Battle of the Somme (1916)

:See Battle of the Somme (disambiguation) for other battles and meanings

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The 1916 Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the First World War, with more than one million casualties. The British and French forces attempted to break through the German lines along a 25 mile (40 km) front north and south of the River Somme in northern France. One purpose of the battle was to draw German forces away from the battle of Verdun; however, by its end the losses on the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun.

Related Topics:
1916 - First World War - British - French - German - River Somme - Battle of Verdun

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The battle is best remembered for its first day, 1 July, 1916, on which the British suffered 57,470 casualties of which 19,240 were killed or died of wounds. It remains the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army.

Related Topics:
1 July - 1916 - British Army

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As horrific as the battle of the Somme is in British memory, it also had a staggering impact on the German army; one officer famously described it as "the muddy grave of the German field army". By the end of the battle, the British had learnt many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreplaceable losses. British official historian Sir James Edmonds stated, "It is not too much to claim that the foundations of the final victory on the Western Front were laid by the Somme offensive of 1916."

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For the first time the home front in Britain was exposed to the horrors of modern war with the release of the propaganda film The Battle of the Somme, which used actual footage from the first days of the battle.

Related Topics:
Propaganda film - The Battle of the Somme

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