Battle of Delville Wood

Overview

The Battle of Delville Wood (15 July – 3 September 1916) was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood (Bois d'Elville), was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech and hornbeam, with dense hazel thickets, intersected by grassy rides, to the east of Longueval. As part of a general offensive starting on 14 July, which became known as the Battle of Bazentin Ridge (14–17 July), General Douglas Haig, Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, intended to capture the German second position between Delville Wood and Bazentin le Petit.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Delville Wood, fought from 15 July to 3 September 1916, was a prolonged series of engagements within the larger Battle of the Somme. The fighting centered on Delville Wood, a dense stand of beech and hornbeam interspersed with hazel thickets east of Longueval, which formed part of the German second defensive position. British commander Douglas Haig designated the wood as an objective within the broader Battle of Bazentin Ridge offensive launched on 14 July, aiming to break through the German second line between Delville Wood and Bazentin le Petit. Holding or capturing this position was integral to the British effort to exploit the Somme offensive and press the German line, making the wood a focal point of attritional combat over nearly seven weeks of the campaign.

Tactics

Commanders (4)