First Battle of the Somme

Battle of the Somme
Part of the Western Front of World War I
Battle of the Somme 1 July – 18 November 1916
Date 1 July – 18 November 1916 Location Somme River, north-central Somme and south-eastern Pas-de-Calais Départements, France 50°1′N 2°41′E / 50.017°N 2.683°E / 50.017; 2.683Coordinates: 50°1′N 2°41′E / 50.017°N 2.683°E / 50.017; 2.683 Result Inconclusive; see the Aftermath section
Belligerents
British Empire  Australia  Bermuda  Canada  India  Newfoundland  New Zealand  South Africa  Southern Rhodesia  United Kingdom France	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Douglas Haig Ferdinand Foch Henry Rawlinson Émile Fayolle Hubert Gough Joseph Alfred Micheler	Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below
Strength
1st July 390,000 in 13 divisions 330,000 in 11 divisions July–November 1,530,000 in 50 divisions 1,440,000 in 48 divisions	1st July 315,000 in 10 1/2 divisions July-November 1,500,000 in 50 divisions
Casualties and losses
c. 420,000 c. 200,000	c. 434,000–500,000

 British Empire

c. 420,000

The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme, German: Schlacht an der Somme), also known as the Somme Offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the River Somme in France. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies and was the largest battle of the First World War on the Western Front. More than 3 million men fought in this battle and one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

The French and British had committed themselves to an offensive on the Somme during Allied discussions at Chantilly, Oise, in December 1915. The Allies agreed upon a strategy of combined offensives against the Central Powers in 1916, by the French, Russian, British and Italian armies, with the Somme offensive as the Franco-British contribution. Initial plans called for the French army to undertake the main part of the Somme offensive, supported on the northern flank by the Fourth Army of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). When the Imperial German Army began the Battle of Verdun on the Meuse on 21 February 1916, French commanders diverted many of the divisions intended for the Somme and the "supporting" attack by the British became the principal effort.

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