1st July 1916 - infantry assault

[mikereme]

Hello Everyone,

Could this great forum answer these two questions...

1. How many infantry battalions went "OVER THE TOP" on the 1st July 1916 

2. How many of these Battalion used the preparatory bombardment to their advantage?

I thank you in anticipation

Edited 25 July , 2022 by mikereme

[mancpal]

I’ve no idea but suggest you change the date on the title of this thread. 
My nearest guess would be in 1816 none. In 1916 plenty.

Please excuse my flippancy, it’s past my bedtime. Simon

 

[mikereme]

Thank you for the heads up...😄

[Hyacinth1326]

You may have to define what you mean by 'went over the top'.  I am not trying to be pedantic but it might help in responding to your question especially when it comes to the issue of committing reserves.

[mikereme]

I would be interested in the TOTAL number of battalions that was committed on the 1st July (including reserves) etc...

 

[Hyacinth1326]

Ray Westlake's Slaughter on the Somme lists 164 battalions.  However I do not know whether this includes battalions inserted late afternoon or evening.

[mikereme]

Brilliant.. I will use this as my starting point...

Thank you so much

[Hyacinth1326]

Caution is needed. I am just thinking of La Boisselle where as we know, it was 34th Division's sector but 19th Division battalions were sent in late evening and I do not know whether Ray included these in his list.  There will be other locations like this.

[mikereme]

Great thank you...Will look at possibly be at least 164 battalions commited on the first day...

[kenf48]

18 hours ago, mikereme said:

 

1. How many infantry battalions went "OVER THE TOP" on the 1st July 1916 

2. How many of these Battalion used the preparatory bombardment to their advantage?

 

 

 

Previously discussed here

Those listed are the usual sources the Middlebrook appendix mentioned gives the ORBAT, sorry can't be bothered to count them.  You could then cross reference those with Westlake or Chris McCarthy's 'The Somme day by day'. 

Though I'm not sure it's possible to answer Question 2 with any degree of accuracy either. 

For example elements of the 56th (London) Division in the North was formed from 12 Battalions each of which probably had a different experience on the 1st July when the Division was ordered to attack at Gommecourt. 

The attacking Battalions assembled in No Man's Land under a smoke-screen.  The German wire in front of them had been cut  and their initial assault was successful and they captured the first two lines of German trenches.  German artillery then ranged on the British trenches and the support Battalions following up to consolidate the position were cut down in No Man's Land.  Reserve Battalions of the Division went forward at various times during the day at 2pm and 8pm.  Eventually the Division was driven from the captured German trenches after a fierce counter attack.  The plan called for 56th Division to meet up with the 46th (North Midland) Division (Note both Divisions were formed from TF Battalions).  Thirteen Battalions of this Division were in the ORBAT.  Unlike the Londoners the wire in front of their attack had not been cut and the smoke screen was more a hindrance than help.  They were driven back and never met up with the 56th Division.  The Divisional Commander refused to commit reserves into what he recognised was a futile loss of life but was sacked a few days later.

Taking just 168th Brigade from 56th Division zero hour on the 1st July was 7.30a.m.

1/12th  London Attack on Gommecourt left of Brigade front

1/14th London Attack on Gommecourt right of Brigade Front

1/4th London in support on the left at 8.45 a.m. two Companies sent forward to support 1/12th

1/13th London in support of 1/14th The leading waves did not get past No Man's Land

(Westlake British Battalions on the Somme) 

It may be pedantic but it might be helpful as noted above by @Hyacinth1326 if you define 'over the top'.  Do you mean at Zero Hour?  Many of the  Battalions preparing to go 'over the top' on the 1st July were decimated in support trenches by German Artillery and some never even got started.  As noted caution is needed when putting a number on the Battalions deployed during the day.

There are probably only a handful of battles in British history that have been studied in such detail.  It might be helpful if you share with us what you are trying to achieve.

 

 

[mikereme]

Thank you so much...No problem with being pedantic..I think we can safely say that Going over the top...Will be those battalions earmarked for the assault.

[PhilB]

Might we inquire why you want this info, Mike?

[mikereme]

I have always  been interested how many soldiers were involved in this battle....with the horrendous losses on the first day...hope that helps buddy

[mikereme]

3 hours ago, kenf48 said:

 

 

Previously discussed here

Those listed are the usual sources the Middlebrook appendix mentioned gives the ORBAT, sorry can't be bothered to count them.  You could then cross reference those with Westlake or Chris McCarthy's 'The Somme day by day'. 

Though I'm not sure it's possible to answer Question 2 with any degree of accuracy either. 

For example elements of the 56th (London) Division in the North was formed from 12 Battalions each of which probably had a different experience on the 1st July when the Division was ordered to attack at Gommecourt. 

The attacking Battalions assembled in No Man's Land under a smoke-screen.  The German wire in front of them had been cut  and their initial assault was successful and they captured the first two lines of German trenches.  German artillery then ranged on the British trenches and the support Battalions following up to consolidate the position were cut down in No Man's Land.  Reserve Battalions of the Division went forward at various times during the day at 2pm and 8pm.  Eventually the Division was driven from the captured German trenches after a fierce counter attack.  The plan called for 56th Division to meet up with the 46th (North Midland) Division (Note both Divisions were formed from TF Battalions).  Thirteen Battalions of this Division were in the ORBAT.  Unlike the Londoners the wire in front of their attack had not been cut and the smoke screen was more a hindrance than help.  They were driven back and never met up with the 56th Division.  The Divisional Commander refused to commit reserves into what he recognised was a futile loss of life but was sacked a few days later.

Taking just 168th Brigade from 56th Division zero hour on the 1st July was 7.30a.m.

1/12th  London Attack on Gommecourt left of Brigade front

1/14th London Attack on Gommecourt right of Brigade Front

1/4th London in support on the left at 8.45 a.m. two Companies sent forward to support 1/12th

1/13th London in support of 1/14th The leading waves did not get past No Man's Land

(Westlake British Battalions on the Somme) 

It may be pedantic but it might be helpful as noted above by @Hyacinth1326 if you define 'over the top'.  Do you mean at Zero Hour?  Many of the  Battalions preparing to go 'over the top' on the 1st July were decimated in support trenches by German Artillery and some never even got started.  As noted caution is needed when putting a number on the Battalions deployed during the day.

There are probably only a handful of battles in British history that have been studied in such detail.  It might be helpful if you share with us what you are trying to achieve.

 

 

Brilliant thank you so much for this information....I have always been facilitated with this battle.  But I believe lessons were learnt....in addition I want to know did individual battalions used their own initiative...and used the bombardment in their favour...as a veteran I would like to think that these soldiers did things that we did later in history....

[phil andrade]

How about this passage from Liddell Hart's History of the First World War, page 239 ?

 

It was a race with death - the greatest of such races - run by nearly 60,000 men in the first heat.

That implies about eighty battalions, doesn't it ?  That phrase " first heat" is moot.  It implies  significant follow up of succeeding battalions, and here it's too difficult  to resist citing Middlebrook's depiction of what the failure of that first heat implied.  Page 158 :

So the first hour of the battle had ended in heavy loss and bitter disappointment for the British  ...........  So far, they had committed less than half of their available strength to the battle.  In addition to the remnants of eighty- four battalions [ Liddell Hart's " first heat" ?} still on the battlefield , forty-three more fresh battalions were due to renew the attack during the morning and behind them were waiting a further seventy , if the British generals decided to use them.

Phil

[mikereme]

Hi Phil,

So it maybe more than the 164 battalions than first thought....

84 + 43 = 127 + (70 reserve) = 197?

Is this interpretation correct...🤔

 

[Hyacinth1326]

Middlebrook lists 220 battalions inc Pioneers !  On an average each division contains thirteen battalions.

Edited 26 July , 2022 by Hyacinth1326

[mikereme]

Goodness the plot thickens...thank you so much...would these battalions would of been earmarked on the first day of assault?

[phil andrade]

20 minutes ago, mikereme said:

Hi Phil,

So it maybe more than the 164 battalions than first thought....

84 + 43 = 127 + (70 reserve) = 197?

Is this interpretation correct...🤔

 

That seems too high.

 

My sense of arithmetic and the scale of the battle tells me that the 70 reserve battalions were retained on a much wider frontage than that of the sectors attacked.

 

The 127 figure seems more plausible.

 

 I suppose it depends on how wide the remit is : you could extend it to the entire BEF in France and Flanders if contingency was made for a mighty success.

 

Phil

[Hyacinth1326]

Well they are listed in the ORBAT in Middlebrook, Appendix I as Kenf48 states, so without info to the contrary I would have to cautiously answer 'yes'.  Judicious cross referencing sources is going to be essential to your quest. A pity that I do not have the Official History for July 1st 1916.

Edited 26 July , 2022 by Hyacinth1326

[mikereme]

Fair point...

[TEW]

Another aspect perhaps?

1st Wave at 7.30am or subsequent waves?

All battalions committed on 1/7/16?

I understood that approx 10% of each battalion were kept as reserves and that it may actually be that two companies of X battalion were committed rather than four.

Were pioneer battalions used anywhere as an assaulting force?

I'm sure reserves were brought up later in the day but were stood down. Middlebrook etc. might be including these.

TEW

[Hyacinth1326]

I believe Middlebrook is including these reserves in his tally.  His quoted ORBAT mentions 37th Division as Reserve to 56th Division and 9th Division as Reserve to 30th Division but these two are not listed with the attacking battalions.   On the subject of Pioneers, I believe the 18th Northumberland Fusiliers had been allocated a challenging task of nipping the salient formed by La Boisselle while the other 34th Division battalions attacked on either flank.  While designated Pioneers, It would be hard to argue in this instance that they did not play a part in the assault.  There are doubtless other examples of Pioneers participating, elsewhere.

 

Edited 26 July , 2022 by Hyacinth1326

[kenf48]

8 minutes ago, TEW said:

Were pioneer battalions used anywhere as an assaulting force?

The main duties of the Pioneers on the 1st July was to dig saps for the attacking infantry and  after the assault to consolidate captured positions and to act as stretcher bearers for the wounded and later to bury the dead.  This last task probably became the most onerous.

In the example cited above the 56th Divisional Pioneers were the 1/5 Cheshires, because of the forward assembly positioned they were not required to dig saps but were to go forward in the third wave and consolidate the captured German trenches.  In fact as mentioned the assault Brigades were meant rendezvous with the 46th Division whose assault was a disaster from the start.  During the intense fighting a small party from the 1/16th London  (Queen's Westminster Rifles) 69th Brigade who were also in support were led by 2/Lt G.S. Arthur of the 1/5 Cheshires and reached the rendezvous point at the Quadrilateral.  Unable to hold the position 2/Lt Artur was killed covering the retirement.

Mitchinson in Pioneer Battalions in the Great War devotes a couple of chapters of the action and tribulations of Pioneer Battalions on the Somme. Not least whilst preparation was in darkness the fact zero hour was put back from the more usual 4a.m. to 7.30a.m. they would be exposed in forward positions for three hours of daylight.

Your other questions do highlight the complexity of the day and the difficulty of assessing the numbers of men engaged in the first and support waves. It is probably true that the number of assaulting troops who went 'over the top' on the 1st July will never be known, only the casualties.

[mikereme]

Could you please elaborate when the pioneers dig Saps?  Is this different to a defensive trench?