Timing:
- Zero Hour was set for 7:30 a.m. on July 1, 1916. This timing was strategically chosen to take advantage of the morning mist and reduce visibility for the German defenders.
Objectives:
- The British had planned a massive artillery bombardment prior to the infantry advance at Zero Hour to destroy German barbed wire and strong points. However, many shells fell short or overshot their targets, resulting in ineffective or minimal damage done to the German defenses.
Opening Moves:
- At Zero Hour, British troops commenced their attack, advancing across no man's land towards German trenches. It proved disastrous from the very beginning with numerous British soldiers falling victim to withering German machine gun fire, artillery, and sniping.
Casualties:
- The day marked one of the darkest and most tragic in British military history as more than 57,470 causalities were suffered (over 19,240 killed instantly and the death toll continued to rise in the following days). This single day remains as the bloodiest day in British military history.
Reasons for High Casualties:
- Several factors caused such high casualties; among them were overly ambitious initial objectives, lack of accurate intelligence and understanding of German defensive arrangements, inadequate pre-attack reconnaissance, underestimation of German machine gun defenses, and limited cooperation between infantry and artillery.
Aftermath:
- Despite the horrendous losses on 1 July, and throughout the entire Somme Offensive the Allies eventually achieved their original tactical goals, despite not reaching decisive breakthrough.
Legacy:
- The Battle of the Somme came to symbolize the sheer futility and horror of trench warfare during World War I and is remembered more for its catastrophic death toll, failed goals, and tactical setbacks for all belligerents.