Western Front

The principal theater of land combat between Germany and the Allied Powers in western Europe during the First World War. Its trench lines stretched chiefly from the North Sea to the Swiss border.

Trench warfare: A form of warfare in which opposing forces defend lines of connected trenches and fortifications. Continuous trench systems turned much of the front into a fortified stalemate.
First Battle of the Marne: A September 1914 battle in which French and British forces halted the German advance toward Paris. Its outcome ended Germany’s attempt to win the war quickly in the west.
Schlieffen Plan: Germany’s prewar plan to defeat France rapidly by invading through Belgium before turning against Russia. Its execution brought German armies through Belgium and began the western campaign.
Treaty of Versailles: The 1919 peace treaty that formally ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Its terms addressed Germany’s defeat after the Western Front’s collapse.
Battle of the Somme: A 1916 campaign in northern France fought by British and French forces against Germany. The Somme shows the immense casualties and limited advances produced by frontal attacks.
Battle of Verdun: A 1916 battle in northeastern France fought between French and German forces. Verdun became a prolonged contest of attrition and a symbol of French resistance.
Battle of the Frontiers: A series of August 1914 battles between German and Allied forces in Belgium and northeastern France. The battles preceded the retreat and counterattack that formed the front’s early line.
War of attrition: A strategy of wearing down an opponent through sustained losses of personnel and matériel. The front’s prolonged battles made attrition a central feature of the war.
Artillery in World War I: The large-scale use of guns and howitzers to bombard positions, disrupt defenses, and support infantry during World War I. Artillery inflicted most battlefield casualties and shaped the timing of attacks.
Battle of Passchendaele: The 1917 Third Battle of Ypres, fought in Belgium by Allied and German forces. Its mud, casualties, and small territorial gains capture the harsh conditions of the front.

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