World War I Battles

The battles of the World War I were fought across the globe from the fields of Flanders and France to the Russian plains and deserts of the Middle East. Beginning in 1914, these battles devastated the landscape and elevated to prominence places that had previously been unknown. As a result, names such as Gallipoli, the Somme, Verdun, and Meuse-Argonne became eternally entwined with images of sacrifice, bloodshed, and heroism. Due to the static nature of World War I trench warfare, fighting took place on a routine basis and soldiers were rarely safe from the threat of death. The battles of the World War I War are largely divided into the Western, Eastern, Middle Eastern, and colonial fronts with the bulk of the fighting taking place in the first two. During World War I, over 9 million men were killed and 21 million wounded in battle as each side fought for their chosen cause.

Battles of World War I by Year

1914

• August 7-September 13: Battle of the Frontiers - Western Front
• August 14-25: Battle of Lorraine - Western Front
• August 21-23: Battle of Charleroi - Western Front
• August 23: Battle of Mons - Western Front
• August 23-31: Battle of Tannenberg - Eastern Front
• August 28: Battle of Heligoland Bight - At Sea
• September 6-12: First Battle of the Marne - Western Front
• October 19-November 22: First Battle of Ypres - Western Front
• November 1: Battle of Coronel - At Sea
• November 9: Battle of Cocos - At Sea
• December 8: Battle of the Falklands - At Sea
• December 16: Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool, & Whitby - At Sea
• December 24-25: The Christmas Truce - Western Front

1915

• January 24: Battle of Dogger Bank - At Sea
• February 19-January 9, 1916: Gallipoli Campaign - Middle East
• April 22-May 25: Second Battle of Ypres - Western Front
• May 7: Sinking of the Lusitania - At Sea
• September 25-October 14: Battle of Loos - Western Front

1916

• February 21-December 18: Battle of Verdun - Western Front
• May 31-June 1: Battle of Jutland - At Sea
• July 1-November 18: Battle of the Somme - Western Front
• August 3-5: Battle of Romani - Middle East
• December 23: Battle of Magdhaba - Middle East

1917

• January 9: Battle of Rafa - Middle East
• January 16: Zimmermann Telegram - Western Front
• March 26: First Battle of Gaza - Middle East
• April 9-May 16: Battle of Arras - Western Front
• June 7-14: Battle of Messines - Western Front
• July 31-November 6: Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres) - Western Front
• October 24-November 19: Battle of Caporetto - Italian Front
• October 31-November 7: Third Battle of Gaza - Middle East
• November 20-December 6: Battle of Cambrai - Western Front

1918

• March 21-April 5: Spring Offensives - Operation Michael - Western Front
• June 1-June 26: Battle of Belleau Wood - Western Front
• July 15-August 6: Second Battle of the Marne - Western Front
• August 8-11: Battle of Amiens - Western Front
• September 19-October 1: Battle of Megiddo - Middle East
• September 26-November 11: Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Western Front