The Battle of the Somme 0:04
On July 1, 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme began.
The British sent thousands of soldiers over the tops of the trenches to take the German positions on the opposite side.
The Germans, however, knew the attack was coming and were very well prepared.
The advancing British were quickly cut down by rifles, machine guns, and artillery.
Although some of the British were able to break through the German lines, the majority were unsuccessful. Altogether, the British suffered 57,000 casualties making it the bloodiest day in their history to this day.
The Battle of the Somme would go on for another four months and claim the lives of thousands more.
The Battle of Cambrai 4:29
The Battle of Cambrai was significant in ww1, as it was the first battle in which tanks were used on a
large scale.
At dawn on November 20, 1917, over 400 British Mark IV tanks with the support of infantry and artillery began approaching the German lines.The tanks were able to easily flatten the barbed wire and make it across the trenches, which was previously suicide for infantry to do so.
By the end of the first day, the British had pushed deep into enemy territory, in the following days however, the Germans took back much off the ground they had lost, as many of the British tanks had mechanical issues or were destroyed by artillery.
Although it was not a decisive victory for the British, the battle of Cambrai had proven the effectiveness of the tank on the battlefield.
The 2nd Battle of Villers Brentonnoeux 8:18
On April 25, 1918, during the 2nd Battle of Villers Brentonneux, the first tank vs. tank battle occurred.
A German A7v tank was met by 3 British Mark IV tanks, 2 of which were soon hit and retreated.
The German tank was then shot by the remaining British tank and the crew had to evacuate.
Next, the British tank was met by 2 more German tanks and infantry. But after getting fired upon, the German tanks turned around and withdrew. Later that day the British tank was hit by German artillery and the crew safely retreated to a British trench.
27 авг 2020
