|At 7:30 on the morning of July 1, 1916, soldiers from 11
British divisions emerge from their trenches near the Somme
River in northwestern France and advance toward the German front
lines, marking the beginning of a major new offensive on the
Western Front in World War I. With the bulk of French resources
concentrated on holding the fortress city of Verdun, under siege
by the Germans since February 21, 1916, it was clear that the
main offensive effort on the Western Front that year would have
to be made by the British. After months of planning under the
leadership of Sir Douglas Haig, commander in chief of the
British forces, the attack on the Somme—destined to be the
largest military engagement in history up to that time—was
ready. After a full week of bombarding German positions near the
Somme— including 1.5 million shells fired from over 1,500
guns—the infantry advance began on the morning of July 31, along
a 25-mile-long front extending across both banks of the river.
The six German divisions facing the