Battle Somme facts

While investigating facts about Battle Somme Map and Battle Somme Casualties, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Adolf Hitler and JRR Tolkien fought at the Battle of the Somme.

how many died in the battle of the somme?

Adolf Hitler, JRR Tolkien, and Anne Frank's father all fought in the Battle of the Somme

Who fought at the battle of somme?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering who won the first day at the battle of somme. Here are 50 of the best facts about Battle Somme 1918 and Battle Somme 1916 I managed to collect.

who won at the battle of somme?

About J.R.R. Tolkien's service as a Lieutenant in World War I. He fought in The Battle of the Somme, and it has been suggested that the horrors of trench warfare shaped his later depictions of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings.
Two mines detonated on the first day of the Battle of the Somme were apparently so loud that the blasts were heard in London, nearly 200 miles away.
The Battle of the Somme ended with roughly 420,000 British, 200,000 French, and 500,000 German casualties, the result of the 141-day battle was the British frontline moving just 6 miles into German territory.
During the first day of the battle of the Somme during WWI, the 780 men-strong Royal Newfoundland Regiment was wiped out during the first 20 minutes of the attack, suffering 90% of casualties
On July 1, 2016 volunteers dressed as World War I soldiers appeared across the UK as part of Battle of the Somme commemorations. The ‘soldiers’ silently handed cards to passers by, each bearing the name of a soldier who died at the Somme on 1st July 1916.
Areas from The Battle of the Somme will take upto 500 years to be free of ordnance and explosives with upto 25 tonnes of it found a year
More people were killed in the Battle of the Somme (141 days), than died in the American Civil War (4 years, 27 days)
Up to 40% of British casualties in the battle of the Somme suffered from "shell-shock" and that 19 hospitals treated 65 000 soldiers ten years after the war just in Britain alone.
The British were the most inexperienced of the three armies and suffered the highest casualty rates in the early phases of the battle.
Douglass Haig was the British Field Marshall at the time. He favored a major attack in the Flanders region of Belgium, but French General Joseph Joffre convinced him that a combined attack on the Somme would be more effective.

battle somme facts — What was the battle of the somme?

Why did the battle of somme happen?

You can easily fact check why was the battle of somme significant by examining the linked well-known sources.

In WWI, the British Army encouraged friends to register together so they could all serve alongside each other in what they called "Pals Battalions." When many of these battalions were all but wiped out in the Battle of the Somme - some in the first half hour - the practice was canceled

The Battle of the Somme was the first World War I battle where tanks were used in large numbers. The tanks were used by the British and French, but they were largely ineffective because they could not maneuver past the trenches.

Despite the high amount of casualties and the inability of the Allies to take any of their major objectives, some historians consider the Battle of the Somme to have been a strategic though not a tactical victory for the Allies. The battle of attrition reduced the German forces to a point that they could not replenish.

On the other hand, the Allies were not able to take any of the major towns in the sector and only gained six miles of ground.

A 60,000 lb WWI mine exploding under the German positions created "the largest crater created by man in anger," making what at the time was the "loudest sound ever created by man." The resulting crater is a memorial to the Somme battle to this day. - source

When was the battle of the somme?

One of the only non-trench fighting engagements in the Battle of the Somme was the Battle of Delville Wood, fought from July 5 to September 3. British forces largely comprised of South Africans, were able to take the woods.

How many british soldiers died in the battle of the somme?

J.R.R Tolkien fought on the front lines during the battle of the Somme

Although the situation in Verdun meant that the Germans were vulnerable along the Somme, it also meant that the French could contribute fewer forces to the offensive.

Air combat was also a fairly new feature that took place during the Battle of the Somme.

When the Battle of the Somme began in July, the Germans were forced to move men from Verdun to the Somme area.

The elaborate German trench systems had several different lines, a phone system, and concrete bunkers in some places.

When did the battle of the somme start?

The opening artillery bombardment of the Battle of the Somme could be heard north of London, >300 km away.

The Battle Of Somme, where in a period of only 4 months an estimated 1.5 million men died. On the first day alone, 58,000 British soldiers lost their lives.

The term 'tank' originates from their first appearance during the Battle of Somme in 1916, where they were covertly shipped to the front in large containers labeled 'Water Tanks'.

J.R.R. Tolkien first saw combat in the second week of the Battle of the Somme. One of his closest friends, Robert Gilson, had been killed on the first day.

How long did the battle of the somme last?

In 1916 Basil Henriques, a tank commander during the battle of the somme was sprayed with glass splinters after a bomb exploded in his face. After the glass splinters were removed by medics he kept the largest piece and set it in a ring for his wife as a memento of his brush with mortal danger.

Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. Born the successor to the Kingdom of Bavaria. He lived through 6 German states, was Field Marshall during the Battle of Somme and had his family sent to Dachau, narrowly avoiding Nazi capture himself.

The Germans were forced to drawback behind what was called the Hindenburg Line, which could be considered a defeat.

The first day of the Somme Offensive was not the bloodiest day in British military history. The Battle of Towton, fought in 29th March 1461 in the War of the Roses, left 28,000 dead, 8,000 more than 1st July 1916, and killed around one in fifty men in all of England at the time.

The Germans generally created better trench systems than the Allies throughout the war, but at Somme they were able to create some of the best trenches in the war because they held the territory for about a year before the offensive.

The Canadians and Australians suffered about 25,000 casualties each during the battle.

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme in WW1, British troops were ordered to walk across No Man's Land because they were seen as untrained for quick infantry movements. The Germans set up machine guns and the British suffered 60,000 casualties.

In 1915 the Royal Newfoundland Regiment became the first non-Scottish troops ever to garrison Edinburgh castle. Nicknamed the "Blue Puttees", Edinburgh welcomed them with parades, speeches and sports events. Of the 800 men, only 68 survived the Battle of the Somme.

The bodies of some 72,000+ British and South African soldiers killed in the Battles of the Somme were never recovered.

During the Battle of the Somme a British officer instructed his infantry men to kick a football to one another as they were making the deadly advance through no mans land. The idea came from Captain Nevill who said he "wanted to give his men something to take their minds off the slaughter"

On the first day of the battle of the Somme, nearly 20,000 British soldiers were killed.

A Scottish Canadian soldier at the Battle of the Somme was awarded the Victoria Cross for boosting morale on the front line by walking along the barbed wire and playing the bagpipes

The largest non-nuclear explosion in history was a bomb that weighed 60,000 lbs (27215.542 kg). It was called the Lochnagar mine and it was detonated by the British on the first day of the Battle of The Somme during WW1

The British-French offensive was supposed to take place with Allied offensives on the Eastern and Italian fronts.

This is our collection of basic interesting facts about Battle Somme. The fact lists are intended for research in school, for college students or just to feed your brain with new realities. Possible use cases are in quizzes, differences, riddles, homework facts legend, cover facts, and many more. Whatever your case, learn the truth of the matter why is Battle Somme so important!