The Battle of the Somme: One of the Bloodiest in History

The Battle of the Somme was not only one of the bloodiest of World War One, but also in all of human history. The battle lasted between 1 July and 18 November 1916. The First Day on the Somme is considered to be the worst day in the history of the British Army as they suffered approximately 60,000 casualties in just a few hours of an unsuccessful offensive on the German front line.

Overall, more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed during the battle and the British and French forces advanced 6 miles into German-occupied territory. The British and French advance was not considered a major success despite being the biggest shift in territory since the Battle of Marne in 1914.
