Battle of Somme

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Article abstract: Type of action: Ground battle in World War I. Result: No British and French breakthrough, little territory captured, terrible casualties endured by all combatants, and continued stalemate in the west.

Attempting to end the stalemate on the western front and to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, planned a massive breakthrough for July 1, 1916, near the river Somme, a previously quiet sector held by only about 120,000 German troops. Haig’s immediate aim was to...

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