Posted on Nov 18, 2025
Battle of the Somme ends | November 18, 1916 | HISTORY
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On November 18, 1916, British Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig calls a halt to his army’s offensive near the Somme River in northwestern France, ending the epic Battle of the Somme after more than four months of bloody conflict.
With the French under heavy siege at Verdun since February, the Somme offensive was Haig’s long-planned attempt to make an Allied breakthrough on the Western Front. After a full week of artillery bombardment, the offensive began in earnest on the morning of July 1, 1916, when soldiers from 11 British divisions emerged from their trenches near the Somme River in northwestern France and advanced toward the German front lines.
With the French under heavy siege at Verdun since February, the Somme offensive was Haig’s long-planned attempt to make an Allied breakthrough on the Western Front. After a full week of artillery bombardment, the offensive began in earnest on the morning of July 1, 1916, when soldiers from 11 British divisions emerged from their trenches near the Somme River in northwestern France and advanced toward the German front lines.
Battle of the Somme ends | November 18, 1916 | HISTORY
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WWI
WWI
Posted 2 mo ago
Responses: 2
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Those wren't battles, they were butcher fields. Imagine getting out of a trench into no man's land, and just falling like a wheat being scythed . Brave men, stupid war.
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Sgt David Ray
Weapons changed drastically between 1880 and 1914. Recoil systems meant field artillery no longer jumped out of position with each shot, so there was no delay while it was dragged back and aligned. Breach loading and fixed ammunition further increased firing rates. Aerodynamic shells increased range, and time fuzes sprayed shrapnel vertically into trenches.
Machine guns could fire hundreds of rounds per minute.
But most senior officers still thought in terms of the tactics of Waterloo, a century earlier.
Machine guns could fire hundreds of rounds per minute.
But most senior officers still thought in terms of the tactics of Waterloo, a century earlier.
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SGT Kevin Hughes
Sgt David Ray - Those technological advances, combined with the outdated battle tactics...is why that whole war was a slaughter. You made it clear and easy to understand why it was horrific. Thanks for that.
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