Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below
Strength
12 divisions, 1 brigade
4 divisions
Casualties and losses
c. 22,000
1–18 November, c. 45,000 including 7,000 prisoners.
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Somme Offensive
Battles of the Somme, 1916
Albert
First day
Montauban
Mametz
Fricourt
Contalmaison
La Boisselle
Gommecourt
Bazentin Ridge
Longueval
Trônes Wood
Ovillers
Fromelles
High Wood
Delville Wood
Pozières
Mouquet Farm
Guillemont
Ginchy
Flers–Courcelette
Martinpuich
Morval
Combles
Lesbœufs
Gueudecourt
Thiepval Ridge
Le Transloy
Eaucourt
Le Sars
Butte de Warlencourt
Ancre Heights
Schwaben Redoubt
Stuff Redoubt
Regina Trench
Ancre
Beaumont-Hamel
Associated articles
Hébuterne (1915)
Order of Battle
Boar's Head
Mines, 1 July
Lochnagar
Y Sap
Hawthorn Ridge
Leipzig Salient
Thiepval Memorial
Ancre, 1917
v
t
e
Western Front
1914
Moresnet
Invasion of Belgium
Liège
Dinant
Namur
Frontiers
Lorraine
Ardennes
Charleroi
Mons
Trouée de Charmes
Great Retreat
Le Cateau
Étreux
1st St. Quentin
Maubeuge
Grand Couronné
1st Marne
1st Aisne
Antwerp
Race to the Sea
Yser
1st Ypres
Winter actions
1st Artois
1915
1st Champagne
Hartmannswillerkopf
Neuve Chapelle
2nd Ypres
2nd Artois
Hébuterne
2nd Champagne
Loos
3rd Artois
Gas: Wieltje
1916
The Bluff
Hohenzollern Redoubt
St Eloi
Hulluch
Wulverghem
Kink Salient
Vimy Ridge 1916
Mont Sorrel
Verdun
Boar's Head
1st Somme
Fromelles
1917
Ancre
Alberich
Nivelle offensive
Arras
Vimy
2nd Aisne
The Hills
Messines
Passchendaele
La Malmaison
Cambrai
1918
German spring offensive
Michael
The Lys
3rd Aisne
Belleau Wood
2nd Marne
Soissons
Amiens
Ailette
2nd Somme
Saint-Mihiel
St Quentin Canal
Meuse-Argonne
5th Ypres
2nd Cambrai
Courtrai
Sambre
Lys and Escaut
Associated articles
1914 Christmas truce
French Army mutinies
Western Front tactics, 1917
The Battle of the Ancre(13–18 November 1916), was fought by the British Fifth Army (Lieutenant-General Hubert Gough), against the German 1st Army (General Fritz von Below). The Reserve Army had been renamed the Fifth Army on 30 October. The battle was the last of the big British attacks of the Battle of the Somme. After the Battle of Flers–Courcelette (15–22 September) the Anglo-French armies tried to press their advantage with smaller attacks in quick succession, rather than pausing to regroup and give the Germans time to recover. Subsequent writers gave discrete dates for the Anglo-French battles but there were considerable overlaps and continuities of operations until the weather and supply difficulties in mid-November ended the battle until the new-year.
The British attack was to fulfil complementary objectives. Political discontent in London would be muted by a big victory, as would doubts of British commitment by its allies and British loyalty to the Chantilly strategy of 1915 would be upheld. The capture of Beaumont Hamel and Serre would go some way to redeem the failure of 1 July and obtain ground on which the British would have a tactical advantage. The attack was the largest in the British sector since September and had a seven-day preliminary bombardment, which was twice as heavy as that of 1 July. The capture of Beaumont Hamel, St Pierre Divion and Beaucourt threatened the German hold on Serre further north. Edmund Blunden called the battle "a feat of arms vieing [sic] with any recorded. The enemy was surprised and beaten". Four German divisions had to be relieved due to the number of casualties they suffered and over 7,000 German troops were taken prisoner.
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