A Day That Shook The World: Battle of the Somme
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.On 1 July 1916, the Battle of the Somme began.
Widely held to be one of the worst, most wasteful military campaigns in history, the battle - and the German machine guns - cost the lives of tens of thousands of young soldiers on only its first day - for no substantial territorial gains.
The battle would last three and a half bloody months, causing more than 1.5 million casualties in total, for a total gain of six miles.
Watch original footage from the battle, and the consequent protests in Britain, in this British Pathé video, above.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments