The First Day of The Somme

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.

Avsnitt(1496)

The History of Beer with Pete Brown

The History of Beer with Pete Brown

Pete Brown used to advertise lager for a living, until he realised that writing books about beer was even more fun, and entailed drinking even more beer. He appears regularly on television as a beer e...

13 Nov 202029min

One Family, 600 Years of Farming in England's Lake District

One Family, 600 Years of Farming in England's Lake District

James Rebanks joined me on the podcast to tell the history of his family farm in the Lake District hills. This was part of an ancient agricultural landscape: a patchwork of crops and meadows, of pastu...

12 Nov 202019min

The Unknown Warrior

The Unknown Warrior

100 years ago today, the Unknown Warrior, a common soldier and an unidentified casualty of war, was buried in Westminster Abbey with all the pomp and ceremony of an empire at its zenith. King George V...

11 Nov 202021min

WW2's Special Ops Sisters

WW2's Special Ops Sisters

Jean and Patricia Owtram were teenagers when the Second World War broke out. They both served in secret roles, one on the coast intercepting German naval signals, the other running intelligence agents...

10 Nov 202036min

Remembrance Sunday: In Search of My Father

Remembrance Sunday: In Search of My Father

John Watts never knew his father. He was conceived days before his father, Wing Commander Joseph Watts, was killed on a bombing mission over occupied Europe. He never knew that a bomber from his fathe...

8 Nov 202030min

The US Cabinet

The US Cabinet

Lindsay Chervinsky joined me on the podcast to discuss the history of the US Cabinet. We also discussed the electoral college system and the Constitution.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access...

7 Nov 202024min

The Forgotten Hero of Everest

The Forgotten Hero of Everest

Ed Caesar joined me on the podcast to tell the story of World War I veteran Maurice Wilson, Britain's most mysterious mountaineering legend.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds o...

6 Nov 202020min

Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors

Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors

Alexander the Great. One of the most recognisable names in history. In his short lifetime he conquered the mighty Persian Empire and marched his army as far as the Indus River Valley. But it is import...

5 Nov 202058min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
kod-katastrof
motiv
historiska-brott
p3-historia
rss-historien-om
historiepodden-se
olosta-mord
rss-brottsligt
rss-seriemordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-massmordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
palmemordet
rss-historiska-brottslingar
militarhistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
rss-arkiv-stieg
rss-folkets-historia