At 7:30 am on 1 July the British generals ordered the British soldiers out of their trenches and to advance towards the German trenches. This battle was the worst battle in WWI, especially from the point of view of Britain.įor five days the British fired shells at the German trenches to destroy them. In German and French writing, the first day of the Battle of the Somme has been little more than a footnote to the mass losses of 1914–1915 and the Battle of Verdun.ĭuring the battle of the Somme more than 1.5 million people either died, were wounded or went missing. The cost of the battle, and the small gains, have been a source of grief and controversy in Britain. The Allies planned to attack together, but the French were busy with the Battle of Verdun, so the main attackers were British. The French Army had 1,590 casualties and the German Army lost 10,000–12,000 men. On the first day the British Army had 57,470 casualties, of whom 19,240 were killed. The battle was named after the French River Somme where it was fought. The battle started on 1 July 1916, and ended on 18 November 1916. The Battle of the Somme took place in World War I. Map showing the summary of how the front line changed during the battle
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