July 1, 2006 marked the 90th Anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest single day in the history of warfare. Never have so many soldiers been killed in one day's fighting: a staggering 25,000 dead, most in the first hour. The Battle of the Somme is a turning point in history—a modern battle of such prehistoric brutality that its horror is hard to comprehend. Brave patriotic men eagerly volunteered to fight for what they saw as a great and honourable cause, only to find themselves used as cannon fodder by their military and political leaders. Warfare changed forever on this bright summer's day, as technology enabled a scale of killing previously unimaginable. Whole villages and communities marched to their deaths—the flower of a generation was wiped out in a single morning. Today, memorials across Europe bear testament to their sacrifice.

The film follows a group of young men through that first day, when a whistle blow sent British and French soldiers over-the-top into almost certain death. It traces the story of Private Cyril Jose, who at only fifteen lied on his conscription papers to join the ranks fighting for his country. His diaries reveal the voice of a cheery yet naïve young man caught in the horrors of battle. Also featured is American heiress Mary Borden, who left Chicago at the start of the Great War to work with the Red Cross and by 1916 had established her own field hospital behind British lines. Her diaries vividly describe the carnage: "The air was thick with steaming sweat, mud, dirt and blood. I am not hungry - I am not tired - I am busy." The battle plan, devised by British General Rawlinson, was simple—take what the Germans held and invite them to retake it—but it led thousands of men directly into German machine gun fire.

Feature Presentation:

• Genre: War, Documentary
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Technical Specifications:

• Format: DVD
• Region: 2
• Dimensions: 19 x 14 x 1 cm
• Weight: 70 g

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