Quote:
Originally Posted by Biggles
I think the worst piece of information I've ever heard regarding this war was some statistics about the Battle of the Somme. Apparently, comparing the British losses to the amount of ground they gained during those 6 months, you'll see that the British army lost two men for every centimeter ground they conquered. That. is. Insane!  |
The Battle of the Somme was pretty ironic. The main reason for the offensive was to relieve pressure from the French army at Verdun, but by the end of the battle, Allied casualties on the Somme exceeded even the massive Allied casualties at Verdun. Also, many of the positions taken during 4 or so months of the Battle of the Somme were lost within days to the German Spring Offensive in 1918.
I was at Ypres last year too, though unfortunately only for half a day or so. Need to get back there at some point.
World War I is one of my 'favourite' wars, perhaps due to how overlooked it is compared to World War II, or maybe because of how influential it was to the development of modern warfare and history.