Battles of WWI
1914 First Battle of the Marne
The battle of the Marne took place September 6-12, 1914 at the Marne River between French and German forces. The French were exhausted after running from the advancing German army. They thought they were done for. Fortunately, they used French radio intercepts and air reconnaissance, the first time during warfare, to outsmart the enemy. The Germans were eventually pushed back towards the River Aisne where they dug the first trenches, a tactic that lasted for years.
This battle was important because it was the first time French radio intercepts and aircraft reconnaissance were used during a conflict. Also for the first time, a major number of French reinforcements were transported by taxis and buses to the front lines, making a swift victory possible. Lastly, this battle made way for trench warfare because it stopped the Germans from moving any further so they had no choice but to dig!
1916 The Battle of Verdun
The battle of Verdun was the longest and costliest battle in world history, lasting February 21-December 18, 1916. Almost an entire year! It was fought between French and German troops on the hills of Northeastern France. The goal of the battle for the Germans was to inflict as many casualties as possible on the French. While the Germans succeeded in this endeavor, their own troops
suffered just as many deaths. Each side lost over 600,000 men.
After the French strengthened their advance, the Germans were pushed back to the point of calling off the battle. They saw no reason for further bloodshed.
1914-1918 The Battle of Ypres
The battle of Ypres (ee-pruh) was actually multiple battles that took place around the town of Ypres, Belgium throughout the war.
After the first battle of the Marne ended, both the Allies and Central powers were racing northward towards the English Channel. By October 19, 1914, they both met at a little town in Belgium called Ypres. Fierce combat began as both sides tried to gain control of the town. Whoever controlled the town got a hold of its surrounding countryside and roads which were important for supply runs and protection. However, the fighting halted on November 22 when winter settled on the troops.
Shelling began once again on April 22, 1915. When the bombardment slowed down, the Allies were shocked and surprised when the Germans launched lethal chlorine gas towards them, destroying two French colonial troops. However, when the gas was aimed at Canadian troops, they quickly soaked handkerchiefs in urine to put over their faces and held their position. Quick thinking! Because of this battle, the Allies went quickly to work on inventing counter maneuvers such as the gas mask and their own chemical weapons.
The last two engagements around Ypres were in Passchendaele and Lys which led to an Allied victory. Overall, this small town saw the loss of over a million soldiers and civilians without much tactical gain. The last day of fighting In Ypres was October 14, 1918.
1916 The Battle of the Somme
The battle of the Somme lasted from July 1, 1916 to November 18, 1916 and was fought on both sides of the River Somme in France. It was one of the most horrific battles seeing thousands of dead or wounded every single day. By its end there were over 1 million casualties on both sides.
One of the causes for so much death was the British tactic of walking in plain sight towards the German defenses. On the first day alone, the British lost over 50,000 men. Using tanks for the first time, the British thought they would steamroll over the German defense. Unfortunately, the tanks malfunctioned and could not stand against the enemy counterattack. The Germans were armed with machine guns which decimated the Allied troops. Overall the British suffered over 420,000 casualties, the French 200,000 and the Germans 500,000.
One account by a British soldier, George Coppard goes:
” The next morning (July 2nd) we gunners surveyed the dreadful scene in front of us……it became clear that the Germans always had a commanding view of No Man’s Land. (The British) attack had been brutally repulsed. Hundreds of dead were strung out like wreckage washed up to a high water-mark.”
1916 The Battle of Jutland
The battle of Jutland was the largest naval engagement of World War I and took place May 31-June 1 1916 off of Denmark’s North Sea coast. What started as a skirmish between British and German scouting forces ended as a major naval engagement between the British Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy’s High Seas Fleet. After heavy losses of both ship and man (mostly British), the German fleet narrowly escaped in the dead of night.
Who won this major battle? No one really knows because both sides claimed victory!
1918 The Second Battle of the Marne
The second battle of the Marne took place July 15-August 6, 1918 when the German offensive tried to divert the allies from their major plan. The Germans needed a huge victory which they thought would come from attacking Flanders, Belgium. However, they needed to distract the allies away from Belgium so they attacked them in France. Unfortunately for the Germans, the Allies stood their ground and ended up pushing the enemy back to where they started.
This battle was important because it marked an end of German victories. That was their last chance at an offensive push! Since that failed, the Allies mustered up strength to pursue the Germans which finally led to the war’s end three months later.
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