Somme

Somme, department (1990 pop. 548,300), N France, in Picardy, on the English Channel. Amiens is the capital.

Somme, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising near Saint-Quentin, N France, and flowing generally NW past Amiens into the English Channel; connected by canal with the Scheldt and Oise rivers. Once an obstacle to east-west movement, the now reclaimed marshlands in the valley are noted for truck farming. During World War I heavy fighting took place near the river (see Somme, Battles of the).

Somme, Battles of the, two engagements fought during World War I near the Somme River, N France. The first battle (July-Nov., 1916) was an Allied offensive. The British, commanded by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, had the largest Allied role; a smaller French contingent also fought. On the first day of the attack against the heavily fortified 21-mi (34-km) German line, the British suffered the largest one-day loss in their history—some 19,000 dead and 40,000 injured. British tanks joined the fray in September, but after nearly five months the Allies had gained little territory despite terrible slaughter. Some 131,000 Britons died and more than 288,000 were wounded. The French suffered more than 204,000 casualties; the Germans between 450,000 and 600,000. The battle, which did serve to ease German pressure on Verdun (see Verdun, battle of), nonetheless became a lasting symbol of war's fruitless carnage.

The second battle (Mar.-Apr., 1918), or the Somme Offensive, was a German attack led by Gen. Erich Ludendorff against the weakened 60-mi (92-km) British line N of the Somme, which the Germans hoped to breach before American reinforcements arrived. The British lines were soon overrun, and the British forced back some 40 mi (64 km). The French, under Gen. Ferdinand Foch, reinforced the British, and the German advance was halted. The German victory had little effect on the larger war, however, as it further depleted Germany's forces. The British suffered some 163,000 casualties, and the French 77,000; the Germans nearly as many.

The Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardie region of France.

The Somme was the site of many great battles in World War I and the department is home to a number of military cemeteries and to several major monuments commemorating the many soldiers from various countries who died on its battlefields.

Battles of the Somme

This was one of the most costly battles of World War One, by the amount of people killed. The Allied forces attempted to break through the German lines along a 25-mile (40 km) front north and south of the River Somme in northern France. The Allies had originally intended the Somme to be the site of one of several simultaneous major offensives by Allied powers against the Central Powers in 1916. However, before these offensives could begin, the Germans attacked first, engaging the Allies at the Battle of Verdun. As this battle dragged on, the purpose of the Somme campaign (which was still in the planning stage) shifted from striking a decisive blow against Germany to drawing German forces away from Verdun and relieving the Allied forces there. By its end the losses on the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun.

While Verdun would bite deep in the national consciousness of France for generations, the Somme would have the same effect on generations of Britons. The battle is best remembered for its first day, 1 July 1916, on which the British suffered 57,420 casualties, including 19,240 dead — the second bloodiest day in the history of the British Army to this day (after Towton). As terrible as the battle was for the British Empire troops who suffered there, it naturally affected the other nationalities as well. One German officer, General D. Swaha, famously described it as "the muddy grave of the German field army." By the end of the battle, the British had learned many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreplaceable losses. British historian Sir James Edmonds stated, "It is not too much to claim that the foundations of the final victory on the Western Front were laid by the Somme offensive of 1916."

For the first time the home front in Britain was exposed to the horrors of modern war with the release of the propaganda film The Battle of the Somme, which used actual footage from the first days of the battle.

The Somme experienced war twice more in the First and Second Battles of the Somme of 1918.

See also

• Somme River
• Amiens
• Cambrai
• Cantons of the Somme department
• Communes of the Somme department
• Arrondissements of the Somme department

Other

Somme is also the name of an instrumental post-rock group from Chicago. Their debut release was a five track EP entitled Weight.

External links

• Prefecture of Somme website
• General council's website
• Somme Tourism Guide
• Photos from Somme