by The Battle of the Somme began on 1 July 1916 with a spectacular explosion under Hawthorn Ridge – a fortified German forward position west of the village of Beaumont Hamel in northern France. The footage of the explosion is one of the most famous footage from the entire conflict.
Almost 60 feet below the surface, British miners from the 252 Tunneling Company had dug a gallery for more than 900 meters through chalk and packed it with 40,000 pounds of ammonium explosives. It was one of 19 mines placed under German forward positions which were detonated on 1 July 1916, to mark the start of the offensive.
But the mine detonation at Hawthorn Ridge, made famous by military film director Geoffrey Malins, happened ten minutes before the whistle blew at 7.30am. This controversial decision was made to protect British assault troops from falling debris.
But disastrously, it allowed the Germans to take the crater and roll back their advance, causing heavy losses among the British assault troops from the 29th infantry division.
Malins recorded his feelings after the event in the film The Battle of the Somme, released later that summer:
The ground where I was standing gave a great thud, it shook and swayed … the earth rose in the air to a height of hundreds of feet. Higher and higher it rose, and with a terrible grinding the earth fell back upon itself, leaving in its place a mountain of smoke.
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Now, the first scientific study to be carried out on the 107-year-old flank has just been published and has uncovered new details about its history. Our team of researchers, which included the authors listed here – scientists from Keele and Staffordshire universities supported by historians from Goldsmiths, University of London – used a range of cutting-edge technology to examine the site like never before.
Surface surveys have detailed the clear that has never been seen before at this site. It revealed clustered shell holes to the east of the clearing created by the British artillery in their efforts to dislodge the Germans from their crater stronghold.
Other technical surveys have greatly contributed to our knowledge of this important international site. Over two field seasons in 2018 and 2019 we carried out magnetic and electrical resistivity geophysical surveys, to identify promising areas for subsequent archaeological excavations.
Although these surveys were difficult to carry out, due to the changing topographical conditions and the inevitable metallic debris on the battlefield, they were extremely valuable, as they pointed the way for fruitful excavations.
Read more: Explained: how do archaeologists find forgotten ancient monuments?
Conducted in the third field season of 2020, these archaeological excavations revealed hard evidence of Germany’s stubborn defense on that fateful first day on the Somme. Although many of the Württemberg infantry from the German 119th Reserve Infantry Regiment were lost as a result of the early detonation, our work revealed strong evidence of how the newly formed crater had been exploited.
He showed the German defensive fire pits that were still intact, barbed wire and other materials showing how the Germans quickly built the crater as a new defensive center in their front line, which meant that the chance of a breakthrough of the Britain in the early days of the Somme. .
An unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) survey – now a common way to map areas of scientific interest – also revealed evidence of a previously unknown “sap” or shallow tunnel, likely left by the Germans after they mined the crater. capture, probing towards the British Lines, again demonstrating their mastery of no man’s land after the initial detonation.
If at first you don’t succeed…
As the battle progressed towards winter, a second attempt was made to capture this new position, and this time, it was more successful. A second mine was laid using 30,000 pounds of ammonia explosive, and was blown out of the same tunnel on 13 November 1916.
Without any delay this time, and with better planning, the mine was much more effective, helping the 51st Highland Division to capture Hawthorn Ridge and the nearby village.
Our surveys mapped the surface of this second crater, merging as it does with the original in today’s landscape. This time, archaeological surveys found an empty ammunition box for a Vickers machine gun inside the creature, indicating the period of British occupation of the site.
Our study provided rare scientific investigations of mine craters, and of the strong point built by the Germans in anyone’s land that failed the British initial attack.
Our results reinforce the idea that blowing the mine ten minutes early was a bad idea. Although intended to protect the attackers from falling debris, it gave the Germans time to capture a valuable strong point, ripe for fortification.
It was only through a concerted effort four months later, followed by a second mine and detonation on 13 November, that the 51st Gaels finally captured Hawthorn, ending the battle five days later. This time the mine exploded just before the ground attack began – the early July 1st detonation did not happen again.
It was a lesson learned the hard way. More than 3 million men fought in the Battle of the Somme, a million of whom were killed or wounded, making it one of the deadliest battles in human history.
This article from The Conversation is republished under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Jamie Pringle receives funding from the HLF, the Nuffield Foundation, the Royal Society, NERC, EPSRC and EU Horizon2020. It is affiliated to the Geological Society of London. Jamie works for Keele University.
Kristopher Wisniewski is affiliated with the Geological Society of London.
Peter Doyle is Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group, and Emeritus Professor at London South Bank University
John Paul Cassella does not work for, consult with, share in, or be funded by any company or organization that would benefit from this article, nor has he disclosed any affiliations relevant beyond their academic appointment.
