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General Sir Douglas Haig - Criticized for the large amount of casualties that took place when he lead the British.

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Battle at the Somme River, one of the largest battles of World War I, the French and British took an offensive stance against the Germans.

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July 1st to November 1st 1916

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Near the Somme River in France

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The aims of the battle were to relieve the French Army of fighting at Verdun and to weaken the German Army.

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In early 1916, the French proposed a joint Franco-British offensive along the river Somme. The British army assumed the major role of the Somme offensive and attacked north of the Somme with fourteen infantry divisions, while the French attacked astride and south of the Somme with five divisions. In defense, the German army deployed seven divisions.

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The battle began with week-long artillery bombardment of the German lines in order to destroy the German trenches and barbed wire in front of the trenches.

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The Germans hid in their dugouts until the infantry advance began and they faced the British and French with machine guns.

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The Allied forces moved over no mans land toward the German front lines and the German line soldiers didn't get through due to the huge number of troops attacking them.

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The cavalry was not a great success since the muddy conditions made the horses slow and riders easy targets; however, the man to man combat was bloody and horrific.

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The Allied forces were able to advance along a thirty-mile strip.

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- "the assault was preceded by a horrific bombardment, lasting about an hour and a half"
-"Many prisoners have already fallen into our hands, and as far as can be ascertained our casualties have not been heavy"

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- "Quite as many died on the enemy wire as on the ground, like fish caught in a net they hung there in grotesque postures"
-"Machine gun fire had done its terrible work"