaptured by the Aussies and held. They still fly the satisfied flag and sing that national anthem!)

[@Kieran_Martin]

Yay another Warographics video! Just in time for dinner! And yes I watched all of the others XD Very good content keep up the spectacular work Simon and Team!

[@theadder2243]

Thank you very much. Great video about this battle, which was ultimately the downfall of the only German General that the British feared (Erich von Falkenhayn). I just wonder - as a German and descendant of WW1 veterans - why Falkenhayn was forced to stray away from the very succesful tactics of the beginning of the counterattack to Verdun (leaving the first trenches with only a small number of soldiers, having most soldiers securely sheltered during the barrages and having them rush into the trenches as soon as possible after the barrage). I know that he ordered this, and that he ordered about one months into the Somme battle that front line trenches had to be manned fully (meaning sooo many deaths). I always attribute that to an order of the Kaiser Wilhelm II. to him, but I couldn't find anything definitive on that. Maybe Ludendorf (who is the most overrated commander of WW1 ever, much worse than Haig) had his stinky fingers in it, though...

[@mandalor45]

Please do battle of Beaumont Hamel. a significant ww1 battle for the people where im from, Newfoundland

[@YaakovEzraAmiChi]

Haha now I can understand what they ment in Peaky Blinders when mentioning being "at the Somme"

[@cdburner5911]

What I can't ever grasp is...how did 2 million soldiers stay fed? how did they go to the bathroom, how was their cloths washed (even were they?), how could they even truck the required amount of stuff to the front. Like being an outsider, I feel like I have a small clue into the logistics of modern wars, but 100 years ago, when trucks were substantially less capable than they are today, and horses were still in heavy use...how did it all work?

[@davidharman7245]

KZbin doesn't have all the answers. I recommend reading books by people who lived during world events that interest you. Their accounts have more significance than biased "scholars" living generations later. Although it is nice to have decades of research to learn both sides of a conflict. I am aware that Argentina provided a large amount of corned beef to the allied armies. But, I am curious how was it transported from ports to the front lines, and paid for.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

@cdbutner. You have touched on a facet that is very rarely mentioned, LOGISTICS. The British Army Service Corps provided all that was needed for the British allied battles in WW1. They are the unsung heroes of the war. No battle or war is ever won without good logistics. Amateurs talk tactics professionals talk logistics. Or as one American Cibil War general said Get there the firstest with the mostest.

[@michaelsinger4638]

Ultimately. It probably was necessary. It did inflict losses on the German Army that they could not replace. And it gave the British Army valuable experience in how to fight a modern war.

[@michaelb1761]

They already knew how to fight a modern war, but the evil old generals preferred to fight an 18th century war. Nothing in WW1 was necessary.

[@samuelgordino]

The problem was that Germans also learned valuable lessons.

[@nelsongraber8987]

10's of thousands of young men had to senselessly die for what??

[@SRFriso94]

I've been to the Thiepval monument, 50.000 names of men that went missing during the Battle of the Somme. And that's just the missing ones, not even the ones that were killed. Absolute madness.

[@swordsnspearguy5945]

16 years old When I went to the war To fight for a land fit for heroes God on my side And a gun in my hand Chasing my days down to zero

[@mattstakeontheancients7594]

They did call Haig the butcher for his lack of caring about his men , but after the war he dedicated much of his life to help ex solders. Think he’s a complex figure who besides getting pressured from above I don’t think realized the sheer amount of death his decisions made. Casualties are just numbers on a page until you see the people those numbers represent. We treat those that suffer from PTSD back then they were shot for cowardice.

[@uruuphiil8335]

Ok Simon I did not know which was the best channel for this, I -guessed- this was it. Anyways, would a video about the Berlin Airlift be something that would interest you to learn about and share? I'd like that, if you would please. a good starting point is a book by Edwin Gere called The Unheralded. :) my grandfather Bill is at the bottom of page 232, but Id love to learn more in that compact and concise way you and your writing and editing team do so well. :)

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

"The Cold War" channel already did that

[@aaronjohnson718]

Looking at all the empty shell around 4 minutes 19 seconds in is more than I can comprehend or imagine it is unbelievable yet it did happen and then other pictures of piles of shells really makes me wonder how could we do that to each other this is insanity

[@flexinclouds]

You should watch 'the king's man' from 2021. Its based in ww1 and has the most realistic, chilling, epic battle scenes ive ever seen. (And good story-line) And they also depicted piles of spent shells like that at the Somme, beyond comprehension. Just the historical accuracy on the events leading to the start of the war, makes it an awesome movie for any ww1/ww2 buff.

[@SeanBZA]

Sadly the lessons the British learnt there got forgotten after the war, and have had to be taught time and again to the commanders, in the blood of thousands of dead soldiers, who in general would rather have preferred peace. War would be a lot less likely if the commanders led from the front...

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Those generals won the effing war for crying out loud.

[@Giveme1goodreason]

13:54 that was my great grandfather’s 1st action of ww1

[@hanglee5586]

No combat training. Grand.

[@xessenceofinsanityx]

My great-great uncle is 'buried' at Pozieres. I say that, but they never found his body. He was also only a couple weeks shy of 18, as he was one of the many who lied about their age to enlist.

[@Zmanath00]

Should do Vimy Ridge. I believe it's one of the most successful applications of the creeping barrage.

[@robcunliffe3252]

Of the Accrington Pals, that battalion of 1,000 untried and unprepared men, 234 were killed and 350 wounded. Almost every family in Accrington hod lost somebody. At first the Town Hall hid the truth, but as news filtered through via letters home from field hospitals and returned casualties, it gradually dawned that something terrible had happened. The people laid siege to the Town Hall, dragged the Mayor out and forced the news out of him. It has often been said, and I can believe it, that the little town of Accrington never recovered from that ‘brilliant advance of July the First’. This has been taken for a website about the Accrington Pals, one of the smallest towns to raise a Pals battalion.

[@abass1770]

Excellent as always….but just to be picky, that quote was from the first episode of Blackadder, not the last. Though the final scene of the final episode is still one of the most powerful a comedy has ever produced IMO.

[@buxeessingh2571]

Good luck, everyone.

[@felixjones9198]

With the possible exception of Paul Whitehouse as Rowley Birkin QC describing the loss of his wife.

[@jacobprice2579]

Probably a controversial point, but I don’t think Haig deserves the reputation as a butcher which he started getting well after the fact. At the end of the day, he did the best job he could with what he had and as Simon pointed out, he wanted to wait until his troops were better trained and he wanted to attack in a different location. Unfortunately he was overruled and given the command to attack at the Somme to try and take pressure off the French at Verdun.

[@NapoleonicWargaming]

He doesn't. It comes from post war (1960's) 'academics'. They saw the military in general as a symbol of the Old order so set about besmirching their achievements. WW2 commanders were still alive and so could defend themselves, so the cowards went after the WW1 ones.

[@paulceglinski3087]

Just popped across the channel. Done subscribed and browsed vids. This looks fun. Cheers.

[@randalpumpkin2788]

this was very good. a bit dark, which we always like :D

[@Yamikaiba123]

I'd like you to cover the Anarchist take-over of Canaan in the late 2nd Millenium B.C.E, described in the Amarna Letters.

[@hydencp]

As a veteran, WWI is scary as fuck

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Almost as scary as WW2.

[@nocturne7371]

My birthday is on the 1st of July and as a kid I got a book about natable events that happened in history that event. On the cover was a picture from the first day of the battle of Somme.

[@codycallaway9057]

Sabaton just realized a motorhead cover of 1916

[@scottkrater2131]

How'd those Second World War German infantrymen get there at about 10:17 lol.

[@tillposer]

It should be noted, that the ~2,000,000 shells fired at the German lines at the Somme in the last week of June 1916 were grossly insufficient to weaken the well entrenched troops. In fact, the British expended 3,500,000 shells in the "week of suffering" nine months later in preparation for the Battle of Arras on a front half the width, a lesson learned at the Somme. And even that bombardment was not sufficient for a decisive breakthrough.

[@burningjoe]

‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen is the best poem about the Somme attack. What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? - Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, - The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blind

[@foilhats840]

The newfoundland regiment was wiped out in that battle.

[@rhenderson9234]

My grandmother's brother died in France during WW1. the story as I was told that the family had to pay to return his body to the United States , that is why so many American troops are buried in France. It took a year to the day from his death until his remains were brought home.

[@amb163]

You should do a video on the battle of Beaumont-Hamel. On that one day, 800 Newfoundlanders (still under British flag) went into battle and only 68 survived. Newfoundland only had about 240,000 as a total population at the time, mostly made up of tiny communities. The adult male populations of some villages were almost completely wiped out. That was just ONE battle of many they took part in. Eventually, King George said that that Newfoundland had given enough and no more soldiers were to be taken from the colony.

[@alicialuxxx6088]

My great great uncle was one of them who survived

[@alicialuxxx6088]

Also Newfoundland even now only has 500,000 people, and England wouldn't bail us out unless we stopped being a dominion and joined Canada. And even then Newfoundland is like a couple decades behind the rest of Canada

[@amb163]

@@alicialuxxx6088 He must have one hell of a story to tell. :( I can't even imagine the trauma of living through something like that.

[@Shadooe]

"Better Than the Best"

[@SaintJust1214]

do verdun

[@duncancurtis1758]

The meat grinder that won for France but at appalling cost, leading to the poilus discontent in 1917.

[@SaintJust1214]

@@duncancurtis1758 Yeah ww1 was almost a phyrric victory for France as they had won and beaten Germany but at such a high cost that they wouldn't recover for many years

[@vandeheyeric]

@@duncancurtis1758 Verdun didn't help but it was the 1917 Chemin de Dames offensive that led to the French Mutinies of 1917 (which themselves were rather overblown).

[@Zocktan]

Do one on the battle of Rzhev

[@thejuize06]

...What a lovely day Yea we won the war May have lost a million men But we got a million more...

[@pyromania1018]

And there's the kick-off.

[@samuellaird5184]

16:48 That’s an Albatross DII 16:51 That’s an Albatross DIII, that didn’t appear until January 1917

[@Therabidrabbit89]

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Lest we forget, We will remember them.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Thereby arabbit. That poem was written by an offficer serving in the Ypres sector not the Somme .

[@Therabidrabbit89]

@@anthonyeaton5153 Where did I say the Somme?

[@madmick3794]

ANZACs and all those lost in war, RIP. "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them."

[@ValensBellator]

So until the tank did it just ultimately make more sense to be defensive? Attacking such entrenched positions seems genuinely insane and so wasteful.

[@Dav1Gv]

The football incident was NOT the result of the British expecting a walkover but an attempt to take the mens' minds off the dangers of the attack - and to an extent it worked. Also Haig was almost certainly hoping to breakthrough at least two of the German lines because the barrage was spread over them which reduced it's effect and the very unreliable shells should have got a mention as well.

[@richardwhitfill5253]

I’m glad I missed all these wars.

[@andrewcarter7503]

A relative on my mum's side - Ernest Moss - was one of those killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Was it a futile war? Not if you know your history. The Germans even then were nationalist and militaristic. They hated what they saw as the weak liberalism of the British. Whilst not as extreme as WWII, make no mistake WWI was a clash of cultures. Had German aggression gone unopposed Europe would have been very different in the years that followed.

[@mattcromwell4308]

The creeping barrage I believe was first used against the Ottoman Empire? Can't remember exactly, all I know is that it's a tactic that requires bigger balls than any other 😬

[@Joe-wq9lf]

It was first used effectivley by the French at Verdun and La malmaison, but it was prefected at Hamel in 1918

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

This tactic makes no sense to me. Why would you shell no mans land ? Why not just shell the opponents trench with he and just in front with smoke ?

[@michaelsinger4638]

Artillery bombardments often did not do sufficient damage to enemy trench lines (they could be very well built depending on the locations). And it gave the enemy warning that an attack was coming as well.

[@damiensadventure]

Finally. I've been waiting for this video.

[@buninparadise9476]

Not precisely a war, but You might have a suitable channel: The 1979 siege of Mecca

[@iowa_lot_to_travel9471]

WW1 in a nutshell: see how many men volunteer to be in front of a firing squad

[@kevinjustason]

Passchendale and cover more conflicts with Canada some interesting stories then Auddy Murphy like a one eyed sniper who liberated a whole French town.

[@derwolf3006]

Imagine beign a palsbatallion survivor... Must be a hella lot of survivors guilt.

[@Frank074]

Would love a video on the battle of Tannenberg