1916 Beginning of the Battle of the Somme

One hundred years ago, on July 1, 1916, British and French troops launched an offensive against the Germans on the River Somme in northern France. It continued until November 18 and did not lead to any significant results. By the end of the offensive, the Allies were using 51 British and 48 French divisions against 50 German divisions. The Allies lost 794.2 thousand people killed, wounded and captured, including British troops - 481.8 thousand people. German losses amounted to 236.2 thousand people.