The Battle of the Somme ended during WWI when British commander Douglas Haig called off his offensive against German forces.
The Battle of the Somme ended during WWI when British commander Douglas Haig called off his offensive against German forces. The battle had been fought since 1 July 1916 but more specifically, 18 November was also the end of the Battle of the Ancre. This was the last major British-French operation of the year on the Somme that began on 13 November 1916. The Ancre was the largest attack in the British sector since September 1916 and was preceded by a seven-day preliminary bombardment that was twice as heavy as 1 July. Beaumont Hamel, St Pierre-Divion and Beaucourt were captured along with 7,000 German prisoners. The Germans had overall casualties of approximately 45,000 and four of their divisions had to be relieved. Although the Allies technically won the Ancre, they also suffered huge casualties of 22,000. 1 July 1916 is remembered as the worst day in the history of the British Army but the combined operations that made up the Battle of the Somme made it one of bloodiest ba...