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British troops infamously started the Battle of the Somme ten minutes earlier than expected, but a new collaboration between scientists and historians has revealed just how bad it was for the Allies in 1916.
The site of Hawthorn Ridge, where the great offensive of World War I began, has been studied in detail for the first time in a joint study by scientists and historians from seven British and Irish institutions.
The group conducted a new aerial survey of Hawthorn Ridge’s vast crater using a camera mounted on a drone. Hawthorn Ridge was blown up in July 1916 when British troops planted more than 18,000 kilograms of explosives about 20 meters below German lines.
The explosion is the subject of footage captured by British war film director Geoffrey Mullins.
That explosion marked the beginning of a 141-day battle.s More than a million lives were lost on both sides of the Somme.
This early explosion, which occurred at 7:20 a.m., 10 minutes before the whistle for infantry to leave their trenches, was later described as a “disastrous failure” as it gave the Germans early warning that an infantry attack was about to begin. ” was said to be.
July 1 was the bloodiest day in British military history, with 19,240 killed and a further 38,230 wounded, many of whom were shot dead by the Germans, who quickly reinforced the crater before British infantry could advance.
A multidisciplinary study has revealed how the Germans took advantage of the explosion after their managers gained access to the site.
The researchers excavated two trench sections that the Germans had set up inside the crater and observed how the Germans were able to quickly use the crater’s rim as a front line of defense. They also recovered several site artifacts as part of the investigation, including communication wire and barbed wire.
“This land has been privately owned for nearly 100 years, so this scientific work, the first of its kind in this historically important crater, is exciting and significant,” said Chris Wisniewski, a forensic scientist at Keele University. says the doctor.
“Using a drone with an imaging camera, we were able to remotely image a possible sap or shallow tunnel to the northwest of the crater. It shows mastery.”
Science shows second Hawthorne explosion is more effective
Near the end of the Somme Offensive, the British detonated a second mine to form a new crater and aid in the fighting of 51.cent The Highland Division captures the nearby German-occupied town of Beaumont Hamel.
These more successful explosions were also identified by the research team, and the focus of each explosion is now being determined.
During the investigation, unexploded British ammunition with an intact time fuse was obtained, along with a box of ammunition for a Vickers machine gun.
The investigation of Hawthorn Ridge, along with German telegrams obtained from the scene, provided clearer insight into the occupation of the area by hostile forces.
“Using a variety of scientific methods, we determined the epicenter of both explosions and the subsequent boundaries of the craters caused by the first and second explosions, as well as the impact craters of defensive positions and Allied artillery shells after the explosions. “We were able to draw a map of the area,” he says. Wisniewski.
However, their report today Conflict Archeology Journalhighlighting the cost of Britain’s early explosion.
Professor Peter Doyle, a military historian at London’s Goldsmiths University, said: “Our research shows that the stronghold the Germans built from a captured crater in the middle of No Man’s Land, doomed the British attack to failure. “We have provided new evidence for this.”
“This reinforces the idea that detonating mines 10 minutes early to give Earth time to settle is a very bad idea. Four months later, Fort Hawthorn was captured by the Highlanders. , thanks to everyone’s efforts and the new mine.”
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