Battle of Fler- Courcelette – 1916

385

When:

September 15 – September 22, 1916

Where:

Courcelette, France – Western Front

Who:

Allies – France
Allies – British Empire
Central Powers – German Empire

Summary:

The Battle of Flers-Courcelette was the third offensive launched by the Allied troops in the Battle of the Somme.

The Battle of Flers-Courcelette was the first battle in which tanks were used in warfare. British Commander Sir Douglas Haig carried out his plan to launch the tanks and Sir Henry Rawlinson, commander of the British Fourth Army employed forty-nine Mark I tanks and twelve divisions.

The battle commenced on September 15, 1916, and the surprised German troops ceded about 2,000 yards of the front to the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the Canadian Corps. The acquisition was not a strategic victory though, as the Allied troops faced much difficulty, and could not make use of the inroads made. Sir Haig had been warned against the early use of the tanks. The terrain was rugged and the Allied troops were not well trained in the use of the tanks. Many of the machines broke down. A second attack was launched on September 17, 1916, but harsh weather and huge losses contributed to calling off the battle.

Outcome:

“My poor ‘land battleships’ have been let off prematurely on a petty scale.” – First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill

The premature use of tanks at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette exposed the weaknesses in design of the early Mark I tanks. This led to the design and development of better tanks. The battle set the stage for use of tanks as a standard part of the repertoire of armies across the world.

The Allied losses of the Battle of Flers-Courcelette included that of the son of British Prime Minister H.H. Asquith, Raymond Asquith. The overall outcome of the Battle of Flers–Courcelette was insignificant.

Major Battles of World War I

Battle of Mons – 1914	Battle of Fler- Courcelette – 1916
Battle of Tannenberg – 1914	Battles of Gaza – 1917
Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914	Second Battle of Aisne – 1917
First Battle of Marne – 1914	Second Battle of Arras – 1917
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes – 1914	Battle of Messines – 1917
First Battle of Aisne – 1914	Battle of Passchendaele – 1917
First Battle of Albert – 1914	Battle of Caporetto – 1917
First Battle of Arras – 1914	Battle of Cambrai – 1917
First Battle of Ypres – 1914	German Spring Offensive – 1918
Gallipoli Campaign – 1915	Hundred Days Offensive – 1918
Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes – 1915	Battle of Le Hamel – 1918
Battles of Isonzo – 1915	Second Battle of Somme – 1918
Loos-Artois Offensive – 1915	Second Battle of Marne – 1918
Battle of Verdun – 1916	Battle of St Mihiel – 1918
Battle of Jutland – 1916
First Battle of Somme – 1916	Battle of Vittori Veneto – 1918