Marking the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, this BBC documentary presents the historic encounter from, for the first time, both sides of no-man’s land.

With access to little-known German military archives, Peter Barton reveals a story that contradicts previously unchallenged myths. Why, given German forces were sometimes outnumbered five-to-one by the British and French, was this battle hailed as a British victory? This series reveals insights about the failed Allied strategy, and revolutionary German tactics. And there are new answers to the questions that still haunt us 100 years on. Why did this battle last so long? And why was there such carnage?