The First Day of The Somme
Dan Snow's History Hit2 Jul 2023

The First Day of The Somme

Dan Explains the first day of The Somme which remains the bloodiest day in the history of the British army; a symbol of the senseless carnage of the First World War. At 7:30 a.m. on July 1 1916, the British soldiers climbed out of their trenches and advanced towards the German lines. They were met with a bombardment of machine gun fire, artillery barrages, and a hail of bullets from the well-entrenched German troops. It was a bloodbath.


It wasn't supposed to happen like that- beforehand, the British had spent several days bombarding the German lines, believing they would destroy their enemy trenches and barbed wire defences, making the British advance straightforward and almost painless. They didn't know just how well-fortified the Germans were in their deep dugouts. When the bombardment stopped, the Germans manned their defences, waiting for the British to walk right into their line of fire.


In chilling detail, Dan retells the astonishing story of that fateful first day of The Somme- determining what really happened in the days leading up to it and what the men endured when they went 'over the top', using the diaries of the men who were there.


Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited and sound designed by Dougal Patmore.


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.


We'd love to hear from you- what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(1495)

The Truth About King Arthur

The Truth About King Arthur

The legend of King Arthur has been reworked many times, but is there any historical truth behind the tales? Dr Miles Russell believes there is and in this episode, from our sibling podcast The Ancient...

3 Jul 202153min

The Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme

105 years ago the battle of the Somme raged on into its second day. 60,000 British casualties we recorded on its first day and by its close in November 1916 over a million men had been killed or wound...

2 Jul 202130min

100 years of the Chinese Communist Party

100 years of the Chinese Communist Party

100 years ago the Chinese Communist Party was founded and across the span of that century has become one of the most powerful organisations on the planet. Today, it is an economic powerhouse and a sup...

1 Jul 202126min

Marginalised in the Middle Ages with Eleanor Janega

Marginalised in the Middle Ages with Eleanor Janega

Much of Medieval history focuses on the kings, queens, bishops, and the nobility of the period, but what do we know about those people on the margins of society? Like today the elite made up only a sm...

29 Jun 202129min

Sarajevo 1914: Assassination of the Archduke

Sarajevo 1914: Assassination of the Archduke

Europe in 1914 was a tinderbox of imperial tensions and the spark that would light the conflagration would be the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. But there is much more to this story than s...

28 Jun 202132min

Berlin and the Dawn of the Cold War

Berlin and the Dawn of the Cold War

In the aftermath of World War II, amongst the shattered ruins of Berlin a new conflict was born, the Cold War. With the common purpose of defeating Nazi Germany gone the allied powers were soon no lon...

27 Jun 202124min

From Airman to Attorney General: RAF Navigator Johnny Smythe

From Airman to Attorney General: RAF Navigator Johnny Smythe

Beginning with his birth in 1915 in Sierra Leone, the life of John Henry Smythe OBE MBE is almost unbelievable. From becoming a navigator in the RAF during the Second World War, to being held captive ...

26 Jun 202136min

Hunting the Viking Great Heathen Army

Hunting the Viking Great Heathen Army

In 865 AD Britain was invaded by the Great Heathen Army an alliance of Scandanavian warriors determined to conquer the kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria, Merica and Wessex. Over the next few years,...

25 Jun 202131min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-katastrofe
henrettelsespodden
rss-benadet
historier-som-endret-norge
historier-som-endret-verden
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
sektledere
aftenposten-historie
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-historiske-romanser
historiepodden
med-egne-oyne
liberal-halvtime
rss-gamle-greier
vare-historier
historiepodden-ww2
rss-historiepodden-ww2
sannhet-eller-konspirasjon