Nothing less than a sweeping success, such as that actually achieved, could have produced this result.

The days preceding the attack, therefore, constituted a most anxious period.

On the other hand, from the purely military point of view, our chances of success were exceedingly good.

The attack was to be delivered by fresh troops, second to none in the world in fighting qualities, assisted by an unprecedented concentration of mechanical aids to victory.
Preparations had been long and careful, every contingency had been thought out, and there was every reason to expect that our attack would be a complete surprise.
"Militarily, the more critical period was that which immediately followed the battle when, having reached the line of the old Somme defences of 1916, it was decided to switch the point of attack to the area north of the Somme.

On the success of this manoeuvre depended whether the attack of the 8th August was to be a single isolated victory comparable to the battle of Messines in June, 1917, or whether it was to develop into something very much greater.