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Battles of World War I

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Written by
Michael Ray
Michael Ray is an assistant managing editor who has worked at Britannica since 2003. In addition to leading the Geography and History team, he oversees coverage of European history and military affairs....
Michael Ray
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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  • Battle of Amiens (August 8–11, 1918)

    Amiens marked the beginning of a string of Allied offensive successes on the Western Front that led to the collapse of the German army and the end of the war.

  • Battle of Cambrai (November 20–December 5, 1917)

    Mark IV (Male) tank of H Battalion ditched in a German trench while supporting the 1st Battalion, 1st Leicestershire Regiment, one mile west of Ribecourt, northern France during the Battle of Cambrai, November 20, 1917.(World War I)
    tank in the Battle of CambraiBritish Mark IV (Male) tank ditched in a German trench during the Battle of Cambrai, November 20, 1917.
    Robert Hunt Library/Mary Evans Picture Library/age fotostock

    Cambrai was the British offensive on the Western Front that marked the first effective use of tanks in warfare.

  • Battle of Cambrai (September 27–October 11, 1918)

    A British North Lancashire Regiment patrol a street in the southern part of Cambrai, France, October 9, 1918.
    World War I: British armyBritish soldiers of the North Lancashire Regiment passing through liberated Cambrai, France, October 9, 1918.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    The second Battle of Cambrai was one of the “hundred days” battles and was one of the most impressive performances by Canadian troops during the war.

  • Battle of Caporetto (October 24–December 19, 1917)

    The 12th Battle of the Isonzo was an Italian military disaster that resulted in the near collapse of the entire Italian army.

  • Battle of Dogger Bank (January 24, 1915)

    The British victory at Dogger Bank delayed further action by the German fleet for more than a year.

  • Gallipoli Campaign (February 19, 1915–January 9, 1916)

    World War I Lord Herbert Kitchener, Lieutenant-General Sir W.R. Birdwood, Sir Henry McMahon at look over the parapet of a trench at Anzac Cove during the Gallipoli Campaign, Turkey.
    Gallipoli Campaign: “ANZAC Cove”British army officers in a trench at “ANZAC Cove” during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I.
    © Chronicle/Alamy

    The Anglo-French operation at Gallipoli would be primarily remembered for the contribution of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) troops.

  • Battles of the Isonzo (June 23, 1915–October 24, 1917)

    Eleven battles between Austria and Italy at the Isonzo River were largely inconclusive, but the intervention of the German army at the Battle of Caporetto routed the Italian army.

  • June Offensive (July 1, 1917–c. July 4, 1917)

    The Russian June Offensive was launched in June according to the Julian calendar, and it collapsed almost as soon as it began.

  • Battle of Jutland (May 31–June 1, 1916)

    The German fleet in battle formation, North Sea, Battle of Jutland; from L'Illustrazione Italiana, Year XLIII, No. 24, June 11, 1916. (World War I)
    Battle of JutlandShips of the German High Seas Fleet, June 1916.
    De Agostini Editore/age fotostock

    Jutland was the only major encounter between the main British and German battle fleets.

  • First Battle of the Marne (September 6–12, 1914)

    French infantry coming into position at the Marne during World War I, 1914-18.
    World War IFrench infantry moving into position during World War I.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    The French checked the massive German advance at the First Battle of the Marne, thwarting German plans for a quick and total victory on the Western Front.

  • Second Battle of the Marne (July 15–18, 1918)

    6th Engineers, 3rd Division contruct a combination trestle-crib bridge across the Marne River near Mezy, France, July 21, 1918. Battle of the Marne; World War 1.
    Marne, Battle of theEngineers of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division preparing to cross the Marne River near Mézy, France, July 1918.
    National Archives, Washington, D.C.

    The Second Battle of the Marne marked the last major German offensive of World War I.

  • Battles of the Meuse-Argonne (September 26–November 11, 1918)

    The Battles of the Meuse-Argonne took the Allied armies to the German frontier.

  • Battle of Mons (August 23, 1914)

    The German victory at Mons forced the British Expeditionary Force into a retreat that was not checked until the First Battle of the Marne.

  • Battle of Mons (November 11, 1918)

    On the last day of the war, Canadian forces captured Mons, a town that had been under German occupation since the first month of the war.

  • Battle of Passchendaele (July 31–November 6, 1917)

    Photograph shows the ruins of the Cloth Hall after the Battle of Ypres during World War I in Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium, September 29, 1918.
    Cloth Hall after the Battle of YpresBritish troops passing through the ruins of Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium, September 29, 1918.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    Also called the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele became symbolic of the mindless slaughter on the Western Front.

  • First Battle of the Somme (July 1–November 13, 1916)

    Battle of the Somme, World War I. A French shell is seen bursting on the outskirts.
    World War I: SommeA French soldier in a trench at the Somme, World War I.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    Some 20,000 men were killed in a single day at the First Battle of the Somme.

  • Second Battle of the Somme (March 21–April 5, 1918)

    The German offensive at the Second Battle of the Somme was successful at the tactical level, but it lacked a broader strategic context.

  • Sussex Incident (March 24, 1916)

    The sinking of a French passenger steamer Sussex led to the suspension of Germany’s practice of unrestricted submarine warfare.

  • Battle of Verdun (February 21–December 18, 1916)

    French soldiers resting behind the front during the Battle of Verdun during the First World War From L'Illustration, 1916
    Battle of VerdunFrench soldiers resting away from the front line at the Battle of Verdun, 1916.
    Classic Vision/age fotostock

    At Verdun the French checked a major German offensive in one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war.

  • First Battle of Ypres (October 19–November 22, 1914)

    Burning windmill at Ypres, Belgium. (World War I).
    Ypres, First Battle ofA burning windmill near Ypres, Belgium.
    Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    The First Battle of Ypres marked the end of the “Race to the Sea” and the beginning of trench warfare on the Western Front.