8 Facts about Battle of Somme

Thursday, May 28th 2015. | History

Facts about Battle of Somme talk about one of the battles in World War I. It is considered as one of the largest battles. The location of the battle was near the Somme River. That’s why it was called Battle of Somme. The battle occurred on 1st July to 18th November 1916 in France. Let’s find out more interesting facts about battle of Somme below:

Facts about Battle of Somme 1: the people in the battle

The Battle of Somme was the battle between the German Empire and the Allies of French and British. The first right of the British soldiers occurred in Battle of Somme. One of them was the Kitchener’s Army. The army got the name from the recruiter. He was Lord Kitchener. There were also Pals battalions in the army. The volunteers who participated in the battle were going to be placed with their neighbors and friends.

Facts about Battle of Somme 2: the German leaders

Let’s find out the leaders in both sides. Some of the German commanders in the battle of Somme included the Crown Prince of Bavaria General Rupprecht, General Fritz von and General Max von Gallwitz.

Facts about Battle of Somme

Facts about Battle of Somme 3: the British leaders

The British leader in the battle of Somme was Commander-in-Chief Sir Douglas Haig. Other leaders were British General Henry Rawlinson and French General Ferdinand Foch.

Facts about Battle of Somme 4: The First Battle of the Marne

Actually before both sides were engaged in Battle of Somme, they had the First Battle of the Marne for almost 2 years. However, both sides were on the trench warfare and never moved. Check facts about Battle of Britain here.

Battle of Somme Picture

Facts about Battle of Somme 5: the offensive attack

The British and French came up with an offensive plan in order to get rid of German from France. They wanted to attack the Germans at Somme. However, the plan was changed since the Germany initiated the offensive attack in the Battle of Verdun. They attacked the French. Therefore, some French soldiers were sent to Verdun to fight with Germans. Get facts about Battle of Petersburg here.

Facts about Battle of Somme 6: The battle of Somme

To divide the attention of the German, the French hoped that the British went to Somme and had their attack on the Germans from 1st August to 1st July.

Battle of Somme Images

Facts about Battle of Somme 7: prior to the actual attack

The German lines were bombed by the Allies. Before the real attack, they damaged the front lines of Germany even though the bombardment did not work.

Facts about Battle of Somme 8: the real battle of Somme

On 1 July 1916, the British soldiers went out of the warfare trench and attacked the Germans. However, the allied suffered from 623,000 casualties. The Germany lost 500,000 casualties.