Reasons to the massive fail:

1) The British army was very under-trained, under-equipped and their ammunitions were poorly constructed and very insufficient.

2) The artillery barrage failed to destroy the German's well equipped front lines, barbed wires, and heavily-built concrete bunkers leading to a fail to surprise the Germans with the attack.

Due to the lack of surprise made by the British & French troops, it was an ideal opportunity for the German troops to prepare to take down their enemies.

3) Germans used the machine gun, which was a new weapon constructed in WW1 that the British didn't believe in.

• During the attack the Germans were hiding in very well constructed shelters ready with their machine guns.The British troops were immediately forced back to their trenches because of the deadly effects of the German machine guns.