There were a few battles in WWI where the men in trenches were very drunk at the time of battle. At the Somme, some units got double rum rations by mistake (others got none). Many did not eat before going into battle for fear of being shot in the stomach while full. So, early morning, scared, no food and a double shot of very strong rum and you have yourself a drunk soldier. There were reports of some units being too drunk to go over the top.
How did it affect the battle? Not sure. But I'm also not sure anything could have been any worse than that first day at the Somme.
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