14. Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme, fought from July 1 to November 18, 1916, was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War I. The British and French forces launched a massive offensive against the German lines along a 15-mile front near the River Somme in northern France (bbc.co.uk). The first day alone saw 19,240 British soldiers killed, marking the bloodiest day in British military history. Over the five months, the Allies advanced just seven miles, with total casualties exceeding one million on all sides. The immense loss of life and the limited territorial gains highlighted the need for tactical innovation and underscored the devastating nature of trench warfare, influencing military strategies in the years that followed.
