Editing First day on the Somme (section)

====Aircraft====
For long-distance reconnaissance, bombing and attacks on {{lang|de|[[Luftstreitkräfte|Die Fliegertruppe]]}} (the Imperial German Flying Corps up to October, then {{lang|de|Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte}}, [German Air Force]) the [[No. 9 Wing RAF|9th (Headquarters) Wing]] of the [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC) was moved to the Somme front, with [[No. 21 Squadron RAF|21]], [[No. 27 Squadron RAF|27]], [[No. 60 Squadron RAF|60]] squadrons and part of 70 Squadron. The [[Fourth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourth Army]] had the support of [[IV Brigade RFC]], with two squadrons of the [[No. 14 Wing RAF|14th (Army) Wing]], four squadrons of the [[No. 3 Wing RAF|3rd Wing]] and 1 [[Kite balloon|1 Kite Balloon Squadron]], with a section for each corps. Corps squadrons, [[No. 3 Squadron RAF|3]], [[No. 4 Squadron RAF|4]], [[No. 9 Squadron RAF|9]] and [[No. 15 Squadron RAF|15]]  had {{nowrap|30 aircraft}} for counter-battery work and {{nowrap|13 aircraft}} for [[Patrolling#Aviation patrol types|contact-patrol]], where reconnaissance aircraft flew low over the battlefield to map the positions of British troops. Brigade headquarters had been ignorant of events and arrangements were made for the swift transmission of information forwards. There were {{nowrap|16 aircraft}} for trench reconnaissance, destructive bombardment and other duties and nine aircraft in reserve.{{sfn|Jones|2002|pp=147–148, 179–181}}

[[VII Corps (United Kingdom)|VII Corps]] (Lieutenant-General [[Thomas Snow (British Army officer)|Thomas Snow]]) in the [[Third Army (United Kingdom)|Third Army]] was given [[No. 8 Squadron RAF|8 Squadron]] with {{nowrap|18 aircraft}} and 5 Kite Balloon Section. On the Somme the RFC had {{nowrap|185 aircraft}} against the German 2nd Army aircraft establishment, which also had to face the French {{lang|fr|[[Aviation Militaire]]}} on either side of the Somme (the Anglo-French air effort considerably outnumbered the Germans until mid-July). Protection for corps aircraft was to be provided by standing patrols of pairs of aircraft and offensive sweeps by the two army squadrons.{{sfn|Jones|2002|pp=147–148}}{{efn|After 30 January 1916, each British army had a Royal Flying Corps brigade attached, which was divided into [[Wing (military aviation unit)|wings]], the corps wing with squadrons responsible for close reconnaissance, photography and artillery observation on the front of each corps and an army wing, which controlled the fighter squadrons and conducted long-range reconnaissance and bombing, using the aircraft types with the highest performance.{{sfn|Jones|2002|pp=147–148}}}} Bombing attacks were to be made on the railways behind the German front, with the main effort beginning on 1 July, to ensure that damage could not be repaired before the offensive. Troops, transport columns, supply dumps and headquarters behind the battlefront were to be attacked and the ammunition depots at [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]], [[Namur]] and [[Lille]] were to be specially attacked.{{sfn|Edmonds|1993|pp=268–269}} The French Sixth Army (General [[Émile Fayolle]]), had {{nowrap|201 aeroplanes.}}{{sfn|Philpott|2009|p=269}}