Battle of Bazentin Ridge
Part of the First World War
A German prisoner helps British wounded on their way to a dressing station following fighting on Bazentin Ridge, 19 July 1916.
Date 14 July 1916 Location Somme, Picardy, France Result British victory
Combatants
United Kingdom South Africa	German Empire
Commanders
Henry Rawlinson	Fritz von Below
Strength
5 divisions	2 divisions
Casualties
9,000 dead, wounded, or missing	1,400 captured

The Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle of the Somme. Dismissed beforehand by one French commander as "an attack organized for amateurs by amateurs", it turned out to be a considerable success for the British, in complete contrast to the disaster of the first day on the Somme. However, like the first day, the British failed to exploit their advantage in the wake of the victory and as German resistance stiffened, a period of bloody attrition commenced. Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard... Download high resolution version (1000x727, 118 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Somme is a French département, named after the Somme River, located in the north of France. ... wazzup Categories: | ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_German_Empire. ... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I   Capital Berlin Language(s) German (official) Polish (Posen, Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871-1888 William I  - 1888 Frederick... General Henry Rawlinson at Fourth Army HQ, Querrieu Chateau, July 1916. ... Fritz Wilhelm Theodor Karl von Below (1853-1918) was a commander in the German Army during the First World War. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10. ... Combatants United Kingdom Canada Australia New Zealand South Africa Newfoundland India France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Henry Rawlinson Ferdinand Foch Fritz von Below Strength 13 British divisions 6 French divisions 6 divisions Casualties British: 57,470 French: 7,000 10,000 - 12,000 The first day on the Somme... The Battle of Fromelles, sometimes known as the Battle of Fleurbaix, occurred in France on July 19-20, 1916, during World War I. It was fought as the Battle of the Somme raged, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) to the south. ... The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières, and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. ... Mouquet farm, Pozières by Fred Leist, 1917. ... The Battle of Guillemont was a British assault on the German-held village of Guillemont during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. ... The Battle of Ginchy took place on 9 September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme when the British 16th (Irish) Division captured the German-held village of Ginchy. ... The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which began on 15 September 1916 and lasted for one week, was the third and last of the large-scale offensives mounted by the British Army during the Battle of the Somme. ... The Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. ... The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive mounted by the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough during the Battle of the Somme. ... The Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. ... The Battle of the Ancre Heights was a prolonged battle of attrition in October 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. ... The Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. ... The British Fourth Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10. ... The word amateur has at least two connotations. ... Combatants United Kingdom Canada Australia New Zealand South Africa Newfoundland India France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Henry Rawlinson Ferdinand Foch Fritz von Below Strength 13 British divisions 6 French divisions 6 divisions Casualties British: 57,470 French: 7,000 10,000 - 12,000 The first day on the Somme... A battle of attrition is a military engagement in which neither side has any tactical advantage, so that the only result of the fighting is the loss of men and materiel on both sides. ...

Prelude

In the aftermath of 1 July, the first day of the battle of the Somme, the plans of General Douglas Haig were in disarray. North of the Albert-Bapaume road the attack had failed completely while south of the road, alongside the French XX Corps, the objectives of Montauban and Mametz had been captured. Therefore Haig decided to concentrate his future operations in the south. The Fourth Army of Lieutenant-General Henry Rawlinson, which had been responsible for the entire British sector on 1 July, handed over the northern sector to the Reserve Army of Lieutenant-General Hubert Gough. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Field Marshal Lord Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig KT GCB OM GCVO KCIE ADC (June 19, 1861 – January 28, 1928) was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I. He was commander of the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of the Somme and the... Albert is a commune of the Somme France. ... Bapaume is a chief town of canton of northern France, in the département of Pas-de-Calais, arrondissement of Arras. ... Montauban-de-Picardie is a village in the Somme département, Picardy region of Northern France. ... The British Fourth Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... General Henry Rawlinson at Fourth Army HQ, Querrieu Chateau, July 1916. ... The British Reserve Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. ... Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough (August 12, 1870–1963) was a British World War I general who commanded the British Fifth Army from 1916 to 1918. ...

While the British had breached the first line of German defences north of the Somme River, they were now faced with a complete second line of defences which extended along the ridge of high ground from near Thiepval in the north to the villages of Guillemont and Ginchy in the south. Where the British had advanced at Mametz and Montauban, the second position ran along the Bazentin Ridge on which lay the villages of Bazentin le Petit, Bazentin le Grand and Longueval. Adjacent to Longueval was Delville Wood. These villages became the objectives for the renewed British offensive. Somme river The Somme River (French Rivière Somme) is a river in Picardy, northern France. ... This article is about the Thiepval village and memorial, for other uses see Thiepval (disambiguation) Thiepval is a village in the Somme département, Picardy region of Northern France. ... Guillemont is a small village roughly 8 miles east of Albert in the Somme district of France. ... Remains of a German trench in Delville Wood, September 1916. ...

Preliminary operations

In the fortnight before the battle, the Fourth Army carried out a series of preliminary operations to prepare their start line for the assault on the ridge. This involved capturing a series of first-day objectives that remained untaken and demonstrated the appalling price that was to be paid for indecision and hesitation of the senior British commanders.

On 3 July the 9th (Scottish) Division, the reserve of XIII Corps on 1 July, occupied Bernafay Wood east of Montauban while the 19th (Western) Division took La Boisselle on the second attempt. An attack by the 12th (Eastern) Division on Ovillers, north of the Albert-Bapaume road, was a failure. The following day the 9th Division occupied Caterpillar Wood to the west of Montauban. The progress of XV Corps at Mametz Wood was not so easy. The Germans had abandoned the wood on the first day but had reoccupied it on 4 July when the British made their first efforts to take it. July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... The 9th (Scottish) Division, was one of the Kitcheners Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front during the First World War. ... The Western Desert Force, during World War II, was a British Commonwealth Army unit stationed in Egypt. ... The British 19th (Western) Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. ... Ovillers-la-Boisselle is a commune of the Somme département in northern France. ... The 12th (Eastern) Division, was one of the Kitcheners Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ...

On 7 July a concerted set of attacks were made against Ovillers, Contalmaison and Mametz Wood. The 12th and 25th Divisions made minor progress at Ovillers but the attacks of the 17th (Northern) Division on Contalmaison and the 38th (Welsh) Division were failures. The Welsh tried again on 10 July and seized Mametz Wood on the second attempt while the 23rd Division took Contalmaison.gouldy luves emily's tatties. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... The British 17th (Northern) Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. ... The British 38th (Welsh) Division was a New Army division formed in December 1914 comprising battalions from Wales raised by public subscription and private patronage. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... The British 23rd Division was a New Army division that was sent to France in August, 1915. ...

From 3 July to 13 July, the Fourth Army carried out 46 "actions" in preparation for the next push, resulting in 25,000 casualties. Rawlinson and Haig have been widely criticised for this piecemeal approach to the battle, often causing more severe attrition of the British ranks than the German. However, with the capture of Contalmaison and Mametz Wood, the Fourth Army was now in position to attack Bazentin Ridge. gouldy luves claire July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ...

Planning

The plan for 14 July, conceived by General Rawlinson and XIII Corps commander, Lieutenant General Walter Congreve, bore little resemblance to the failed plan of 1 July. The attack would be carried out by two corps; XV Corps would attack on the left against Bazentin le Petit and Bazentin le Grand while XIII Corps would attack on the right against Longueval. Each corps would attack at dawn, 3.25 a.m., with two divisions each. The assaulting battalions would make a night advance then move out into no man's land, which was up to 1,200 yards (1100 metres) wide, and lie close to the German barbed wire, ready to rush the German trenches when the barrage lifted. The Western Desert Force, during World War II, was a British Commonwealth Army unit stationed in Egypt. ... Walter Norris Congreve (VC, KCB, MVO) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... A corps (a word that migrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: , but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals... Dawn or civil dawn is the time at which the Sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the morning. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. ... No mans land is a term for a land that is not occupied or more specifically land that is under dispute between parties that will not occupy it because of fear or uncertainty. ... This article is about the unit of measure known as the yard. ... The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ... A selection of forms of barbed wire. ...

The attack would be preceded by a hurricane artillery bombardment lasting only 5 minutes. Artillery preparation actually began three days earlier, on 11 July, but it was not as heavy as on 1 July and so did not signal so obviously the British intentions to attack. Emphasis was placed on counter-battery fire to eliminate the German guns. Critically, Rawlinson had 950 guns and howitzers, two thirds the artillery strength available on 1 July, but was attacking on about one quarter of the 1 July frontage, only 6,000 yards (5.5 km) compared to 22,000 yards (20 km). Also the depth of the planned advance was less so the German second position was subjected to a saturation of shells; 660 lb to every yard (330 kg/m) of German trench. Historically, artillery (from French artillerie) refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... A field gun is an artillery piece. ... Loading a WW1 British 15 in (381 mm) howitzer A howitzer or hauwitzer is a type of field artillery. ... The pound is the name of a number of units of mass, all in the range of 300 to 600 grams. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ...

General Haig expressed doubts about the plan, believing it to be overly complex and that a night march by inexperienced New Army troops would result in confusion and disarray before the attack even began. Haig proposed an alternate plan, involving attacking from Mametz Wood, where the lines were closest, and then "rolling up" the German flank towards Longueval. However, Rawlinson's plan prevailed though Haig required that XIII Corps' reserve division, the 18th (Eastern) Division, would clear Trônes Wood on the extreme right flank. Following the outbreak of hostilities in the Great War the then British Secretary of State for War Horatio Kitchener, Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, advised forming a volunteer army of a million men. ... The British 18th (Eastern) Division was a New Army division formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. ...

Dawn attack

The section of the German second position from Bazentin le Petit to Longueval was held by the German 3rd Guard Division. At 3.20 a.m. the British artillery opened their intense bombardment on the German front-line trenches. At 3.25 a.m., when the bombardment lifted to the second-line reserve trenches, the infantry rushed in. The bombardment fell on the reserve trenches for a further two minutes before lifting again. The first wave of British infantry, made up of bombing parties, was to push straight on to the reserve trenches, leaving the following waves to mop up the front-line. Surprise was not complete and in places the German defenders met the advancing infantry with rifle and machine gun fire but elsewhere the garrisons were caught in their dugouts. As on 1 July, the quality of the wire-cutting was variable; sometimes it posed no obstacle, elsewhere the attacking waves got held up and cut to pieces. Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Map of the German second position facing the British 21st Division near Bazentin le Petit, 14 July 1916. The division's start line is in red. The area captured by 9 a.m. is shown by the dashed red line.

At the left, the 21st Division attacked from Mametz Wood, crossing no man's land into Bazentin le Petit Wood. On their right was the 7th Division which, having been faced with over 1,000 yards (900 m) of no man's land to cross, had crept its assaulting battalions within 100 yards (90 m) of the German wire when the bombardment lifted. The 7th Division were faced with a complex of German trenches — Flatiron Trench, Marlboro Trench and The Snout — beyond which lay Bazentin le Grand Wood, but they reached all their objectives. By mid-morning these two XV Corps divisions had captured the village of Bazentin le Petit. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x632, 113 KB)Map of Bazentin le Petit sector on the morning of 14 July 1916, Battle of Bazentin Ridge, showing the German second defensive position. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x632, 113 KB)Map of Bazentin le Petit sector on the morning of 14 July 1916, Battle of Bazentin Ridge, showing the German second defensive position. ... The British 21st Division was a New Army division raised in September France in September 1915 and served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War. ... The British 21st Division was a New Army division raised in September France in September 1915 and served on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War. ... The British 7th Division was a Regular Army division that was formed by combining battalions returning from outposts in the British Empire at the outbreak of the France on 6 October, 1914. ...

On the right, attacking between Bazentin le Grand and Longueval were the two XIII Corps divisions, left to right, the 3rd Division and the 9th (Scottish) Division. The 9th Division, which also contained the South African Infantry Brigade (in reserve near Carnoy), took Longueval and reached the fringe of Delville Wood which flanked the village but were unable to take the German redoubt at Waterlot Farm. The Western Desert Force, during World War II, was a British Commonwealth Army unit stationed in Egypt. ... The British 3rd Division, known as the Iron Division, was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsula War. ... The 9th (Scottish) Division, was one of the Kitcheners Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener to serve on the Western Front during the First World War. ... Remains of a German trench in Delville Wood, September 1916. ...

In the centre, things did not go well for the 3rd Division attacking from Montauban towards Bazentin le Grand. The German wire was uncut and the defenders alert. The German defensive barrage laid down in no man's land missed the assaulting battalions but caught the supporting waves. Typical of the division's fortunes was the 7th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry (8th Brigade) which lost eight officers and 200 other ranks killed. Montauban-de-Picardie is a village in the Somme département, Picardy region of Northern France. ... The Kings Shropshire Light Infantry is a former regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 53rd Regiment of Foot and the 85th (Kings Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot. ...

Meanwhile the 18th (Eastern) Division, attacking from Bernafay Wood east of Montauban, had successfully captured Trônes Wood.

High Wood

While progress was slow on the right and the struggle for Longueval continued, XV Corps had control of the Bazentin villages by 9 a.m. and the prospect of a breakthrough loomed. From the Bazentin ridge, the British could look north-east across a shallow valley towards High Wood, beyond which lay the incomplete German third position. There was no sign of the enemy and thick stands of grain indicated terrain only lightly damaged by shellfire, promising good going for cavalry. High Wood is a small forest near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme département of northern France which was the scene of intense fighting for two months from 14 July to 15 September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. ... // “Grain” redirects here. ... Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ...

Before advancing, the generals decided to reconnoitre; Brigadier-General Potter of the 9th Brigade (3rd Division) and Major-General Watts, commander of the 7th Division, eventually walked almost to the edge of High Wood without a shot being fired. The wood, so it appeared, was empty. However, a request to XV Corps to allow the 7th Division's reserve brigade to take possession of High Wood was rejected. Instead, the cavalry would be used.

The 2nd Indian Cavalry Division had been held in readiness to exploit the breakthrough but it had encamped at Morlancourt, four miles south of Albert and would have to negotiate the churned battlefield over which the British had been advancing for the past fortnight. The division was ordered forward at 7.40 a.m. but by midday had only reached Carnoy, close behind the old British front-line. At 12.15 p.m., Fourth Army HQ ordered the 7th Division to advance but the order was immediately countermanded because Longueval had not been cleared and German guns could enfilade the approaches across the valley to High Wood. A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... Albert is a commune of the Somme France. ... The British Fourth Army was a field army of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. ... Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units exposure to enemy fire. ...

Finally, a 7 p.m. in the evening, the cavalry arrived. Two regiments, the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 2nd Deccan Horse, passed between Bazentin le Grand and Longueval and charged with their lances against High Wood. Unfortunately, the opportunity for an easy victory at High Wood had passed and the Germans, having regrouped after the shock of the morning, had begun filtering back into the wood. The cavalry were met with artillery and machine gun fire. In the words of 2nd Lieutenant F.W. Beadle, a forward observation officer for the artillery who witnessed the charge: The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ...

It was an incredible sight, an unbelievable sight, they galloped up with their lances and with pennants flying, up the slope to High Wood and straight into it. ... They simply galloped on through all that and horses and men were dropping on the ground, with no hope against the machine guns, because the Germans up on the ridge were firing down into the valley where the soldiers were. It was an absolute rout. A magnificent sight. Tragic.

Nevertheless, the cavalry regiments reached High Wood, killed a number of Germans and took 32 prisoners. They held on through the night of July 14-15 but no reinforcements were forthcoming — the rest of the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division had been ordered to retire to their bivouacs. The following morning the Dragoon Guards and Deccan Horse withdrew. A bivouac may be: Look up camp on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Meanwhile, the 33rd Division — XV Corps' reserve — had begun moving forward via Fricourt at 2 p.m. and would reach the Bazentin ridge as the cavalry went in. The division had orders to pass through the 21st Division on the next day and continue the advance. The situation that night was confused with senior commanders believing High Wood had been captured. The 100th Brigade of the 33rd Division was ordered to 'consolidate' but while attempting to dig trenches in the southern tip of the wood, it became all too apparent to the brigade's commander that High Wood had not been captured. The British 33rd Division was a New Army division formed in April France on November 1915 and spent the duration of the First World War in action on the Western Front. ...

Yet, on 15 July, the 100th Brigade was told to form up across the valley, facing north with High Wood on their right flank, and advance towards Martinpuich. Protests to division were ignored and the attack went ahead at 9 a.m. after half an hour of preliminary bombardment. Enfiladed by German machine guns in the wood, the attack got nowhere. One company of the 16th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps (the Church Lads Brigade Pals battalion), had been given the task of 'clearing' the wood in support of the advance but of the 200 who went in, only 67 came out. July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers. ... The Kings Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army formation. ... The Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade is a Church of England youth organisation with branches in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Barbados, Bermuda, Kenya, South Africa, Newfoundland and St Helena. ... The Pals battalions of World War I were units of the British Army that consisted of men who had enlisted together at special local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours and work colleagues (Pals) rather than having to be mixed...

Aftermath

The failure to seize the opportunities of the morning of 14 July proved costly for the Fourth Army. It would take two months of bloody attrition before High Wood was finally captured. Following the loss of the Bazentin ridge, the Germans built a "switch trench", known as the Switch Line, to connect their second position near Pozières with their third position under construction on the next ridge. The Switch Line ran through the northern tip of High Wood and one could not be captured without the other and so it was not until the next major offensive, the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September, that High Wood and the Switch Line fell. July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... Pozières is a village in Somme, France. ... The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which began on 15 September 1916 and lasted for one week, was the third and last of the large-scale offensives mounted by the British Army during the Battle of the Somme. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ...

A similar situation developed at Delville Wood which would change hands a number of times over the following month. Having breached the German second position, attention now turned to the flanks. On the right, after Delville Wood was taken, the villages of Guillemont and Ginchy had to be captured in order to bring the French forces into line. On the left, the German strongpoint of Pozières protected the second position north of the Albert-Bapaume road. Remains of a German trench in Delville Wood, September 1916. ... Guillemont is a small village roughly 8 miles east of Albert in the Somme district of France. ...

The dawn attack of 14 July suggested that the British had discovered the formula for successful battles in trench warfare however subsequent fighting demonstrated that the lessons had not been learnt. The next large Fourth Army attack came on the night of 22 July–23 July, involving six divisions, but ended in complete failure. Attacks were uncoordinated, artillery preparation was inadequate and the Germans, who had learnt lessons, had adopted a more flexible system of defense, moving away from concentrating defenders in a front-line trench. July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defence. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ...