Key Facts
- Duration
- 1 October – 11 November 1916
- Major attacks
- 5 large attacks (1, 8, 21, 25 Oct; 10–11 Nov)
- British advance (by 21 Oct)
- 500 yards (460 m)
- Regina Trench captured
- 1,000 yd (910 m) taken on 11 November 1916
- Army conducting battle
- Reserve Army (renamed Fifth Army 29 October)
Strategic Narrative Overview
The British Reserve Army launched a series of large assaults on 1, 8, 21, and 25 October, interspersed with smaller attacks. Heavy rain repeatedly turned ground into mud and grounded aircraft. German forces in Schwaben Redoubt and Stuff Redoubt mounted costly counter-attacks. Stuff Redoubt fell on 9 October and Schwaben Redoubt's last position on 14 October. A French offensive at Verdun on 24 October compelled Germany to halt troop transfers to the Somme.
01 / The Origins
Following the Battle of Thiepval Ridge in late September 1916, British forces sought to press their advantage along the Somme front. Control of the Ancre Heights was strategically valuable: British possession would deny the German 1st Army observation toward Albert to the south-west and grant British commanders a commanding view north over the Ancre valley toward fortified German positions at Beaumont-Hamel, Serre, and Beaucourt.
03 / The Outcome
By 11 November 1916, the 4th Canadian Division captured the final 1,000 yards of Regina Trench's eastern end, completing British control of the heights. German counter-attacks had largely failed, and the loss of the redoubts exposed the 28th Reserve Division to British ground observation. Fifth Army operations then continued into the Battle of the Ancre from 13 to 18 November.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
2 belligerents
Erich Ludendorff (Generalquartiermeister), Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Fritz von Below (1st Army), Max von Gallwitz (2nd Army).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.