The Battle of the Somme was one of history’s bloodiest campaigns. Follow the course of events by examining authentic artefacts – including battle maps, telegrams and even pigeon-carried directives – as well as first-hand accounts by way of personal letters, drawings and diary entries. One hundred years on, remember the bloodshed on the banks of the River Somme in 1916. Featuring: On the frontline - Uncover the reality of life for those who experienced the campaign’s relentless bloodshed. Tactics explained - Understand the key events that informed military strategy at Verdun and the Somme. Historical artefacts - View official reports, tactical maps and intimate accounts via personal documents. Moving images - Witness the conditions endured at the battlefront through poignant photographs.
BATTLE OF THE SOMME
A DEFINING YEAR
GRAND STRATEGY • The Allied Plans for 1916
WHY VERDUN? • “To knock England’s best sword out of her hand”
OPERATION GERICHT • “Judgement”
GERMAN BREAKTHROUGH • “Hold fast. I have confidence in you”
FRENCH ARTILLERY • “Firepower Kills”
VOIE SACRÉE • The Sacred Way
LE MORT HOMME • “Courage, on les aura!”
FORT VAUX • “ne quittez pas”
AIR WAR OVER VERDUN • The Battle for Command of the Skies
HIGH TIDE OF THE GERMAN ADVANCE • Knobelsdorf’s Last Throw
WHY THE SOMME? • The Big Push
FIRST DAY IN THE NORTH • Zero Hour North of the Somme
FIRST DAY IN THE SOUTH • Horne Targets Fricourt
TUNNELLING • Deadly Moles Under No Man’s Land
THE BATTLE OF ALBERT • Keeping up the Pressure
DAWN ATTACK • Incomplete Victory
BATTLE FOR THE WOODS • Hard Pounding
FALKENHAYN DISMISSED • Precipitated by Verdun Failure
BRITISH ARTILLERY • Slide Rule Gunners
ENTER THE TANK • Flers-Courcelette
MORVAL • A Partial Success
THIEPVAL • Pushing Along the Learning Curve
AIRMEN OVER THE SOMME • Attrition in the Air
SOMME: THE FINAL BATTLES • Transloy Ridges and Ancre
FRENCH COUNTER-ATTACK • Mangin Strikes Back
MANGIN’S THREE-DAY BATTLE • “Chastisement”
THE LEGACY OF VERDUN • A Long Shadow
THE LEGACY OF THE SOMME • Hardened in the Fire
CREDITS
