A bit of perspective
During this battle, which began on July 1, 1916, 20,000 British troops were killed and 40,000 wounded on the first day alone! They were slaughtered by German machine guns and artillery as they marched forward, in most cases, without having even reached the German trenches. Over the next several days, many of the wounded died agonizing drawn out deaths where they lay. By month's end the English and French had lost 200,000 men and the Germans 160,000, whereas the front had barely shifted 3 miles. At the time the offensive ended on November 19, both sides had lost a total of 600,000 men.
How does one comprehend losses of this magnitude?