- Date(s): July 15 – September 3, 1916
- South African Brigade in the wood: July 15–20, 1916
- Location: Somme sector, Picardy, France (on the east side of Longueval village)
- Coordinates: 50.0244°N, 2.8108°E
- Delville Wood — The South Africans on the Somme
CHANNEL LINKS
Website: https://tysk.org/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/thingsyoushouldknow
RESEARCH SOURCES
- Casualty Breakdown (Quick Reference)
- British Empire — 1st South African Infantry Brigade (strength 3,153 on July 14, 1916):
- Killed (including died of wounds and missing presumed dead): about 763
- Wounded: unknown (about 1,375 is the remainder of the total; not given directly in the sources)
- Captured: about 297
- Total: 2,435
- British Empire — other divisions in the wood, July 15 – September 3, 1916:
- Killed: unknown
- Wounded: unknown
- Missing/Captured: unknown
- Total: many thousands; no agreed figure
- German Empire:
- Killed: unknown
- Wounded: unknown
- Missing/Captured: unknown
- Total: unknown; 7th and 8th Divisions reported 9,494 casualties for July 15–27, 1916
- 🏷 Impact Rating
- [SUB-BATTLE] Delville Wood was one part of the Battle of the Somme. It protected the British advance, and South Africans remember it as their main battle of the war, but it did not change how the Battle of the Somme ended.
- 🔹 Opposing Forces (Summary List)
- British Empire and Dominions
- General Sir Douglas Haig — Commander-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force
- General Sir Henry Rawlinson — Commanding the British Fourth Army
- Lieutenant General Walter Congreve — Commanding XIII Corps
- Lieutenant General Henry Horne — Commanding XV Corps (later phases)
- Major General William Furse — Commanding 9th (Scottish) Division
- Brigadier General Henry Timson Lukin — Commanding 1st South African Infantry Brigade
- Lieutenant Colonel William Tanner — Commanding troops in the wood, wounded July 17, 1916
- Lieutenant Colonel Edward Thackeray — Took over from Tanner in the wood
- Later divisions (July 20 – September 3, 1916): 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 17th (Northern), 14th (Light), 20th (Light), 24th, 33rd, and 7th Divisions
- German Empire
- General Fritz von Below — Commanding the 2nd Army; from July 19, 1916, the 1st Army
- General Max von Gallwitz — From July 19, 1916, commanding the 2nd Army and the army group on the Somme
- General Friedrich Sixt von Armin — Commanding IV Corps (7th and 8th Divisions)
- Infantry Regiment 26 (7th Division), Infantry Regiment 153 (8th Division), and Reserve Infantry Regiment 107 (24th Reserve Division) — in and around the wood, July 15–20
- 5th Division and 10th Bavarian Division (including Bavarian Infantry Regiment 16) — Longueval sector and counter-attacks
- 4th Bavarian Division and 56th Division — counter-attack of August 31, 1916
- ⚠ Viewer Advisory / Educational Disclaimer
- This video contains historical footage and descriptions of real wartime events, including images that some viewers may find disturbing. All material is presented for educational and documentary purposes, to preserve and examine the realities of conflict and its human cost. Viewer discretion is advised. Contextual commentary is provided to inform, not to sensationalize.
- 📚 Bibliography — Standard (Expanded & Linked)
- Buchan, John. The History of the South African Forces in France. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1920. https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/76673
- Uys, Ian S. “The Lessons of Delville Wood.” Military History Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1. South African Military History Society. http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol061iu.html
- Uys, Ian S. “The South Africans at Delville Wood.” Military History Journal, Vol. 7, No. 2, December 1986. South African Military History Society. http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol072iu.html
- Miles, Wilfrid. Military Operations France and Belgium, 1916, Vol. II: 2nd July 1916 to the End of the Battles of the Somme. London: Macmillan, 1938. (Reprint: Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1992. ISBN 0-901627-76-3.)
- Uys, Ian. Delville Wood. Rensburg, South Africa: Uys Publishers, 1983. ISBN 0-620-06611-3.
- Digby, Peter K. A. Pyramids and Poppies: The 1st SA Infantry Brigade in Libya, France and Flanders, 1915–1919. Rivonia: Ashanti Publishing, 1993. ISBN 1-874800-53-5.
- Nasson, Bill. Springboks on the Somme: South Africa in the Great War, 1914–1918. Johannesburg: Penguin, 2007. ISBN 0-14-302535-X.
- Sheffield, Gary. The Somme. London: Cassell, 2003. ISBN 0-304-36649-8.
- Delville Wood Trust — “The Battle of Delville Wood.” https://delvillewoodtrust.org.za/the-battle-of-delville-wood/
- South African Legion — “Delville Wood.” https://salegion.org.uk/delville-wood-2/
- The Heritage Portal — “Delville Wood: The costliest action the South African Brigade fought on the Western Front.” https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/delville-wood-costliest-action-south-african-brigade-fought-western-front
- South African History Online — “Battle of Delville Wood starts.” https://sahistory.org.za/dated-event/battle-delville-wood-starts
- The Long, Long Trail — “South African Native Labour Corps.” https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-labour-corps-of-1917-1918/south-african-native-labour-corps/
- South African Government News Agency — “Remains of WW1 soldier reburied in Delville Wood Memorial,” July 6, 2014. https://www.sanews.gov.za/node/22807
- Imperial War Museums — “Battle of the Somme.” https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-battle-of-the-somme
- Wikipedia contributors. “Battle of Delville Wood.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Delville_Wood
- Wikipedia contributors. “Delville Wood order of battle.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delville_Wood_order_of_battle
- Somme Standing Bibliography (Required)
- At our heroes at the Somme — Federal Archives of Germany (Bundesarchiv), Germany — Public Domain.
- Permanent Media Archive Reference (Standing)
- PICRYL — Public Domain and Creative Commons Military Photography Archive. https://www.picryl.com
- 📚 Bibliography — Annotated
- Buchan (1920) — Official South African history, written from brigade records soon after the war; used for the order to hold the wood, the layout of the wood, and the day-by-day account.
- Uys, “The Lessons of Delville Wood” — Source of the Lukin quote (from the brigade war diary); used for brigade strength, the 6 a.m. entry, Tanner’s wounding on July 17, and the number who walked out.
- Uys, “The South Africans at Delville Wood” (1986) — Used for the timeline in the wood, the July 18 bombardment (about 20,000 shells), and German units.
- Miles (1938) — British official history; used for division movements, later phases, and British casualty context. Not checked page by page in this review.
- Uys (1983) — Detailed study of the South African Brigade at Delville Wood; standard source for the casualty breakdown. Not checked page by page in this review.
- Digby (1993) — History of the 1st SA Infantry Brigade; used for officer names and regiment detail. Not checked page by page in this review.
- Nasson (2007) — Used for the place of Delville Wood in South African national memory. Not checked page by page in this review.
- Sheffield (2003) — Used for placing Delville Wood within the wider Somme campaign. Not checked page by page in this review.
- Delville Wood Trust — Used for brigade strength (121 officers, 3,032 other ranks), the roll call of 29 officers and 751 other ranks, and the shelling rate of 400 a minute.
- South African Legion — Used for the 00:55 order to Lukin, 763 dead, 297 prisoners, and its total of 2,435 casualties.
- The Heritage Portal — Used to cross-check strength (3,153) and casualties (763 killed, 1,709 wounded).
- South African History Online — Used for the memorial unveiling on October 10, 1926. Its strength figure (3,433) differs from other sources.
- The Long, Long Trail — Used for the arrival date of the South African Native Labour Contingent in France (November 20, 1916).
- South African Government News Agency — Used for the 2014 reburial of Private Myengwa Beleza at the memorial.
- IWM — General Somme background and source of photographs and film.
- Wikipedia (two articles) — Used to cross-check dates, later phases, German units, and the 9,494 German casualty figure. Not the sole source for any key claim except where noted in the review.
- Federal Archives of Germany — German film record of the Somme.
- • • PICRYL — Standing media archive reference for visuals.
Viewer Advisory / Educational Disclaimer
This video contains historical footage and descriptions of real wartime events, including images some viewers may find disturbing. All material is presented for educational and documentary purposes to preserve and examine the realities of conflict and its human cost. Viewer discretion is advised. Context is provided to inform, not sensationalize.
Fair Use Notice
This video may contain copyrighted material used for educational purposes under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act.
Visual Disclaimer
Some images are historically informed artistic reconstructions created using generative tools. These are interpretive visuals, not authentic period photographs. Primary source images are credited where used.
