A British trench near the Albert-Bapaume road at Ovillers-la-Boisselle, July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The men are from A Company, 11th Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment.
Photograph Source: Public Domain
World War I Battles: War on an Industrial Scale
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 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
December 8 - Battle of the Falklands - 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
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
Janaury 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
