The Battle of the Somme, Second Phase

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War I, fought between July and November 1916 near the Somme River in France. The Second Phase took place in the autumn of 1916. After the initial Allied attacks in July failed to achieve a breakthrough, the battle settled into a war of attrition. In September, the British launched new attacks north of the Somme near Flers-Courcelette, utilizing tanks for the first time. Although the tanks had limited success, the British were able to advance and capture the towns of Flers, Courcelette and Martinpuich. In October, the British continued their attacks at the Ancre Heights and finally captured the fortress town of Thiepval which had eluded them since July 1st. By mid-November, the autumn rains turned the battlefield into a quagmire, bringing the Somme offensive to an end. Despite gains of only 6 miles, British forces inflicted severe casualties on the Germans. However, British losses were also extremely heavy, making the Somme one of the bloodiest battles in history with over 1 million men killed or wounded.