Battle of the Somme

E17254

The Battle of the Somme was a major and notoriously bloody 1916 World War I offensive on the Western Front, remembered for its massive casualties and limited territorial gains.


Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War I battle
battle
alsoKnownAs Somme Offensive
belligerent British Empire
French Third Republic
German Empire
commander Douglas Haig
Ferdinand Foch
Fritz von Below
Henry Rawlinson
Max von Gallwitz
conflictIn World War I
countryInvolved France
German Empire
United Kingdom
dateOfFirstTankUse 1916-09-15
endDate 1916-11-18
firstDayCasualtiesApproximate 57000 British casualties
firstDayKilledApproximate 19000 British killed
firstUseOf tanks by the British Army
front Western Front
historicalReputation one of the bloodiest battles in history
symbol of World War I futility
location Somme, France
memorial Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme
notableFor extremely high casualties
first day heavy British losses
first large-scale use of tanks
limited territorial gains
objective break through German lines
relieve pressure on Verdun
operationName Somme Offensive
partOf Western Front
region Picardy
result Allied tactical gains
inconclusive
river Somme River
startDate 1916-07-01
strategicContext to support French forces at Verdun
to wear down German army
theatre European theatre of World War I
totalCasualtiesApproximate over 1000000 casualties
typeOfWarfare trench warfare
usedWeapon artillery
machine guns
poison gas
rifles
tanks
year 1916

Referenced by (45)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
51st (Highland) Division
51st (Highland) Division ("Battle of the Somme (1916)")
Coldstream Guards ("Somme 1916")
Irish Guards ("Somme 1916")
Middlesex Regiment ("Somme 1916")
Scots Guards ("Somme 1916")
Welsh Guards ("Somme 1916")
battleHonour
2nd Canadian Division
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ("Somme offensive")
Canadian Corps ("Battle of the Somme 1916")
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Machine Gun Corps
French First Army
Heavy Branch, Machine Gun Corps
engagement
1st Canadian Division
1st Division (Australia)
3rd Canadian Division
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Railway Troops
French II Corps
VIII Corps (United Kingdom)
notableEngagement
Canadian Corps
Henry Rawlinson
Western Front (World War I)
World War I
notableBattle
4th Canadian Division
Ferdinand Foch
Miles Dempsey
participatedIn
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme
commemorates
Bernard Freyberg
British Commonwealth forces
conflict
Battle of the Somme ("Somme Offensive")
alsoKnownAs
Lord Gort
battle
Royal Scots ("Somme 1916")
battleHonours
Somme River
battleOccurredOnBanks
German Supreme Command
directedOperation
Battle of Verdun
followedBy
European theatre of World War I
hasPart
Somme
knownFor
British High Command on the Western Front
notableBattleDirected
Somme River
notableEventLocation
Somme River
notableFor
Battle of the Somme ("Somme Offensive")
operationName
Battle of Arras (1917)
precededBy

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