1. The Battle of Verdun & the Battle of the Somme

2. The Battle of Verdun One of the biggest battles of WWI
Fought in 1916, from Feb – Dec
Fought between the French and Germans
Part of the Schlieffen Plan
Key to determining who would win on the Western front
At the time: the longest battle history had ever known

4. Goals of the Germans:
German Army’s chief of staff wanted to strike a fatal blow
Verdun had important symbolic value to the French
Germans thought the French would bleed out their army trying to defend it
Thus, they saw Verdun as a chance to destroy the French army

5. Soldier’s Experiences of Verdun

6. The Toll Verdun resulted in 306,000 battlefield deaths
163,000 French
143,000 German
And at least 1/2 million wounded

7. In the end Counts as a strategic victory for France
But – was a costly stalemate for both countries in terms of death tolls

8. Verdun today Land around Verdun is still marked by war War memorial
Thousands of shell holes in countryside
Trenches slice through the woods
Mine craters still visible
Barbed wire and remains of fortresses still can be seen
War memorial
Remains of 130,000 French and German soldiers

9. Battle of the Somme
An overview of the battle

10. 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

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Document Analysis Worksheet
Our job today is to investigate what happened on the first day of the battle, July 1, 1916, by reading three historical accounts of the day:
a British newspaper article written by a journalist who was at the battle
the memoir of a British soldier who fought in the battle
the memoir of a German soldier who fought in the battle

16. Read Document A
Answer the questions on the graphic organizer.

17. Read Documents B & C
Answer the questions on the graphic organizer

18. Free Write Who won the first day at the Battle of the Somme?
Use evidence to support your answer!

19. Discussion Questions
Why are documents B & C so different from document A?
Which of the documents is most trustworthy? Why?

20. Central Historical Question
Who won the first day of the Battle of the Somme?
Day One Casualties:
57,470 British
8, German
7, French
Which documents does this data support or corroborate?