The US did not directly fight in the Battle of the Somme. The battle was primarily fought between British and French forces against the German army during World War I from July 1st to November 18th, 1916. The United States formally joined the war in April 1917 when the American Expeditionary Forces began arriving in Europe. However, it wasn't until the spring of 1918 that American troops became heavily involved in fighting on the Western Front. By that time, the Battle of the Somme had long since concluded.