Battle of Albert (1916)

Battle of Albert (1916)
Part of the Battle of the Somme
Date 1–13 July 1916 Location Somme, Picardy, France 50°00′10″N 02°39′10″E / 50.00278°N 2.65278°E / 50.00278; 2.65278Coordinates: 50°00′10″N 02°39′10″E / 50.00278°N 2.65278°E / 50.00278; 2.65278 Result See the "Aftermath" section
Belligerents
British Empire  Bermuda  Newfoundland  Union of South Africa  United Kingdom  France	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Joffre Douglas Haig Ferdinand Foch Henry Rawlinson Marie Émile Fayolle Hubert Gough Edmund Allenby	Erich von Falkenhayn Fritz von Below Fritz von Loßberg Günther von Pannewitz
Strength
13 British divisions 11 French divisions	6 divisions
Casualties and losses
British, 1 July: 57,470 2–13 July: 25,000 French, 1 July: 7,000 2–21 July: 17,600	1 July: 10,200 1–10 July: 40,187–46,315

 British Empire

The Battle of Albert (1–13 July 1916), comprised the first two weeks of Anglo-French offensive operations in the Battle of the Somme. The Allied preparatory artillery bombardment commenced on 24 June and the Anglo-French infantry attacked on 1 July, on the south bank from Foucaucourt to the Somme and from the Somme north to Gommecourt, 2 miles (3.2 km) beyond Serre (). The French Sixth army and the right wing of the British Fourth Army inflicted a considerable defeat on the German 2nd Army but from the Albert-Bapaume road to Gommecourt the British attack was a disaster, where most of the c. 60,000 British casualties of the day were incurred. Against General Joffre's wishes, General Sir Douglas Haig abandoned the offensive north of the road, to reinforce the success in the south, where the Anglo-French forces pressed forward through several intermediate lines, until close to the German second position.

The French Sixth Army advanced across the Flaucourt plateau on the south bank and reached Flaucourt village by the evening of 3 July, taking Belloy-en-Santerre and Feullières on 4 July and piercing the German third line opposite Péronne at La Maisonette and Biaches by the evening of 10 July. German reinforcements were then able to slow the French advance and defeat attacks on Barleux. On the north bank, XX Corps was ordered to consolidate the ground captured on 1 July, except for the completion of the advance to the first objective at Hem next to the river, which was captured on 5 July. Some minor attacks took place and German counter-attacks at Hem on 6–7 July nearly retook the village. A German attack at Bois Favières delayed a joint Anglo-French attack from Hardecourt to Trônes Wood by 24 hours until 8 July.

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Wikipedia