Somme Planning Timeline

Somme Timeline

December 1915
6-8th - Inter-Allied Military Conference, Chantilly: France, Britain, Russia and Italy agree on a strategy involving simultaneous offensives on three fronts in the summer of 1916.
19th - Sir Douglas Haig, appointed C-in-C, BEF.
30th - Gen. Joseph Jacques Cesaire Joffre, C-in-C French Army, proposes joint offensive on a 60-mile front astride the Somme.

January 1916
14th - Gen Plumer, GOC 2nd Army, asked to prepare plans to attack Messines, Ypres and Lille.
20th - Joffre proposes offensive part of which involves the BEF's Third Army making preliminary attacks on a 20,000 yard front on the Somme on 20th April.
23rd - Joffre suggests two 'wearing down' attacks prior to the main joint offensive starting on 20th April and the other in May. Haig rejects plan and instead suggests a series of raids and some preparatory actions away from the main front 10-14 days before the main offensive.

February
Mid - Joffre and Haig reach agreement on a plan for a joint summer offensive starting on or about 1st July. Haig agrees to a partial attack 1-2 weeks earlier to be made by the British Army in the La Bassee-Ypres area. Haig also undertakes to take over the whole of the French 10th Army front in early March by which time Rawlinson's Fourth Army would be ready.
19th - French advise Haig about an impending German attack on Verdun.
Haig asks Rawlinson to take over planning of attack on the Somme from Third Army.
21st - German Fifth Army attacks the French XXX Corps at Verdun.

March
1st - Rawlinson takes command of British Fourth Army.
3rd - Joffre advises Haig that Verdun is a major German offensive and not a diversionary attack.
4th - Haig circulates appreciation of the German artillery bombardment at Verdun endorsing the idea of the 'hurricane' bombardment preparing the way for an infantry advance.
2nd to 14th - British Fourth Army relieves French 10th Army.
26th - GHQ advises Rawlinson of men and artillery available for Somme offensive.
27th - Joffre suggests new plan for a joint attack. Front to run from Lassigny in the south to Hebuterne in the north and the British to attack two weeks before the French.

April
3rd - Rawlinson sends to Haig plan for attack on the Somme, suggesting an advance of between 1 and 3,000 yards on a 20,000 yard front running from Serre to Maricourt. It is designed to "kill as many Germans as possible with the least loss to ourselves".
5th - Haig and Rawlinson meet to discuss plan. Haig presses for wider front and a deeper advance of up to 5,000 yards to take German second position.
9th - Gen Allenby, GOC Third Army, proposes operations in support of Fourth Army. They are at either Vimy Ridge or between Monchy-au-Bois and Ransart.
10th - Haig asks Plumer (2nd Army) to proceed with plan for the capture of the Messines-Wytschaete ridge. Haig also replies to Joffre's suggestion of the 27th March, rejecting the idea of a phased attack but accepting the limits of the proposed front Lassigny to Hebuterne (exclusive).
12th - Haig writes to Rawlinson setting out suggestions from meeting on 5th April. Rawlinson is asked to consider "probable opportunities" for the use of cavalry in the offensive.
Rawlinson replies the same day setting out revised plan accepting wider and deeper front but arguing for a long artillery preparation rather than Haig's preferred hurricane bombardment (a la Verdun). He also states that he cannot include Gommecourt in his attack.
13th - GHQ ask Allenby for more details of an attack between Monchy-au-Bois and Ransart.
21st - Allenby is asked by GHQ to prepare plan for diversion at Gommecourt.
Joffre advises Haig that the number of French divisions available for the joint offensive has fallen from 39 to 30.
28th - Lt. Gen. Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow, commander of VII Corps, ordered by Allenby to prepare a plan for an attack on Gommecourt.

May
6th - Haig and Rawlinson meet and agree objectives and length of bombardment - four days.
14th - Austrian Army under Field Marshall Conrad von Hötzendorf launches attack in the South Tirol, south east of Trent, and achieves considerable initial success.
A few days later Joffre tells Haig French divisions available have fallen from 30 to 26.
27th - GHQ writes to Rawlinson that "it was not clear whether his attack or that of the Second Army at Messines would start first."
28th - Gen. Plumer asked to push forward with plans for the Messines attack.
29th - Rawlinson warned he may have to attack without French support.
31st - Haig and Joffre meet at Saleux Station. Available French divisions now only 20.

June
3rd - Joffre writes to Haig confirming 1st July as the preferred start date for the offensive.
GHQ write to Gen. Allenby asking for the details of the planned attack on Gommecourt which had been requested at the end of April.
4th - Gen. Alexei Brusilov, commander of the Russian South West Army Group, launches an offensive against Austrian forces on the Carpathian Front. Front moved forward by between 40 and 80 miles in a few days.
Haig still considering whether to move the G.H.Q. reserve from the Somme to Plumer's Second Army front for the Messines attack. Rawlinson advised that, if his offensive meets with considerable opposition, the attack will be closed down in favour of the Messines operation.
Allenby and Snow's plan for the attack on Gommecourt reaches GHQ.
6th - Joffre writes to Haig talking about the need for a battle of attrition - a battle of 'duree prolongee'. Also states that the number of French divisions to be involved now reduced from 20 to 12.
13th - Joffre asks for Somme date to be brought forward to 25th June to relieve pressure on Verdun with the bombardment to start on Tuesday, 20th June.
15th - Haig writes to Army commanders stating that he believes that capture of German second position is almost certain and that, if this happens, "..our advance will be pressed forward eastwards far enough to enable our cavalry to push through into open country… Our objective will then be to turn northwards, taking the enemy's lines in flank and reverse" but goes on to say that, if an advance beyond this position is not possible then "In that case the most profitable course will probably be to transfer our main efforts rapidly to another portion of the British front…"
16th - Joffre now asks for the attack to be postponed until either 29th June or 1st July. Haig agrees to the 29th June.
20th - GHQ raises concerns with Rawlinson over ammunition expenditure for bombardment and on...
21st - Rawlinson agrees to reduce the intensity so as to save shells for later fighting.
24th - U Day, first day of bombardment.
25th - V Day, second day of bombardment.
26th - W Day, third day of bombardment.
27th - X Day, fourth day of bombardment.
28th - Y Day, fifth day of bombardment.
29th - Z Day, planned date for attack. Postponed because of bad weather. Becomes Y1 Day. Bombardment extended.
30th - Y2 Day, second day of bombardment extensions.

July
1st - Z Day, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. 57,470 British and Newfoundland soldiers killed or wounded.

Back to The Plan or Home