Editing First day on the Somme (section)

====Cavalry====

[[File:British gas attack Somme June 1916 IWMQ 55066.jpg|thumb|{{centre|Aerial photograph of a British [[Chemical weapons in World War I|gas attack]] from Carnoy to Montauban, shortly before the Somme offensive.}}]]
In March, the two British cavalry corps were disbanded and the divisions distributed to the armies and the new Reserve Corps (General [[Hubert Gough]]). In June, the Reserve Corps was reinforced and became the [[Reserve Army (United Kingdom)|Reserve Army]]. The Reserve Army cavalry was to operate combined with infantry and artillery, ready to act as a "conveyor belt", to exploit a success by the Fourth Army, with the 25th Division in the lead followed by two cavalry divisions and then [[II Corps (United Kingdom)|II Corps]].{{sfn|Sheffield|2011|pp=166–167}} In mid-June, II Corps was transferred to the Fourth Army; the French Sixth Army contained four cavalry divisions.{{sfn|Philpott|2009|pp=166–167}}

In late June, favourable intelligence reports and the reduction of the French commitment for the Somme offensive led to a change of plan by the British. Should the German army collapse, the cavalry was to follow up, capture [[Bapaume]] and take post on the right flank, to provide a flank guard of all-arms detachments facing east, as the main body of cavalry and the infantry advanced northwards. The [[1st Cavalry Division (United Kingdom)|1st]], [[2nd Indian Cavalry Division|2nd (Indian)]] and [[3rd Cavalry Division (United Kingdom)|3rd Cavalry]] divisions were to assemble by zero hour {{cvt|5|mi}} west of [[Albert, Somme|Albert]] around [[Buire-sur-l'Ancre|Buire]], [[Bresle]], Bonny and [[La Neuville-lès-Bray|La Neuville]], ready to move forward or remain and then return to billets behind [[Amiens]] depending on events.{{sfn|Edmonds|1993|pp=266–267}}