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Overview
• July 1 – Nov. 18, 1916
• One of the costliest battles of WWI
• Approximately 1.2 million casualties• 420,000 British • 200,000 French • 500,000 German
Dead German soldiers at Battle of the Somme
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Cause and effect
• Attempt by the British to “push through” the German lines
• Fought along northwestern part of the Western Front
• After months of fighting, and several assaults up and down the front, resulted in small gains in land for England
• Greatly weakened German war effort overall
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Causes of high death toll
Massive loss of life due to new military technologies:•machine guns•artillery/mines•hand grenades•gas•airplanes•first use of tanks
British gun crew wearing PH-type anti-gas helmets
Central Historical Question:
A British trench July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme
Who won the first day of the Battle of the Somme?