Somme 1916: Haig's Failed Plan, Lochnagar to Schwaben Redoubt

A perfect plan on paper. A catastrophe in the trenches. Step onto the Somme on 1 July 1916 and see why Britain’s “big push” unraveled within minutes. From the week-long barrage that left wire uncut, to mines at Lochnagar and Hawthorn Ridge that birthed new killing grounds, this film traces how strategy met stubborn reality. Hear how Kitchener’s volunteers were told to walk in full kit under German guns that should have been silent, why a third of shells misfired, and how German dugouts 40 feet down changed everything. Follow the rare breakthroughs at Montauban, Mametz and the Ulster Division’s assault on the Schwaben Redoubt, the London Scottish defying orders at Gommecourt, and the cavalry waiting for gaps that never came. With Haig, Rawlinson, Allenby and Gough pulling in different directions, the opening day became Britain’s darkest military disaster. Watch to uncover the decisions, terrain, and moments that sealed the fate of tens of thousands—and the unanswered questions that still haunt the Somme. Stay to the end to understand why the battle dragged on to November. #BattleOfTheSomme #Somme1916 #WorldWarOne #DouglasHaig #LochnagarCrater #SchwabenRedoubt #KitchenersArmy