Battle of the Somme: One of the Bloodiest Battles in History

The selection of the Somme River valley as the location for the major British offensive reflected both strategic considerations and the practical constraints imposed by the division of the Western Front between British and French forces, as this sector represented the boundary between the two armies while offering terrain that seemed suitable for the kind of large-scale infantry assault that military commanders believed could overcome German defensive positions through the application of overwhelming force. The relatively quiet nature of the Somme sector during the previous two years of warfare had enabled both sides to develop extensive defensive systems, but British planners calculated that this same quietness indicated German weakness while the chalky soil of the region would facilitate the construction of assembly trenches and supply infrastructure necessary for supporting a major offensive operation involving hundreds of thousands of troops.