1. Battle of the Somme
An overview of the battle

2. Dead German soldiers at Battle of the Somme
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
Image Credit: John Warwick Brooke (Photographer). (1916). [German dead in a trench and machine gun post near Guillemont during the Battle of the Somme], Retrieved October 17, 2012, from:
Dead German soldiers at Battle of the Somme

3. British gains
Image credit: [Map of the Battle of the Somme]. Retrieved October 30, 2012, from:

4. 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

5. 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
Image Credit: John Warwick Brooke (Photographer). (1916). [British Vickers machine gun crew wearing PH-type anti-gas helmets], Retrieved October 17, 2012, from:
British gun crew wearing PH-type anti-gas helmets

6. Central Historical Question:
Who won the first day of the Battle of the Somme?
Image credit: John Warwick Brooke (Photographer). (1916). [A British trench near the Albert-Bapaume road at Ovillers-la-Boisselle, July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme], Retrieved October 17, 2012, from:
A British trench July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme

7. Central Historical Question
Who won the first day of the Battle of the Somme?
Day One Casualties:
57,470 British
8, German
7, French