End of the Battle of the Somme.

[Ferdinand Foch]

Hey, I found out last night that today is when the Battle of the Somme officially ended, November 18, 1916. The fighting ended with almsot 620,000 Allied and 620,000-680,000 German casualties, after almost four months of fighting. Thought I throw this around.

 

[timshatz]

Wonder is a guy who got shot the day after the battle thought, "Whew, thank God I didn't get shot during the Somme, that was a real mess."

Kinda doubt it.

Also wonder how you decide the end of a battle like the Somme. Kind of like figuring out the end of being sick. You feel ok so you must not be sick. Figure the Somme was the same way. "We're not attacking anymore, so the battle must be over."

 

[RabidAlien]

I think that all depends on politics and public opinion....Iwo Jima was declared "over", and the fighting continued (hard core, not just occasional pot-shots) for several more weeks. Generals promise results, and they report those results, whether the enemy gets the memo or not.

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

I think that all depends on politics and public opinion....Iwo Jima was declared "over", and the fighting continued (hard core, not just occasional pot-shots) for several more weeks. Generals promise results, and they report those results, whether the enemy gets the memo or not.

So true.


Wheels

 

[vikingBerserker]

Nice quote!

 

[renrich]

There is a fairly new historical novel out by Shaara, called, "To the Last Man" about WW1 that is, IMO, his best work. A portion of the novel is set during the Somme Battle. A very good read which some critics are comparing to "Im Westen Nicht Neues," by Remarque.

 

[Ferdinand Foch]

Yeah, I picked the 18th because that's what the BBC history website gave me as the "official" day that the Somme ended. I understand where you coming though.

 

[davebender]

Where are those numbers coming from? Here are the official casualty statistics for WWI:
Axis History Forum • View topic - An aside on Casualties

German West Front Casualties July to October 1916.
81,848. Dead.
109,223. Wounded.
346,898. Missing.
----------------------
537,969.

Roughly 350,000 of this total happened on the Somme sector. Most of the remainder were at Verdun where France was conducting major offensive operations through the end of 1916.

 

[Ferdinand Foch]

Where are those numbers coming from? Here are the official casualty statistics for WWI:
Axis History Forum • View topic - An aside on Casualties

German West Front Casualties July to October 1916.
81,848. Dead.
109,223. Wounded.
346,898. Missing.
----------------------
537,969.

Roughly 350,000 of this total happened on the Somme sector. Most of the remainder were at Verdun where France was conducting major offensive operations through the end of 1916.

Oh Sh@t! Well, thanks for the correction.
I'm pretty sure I got it off of BBC. No, wait. It could be Wikipedia.