Somme
81829
221172052
2008-06-23T10:24:08Z
Kiwipete
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[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 221170358 by [[Special:Contributions/202.43.235.170|202.43.235.170]] ([[User talk:202.43.235.170|talk]])
{{Infobox Department of France
| department = Somme
| img_coa = blason80.PNG
| number = 80
| region = [[Picardie]]
| prefecture = [[Amiens]]
| subprefectures = [[Abbeville]]<br>[[Montdidier, Somme|Montdidier]]<br>[[Péronne, Somme|Péronne]]
| arrond = 4
| cantons = 46
| communes = 783
| president = [[Daniel Dubois]]
| pres_party =
| population = 555,551
| pop_rank = 40th
| pop_date = 1999
| density = 90
| area = 6170
| area_scale = 9
| alt mini =
| alt maxi =
| alt moy =
}}
The '''Somme''' is a [[departments of France|department]] of [[France]], located in the north of the country and named after the [[Somme River|Somme river]]. It is part of the [[Picardie]] [[regions of France|region of France]].
The Somme was the site of many great battles in [[World War I]] and the department is home to a number of military [[cemetery|cemeteries]] and to several major monuments commemorating the many soldiers from various countries who died on its [[battlefield]]s.
==Battles of the Somme==
{{main|Battle of the Somme}}
In 1916 the Somme was the location of one of the largest battles of [[World War I]], with over a million casualties (the British Army had suffered 420,000 casualties including nearly 60,000 on the first day alone. The French lost 200,000 men and the Germans nearly 500,000). It is one of [[List of battles by death toll|the bloodiest battles in human history]]. The [[Allies (World War I)|Allied]] forces attempted to break through the [[German Empire|German]] lines along a 25-mile (40 km) front north and south of the [[Somme River|River Somme]] in northern [[French Third Republic|France]]. The Allies had originally intended the Somme to be the site of one of several simultaneous major offensives by Allied powers against the [[Central Powers]] in 1916. However, before these offensives could begin, the Germans attacked first, engaging the Allies at the [[Battle of Verdun]]. As this battle dragged on, the purpose of the Somme campaign (which was still in the planning stage) shifted from striking a decisive blow against Germany to drawing German forces away from Verdun and relieving the Allied forces there. By its end the losses on the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun.
While Verdun would bite deep in the national consciousness of France for generations, the Somme would have the same effect on generations of Britons. The battle is best remembered for its first day, [[1 July]] [[1916]], on which the British suffered 57,420 casualties, including 19,240 dead — the second bloodiest day in the history of the [[British Army]] to this day (after [[Battle of Towton|Towton]]). As terrible as the battle was for the British Empire troops who suffered there, it naturally affected the other nationalities as well. One German officer famously described it as "the muddy grave of the German field army." By the end of the battle, the British had learned many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreplaceable losses. British historian Sir [[James Edmonds]] stated, "It is not too much to claim that the foundations of the final victory on the Western Front were laid by the Somme offensive of 1916."
For the first time the home front in Britain was exposed to the horrors of modern war with the release of the [[propaganda film]] ''[[The Battle of the Somme (film)|The Battle of the Somme]]'', which used actual footage from the first days of the battle.
The Somme experienced war twice more in the [[First Battle of the Somme (1918)|First]] and [[Second Battle of the Somme (1918)|Second Battles of the Somme]] of 1918.
==See also==
*[[Somme River]]
*[[Amiens]]
*[[Cambrai]]
*[[Cantons of the Somme department]]
*[[Communes of the Somme department]]
*[[Arrondissements of the Somme department]]
==Other==
''Somme'' is also the name of an instrumental post-rock group from Chicago. Their debut release was a five track EP entitled ''Weight.''
==External links==
* {{fr icon}} [http://www.somme.pref.gouv.fr/ Prefecture of Somme website]
* {{fr icon}} [http://www.cg80.fr General council's website]
* {{en icon}} [http://www.france-voyage.com/travel-guide/somme.htm Somme Tourism Guide]
* {{en icon}} [http://www.en.images-en-somme.fr/ Photos from Somme]
{{Departments of France}}
[[Category:Somme|*]]
[[an:Somme]]
[[frp:Some (dèpartement)]]
[[br:Somme (departamant)]]
[[ca:Somme]]
[[cv:Сомма (департамент)]]
[[ceb:Somme]]
[[da:Somme]]
[[de:Somme (Département)]]
[[es:Somme (departamento)]]
[[eo:Somme]]
[[eu:Somme]]
[[fr:Somme (département)]]
[[id:Somme (departemen)]]
[[it:Somme (dipartimento francese)]]
[[he:סום]]
[[pam:Somme]]
[[la:Samara (praefectura Franciae)]]
[[lb:Departement Somme]]
[[lt:Soma (departamentas)]]
[[nl:Somme (departement)]]
[[ja:ソンム県]]
[[no:Somme]]
[[nn:Somme]]
[[oc:Somme (departament)]]
[[nds:Somme (Bezirk)]]
[[pl:Somme]]
[[pt:Somme (departamento)]]
[[ro:Somme]]
[[ru:Сомма (департамент)]]
[[sk:Somme (departement)]]
[[sl:Somme (departma)]]
[[sr:Сома (департман)]]
[[fi:Somme]]
[[sv:Somme (departement)]]
[[vi:Somme]]
[[tg:Департаменти Сомма]]
[[uk:Сомма (департамент)]]
[[vo:Somme]]
[[zh:索姆省]]