Battle of the Somme
Battle between French and British against Germans. In this article we will let you know When was the battle of Somme?
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 1 – November 18, 1916. |
| Place | Banks of the Somme, northern France. |
| Belligerents | France and Great Britain vs. Germany. |
| Outcome | Indeterminate. |
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When was the battle of Somme?
The Battle of the Somme was a battle that took place during the First World War in Europe, and where the British and French armies fought against the German.
This was fought between July 1 and November 18, 1916, and included the second longest battle of the entire First World War and also the bloodiest.
It took place on the banks of the Somme, in northern France , where its name comes from. The French Army was commanded by Marshal Joseph Joffre (1852 – 1931), while the British Army by General Douglas Haig (1861 – 1928). For their part, the German troops were commanded by General Fritz von Below (1853 – 1918).
The results, in the short term, did not favor either side. However, for many historians this battle was key to the victory of the Allies (France and England) over Germany in 1918 , due to the great loss of life and German commanders.
British deaths are believed to have amounted to almost 420,000 and the French to 205,000, while the Germans lost approximately 465,000 men. With these fatal results, the Battle of the Somme became the bloodiest conflict in the entire First World War.
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Causes and effects of the Battle of the Somme
Causes
This battle was the response of the French and British armies to the advance of Germany in the west, during the First World War .
At the Chantilly conference of 1915, the Allies had devised a strategy to attack Germany on three fronts, with the western front defended by France and the United Kingdom. The Somme and Verdun areas were where the most famous battles for their ferocity took place.
The strategy consisted of weakening the invader enough to withdraw from the battle of Verdun , where a prolonged fight was fought between the same opponents, in defense of French territory.
Effects
Total casualties are estimated to have reached a million soldiers, between 450,000 for the Franco-British coalition and more than 500,000 for the German Empire. The Somme battle was the bloodiest battle in the history of the British Army. On the first day of combat alone, July 1, 1916, about 19,240 British dead were estimated.
Its result includes a partial victory for the Franco-British coalition, who despite not having been able to advance north to fight, managed to stop the German attempts to invade these areas of Europe.
