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Then there were the almost simultaneous massive battles taking place in Verdun.<ref> Gilbert, p. 113</ref> The Germans and the French have engaged in a bloody battle forVerdun'se fortress. The French army had found itself hard-pressed, and many feared that they would break and this could result in the Germans driving a wedge between the British in the north and the French armies in the south. Somme was seen as necessary to alleviate the French's pressure and assist the Russian offensive.

[[File: Somme 2.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|left|German Soldier at the Somme]]

General Sir Douglas Haig assumed command of the British army in early 1916. He wanted to launch the offensive nearer the English Channel to be closer to the British supply lines. However, the French pressured the British to have the offensive in the Somme region. When the Verdun offensive started, the Somme area saw the withdrawal of many German units. The Germans had little reserves in the area, and it seemed that the Somme was the perfect location.<ref>Keegan, J.<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375700455/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375700455&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=05f6a7874da643b9c91e35ee4c241268 The First World War] </i>.(London: Random House, 1998), p. 12</ref>