The Battle of the Somme, or “mankind's bloodiest battle,” took place between July 1 and November 18, 1916 (Wikipedia). The German Empire opposed the French and British Empires, resulting in over 1,000,000 men wounded or killed, 60,000 of them on the first day of battle. This battle was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War I, making it consequential to the French, British, and German empires. Although there were many consequences of the battle, the main consequences were that the British contribution to the battle took the strategic initiative from the German Army, secondly the British Army lost thousands of men and suffered huge amounts of devastation at the numerous locations of the battle . took place and ultimately the battle caused many political consequences. Even though the battle was won by the Germans, there were consequences of the war that they still suffered. Brigadier General Sir James Edmonds hailed the German Empire; stated that “June 24, 1916 saw the German army at its height,” Edmonds went on to state that “these troops sacrificed their lives to obey orders not to yield an inch of ground” (Edmonds 243). Edmonds talks about how strict the orders given to the Germans were and how seriously they were taken. In conclusion Edmonds continues to write “and after this loss the German Empire never fought so well again. His morale for the first time was shaken, never fully recovering" (Edmonds 244). After this battle the Germans' strategy and initiative began to decline, this consequence added to the numerous reasons for the Germans' defeat in the entire war. Therefore this battle put a strain on the German army, making it less affective in its... middle of paper ....../modern_history/core_study/ww1/somme/page85.htm>.Voces Novae : Review Chapman University historian Fellman, Paul. "The Battle of the Somme: How the 18th Division Averted Disaster, 1 July 1916." by William PhilpottPhilpott, William James. Three Armies on the Somme: The First Battle of the Twentieth Century. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010-2009. Print. The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War by Martin Gilbert Gilbert, Martin. The Somme: heroism and horror in the First World War. New York: H. Holt, 2006. Print. The Somme: The Darkest Hour on the Western Front by Peter HartHart, Peter. The Somme: the darkest hour on the Western Front. New York: Pegasus Books, 2008. Print.