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The Battle of the Somme was the first time that tanks were used in warfare. These tanks were extremely unreliable and were often destroyed by Geman artillery fire. They required a crew of 3 men and could only traverse 'no man's land' at 3 mph and couldn't cross trenches.

The Battle of the Somme is also notable for the horrific loss of life. On the first day of the battle 57,500 British and British Empire troops were killed or wounded. This is the greatest casualites suffered by a British army in her history. By the end of the campaign the estimated losses were: 450,000 British wounded, 200,000 French casualties and 500,000 German casualties. With both the Germans and the allies having around 200,000 deadby the end.

It was this loss of life during the entire battle still causes a lot of controversy over General Haig's plans and lack of success. There is a famous book about World War 1 that you might find interesting. It is called 'Private Peaceful' by Micheal Morpurgo.

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14y ago

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