Hamel: Somme

The battle at Hamel, though not particularly well known, was more sophisticated tactically than either the Somme or Passchendaele. Whereas they were attritional battles, predictable and bloody, at Hamel machines went a long way towards relieving the infantry of the obligation to fight its way forward. As an outstanding demonstration of how four independent arms could be co-ordinated on the battlefield, Hamel served as the blueprint for the bigger battle to come.