The bombardment lasted for an entire week, with a total of 1.738 million shells being poured onto the German positions over 7 days, averaging nearly 250,000 per day.
This was one of the most intense bombardments in history, surpassing even the German artillery's concentration of 2000 cannons at Verdun.
The British and French Alliance made ample preparations for this bombardment:
A large quantity of ammunition and various materials were continuously transported to the front lines, stored in underground warehouses at each artillery position.
In addition to building roads and railways, they also reinforced the roads comprehensively.
Then they constructed dozens of miles of shallow trenches for laying telephone lines and deep communication trenches.
Most importantly, they built trenches for the gathering and attacking of troops.
