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STATION 6: MAJOR BATTLES OF WORLD WAR I
FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE
Date:
Location:
Total Forces:
Causalities:
Sept. 5-12, 1914
Marne River, France
Allies:
1,071,000
Central Powers:
1,485,000
Allies:
263,000
Central Powers:
256,000
The First Battle of the Marne was fought in
September 1914. The Allies sought to reverse
the German advance through Belgium and
France. When the German army was spotted
by French air reconnaissance and radio, the
French seized the opportunity and attacked.
French forces using motorized transports
surprised, the Germans and split their army in
two. The British reinforced the French and
Germany’s fate was sealed. The Allies scored
a major victory. The battle proved to be one of
the most significant engagements of the war.
The battle saved Paris from being taken and
ruined Germany’s plan to quickly defeat the
French. It also forced the Germans to fight a
war on two fronts against the Allies in the
West and Russia in the east. Finally, it was
one of the first battles where reconnaissance
aircraft played a decisive role.
The Battle of the Somme, also known as the
Somme Offensive, was one of the largest
battles of the First World War. Fought
between July 1 and November 1, 1918 near
the Somme River in France, it was also one of
the bloodiest military battles in history. On the
first day alone, the British suffered more than
57,000 casualties. It was the single worst day
in deaths and casualties in British military
history. By the end of the campaign the Allies
and Central Powers would lose more than 1.5
million men. Despite the being a draw, the
Somme campaign was the first great offensive
of World War I for the British, and it produced
a more critical British attitude toward the war.
During and after the Somme, the British army
was forced to focus on improving their battle
tactics.
BATTLE OF THE CAMBRIA
Date:
Location:
Total
Forces:
Causalities:
Nov. 20 – Dec. 7, 1917
Cambria, France
Allies:
476 tanks and 2 corps
Central Powers:
2 corps
Allies:
44,000
Central Powers:
45,000
The battle marked the first large-scale
use of tanks in battle. The British sprung
a surprise attack on German defenses
on November 20, 1917. Allied tanks and
infantry advanced with great success
against an astonished German defense.
By nightfall, gains of 2-3 miles had been
achieved. However, cavalry forces were
slow to develop, and although more
gains were made in the next nine days,
German reserves halted the attack.
Then, on November 30, a German
blitzkrieg counterattack recaptured much
of the ground lost. Officially finished by
Dec. 7, the battle decisively
demonstrated the power of tanks and
altered the course of future warfare. It
gave the British army the idea for largescale use of tanks in future battles.
BATTLE OF TANNENBERG
BATTLE OF THE SOMME
Date:
Location:
Total
Forces:
Causalities:
Jul. 1- Nov. 18, 1918
Somme River, France
Allies:
1,071,000
Central Powers: 1,485,000
Allies:
794,238
Central Powers:
537, 918
The Battle of Tannenberg was fought
between Russia and Germany in
August 1914, during the first month of
the war. The battle resulted in the
almost complete destruction of the
Russian Second Army. In total, over
50,000 Russian soldiers were killed and
some 92,000 taken as prisoners. It was
a crushing defeat for Russia, which lost
almost an entire army, 400 guns, and
other war materials. The loss also
crushed the morale of the Russian
Army and contributed to a massive
decline in support for the war effort
among Russia’s population.
Date:
Location:
Total Forces:
Causalities:
Aug. 26-30, 1914
East Prussia, Poland
Russia:
230,000
Germany:
150,000
Russia:
170,000
Germany:
13,873
SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE
The Second Battle of the Marne was the
last major German offensive on the
Western Front during the First World
War. The attack failed when an Allied
counterattack by French and American
forces, including several hundred tanks,
overwhelmed the Germans on their right
flank, inflicting severe casualties. The
German defeat marked the start of the
relentless Allied advance, which
culminated with the German surrender
about 100 days later. During the battle,
Allies had taken 29,367 prisoners, 793
guns and 3,000 machine guns and
inflicted 168,000 casualties on the
Germans.
The Gallipoli Campaign was an
unsuccessful attempt by the Allies to
control the sea route from Europe to
Russia. The campaign began with a
naval attack by the British and French in
March 1915 and continued with a land
invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula in
April. Lack of intelligence and knowledge
of the terrain limited the success of the
invasion. By October, Allied forces had
suffered heavy casualties and needed to
retreat. The battle was significant for a
number of reasons. The failure of Britain
and France to open up a route to Russia
prevented them from providing military
supplies to the Russian army and helped
lead to Russia’s eventual surrender. The
victory was also a major boost to the
Central Powers.
Date:
Location:
Total Forces:
Jul.-Aug, 1918
France
Allies:
300,000+
Germany:
BATTLE OF VERDUN
Date:
Location:
Total Forces:
Allies:
120,000+
Causalities:
Germany:
168,000
Causalities:
Feb. 21-Dec.18, 1916
France
France:
1,140,000
Germany:
1,250,000
France:
600,000+
Germany:
600,000+
The Battle of Verdun, fought between the
German and French armies was one of the
largest battles of the war on the Western
Front. The battle took place on the hills north
of Verdun, France. The German Army
attacked French defenses on the right bank of
the Meuse River. The Germans made some
important gains in the early phases of the
battle but the French quickly contained the
German advance and were able to recapture
much of the lost territory. All in all, the battled
lasted for 303 days and remains one of the
longest and bloodiest battles in human history.
The battle was also significant, because the
French victory boosted the morale of the
entire army and the loss further demoralized
German forces.
GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN
Date:
Location:
Total Forces:
Causalities:
Aug. 26-30, 1914
Ottoman Empire
Allies:
568,000
Central Powers:
315,500
Allies:
250,000
Central Powers:
250,000
SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES
The battle was Germany’s first and only
offensive of 1915. The battle began with
artillery bombardment by the Germanys
against enemy lines. However, when the
shelling died down, the Allied defenders
waited for the German attack troops but
instead were thrown into panic when chlorine
gas wafted down into their trenches. The
wind-blown poison gas, decimated two
divisions of French and Algerian troops. The
Germans, perhaps as shocked as the Allies
by the devastating effects of the gas, failed to
take full advantage, and the Allies managed
to hold most of their positions. The battle was
significant because it marked the first time
that poison gas was used in warfare.
Date:
Location:
Total Forces:
Causalities:
Apr. 22- May, 25 1915
Ypres, Belgium
Allies:
230,000
Germany:
150,000
Allies:
87,233
Germany:
35,000