Battle of Verdun- 1916
The battle of Verdun was considered one of the most deadly battles, with the French losing 540,000 men and the Germans losing 430,000 men. It has remained in the bloodiest battles, because during the war, this battle had the most dead bodies per square yard. The Germans attacked the French in February of 1916, but by June, three French forts by the names of Vaux, Thiaumont, and Douaumont had fallen. However, soon after, the British attacked the Germans near the Somme river, and forced them to send troops over there. This lead to the advancement of the French to retrieve back their forts. By November, the French had regained all troops and were back to their original starting point. This battle had no gain or loss for either side, except for the men that they lost during the battle. |
Battles of the Marne- 1914, 1918
The Germans had been gaining steady power since the war had started. In September 1914, The French rushed soldiers of to the Marne in taxis. With the British getting word, they also sent troops and stopped Germany from advancing. In 1918, the Germans had again made their way to the Marne. This was in part by the overseeing rule of Ludendorff. Throughout the four years from 1914 to 1918, hundreds of thousands of lives had been lost, but neither side had gained any ground. |
Battles of Ypres- 1914, 1915, 1917
During the first battle in 1914, the British were trying to stop Germany from advancing into their territory. The second battle, in 1915, was significant because it was the first time the Germans used poison gas. In 1917, the battle still shows the utterly bad conditions the soldiers served in. This battle is known mostly for the horrific weather conditions that caused many people to drown in muddy water. This battle has become the image of the war in many people's eyes nowadays. Compared to other battles, the total loss of lives was 250,000, less than many others. |
Battle of Somme- 1916
The British had bombarded their trenches for a whole week before trying to advance against the Germans. Their original plan was to cross no-mans-land and get through the Germans in only a few hours. However, the British's plan to disable the Germans wire and machine guns failed and most of them were slaughtered. By the end of the first day, the British had a gain of only 1.5 km and had lost 57,000 men. This slaughter continued until November of that same year, with the casualties totaling to 419,654 for the British and somewhere between 450,000-680,000 for the Germans. When the battle had ceased, the British were still short 3 miles of their original goal for the first day. |
Battle of Cambrai- 1917
In November of 1917, the British had launched a secret attack with a new weapon called tanks. This name was created by the cover up the British used when shipping "water tanks". The attack with tanks and backup infantry, broke through the Germans Hindenberg line, which was thought to be impassable. Some tanks even got from 4-5 miles deep within the Hindenberg line. This much success surprised both the Germans and the British, and the cavalry from the Britsh didn't take advantage of this win. This battle was memorable because it was a way that the British figured out how to pass the trenches. |