Based on diaries, records and eyewitness accounts, this is the story of the two Battles of the Somme from the perspective of British and German soldiers. It shows how the major lessons learned by the British Army leadership after the disastrous first attacks of July 1916 were turned into victory at the second attempt in September 1916, arguably the turning point for the First World War.

The Somme: From Defeat to Victory

In the early 1960s, the BBC interviewed 280 eye-witnesses of the First World War for the series, 'The Great War'. This film presents never before seen footage from these interviews.