Europe Marks 90th Anniversary of Somme
Church bells tolled across northern France, officers wept and families traced the steps of fallen relatives Saturday as Europe marked the 90th anniversary of one of history's bloodiest episodes, the Battle of the Somme. The soldiers of 20 nationalities fought in the Somme, but Britain was most deeply scarred.
Britain led allied forces into battle July 1, 1916, hoping to end 18 months of deadlock with a decisive Allied victory over German forces. Yet when it ended, after four months of vicious trench warfare ravaging the countryside, Britain had only advanced about six miles. And more than 1.2 million troops on both sides lay dead, wounded or missing.
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