Science Source ftp Apr 2015

The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was an offensive mounted by the Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough during the Battle of the Somme and was intended to benefit from the Fourth Army attack at Morval by starting 24 hours afterwards. Thiepval Ridge was well fortified and the German defenders fought with great determination, while the British coordination of infantry and artillery declined after the first day, due to the confused nature of the fighting in the mazes of trenches, dugouts and shell-craters. The final British objectives were not reached until a reorganization of the Reserve Army and the Battle of the Ancre Heights. The Battle of Thiepval Ridge and one of the twelve battles of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme was a battle of WWI fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. It took place between July 1 and November 18, 1916 on either side of the River Somme in France. The battle was one of the largest of World War I, in which more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity's bloodiest battles. The battle is notable for the importance of air power and the first use of the tank. At the end of the battle, British and French forces had penetrated 6 miles into German-occupied territory, taking more ground than any offensive since the Battle of the Marne in 1914.