Somme Offensive
Part of the Western Front of the First World War
British soldiers attacking
Date 1 July – 18 November 1916 Location Somme River, France Result unsettled; German Army withdraws 40 miles to the Hindenburg Line Result better for the Allies.
Belligerents
United Kingdom  Canada  Australia  New Zealand  South Africa  India  Newfoundland  France	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Douglas Haig Ferdinand Foch	Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below
Strength
13 British and 11 French divisions (planned) 51 British and 48 French divisions (actual)	10½ divisions (planned) 50 divisions (actual)
Casualties and losses
623,907 casualties 782 aircraft lost	465,000 men

British soldiers "going over the top", or leaving their trenches in the Battle of the Somme

Map showing the summary of how the front line changed during the battle

The Battle of the Somme took place in World War I. The battle began on 1 July 1916, and ended on 18 November 1916. The battle was named after the French River Somme where it was fought.

On the first day the British Army had 57,470 casualties, of whom 19,240 were killed. The French Army had 1,590 casualties and the German Army lost 10,000–12,000 men. The Allies planned to attack together, but the French were busy with the Battle of Verdun, so the main attackers were British. The cost of the battle, and the small gains, have been a source of grief and controversy in Britain. In German and French writing, the first day of the Battle of the Somme has been little more than a footnote to the mass losses of 1914–1915 and the Battle of Verdun.