The First Battle of the Somme is acknowledged as one of the most devastating and bloodiest battles of all time. The battle took place during the First World War, between allied British and French forces and opposing German forces, from July 1 to November 18, 1916. Initially this attack was supposed to be led by the French army, however their focus changed to the Battle of Verdun, where they were locked in a deadly stalemate against the German forces, therefore the role of the British changed from support to that of the lead. After a week of heavy bombardment from British artillery, on the morning of July 1, 1916 over 100,000 British troops charged the enemy lines, in what would become the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. The German trenches were dug so deeply that the artillery fire did not have its desired effect, and it failed to sufficiently clear much of the barbed wire, meaning that the German machine guns were able to mow down thousands of oncoming troops as they tried to rush across no mans land. By the end of the day, the British troops secured approximately eight square kilometers of ground, along a front that stretched 24km (averaging just 0.33km from the initial line of attack), at a cost of over 57,000 casualties, including over 19,000 fatalities. By comparison, the German and French armies were of relatively similar sizes, however their fatality rate was much lower.

Progress was slow

The first day set much of the tone for the remainder of the battle. The German forces were able to retreat and dig new trenches and form their defenses faster than the British and French could mobilize their attacks, meaning that progress was slow, and cost many many lives. The majority of casualties to British and French forces came from German machine gun fire. While the Battle of the Somme is justly regarded as the prime example of trench warfare, it is also important to note that the respective air forces did play a large part in gathering intel and coordinating attacks, as well as the artillery regiments who provided much of the suppressing fire and disrupted one another's supply chains. September 15th also marked the first ever use of a tank in battle, where the British sent a small fleet of tanks into the field, with mixed results.

Legacy of the Somme

By the end of the battle the casualties were high. As the battle progressed the French became more heavily involved, and German soldiers began falling more rapidly. The battle ended on November 18th 1916, with well over one million casualties and 300,000 fatalities. Although casualties were high for all sides, the battle is most prominently remembered in Britain and the Commonwealth as an example of the ultimate sacrifice made by the men who served throughout the First World War.

The first day of the First Battle of the Somme is acknowledged as being the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. Taking place during the First World War from July 1, to November 18, 1916, it was one of the most costly and devastating battles in human history, and the first day alone saw approximately 70 thousand casualties. The offensive took place on the morning of July 1, after seven days of heavy bombardment from British artillery. Artillery was supposed to clear a path through the maze of German wire that covered no mans land, as well as to suppress the German forces and disrupt their supply routes.

Heavy casualties in the initial attack The British forces of over 120 thousand men, which also included soldiers from Ireland, Canada, South Africa and India, rushed the German lines early on the first day. The week-long artillery bombardment did not have its desired effect, as they could not damage much of the German trenches (which were fifteen meters deep in many areas) and much of the wire remained intact, resulting in heavy casualties inflicted by German troops who were able to mobilize quickly and mow down the approaching forces with machine gun fire. By the end of the day, the British troops secured approximately 8 square kilometers of ground, along a front that stretched 24km (averaging just 0.33km from the initial line of attack), at a cost of 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 fatalities. In comparison, the German and French armies were of relatively similar sizes to that of the British, however their casualty rate was much much lower. Stalemate at Verdun The French, who were originally supposed to lead the attack, had redirected much of their efforts to Verdun, where they were locked in a deadly stalemate against German forces. This resulted in the British leading the charge at the Somme. Although the British penetrated the German lines and pushed them back, they paid for it with many lives, compared to the Germans who suffered between ten and twelve thousand casualties. This form of trench warfare set the precedent for the remainder of the battle, where the British and French made slow yet devastating progress against a German force who were able to entrench themselves and mobilize defenses much faster than the Allies could organize their attacks. By the end of the battle approximately 3 million men had taken part, resulting in over one million casualties.

With the invention of the Wright Brothers' first aircraft in 1903 it was inevitable that this technology would be used in the theater of war. The First World War was the first time that reconnaissance and attacks were conducted aerially, and the British Royal Flying Corps (which would later become the Royal Air Force) was one of the pioneers of these technologies and techniques. The British used observation balloons and airplanes to gather intelligence and orchestrate attacks against their enemies, and over the course of the Battle of the Somme they took over 19 thousand photographs. This intel was then used to organize approximately 300 aerial and over 8.5 thousand artillery attacks. These endeavors did however result in the deaths of 191 observers.

As with aerial technology, wireless developments also played an important role in the Battle of the Somme. During the First World War, wireless technology was used by both sides to transmit messages in Morse code, particularly by the navies. The German army also began developing and improving wireless technology more rapidly than the allied forces, as the allies had interrupted their copper supply which was used to build wire networks.

From the graph we can see that the RFC had 542 ground stations throughout the battle, which received the messages transmitted from above. Although telephone lines remained the most used form of communication throughout the war, wireless technology proved invaluable when these telephone lines were destroyed. The RFC had 306 aircraft fitted with wireless technology, which also contributed to the previously mentioned aerial and artillery attacks. At the beginning of the battle the RFC had 689 wireless operators, and this number increased to 883 by the end of the battle, with 27 operator casualties during this time.

One of the most common misconceptions regarding the First World War, and particularly the First Battle of the Somme, was that it was fought mostly on land and between soldiers and artillery, however the respective air forces played a large part, not only in the fighting and bombing, but also in gathering information and reconnaissance. This graph shows the number of airmen, as well as their casualties from the British Royal Flying Corps (which later became the Royal Air Force) during the First Battle of the Somme in 1916.

From the graph we can see that over one thousand airmen were involved in the Battle of the Somme. The number of available pilots on July 1, 1916 was 426, and by the end of the battle this number had increased to 585. Over the course of the battle the Royal Flying Corps sustained 767 casualties to pilots and observers (observers were airmen who took part in reconnaissance and intelligence missions), and lost a further 972 aircraft.

One of the most common misconceptions regarding the First World War, and particularly the First Battle of the Somme, was that it was fought mostly on land and between soldiers and artillery, however the respective air forces played a large part, not only in the fighting and bombing, but also in gathering information and reconnaissance. This graph shows statistics regarding attacks made by the British Royal Flying Corps (which later became the Royal Air Force) during the First Battle of the Somme in 1916.

From the graph we can see that a total of 17.6 thousand bombs were dropped by British aircraft during the First Battle of the Somme (which translates to 292 tons of explosives). Almost three hundred British raids took place during the battle, and aerial observation helped contribute to over 8.5 thousand ground attacks by British artillery. A number of air battles between British and German forces also took place, and British aircraft destroyed or damaged almost 370 enemy aircraft.

In the context of the First World War, the Somme department of France is most synonymous with the Somme Offensive of 1916, which lasted for almost five months and was one of the costliest battles in history. Over 206 thousand British soldiers died in the Somme department between 1915 and 1918; 128 thousand (62 percent) of which were during the Somme Offensive between July and November 1916. British forces moved into the area one year before the First Battle of the Somme, and had a continuous presence throughout the rest of the war. Fighting was sporadic and much smaller in scale outside of the main offensive, although the conflict did intensify during the German Spring offensive in 1918, and then the final Hundred Days Offensive which began in August that year.

In the Somme department of France during the First World War, British forces suffered the highest number of fatalities per day during the period of the First Battle of the Somme in 1916. Over this period, which lasted for almost four months and three weeks, British forces suffered almost 128 thousand fatalities; which translates into an average of 893 deaths per day. In total, the British army suffered almost 207 thousand fatalities, with an average of 177 deaths per day; although the most intense periods came in the second half of 1916 and between March and September 1918 (which also included the Second Battle of the Somme)

This graph shows the total number of artillery and heavy guns used by the British forces during the First Battle of the Somme in 1916. The Battle of the Somme took place from July 1, until November 18, 1916 with most of the bombardments coming in the week leading up to the July 1, attack. The front line during the battle was over 22km long, and the German forces were so well entrenched (up to 15m deep) and protected that the week-long bombardment did not have its desired effect. This meant that when the soldiers rushed the German lines on the morning of July 1, they suffered massive casualties, with 19,240 British fatalities on the first day alone (making it the bloodiest day in British military history).

The most commonly used gun was by far the 18PDR field gun,of which 808 were deployed during the Battle of the Somme. This gun was the most frequently used field gun used by the British Royal Field Artillery in the First World War. After these were the 4.5- and 6-inch Howitzers, and the 60 pounder guns. There was also a smaller number of naval railway-guns used to provide heavier fire and strategically targeted enemy roads and railways in order to disrupt their supply chain. The smaller guns and Howitzers were used not only to bombard the enemy, but also to destroy the masses of barbed wire that occupied no-mans-land and to clear a path for the soldiers (although this was not always very effective).

This graph shows the total number of artillery shells manufactured by the British forces in 1916. The Battle of the Somme took place from July 1, until November 18, 1916, with a week long bombardment by the British forces in the week leading up to July 1, 1916. In this week a total of 1.7 million shells were fired by the British Royal Regiment of Artillery against the German lines and their supply routes. The German trenches however were too deep and well-dug for the artillery fire to have its desired effect, and the German forces were able to mobilize quickly once the bombardment stopped.

As the war progressed and trench warfare became more common, the role of artillery in suppressing the enemy, clearing wire from the battlefield and disrupting the enemy supply lines became increasingly important. From the graph we can see that in the lead up to the battle the number of shells being produced in Britain grew rapidly, and in October alone more shells were produced than in all of March, April and May combined. Another interesting statistic is that almost as many shells were fired in one week before the Battle of the Somme as were made in Britain in all of March.

In total, there are 153,443 British war graves in the Somme department of France, for soldiers who died during the First World War. Approximately 100,000 (65.2 percent) of those buried in these graves have been identified, while 53.4 thousand (34.8 percent) remain unidentified. In addition to these, it is estimated that approximately 107 thousand British soldiers died in the Somme department during the First World War, but have no known grave.

There are 243 British military cemeteries in total in the Somme department; 135 for those who died in the region between 1915 and 1916 (primarily due to the First Battle of the Somme in 1916), 102 for those who died in the region in 1917 and 1918, and six cemeteries made by medical staff much further from the frontlines (known here as "bases").