British gunners watching wounded German prisoners escorted to the rear after the taking of Guillemont. The Battle of Guillemont (September 3-6, 1916) was an attack by the Fourth Army on the village of Guillemont and one of the twelve battles of the Somme. Guillemont was one of several important strategic areas controlled by Germans that effectively divided allied forces. It was exchanged several times during the war, before being finally taken and held by the British 20th (Light) Division and the 47th Brigade of the 16th (Irish) Division. In the British Official History, that the defense of Guillemont was judged by some observers, to be the best performance of the war by the German army on the Western Front. The Battle of the Somme was a battle of WWI fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. It took place between July 1 and November 18, 1916 on either side of the River Somme in France. The battle was one of the largest of World War I, in which more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity's bloodiest battles. The battle is notable for the importance of air power and the first use of the tank. At the end of the battle, British and French forces had penetrated 6 miles into German-occupied territory, taking more ground than any offensive since the Battle of the Marne in 1914.