One of the bloodiest conflicts in military history, the Battle of the Somme raged from 1 July to 18 November 1916. The Battle of the Somme raged from 1 July to 18 November 1916 and was one of the bloodiest fought in military history. It has come to signify for many the waste and bloodshed of the First World War as hundreds of thousands of men on all sides lost their lives fighting over small gains in land. Yet, this battle was also to mark a turning point in the war and to witness new methods of warfare, such as all-arms integrated attacks, with infantry units and the new Tank Corps fighting alongside each other. In this Battle Story, Andrew Robertshaw seeks to lift the battle out of its controversy and explain what really happened and why. Complete with detailed maps and photographs, as well as fascinating facts and profiles of the leaders, this is the best introduction to this legendary battle. AUTHOR: Andrew Robershaw MA is a museum curator, military historian, author and broadcaster. He has written five books about aspects of military history. He is a subject matter expert for the army for whom he lectures, gives presentations at Staff College and runs battlefield studies. He has appeared as expert and presenter in a large number of television documentaries including The Trench Detectives, Time Team and Finding the Fallen. He is director of The Battlefield Partnerships and is working on a series of international media and archaeological projects. 60 b/w illustrations