Battle of the Somme
The battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme offensive, lasted from July the first in 1926 to the eighteenth of November 1926. The Somme Offensive was a series of smaller battles in the Somme Valley region of France. Within the first day of battle there were 60,000 casualties. The planning for this was done with the allied powers when they had a meeting for their military plans for the year. The area of the River Somme was chosen as it was where the main powers, Britain and France, met on the western front. The German attack at Verdun meant that the British troops had to take lead within the Battle of the Somme. Before the real battle started there was a preliminary bombardment on the German troops on June 24th 1916. In this attack the troops made an attempt to destroy the German artillery, trenches and cutting the barbed wire protecting the front of German lines. This was not as effective as hoped by the British commanders and on the first day of battles, when they attacked from the front, German machine guns destroyed them. The biggest success on the first day was the attack in the south. They managed to gain German positions but could not keep them due to a lack of movement at the large amount of German fire. The massive failure of the first day, which the British military wasn’t expecting, meant the British had to use ‘wearing out’ tactics. This meant there were many persistent British attacks and similarly relentless responses from German troops. The finale of the Battle of the Somme happened from the 13th to the 19th of November in Ancre. Although the Allied powers won the battle, their goal was not achieved and the World War One continued on for two more years. Saying this, the Somme Offensive definitely weakened the German army and the German morale, making an easier win for the Triple Entente.
Bullecourt
Bullecourt is a village in the north of France. It was one of many villages that were greatly fortified for the German Hindenburg Line in WWI. The Battle of Bullecourt was an Australian attack on trenches the German soldiers had. The main plan for The Battle of Bullecourt was to advance the Triple Ententes land a few kilometres north west of Bullecourt. The First Battle of Bullecourt happened on the 11th of April during 1917 which took place in the Bullecourt’s eastward village. Although battles of this calibre were usually fought with large artillery and prior bombardment of German soldiers, the Australian 4th Division attacked without artillery support, in an attempt to surprise the Germans, but with the assistance of a dozen tanks. Despite the fact that most of the Australian tanks failed to get to German front lines, they managed to gain land in the north. The Australian troops had gained a couple of the German trenches but it was there they were stopped by growing German opposition. the Australian troops managed to keep the trenches covered for a few hours but were eventually forced back to their initial trenches with the loss of over 3000 men. The first Battle of Bullecourt ultimately ended poorly. Three weeks after the first battle, the Australian armies, along with the British, made a second attack on Bullecourt itself, fighting for the same grounds the Australians initially had won. The troops once again used their tanks but were also reinforced by a large artillery. This battle continued on for two weeks and by the 17th of May, the German armies came to a defeat and stopped fighting to recover their lost land. Of 150 000 men from both sides who fought at Second Bullecourt, some 18 000 British and Australians, and 11 000 Germans, were killed or wounded in battle.
Villers-Bretonneux
The Germans attack and captured the town of Villers-Bretonneux on the twenty fourth of April in 1918. On that same night British troops sprung a counter attack to protect France. Alongside the British troops fighting were the Australian. The Villers-Bretonneux battle is often described as one the crucial parts of the first world war as the battles along the westerns front formed the outcomes of the war. On 21 March 1918, reinforced with divisions from the Eastern Front, the Germans launched a great offensive against the British forces which withdrew across the 1916 Somme battlefield towards the major city of Amiens. The Australian units were hurried south to help hold back the German advance north of the Somme at Dernancourt and Morlancourt. However German engineers had extended rail communications south of the Somme towards Villers-Bretonneux, close to the key city of Amiens. If the Germans could capture Villers-Bretonneux and reach the edge of a plateau, Amiens would be within range of their artillery.
On 4 April 1918, Australian units helped the British defend Villers-Bretonneux. The Germans attacked from the north east forcing the British out of the village of Le Hamel. An Australian battalion had to swing back to avoid being enveloped but the German advance was stopped by British cavalry working with Australian infantry. In the afternoon, the Australians withdrew to the outskirts of Villers-Bretonneux but at the crucial moment, the Australian 36th Battalion (New South Wales) dashed forward in a spectacular charge. Supported by other British and Australian infantry, and later by British cavalry, the 36th threw the Germans back to old trenches nearly two kilometres from the town, stabilising the line.
On 24 April, British troops were defending Villers-Bretonneux. The Germans attacked at dawn, and with the aid of 13 tanks, which they were using for the first time, they captured the town. A British counter-attack commenced at 10 pm the same day led by Australians to the north and south. The Australian brigades enveloped Villers-Bretonneux and attempted to join forces to the east of the town. They were unable to join up in the dark and many Germans managed to escape. After dawn, the gap was gradually closed and Australians entered the town from the east and British from the north and west. Villers-Bretonneux was cleared of enemy troops on 25 April 1918, the third anniversary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli. This action marked the effective end of the German offensive that had commenced so successfully more than a month earlier.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-happened-during-the-battle-of-the-somme
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/history/conflicts/australians-western-front/australian-remembrance-trail/bullecourt-diggerfrance