Major Battles of World War I

The First World War (1914-1918) saw numerous battles that caused a huge number of casualties.

Because it is a global conflict, soldiers from five continents participated in some battles.

We highlight the disputes that took place during the war, whether for strategic reasons or for its high number of fatalities.

1. Battle of Tannemberg

• Date:August 23 to September 2
• Fighting fronts:Russia vs Germany
• Location:East Prussia
• Result:German victory
• Cases:160 thousand
• Prisoners of War:100,000 Russians.

History

When World War I began, the Russian Second Army was given the command to invade West Prussia.

The Russian army, commanded by General Alexander Samsonov, advanced slowly through the south-east of the province. The objective was to join forces with General Paul von Rennankampf, who was advancing from the northeast.

The Russians initially fought successfully for six days. However, the Germans had more modern weapons and regained ground. When he realized he was outnumbered, General Samsonov tried to retreat, but it was too late. Faced with defeat, the Russian general would end up committing suicide.

Only 10,000 of the 150,000 Russian soldiers managed to escape. In addition to the high number of prisoners, the Germans captured 500 Russian guns. For its part, the German army lost 20,000 men.

The Battle of Tanneberg was the first in which two celebrated German generals would work together:Paul von Hindenburg, later President of the Weimar Republic, and Erich Ludendorff.

2. First Battle of the Marne

• Date:5th to 12th of September 1914
• Fighting fronts:Germany v France and the British Empire
• Location:River Marne, France
• Result:Victory of the allies France and the British Empire
• Casualties:250,000, with 80,000 French soldiers dead and 12,733 English. The Germans had similar losses to the French.

History

By late 1914, French and British forces were retreating from the German invasion. The German army left towards Paris and the allies retreated.

On September 3, 500,000 French civilians left the French capital. The French army was ordered by General Joseph Joffre to line up along the Seine River.

Surveillance was maintained 60 kilometers south of the River Marne. The British Empire sent troops to assist in fighting the Germans.

On 6 September, the French army attacked German forces. The Allies used taxis in Paris to get to the front lines.

The German army was given the command to retreat on 9 September. A day later, the battle came to an end with heavy losses and damage to both sides.

In this battle, the French realized the importance of the use of the trenches in the war. Before, it was considered dishonorable for a soldier to dig a hole and hide during a fight.

The Battle of the Marne marks a turning point in World War I:

• defeated by the Allies, the German Empire would have to fight on two fronts;
• France should change its military tactics;
• the Russian Empire would have to fight to recover the lost territories and expel the Germanic invaders.

In this way, the hope that the conflict would end before Christmas was buried.

3. Battle of Gallipoli

• Date:April 25, 1915 to January 9, 1916
• Combat fronts:British Empire and France allies against the Ottoman Empire
• Location:Gallipoli Peninsula and Dardanelles Strait, in the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey)
• Result:Victory of the Ottoman Empire
• Casualties:35,000 Britons, 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders, 10,000 French, 86,000 Turkish dead.

History

The British attacked the Turks on February 19, 1915. Bombs were launched in the Dardanelles Strait with the aim of advancing there and taking over the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The British Empire and France sent 18 warships to the combat region on 18 March. Three of the vessels were hit by mines and resulted in 700 deaths. There were also three other ships damaged.

To ensure that it would take the Gallipoli peninsula, the Allies sent more soldiers into the region. This time, the British Empire supplied the front with 70,000 men from Australia and New Zealand.

The reinforcement also included French soldiers. The attack began on April 25, 1915, and the Allies withdrew in January 1916, after their troops had been decimated.

One of those responsible for this carnage was the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill who resigned after the episode.

4. Battle of Jutland

• Date:May 31 and June 1, 1916
• Combat fronts:British and Germans
• Medium:Naval
• Location:North Sea, near Denmark
• Result:Inconclusive. Both sides claimed victory. Tactically, Germany won, and strategically, the British Empire
• Casualties:6,094 British and 2,551 German.

History

This was the biggest naval battle of the First World War and in history. It involved the two largest naval fleets in the world, the British and the German, in a dispute on the high seas.

The combat involved 100,000 men and 250 British and German warships.

Germany's objective was to defeat the British Empire's superiority at sea. Combat began when German fleet commander Reinhardt von Scheer sent 40 ships to the North Sea.

The English command was exercised by David Beatty and John Jellicoe, who watched the sinking of three ships on the first day of the battle.

However, the losses did not make them give up the fight. The British Empire fleet carried out maneuvers to block the return of the Germans, who fled to the north.

The British Empire lost 6,784 men and 14 ships totaling 110,000 tons. Among the Germans, 3,058 soldiers died and the loss of 11 ships totaling 62,000 tons succumbed to British bombing.

On many of these ships there were no survivors.

Like almost all the conflicts of the First World War, this battle had a huge human and material cost. The German Empire was victorious, but thanks to British propaganda, the British also considered themselves victorious.

At the end of the confrontation, the Allies maintained the blockade, and Germany would never again attempt a sea battle of this magnitude. This tactic was decisive for the end of the war and the defeat of the Germans.

5. Battle of Verdun

• Date:February 21 to December 20, 1916
• Fighting fronts:Germany against France
• Location:Verdun, France
• Result:French victory
• Casualties:1 million injured or missing. There were about 450,000 deaths on both sides.

History

The Battle of Verdun was initiated after the German Empire decided to take the war towards the West and not against Russia, in the East.

The goal was to attack the French and try to negotiate a peace separately. The strategy went wrong and there was an intense reaction from the French, who emerged victorious.

The Germans advanced fast and entered the field with 143,000 troops. The French defense had 63,000 men.

This battle is called by unflattering names like "mass grave of the French" and "meat grinder." The reference is due to the number of victims. There were 450,000 deaths in almost 300 days of combat.

6. Battle of the Somme

• Date:July 1 to November 18, 1916
• Combat Fronts:Allied British and French Forces Against Germany
• Location:Somme, Picardy region, France
• Result:Allied Forces Victory
• Casualties:600,000 Allied and 465,000 German casualties. A third of the soldiers died.

History

The Battle of the Somme is considered one of the bloodiest of the First World War.

On December 6, 1915, the Allies decided to take a joint action against the Germans whose objective was to contain the advance of the German army in the area.

The British Empire ordered to reinforce the French troops fighting in Verdun. With an unprepared troop, made up mostly of volunteers, 19,000 Britons died on the first day of combat alone.

The German soldiers, in turn, used flamethrowers to attack the opposing trenches. On the second day of battle alone, they took about 3,000 prisoners among the Allies.

Casualties were not enough to motivate the British command to retreat. To strengthen the front, soldiers were sent from British colonies such as Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Canada. The reinforcement worked well and the Germans lost 250,000 men by August.

Germany was also at a disadvantage because the British Empire's fleet of ships surrounded the North Sea and the Adriatic Sea, preventing the country from receiving food. The measure created severe food shortages for the Germans.

War tanks were used for the first time in this combat. The British army used 48 Mark I tanks, but only 21 made it to the front, as the rest broke down on the way.

Also in this combat, the German Adolf Hitler was wounded and was hospitalized for two months.

7. Third Battle of Ypres

• Date:July 31 to November 10, 1917
• Fighting fronts:British Empire, Belgium and France against Germany
• Location:West Flanders, Belgium
• Result:Allied Forces Victory
• Casualties:857,100 dead and missing.

History

The Battle of Ypres was also called the Battle of Passchendaele. The combat involved Canadian, British and South African soldiers against the Germans. The battle is estimated to have involved 4 million soldiers on both sides.

The objective was to control the southern and eastern areas of Ypres, considered strategic by the allies. After the conquest, the Allies planned to advance to Thouront and block the German-controlled railway.

The conflict took place in the summer which was particularly rainy that year. When the battle started, British aviation could not participate in the bombing due to fog.

During the battle 136 tanks were used, of which only 52 managed to advance over the muddy terrain. However, this time, these vehicles were not of much use, as 22 broke down and 19 were put out of action by the Germans.

The German army resisted, even with the very wet weather. However, they began to face mutinies in the Navy and Army, which weakened the morale of the troops.

As neither side was able to advance, the Allies changed their strategy, concentrating efforts on a few points. Thus, the Germans retreated and the Canadians took Ypres.

There were also the fourth and fifth battles of Ypres.

8. Battle of Caporetto

• Date:October 24 to November 12, 1917
• Fighting fronts:Germany and Austria-Hungary against Italy
• Location:Kobarid, present-day Slovenia
• Result:Victory of the German and Austrian-Hungary Army
• Cases:10,000 to 13,000 Italians and 50,000 Germans and Austrians.
• Prisoners of War:260,000 Italian prisoners who voluntarily surrendered.

History

Caporetto was just a small town like so many others, but after the battle it became synonymous with defeat.

German and Austrian forces employed trench warfare tactics, used poison gas. They still had the help of weather conditions, as the fog helped them advance. The result was 11,000 Italian soldiers killed and 20,000 wounded.

As the lines of communication were cut, the Italian General Staff was unable to communicate with its officers. Without command, soldiers surrendered en masse in order to escape certain death.

More than a million civilians also fled in fear of the consequences of the invasion.

The Germans and Austro-Hungarians managed to advance more than 100 km towards Venice. Germany was only stopped when the army approached the Piave River.

In this region, the French, British and American allies blocked the offensive.

9. Battle of Cambrai

• Date:20 November to 7 December 1917
• Combat fronts:Allied forces of the British Empire and the United States against Germany
• Location:Cambrai, France
• Result:British victory
• Cases:90 thousand.

History

The British Empire War Command applied new infantry and artillery tactics in this battle. The objective was to take the Hindenburg Line and reach the summit of Bourlon. That way, it would be easier to threaten the German army.

The battle was mainly marked by artillery and infantry combat. Among the strategies was to use tanks to destroy the barbed wire fences used in the trenches by the Germans.

The tactic worked and the British managed to penetrate 1000 km into the German lines and take 10,000 prisoners. This time, the tanks were essential to ensure the advance of the troops.

It was the first quick and convincing victory in a war in which it was difficult to judge who won the battles. This helped to boost British morale.

10. Battle of Amiens

• Date:August 8 to 12, 1918
• Combat fronts:Allied forces of France, the United States and the British Empire against Germany
• Location:East of Amiens, Picardy, France
• Result:Decisive victory for allied forces
• Casualties:52,000 between dead and missing
• Prisoners of war:27,800.

History

It is also known as the Third Battle of Picardy. This confrontation marks the beginning of the Hundred Days Offensive, which marked the end of the First World War.

The Allies were experiencing a special moment, as the Americans had joined their side in the war and American troops were already on European soil. Likewise, they reaped victories in the Balkans and the Middle East.

On the other hand, the German Empire had signed peace with Russia in the Brest-Litovsky Treaty and could concentrate all forces on the western front. However, they had the problem of being abandoned by their allies.

On the first day, the British managed to advance 11 km and take several prisoners among the surrendering Germans. This bolstered other combat points by restarting battles in Verdun, Arras, and Noyons.

Worn out and without the means to fight back, the Germans asked for an armistice on November 11, 1918.

Despite marking the beginning of the end of the great war, the Hundred Days Offensive, started in Amiens, leaves impressive numbers:almost 2 million people lost their lives in just over 3 months of fighting.

Read more :

• World War I
• Causes of World War I
• Trench Warfare
• Phases of the First World War
• Consequences of the First World War
• Brazil in World War I
• Questions about the First World War
• Films about the First World War