Battle of the Somme

General Sir Douglas Haig (left) and Sir Henry Rawlinson are largely to blame for the failure of the battle of the Somme, says historian Hugh Sebag-Montefiore. (Photos by Hulton Archive/Getty Images and Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

The British generals whose infighting lost the battle of the Somme

British reserve troops waiting to move up to the forward area during the battle of the Somme, France, 1916. Photograph from the Daily Herald Archive. (Photo by Daily Herald Archive/SSPL/Getty Images)

The Somme: was it really a monstrous failure?

'Battle of Agincourt', 25 October 1415. Hand-coloured later. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

17 unmissable battles podcasts

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Soldiers following the battle of the Somme

Books interview with Andrew Roberts: “I’d like to put an end to the ‘Blackadder’ view of the First World War” . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Somme and the Jacobites . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Photo of a poppy growing in a preserved WWI trench

First World War

Q&A Did the Somme offensive achieve anything?