1916. It took place near the Somme River in France and lasted from July 1 to November 18 in 1916. Who fought at the Battle of the Somme? The first day of the Battle of the Somme has a prominent place in British history and popular memory and has come to represent the loss and apparent futility of the First World War. On July 1, 1916, brave British troops advanced but more than 400,000 died and 1.3 million we… In 1916, the British and French intended to launch a large-scale offensive along the Somme River. How many UK soldiers died. German forces invaded areas of France pushing the British Forces (British Expeditionary Force BEF) and French forces (Dunkirk) back to the sea in Operation Dynamo. The Battle of the Somme (1 July - 18 November 1916) was planned as a joint operation between British and French forces to break the deadlock on the Western Front. How many German soldiers died. Led by British Commander-in-Chief Sir Douglas Haig, the Battle of the Somme was one of the largest in World War One, and has become known as one of the bloodiest battles in history. 420,000. The Battle of the Somme is remembered as one of the bloodiest events of the First World War. The first day of the Battle of the Somme, in northern France, was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army and one of the most infamous days of World War One. The British failed to appreciate how deep the German dugouts were On the first day of the battle, nearly 20,000 British soldiers were killed, another 40,000 were injured. … The UK wanted to take pressure off of the French troops in Verdun who were fighting against Germany against germany. ... Why did the battle take so long? What happened at the Battle of Passchendaele? Verdun developed into a battle of wearing away, and, by December, each side had suffered about 350,000 casualties. More than one million soldiers were killed or wounded in the Battle of the Somme. By June, the French army was under heavy attack at Verdun, They hoped that this offensive on the Somme would force the Germans to withdraw troops from Verdun. The Battle of France, also referred to as The Fall of France, was a battle that took place during the Second World War in May of 1940. THE Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest in Britain’s history, lasting nearly five months. The Battle of the Somme was fought from July 1 to November 18, 1916 during World War I (1914-1918). The Battle of the Somme was fought by the British and their allies, including New Zealand, against the Germans by the Somme river in France. July 1 st 1916 – the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army; The Battle of the Somme. Save ... along with the Somme, has come to symbolise the Great War for many. It was fought from July 1st to November 18th. The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles that occurred during World War I. On 1st July 1916 at around 7.30 in the morning, whistles were blown to signal the start of what would be the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. News > UK > Home News Battle of the Somme centenary: What happened and why it is the defining British battle of the First World War?