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(good old Hague... someone should have shot him long before he sent so many to thier deaths against machinegun outposts)...
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Another misconception, the lines of men going over the top was a European thing not just down to old Hague. Before the real implementation of armour (namely tanks) and any sort of decent artillery or aircraft, sending the boys over the top in mass was the only effective way to get to your enemy in a war of trenches and stalemates. The marching slowly comes from the first day of the battle of the Somme, where high command told the first wave of British troops to walk to the german trenches, in the insane belief that there artillery barrages had totally destroyed the enemy trenches. This is the only time i ever recall troops walking across no mans land in military formations.
This part of WW1 is of particular interest to my father, he has done extensive research on this subject mainly due to loosing his grandfather in said battle.