The Battle of Somme with Mark Wheatcroft - Episode One: The Somme Begins
American Civil War & UK History
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1h 10m
Daz is joined by The Battlefields of Britain host and historian Mark Weecroft to explore the events leading up to the battle and the devastating opening day, 1 July 1916, which became the bloodiest day in British military history.
The Battle of the Somme was launched on 1 July 1916 as a joint British and French offensive designed to break the deadlock on the Western Front and relieve pressure on the French Army at Verdun. After a week-long artillery bombardment, British troops advanced across No Man's Land, expecting the German defenses to have been destroyed. Instead, many German positions survived, and the attacking infantry suffered devastating losses. The first day of the Somme became the bloodiest in British military history, with nearly 60,000 casualties, including over 19,000 killed.
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