Battle scenes from the Somme

[egbert]

http://www.filmportal.de/video/kampfszenen-aus-der-schlacht-an-der-somme

[derekspiers]

How much of that depicts actual combat. If so do we know the where and the when? The woodland scenes are astonishing if authentic. The last quarter must shirley be a training exercise ??

[mirko]

I believe stills of the wood scenes are in Peter Barton's Somme Panoramas book. And that those are authentic.

[egbert]

I am intrigued to think of River Ancre!?

[17107BM]

I would think your right, but hard to say from which point.

As always, good material Egbert.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Cheers all.

[andalucia]

Very interesting to watch. Lots of grass in those fields. Cheers Egbert.

[towisuk]

Looking at the closing frames of the film most of the captured prisoners appear to be French, which would suggest that it was filmed around the area where the British and French lines joined...

The watercourse where the German troop's are seen crossing, could be one on the small meandering streams of the Somme river....

Anyone...???

regards

Tom

[KIRKY]

Great images, thanks

tony

[SilverFox100]

Very interesting thanks Egbert. Would be interested to see where this was. Mike

[jscott]

Wonderful footage, thanks for sharing Egbert.

[phil andrade]

Many thanks, Egbert.

Training exercises, in the main, surely ?

Still extremely informative.

The Franco British prisoners intrigue me.

The wood that features at the start hasn't suffered much damage. The explosions leave the trees intact. These guys look as if they're practicing. Likewise the large clusters of infantry surging along those open slopes. The trench lines are very clearly defined.

Don't get me wrong : I'm impressed and captivated.

Phil (PJA)

[horrocks]

I also noticed the clear resemblance to the wood scenes and the stills in Peter Barton's book, which I think I recall being captioned as German stormtroopers in Delville Wood.

The tactics shown in the sequences towards the end are intriguing, as they appear to show troops attacking (or practicing) using some kind of sophisticated fire & movement techniques, with alternating flanks going into cover and advancing at a run, tactics very much at odds with those used by British troops, at least in the early stages of the Somme offensive.

[ServiceRumDiluted]

Toby, my thoughts exactly, no 60lb packs in sight!