The Somme was fought from the 1st July to the 18th November 1916. It was one of the largest battles recorded in world war 1. It had more than 1.5 million casualties, the allied forces tried to break through German lines at the south and north of the river Somme in Northern France. One of the purposes  of the battle was to draw German troops away from the battle of Verdun. By the end of the war the allied losses proved replaceable the German losses were less.