Somme Ends: One Million Casualties for Seven Miles
British commander Douglas Haig called off the Somme offensive after 141 days of fighting that produced over one million combined casualties for a maximum advance of seven miles. The battle's catastrophic first day, when 19,240 British soldiers died in hours, became the defining symbol of World War I's futile industrialized slaughter.
November 18, 1916
110 years ago
Key Figures & Places
France
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World War I
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Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
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Battle of the Somme (1916)
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British Expeditionary Force (World War I)
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World War I
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Battle of the Somme
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British Expeditionary Force (World War I)
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Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
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Paul von Hindenburg
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Weimarer Nationalversammlung
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Dolchstoßlegende
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First Battle of Ypres
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Força Expedicionária Britânica
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