Why the battle of the Somme?

At the end of 1915, General Joffre, well aware that the nations of the Triple Entente: French, British, Russians and Belgians had fought Germany in a scattered order, undertook to bring together the main generals commanding the Allied armies in order to harmonize the conduct of the war in 1916. And a large conference brought together these great leaders or their representatives in Chantilly from December 6 to 8, 1915. The Italians, who had joined the Entente in mid-1915, and the Serbs were added to the list. The principle of coordinated actions was decided at the conference; the places and, above all, the dates remained to be determined! Right: Joffre surrounded by foreign officers at the Chantilly meeting.