Abstract
<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>The Battle of the Somme was an Anglo-French offensive engagement in 1916 that sought to break through the German lines on a 13 mile (21 km) front from Gommecourt to Maricourt, north of the Somme River, northern France. This region of France is characterized by Cretaceous chalks with regular flint nodule horizons, overlain by a Quaternary soil complex of variable thickness. As part of the preparations for the coming attack, the British prepared nine large deep mines, at around 65–80 ft (20–24 m) depth, with galleries driven at speed. These mines were laid beneath German strongpoints and designed to maximize use of both the natural features of the landscape and destroyed elements of the built environment. The mines were “overcharged” with ammonal explosive in order to remove the strongpoints, bury trench positions in debris, and provide crater positions that were intended to be held as forward positions by Anglo-French attackers. This chapter examines the craters resulting from the explosions, comparing them for the first time in any detail. Each crater was analyzed relative to the official military manuals of the day to determine their effectiveness, calculating horizontal and vertical radii of rupture as measures of effectiveness. Though each was expected to be “overcharged” in order to destroy the German fortifications, this analysis shows that only Lochnagar and Kasino Point mines achieved this goal. The reality was a mixed success; of the nine major mines exploded on 1 July 1916, two major craters are visible in the landscape, Hawthorn Ridge and Lochnagar, and traces of others are still present in a crater field (Tambour and the Glory Hole); the remainder are lost.</jats:p>