Belgian casualties are placed at 7,500 killed or missing, 15,850 wounded, and 200,000 captured. The attack was preceded by a four-day artillery bombardment of 250,000 shells and a release of 5,100 cylinders of chlorine gas. French casualties amounted to 120,000 killed or missing, 250,000 wounded, and 1,450,000 taken prisoner. The town of Verdun was chosen for this because it was an important stronghold, surrounded by a ring of forts, that lay near the German lines and because it guarded the direct route to Paris. Western Front (World War I) The Western Front was one of the main theatres of war during the First World War. Western Front | World War I, Definition, Battles, & Map The French lines at Ypres were shattered when the Germans discharged nearly 200 tons (180,000 kg) of chlorine gas into the Allied trenches. In May 1940, the Germans launched the Battle of France. The bulk of the Allied armies were occupied in the Mediterranean, seeking to clear the sea lanes to the Indian Ocean and capture the Foggia Airfield Complex. The Western Front was the most important battleground of World War I. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Australians on the Western Front. They decided that the German Army in the west would go over to the strategic defensive for most of 1917, while the Central powers would attack elsewhere. The Germans had already deployed gas against the Russians in the east at the Battle of Humin-Bolimw. The first was the use of unrestricted submarine warfare to cut off Allied supplies arriving from overseas. During those 33 months, more than 30 . In Berlin, the Reichsbanner resistance organization identified possible drop zones for Allied paratroopers and planned to guide them past German defenses into the city.[43]. Following the Battle of the Yser in October, the Belgian army controlled a 35km (22mi) length of West Flanders along the coast, known as the Yser Front, along the Yser and the Ieperlee from Nieuwpoort to Boezinge. [35] The first use of more lethal chemical weapons on the Western Front was against the French near the Belgian town of Ypres. Fighting on the Western front seemed to stabilize, and the Allied advance stalled in front of the Siegfried Line (Westwall) and the southern reaches of the Rhine. The British had suffered about 420,000 casualties and the French around 200,000. The raids for which the British awarded the "North-West Europe Campaign of 1942" battle honour were: Operation Biting Bruneval (2728 February 1942), St Nazaire (2728 March 1942), Operation Myrmidon Bayonne (5 April 1942), Operation Abercrombie Hardelot (2122 April 1942), Dieppe (19 August 1942) and Operation Frankton Gironde (712 December 1942).[30][31]. what happened in 1915 (4 main things) 1. The attack had been preceded by seven days of heavy artillery bombardment. Luxembourg fell within the first day. [68], The Verdun lesson learnt, the Allies' tactical aim became the achievement of air superiority and until September, German aircraft were swept from the skies over the Somme. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the drier periods, the British advance was inexorable and during the unusually wet August and in the Autumn rains that began in early October, the Germans achieved only costly defensive successes, which led the German commanders in early October to begin preparations for a general retreat. [42] This later caused some friction with the Yugoslav forces, notably around Trieste. From the coast in the north, the primary forces were from Belgium, the British Empire and then France. They suffered the greatest number of casualties (killed, wounded and missing) in a single day in the history of the British Army, about 57,000. [32] If the British had broken out of the Normandy bridgehead (or beachhead) around Caen when they launched Operation Goodwood and pushed along the coast, facts on the ground might have turned the argument in favour of a narrow front. Since 1915 specialist Royal Engineer tunnelling companies had been digging tunnels under the ridge, and about 500t (490 long tons) of explosives had been planted in 21 mines under the German defences. Joffre's plan for 1915 was to attack the salient on both flanks to cut it off. With the development of the rolling barrage, the French recaptured Fort Vaux in November and by December 1916 they had pushed the Germans back 2.1 kilometres (1.3mi) from Fort Douaumont, in the process rotating 42 divisions through the battle. The Eastern Front | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans This line of fortifications ran from Arras south to St Quentin and shortened the front by about 50 kilometres (30mi). Appendix F additionally breaks down the German killed figures (per the Reichsarchiv) as: 829,400 killed in action; 300,000 died of wounds; 364,000 missing reclassified as dead. [62], The Battle of Verdun began on 21 February 1916 after a nine-day delay due to snow and blizzards. In their hurry to re-arm, Britain and France had both begun to buy large numbers of weapons from manufacturers in the United States at the outbreak of hostilities, supplementing their own production. The offensive ended with Arnhem remaining in German hands and the Allies holding an extended salient from the Belgian border to the area between Nijmegen and Arnhem. Overview of Australia's involvement in the First World War With a large number of men captured, the stubborn German resistance during the Allied campaign to reach the Rhine in February and March 1945 had been costly. In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September. "[58] As such, he adopted two new strategies. However, the American units did not enter the trenches in divisional strength until October. In the opening phase, they swept the air space of French aircraft, which allowed German artillery-observation aircraft and bombers to operate without interference. The campaign to clear the Scheldt Estuary along with Operation Pheasant was a decisive victory for the Allies, as it allowed a greatly improved delivery of supplies directly from Antwerp, which was far closer to the front than the Normandy beaches. 10 May 1945, List of Commando raids on the Atlantic Wall, Western Front command tenures (World War II), Learn how and when to remove this template message, George C Marshall, Biennial reports of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army to the Secretary of War: 1 July 193930 June 1945. Niewyk, Donald L. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust, Columbia University Press, 2000; Statistisches Jahrbuch fr die Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1960 Bonn 1961 p. 78, Bundesarchiv Euthanasie" im Nationalsozialismus, bundesarchiv.de; accessed 5 March 2016.(German). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In Flanders, Belgium, where the 30th Division fought, the land was flat and low, and the trenches were often knee deep in water. [83] The Canadian Corps and the 5th Division of the First Army, fought the Battle of Vimy Ridge, completing the capture of the ridge and the Third Army to the south achieved the deepest advance since trench warfare began. [96], On 11 July 1917, during Unternehmen Strandfest (Operation Beachparty) at Nieuport on the coast, the Germans introduced a new weapon into the war when they fired a powerful blistering agent Sulfur mustard (Yellow Cross) gas. Western Front, major theatre of World War I. [83], On 3 May the weary French 2nd Colonial Division, veterans of the Battle of Verdun, refused orders, arriving drunk and without their weapons. Following the Race to the Sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France, which changed little except during early 1917 and in 1918. This withdrawal negated the French strategy of attacking both flanks of the Noyon salient, as it no longer existed. The Battle of Amiens began two days later, with Franco-British forces spearheaded by Australian and Canadian troops, along with 600 tanks and 800 aircraft. A general Allied retreat followed, resulting in more clashes at the Battle of Le Cateau, the Siege of Maubeuge and the Battle of St. Quentin (also called the First Battle of Guise). [32] On 10 March, as part of the larger offensive in the Artois region, the British Army fought the Battle of Neuve Chapelle to capture Aubers Ridge. With the use of paratroopers and concentrated firepower, the Belgian and Dutch armies surrendered after several days. [91] The French would go on the defensive for the following months to avoid high casualties and to restore confidence in the French High Command, while the British assumed greater responsibility. [60], Falkenhayn limited the size of the front to 56 kilometres (34mi) to concentrate artillery firepower and to prevent a breakthrough from a counter-offensive. Using short, intense "hurricane" bombardments and infiltration tactics, the German armies moved nearly 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the west, the deepest advance by either side since 1914, but the result was indecisive. By the time the water had subsided and the US Ninth Army was able to cross the Roer on 23 February, other Allied forces were also close to the Rhine's west bank. [100] The battle has become a byword among some British revisionist historians for bloody and futile slaughter, whilst the Germans called Passchendaele "the greatest martyrdom of the war. German heavy artillery was able to demolish the main forts within a few days. By August, General Haig had concluded that a breakthrough was unlikely and instead, switched tactics to a series of small unit actions. On 15 August the Allies launched Operation Dragoon the invasion of Southern France between Toulon and Cannes. [98] The battle had the original aim of capturing the ridges east of Ypres then advancing to Roulers and Thourout to close the main rail line supplying the German garrisons on the Western front north of Ypres. Eastern Front | WW1, Definition, Battles, & Casualties After a massive eight-hour artillery bombardment, the Germans did not expect much resistance as they slowly advanced on Verdun and its forts. [75], In August 1916 the German leadership along the Western Front had changed as Falkenhayn resigned and was replaced by Hindenburg and Ludendorff. By 15 May the advance had been stopped, although the fighting continued until 18 June. The French Third and Fourth Armies advanced toward the Saar and attempted to capture Saarburg, attacking Briey and Neufchateau but were repulsed. The First Battle of the Somme carried on from July 1 to November 13. [31] The Fourth Army had attacked in Champagne from 20 December 1914 17 March 1915 but the French were not able to attack in Artois at the same time. British forces captured Bremen on 26 April after a week of combat. Danish Ministry of Education. In World War I the Indian Army fought against the German Empire on the Western Front. For all the bloody combat that occurred on the Western Front between 1914 and 1918, the front line remained largely static. [84], During the winter of 19161917, German air tactics had been improved, a fighter training school was opened at Valenciennes and better aircraft with twin guns were introduced. British losses totalled to 11,010 killed or missing, 14,070 wounded (only those who were evacuated have been counted), and 41,340 taken prisoner. Western Front | International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1) Eastern Front of World War I This was followed by a pincer movement of the First Canadian Army in Operation Veritable advancing from the Nijmegen area of the Netherlands, and the US Ninth Army crossing the Roer in Operation Grenade. However, as the breakout took place during Operation Cobra at the western end of the bridge-head, the 21st Army Group that included the British and Canadian forces swung east and headed for Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern Germany, while the U.S. Twelfth Army Group advanced to their south via eastern France, Luxembourg and the Ruhr Area, rapidly fanning out into a broad front.
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who fought on the western front
