They've d'Aise. They dared. They have succeeded.

Captain Serrault, French Army welcome to the

Battles of the First World War podcast episode 13, The Psalm.

Basantan Ridge, second strike on the psalm.

Just as we discussed in episodes 11 and 12, in July of 1916, the British 4th Army needed to clear Contormizong Village,

Mamet's Wood, and Throneswood on its attack front

in order to launch a major strike on the German second defense line.

And now, as we discussed in the last two episodes,

those objectives were now taken or on their way to being secured.

The time had come to hit the Germans sitting on Basantan Ridge.

BEF Fourth Army Commander General Sir Henry Rawlinson had spent the days since the very mixed and disastrous results of the 1st of July, planning the next big

attack on the Germans. What we are going to see in this episode is a British success story.

And mind you, it's a World War I success story, so please don't get your hopes up too much.

Sorry.

The reason this is being brought up is because Raleigh's plan for the 14th July attack on the Somme

brought in two elements necessary for success on this modern and industrial battlefield.

Innovation and a crushing artillery bombardment. How Rawlinson and his generals arrived

there, though, was dictated more by the specific needs of this operation than any notion of

lesson learned from the costilious day in the history of British arms. Here was the deal.

The attack front ran 6,000 yards long,

from Throneswood and Waterloo Farm in the East,

through the villages of Longuval with its attached Delville wood,

...