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Home > News > World News > Article > Did you know that even Indians fought the WWI Battle of Somme

Did you know that even Indians fought the WWI Battle of Somme?

Updated on: 01 July,2016 07:23 PM IST  | 
mid-day online correspondent |

The Battle of the Somme, which completes 100 years on July 1, 2016 was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire

Did you know that even Indians fought the WWI Battle of Somme?

The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire.


But do you know that men from India also fought in the battle. Indians helped Britain in the war.



The Battle of the Somme was the biggest slaughter in British military history a century ago, the commemoration kicked off at the deep Lochnagar crater, created by the blast of mines placed under German positions two minutes before the attack began at 7:30 am on July 1, 1916.

Fought between July 1 and November 1, 1916 near the Somme River in France, it was also one of the bloodiest military battles in history.

The Battle of the Somme lasted 141 days, by which the British had suffered around 4,20,000 casualties, and the French about 2,00,000. German casualty were around 4,65,000. The battle resulted in 1.2 million troops of different nationalities being killed, injured or listed as missing.

With a cannon blast and a piercing whistle, Britain and France marked 100 years since soldiers emerged from their trenches to begin one of the bloodiest battles of World War I at the River Somme.

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