The Somme 1916: From Both Sides of the Wire

The first day of the Somme offensive was notoriously bloody and brutal. Historian Peter Barton explores the events leading up to this devastating battle, in this compelling history documentary. He argues that it was not what British did badly but what their enemy did better that led to such huge causalities. What mistakes were made by both sides as the battle raged on?

During the Somme battle, Allied tactics which should have lasted days took months and resulted in yet more carnage. But why did this happen? In this engrossing history documentary, Peter Barton concentrates on the second phase of the battle, from the middle of July to the middle of September 1916. The British stuck to their initial plans, while the Germans were more flexible in approach.

Is the accepted narrative surrounding the Battle of the Somme entirely accurate? Historian Peter Barton concludes his history of the battle by looking at the final months of the campaign, as this enlightening history documentary concludes. He argues that the Somme ended not in the winter of 1916, but in the spring of 1917. And he reaches the conclusion that there was no British victory.