Battle of The Somme

The Battle of the Somme encompassed a series of battles for the British Army in the sector of the Western Front south of Arras and north of the Somme River. The battle was launched on July 1st, 1916 following a seven day artillery preparatory bombardment, the scale of which had never yet been seen in modern warfare. The battles to win ground from the German Second Army continued over four and a half months and the battle officially drew to a close on 19th November.