WWI · SITE OF MEMORY · 1916

First day on the Somme (1916)

On the WWI map as “The Somme, 1 July”

1 Jul 1916 — The British Army loses 57,470 men on the first day of the Somme, including 19,240 killed. Many fall in the first hour as they walk toward uncut wire. No other day in the army’s history is bloodier. Fighting continues until November, gaining 10 km of mud. Remember the first day as an event in its own right.

When: 1 Jul 1916
Type: Site of memory
Chapter: Verdun, the Somme and Brusilov (chapter 7 of WWI)
Atlas: The Great War, 1871–1923

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Map showing First day on the Somme (1916), site of memory in The Great War, 1871–1923 — SITE OF MEMORY · THE GREAT WAR, 1871–1923

These maps are reconstructed from published sources · Caucasus Front, 1914–1918 Online · Cliopatria v 0.2.1 · Natural Earth physical geography · Anglo-Russian Convention, 31 August 1907, articles I–II · Maps of History: Great War geographic decisions · National Army Museum: Salonika campaign · US Military Academy World War I atlas, chart 11 · US Military Academy World War I atlas, chart 14 · US Military Academy World War I atlas, chart 39 · US Military Academy World War I atlas, chart 41

Source details

Tigran Martirosyan, University of Amsterdam; Russian 1916 advance, Erzincan and Bitlis geographic extent.. Historical geographic facts cited; no map copied
Cliopatria contributors / Seshat Global History Databank. Source polygons retained with original identities; geographic selections and corrections by Maps of History.. CC BY 4.0
Made with Natural Earth; geographic reference and physical land only. No modern political boundary is used as a historical boundary.. Public domain
US Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States; convention’s named places define the two concession spheres.. Historical treaty facts, independently reconstructed
Maps of History. Campaign-sector connectors and contextual regions are identified separately from imported vector outlines.. Original geographic reconstruction using attributed historical evidence
National Army Museum: late 1916 Albanian coast–Monastir–Doiran–Struma line and 1918 liberation campaign.. Historical evidence citation; no artwork copied
US Military Academy, Department of History & War Studies, World War I chart 11. Selected geographic front facts reconstructed independently; no claim of blanket public-domain artwork rights.. Geographic evidence citation; source index requests permission for map reprints. Original artwork is not redistributed.
US Military Academy, Department of History & War Studies, World War I chart 14. Selected geographic front facts reconstructed independently; no claim of blanket public-domain artwork rights.. Geographic evidence citation; source index requests permission for map reprints. Original artwork is not redistributed.
US Military Academy, Department of History & War Studies, World War I chart 39. Selected geographic front facts reconstructed independently; no claim of blanket public-domain artwork rights.. Geographic evidence citation; source index requests permission for map reprints. Original artwork is not redistributed.
US Military Academy, Department of History & War Studies, World War I chart 41. Selected geographic front facts reconstructed independently; no claim of blanket public-domain artwork rights.. Geographic evidence citation; source index requests permission for map reprints. Original artwork is not redistributed.

Annual source features can describe claims, legal territory or military control. Occupied extensions are separated from the prewar Central Power homelands, while the original source names and shapes remain available.

The area east/north of the sourced western front is selected within the 1914 historical French, Belgian and Luxembourg footprints. It represents military control, not annexation.

The displayed state is iss 16. Geographic reference dates and reconstruction methods are recorded for each feature.

reconstruction: 1 January 1917 reference for late 1916–1917 · reconstruction: 1871–1918 · reconstruction: 1916.92 · reconstruction: 31 August 1907 · reconstruction: January 1915–December 1916 chart; principal 1915 line · reconstruction: June 1915 first-battle reference · reconstruction: Late 1916 Russian advance reference · reconstruction: Late 1916 allied line · reconstruction: Late 1916 versus 1917 source control

Layer records and reconstruction methods