The Experience of Fighting with Allies: The Case of the Capture of Falfemont Farm during the Battle of the Somme,1916

Abstract

The Somme was the only significant joint Anglo-French operation of the First World War. This study of one important, though small, action in that battle shows how the Allies worked together. Using both French and British operational records, it challenges the accepted account. Analysis of the artillery preparations reveals that the initial failure of the infantry was entirely predictable. The ‘gallant’ infantry were not betrayed by the French artillery. The need to apportion blame coincided with the recent relief of the units that fought the action. Fighting with allies is more harmonious when troops know each other and their efforts are attended by success.