Somme

The battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War 1. In 1916, the British and French armies met at the Somme River (in France) and began a massive attack on the Germans in an attempt to distract them from Verdun. The fighting was so fierce, that it could be heard across the English Channel in Britain.

First the Allies shelled the Germans and then 100,000 British soldiers charged the enemy. The shelling had not harmed the Germans, who were dug in deeper than the allies anticipated. On July 1, 1916, the Germans killed 20,000 British soldiers and wounded 40,000 others. It was the single worst day for Britain in her history. The battle did not move trench lines at all and involved two million men along a thirty-mile front.