#somme

First Battle of the Somme: Britain's Greatest Military Tragedy

The First Battle of the Somme took place in northern France during the First World War from 1 July to 18 November 1916. The battle (not to be confused with the Second Battle of the Somme, aka Somme Offensive of 1918) was fought between German forces and the armies of Britain and France and their respective colonial forces. One of the bloodiest battles in history, there were 58,000 British and British Empire casualties on the first day alone, a figure unmatched during the entire war. In total, over one million men were killed or wounded in the battle, and very little territory was gained by either side as this largely static war of attrition on the Western Front continued for another year and a half.

Objectives

The battle was originally designed as part of a wider Allied offensive but then developed into a diversionary operation to relieve pressure on the French Army troops at the huge and ongoing Battle of Verdun, located further along the Western Front, where the Germans were trying to capture the French fortress city of that name. It was the French high command that insisted the British attack the Somme area since it was the point at which the British and French front lines joined. Unfortunately, this area was also one of the best defended by the enemy. The plan was for the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to attack the German lines along an 18-mile (29 km) front. This front ran from Gommecourt in the north to Maricourt in the south, the latter being located north of the River Somme, hence the battle's name.

Read More

Photographed By Oko'Ba