The Western Front Museum
Created: 30/12/1999
Last updated:
Western Front
Alpine Front
Eastern Front
Reference list
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
War deaths
Gas casualties in the First World War
Poison Gases
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Facts and figures
What is a website without some facts and figures?
Well, we're not going to disappoint you. Here are some facts and figures about
The Western Front in chronological order.
Western Front - Alpine Front - Eastern Front
1914 - 1915 - 1916 - 1917 - 1918
War deaths
Gas casualties in the First World War
Poison Gases
The Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands
controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West. After the first few months of World War I (WWI) which started in August 1914, until the last few months during the summer of 1918, the Western Front consisted of a relatively static line of trench systems which stretched from the coast of the North Sea southwards to the Swiss border. To try to break through the opposing lines of trenches and barbed wire entanglements, both sides employed huge artillery bombardments followed by attacks by
tens of thousands of soldiers. Battles could last for months and lead to casualties measured in hundreds of thousands for attacker and defender alike. After most of these attacks, only a short section of the front would have moved and only by a kilometer or two.
The principal adversaries on the Western Front, who fielded armies of millions of men, were Germany to the East against a western alliance to the West consisting of: France and the United Kingdom with sizable contingents from the British Empire and British Dominions. The United States of America entered the war in 1917 and by the summer of 1918 had an army of around half a million men which rose to a million by the time the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.
The Alpine Front between Italy which was a member of the western alliance and Austro-Hungarian Empire which was allied to Germany and Turkey, is usually considered to be a separate front.
The Eastern Front refers to a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Both terms refer to Continental Europe. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theaters strongly influenced each other.
The geography of Eastern Europe in general has played a key role in how both World Wars' Eastern Front conflicts played out. Eastern Europe is, for the most part, physically similar to Western Europe as both belong to the same European plain. The key difference was the level of economic development. While Belgium and Northern France were among the most industrially advanced areas in the world, with excellent road and rail networks, Eastern Europe was undeveloped in comparison.
Furthermore, the length of the front in the East was much longer than in the West. The theatre of war was roughly delimited by the Baltic Sea in the West and Moscow in the East, a distance of 1,200 kilometers, and Saint Petersburg in the North and the Black Sea in the South, a distance of more than 1,600 kilometers. This had a drastic effect on the nature of the warfare. While World War I on the Western Front developed into trench warfare, the battle lines on the Eastern Front were much more fluid and
Trench War never truly developed. This was because the greater length of the front ensured that the density of soldiers in the line was lower so the line was easier to break. Once broken, the sparse communication networks made it difficult for the defender
to rush reinforcements to the rupture in the line to mount a rapid counteroffensive and seal off a breakthrough. In short, on the Eastern front the side defending did not have the overwhelming advantages it had on the Western front.
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Reference list
1914 |
August |
2 |
Luxemburg |
German invasion and occupation |
| | 4 |
Belgium |
German invasion |
| | 5-16 |
Belgium |
Battle against the Fortresses of Luik |
| | 7 |
Germany |
France invading Elzas and Lotharingen |
| | 12 |
Belgium |
Resistance Belgium troups at Halen and Dinant |
| | 17 |
Belgium |
German occupation of Luik |
| | 19 |
Belgium |
German occupation of Leuven |
| | 20-23 |
Germany |
German counter-attack on Lotharingen |
| | 20 |
Belgium |
German occupation of Brussels |
| | 21-22 |
Belgium |
Battle on the Sambre |
| | 22-25 |
Belgium |
Battle in the Ardenne |
| | 22 |
Belgium |
German occupation of Dinant |
| | 23-24 |
Belgium |
Battle at Bergen. First time BEF (British Expeditionary Force) gets into action |
| | 24 |
Belgium |
German occupation of Namen |
1914 | September | 6-9 |
France |
Battle at the Marne |
| | 14-21 |
France |
Battle at the Aisne, heavy fighting in Champagne |
| | 14 |
France |
Front stabalized, beginning of trench warfare |
| | 19 |
Belgium |
Race for the coast |
| | 20-21 |
France |
German attack on Côtes Lorraines |
| | 27 |
France |
Battle of Arras (till 9 October 1914) |
| | 28 |
Belgium |
Battle against the fortresses of Antwerp |
1914 | October | 10 |
Belgium |
Occupation of Antwerp |
| | 11 |
Belgium |
Occupation of Gent |
| | 18 |
Belgium |
Battle at the IJzer (till 4 November 1914) |
| | 27-29 |
Belgium |
Inundating the area around the IJzer |
| | 30 |
Belgium |
Flanders, First Battle of Yper (till 4 November 1914) |
1914 | November | 10 |
Belgium |
Occupation of Diksmuide |
| | 17 |
Belgium |
Stabilization of the front, start of trenches |
1914 | December | 14 |
Flanders |
Start of French offensive (till 28 Januari 1915) |
| | 16-27 |
France |
Artois, French offensive |
| | 20 |
France |
Argonne, French offensive (till 28 Februari 1915) |
| | 20 |
France |
Champagne, French offensive (till 15 Januari 1915) |
TOP
1915 |
January |
19 |
France/Elzas |
French are being driven from Hartmannsweilerkopf by the Germans |
1915 | February | 16 |
France |
Champagne, French offensive (till 17 March 1915) |
| | 26 |
France |
Argonne, first use of flametrowers by the Germans |
1915 | March | 10-12 |
France |
Neuve-Chapelle, offensive of the BEF |
| | 23 |
France |
Elzas, battle of Hartmannweilerkopf (till 26 April 1915) |
1915 | April | 5-14 |
France |
Woëvre, French offensive |
| | 22 |
Belgium |
Second Battle of Yper (till the end of May 1915) |
| | 22 |
Belgium |
Flanders, first use of poissoness gas by the Germans |
| | 24-30 |
France |
Woëvre, German offensive |
1915 | May | 9-15 |
France |
Artois, French offensive at Vimy |
| | 9 |
France |
Artois, British offensive at Aubers |
| | 15-26 |
France |
Artois, British offensive at Festubert |
1915 | June | 16-18 |
France |
Artois, French offensive at Vimy |
| | 23 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 1st. Ialian offensive (till 7 Juli 1915) |
| | 18 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 2nd. Italian offensive (till 3 August 1915) |
1915 | September | 25-29 |
France |
Artois, French-British offensive at Vimy |
| | 25-29 |
France |
Champagne, French offensive |
1915 | October | 18 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 3rd. Italian offensive (till 4 September 1915) |
1915 | November | 10 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 4th. Italian offensive (till 2 December 1915) |
TOP
1916 |
February |
21 |
France |
Verdun, German offensive |
| | 25 |
France |
Verdun, Fort Douamont captured by German troups |
1916 | March | 11-16 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 5th. Italian offensive |
| | 14 |
France |
Verdun, German attack on Mort-Homme |
1916 | May | 3-7 |
France |
Verdun, heavy fighting on Hill 304 |
| | 15 |
Italy |
Austrian-Hungarian offensive (till the end of Juli 1916) |
1916 | June | 1-7 |
France |
Verdun, German attack on Fort Vaux |
| | 7 |
France |
Verdun, Fort Vaux captured by the German troups |
1916 | July | 1 |
France |
Somme, British-French offensive (till 18 November 1916) |
| | 12 |
France |
Verdun, German offensive halted |
| | 14 |
France |
Somme, British-French attacks renewed |
1916 | August | 6-17 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 6th. Italian offensive |
1916 | September | 14-17 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 7th. Italian offensive |
| | 15 |
France |
Somme, First time British tanks were used in action |
1916 | October | 10-12 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 8th. Italian offensive |
| | 24 |
France |
Verdun, French troups recaptured Fort Douamont |
| | 31 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 9th. Italian offensive (till 2 November 1916) |
1916 | November | 2 |
France |
Verdun, French troups recaptured Fort Vaux |
| | 18 |
France |
Somme, offensives stopped |
1916 | December | 15 |
France |
Verdun, offensives stopped |
TOP
1917 |
March |
  |
Northern France |
German troups retread to the Siegfried Line |
1917 | April | 9 |
France |
Artois, British offensive at Arras (till 21 May 1917) |
1917 | May | 14-31 |
France |
Chemin-des-Dames, Nivelle offensive |
1917 | May/June |   |
France |
Part of the French Army mutinied, threw down their guns and refused to fight.
French trenches were empty for miles. Luckely the German did not know this.
Fifty-five French soldiers were executed. At the same time General Pétain
said soldiers must have more leave, better food and more rest the mutiny was ended. |
1917 | June | 7 |
Belgium |
Flanders, British troups recaptured hillsites at Mesen |
1917 | July | 4 |
France |
Paris, First American Battalion marches through the streets |
| | 31 |
Belgium |
Flanders, Third Battle of Yper (till 6 November 1917) |
1917 | August | 18-29 |
Italy |
Isonzo, 11th. Italian offensive |
1917 | October | 24 |
Italy |
Battle at Caporetto (till 3 November 1917) |
1917 | November | 6 |
Belgium |
Flanders, British and Canadian troups recaptured Passendale |
| | 10-16 |
Italy |
Italian troups maintained position at Piave |
| | 20 |
France |
Cambrai, British tank offensive and German counter-attack (till 7 December 1917) |
TOP
1918 |
March |
21 |
France |
German Spring-offensive (till 10 June 1918) |
| | 23 |
France |
Paris, bombardment by German long distance guns (till 8 August 1918) |
1918 | May | 28 |
France |
Castigny, first appearance of American troups |
1918 | June | 9 |
France |
Metz, German offensive |
| | 10 |
France |
Metz, French counter-attack |
| | 15-19 |
Italy |
Austrian-Hungarian offensive at Piave |
1918 | July | 15-17 |
France |
Marne, Peace offensive of Ladendorff |
| | 18 |
France |
Marne, Allied offensive |
1918 | August | 8-11 |
France |
Amiens-Montdidier, Allied offensive |
| | 8 |
France |
Amiens-Montdidier, Black Day for the German Army |
| | 11 |
France |
Allied offensives along the whole of the front |
| | 21 |
France |
Oisne-Aisne, French offensive |
1918 | September | 12-14 |
France |
St. Michiel, American offensive |
| | 26 |
France |
Argonne, French-American offensive (till 11 November 1918) |
| | 28 |
Belgium |
Flanders, Belgium-British offensive |
| | 29 |
Belgium |
Flanders, Diksmuide liberated by Belgium and British troups |
1918 | October | 8 |
France |
Artois, Allied offensive (till 11 November 1918) |
| | 9 |
France |
Cambrai liberated by allied troups |
| | 16 |
Belgium |
Flanders, Allied troups crossed the IJzer |
| | 17 |
Belgium |
Flanders, Belgium King and Queen visited the liberated town of Oostende |
| | 24 |
Italy |
Italian offensive at Piave |
1918 | November | 11 |
Belgium |
Flanders, Belgium troups liberated Gent |
| | 22 |
France |
Elzas, French troups entered Strassbourg |
1918 | December | 1 |
Germany |
Allied troups crossed the German border |
| | 17 |
Germany |
Allied troups occupied the left bank of the River Rijn and all the bridge-heads at Kőln, Koblenz and Mainz |
TOP
Country |
Killed |
|
Australia | 54.000 |
Austria-Hungary | 1.290.000 |
Belgium | 44.000 |
Bulgaria | 90.000 |
Canada | 57.000 |
France | 1.400.000 |
Germany | 1.800.000 |
Great Britain | 700.000 |
Greece | 5.000 |
India | 62.000 |
Italy | 615.000 |
Japan | 300 |
Montenegro | 3.000 |
New Zealand | 16.000 |
Newfoundland | 1.000 |
Portugal | 7.000 |
Rumania | 335.000 |
Russia | 1.700.000 |
Serbia | 45.000 |
Turkey | 325.000 |
Union of South Africa | 7.000 |
United States | 116.000 |
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2nd Batallion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders wearing primitive gas protection Bois Grenier sector, June 1915.
GAS CASUALTIES IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR
|
Country |
Non-fatal injuries |
Deaths |
Total |
Austrian-Hungary | 97.000 | 3.000 | 100.000 |
British Empire | 180.597 | 8.109 | 188.706 |
France | 182.000 | 8.000 | 190.000 |
Germany | 191.000 | 9.000 | 200.000 |
Italy | 55.373 | 4.627 | 60.000 |
Russia | 419.340 | 56.000 | 475.340 |
United States | 71.345 | 1.462 | 72.807 |
Others | 9.000 | 1.000 | 10.000 |
  |
Total | 1.205.655 | 91.198 | 1.296.853 |
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Soldiers of the 55 West Lancashire Division at a dressing-station Béthune 10th. April 1918.
Category |
Type |
Date of |
Used by |
| | introduction | GB | F | G | A |
Acute lung irritants | Chlorine | 1915 | × | × | × | - |
  | Phosgene | 1915 | × | × | × | - |
  | Chlormethyl-chloroformate | 1915 | × | - | × | - |
  | Trichlormethyl-chloroformate | 1916 | × | - | × | - |
  | Chloropictrin | 1916 | × | × | × | - |
  | Stannit chloride | 1916 | × | - | - | - |
  | Phenyl-carbylamine-chloride | 1917 | - | - | × | - |
  | Cyanogen bromide | 1918 | - | - | - | × |
  | Dichlor-methyl-ether | 1918 | - | - | × | - |
|
Lachrymators (tear producers) | Benzyl bromide | 1915 | - | - | × | - |
  | Xylyl bromide | 1916 | - | - | × | - |
  | Ethyl-iodoacetate | 1916 | × | - | - | - |
  | Bromacetone | 1916 | × | - | - | × |
  | Monobrom-methyl-ethyl-ketone | 1916 | - | - | × | × |
  | Dibrom-methyl-ethyl-ketone | 1916 | - | - | × | × |
  | Acrolein | 1916 | × | - | - | - |   | Methyl-chlorsulphonate | 1916 | - | - | × | - |
|
Paralysants | Hydrocyanic acid | 1916 | × | × | - | - |
  | Sulphuretted hydragon | 1916 | × | - | - | - |
|
Sternutators (sensoryirritants of eyes, nose and chest) | Diphenyl-chlorarsine | 1917 | - | - | x | - |
  | Diphenyl-cyanarsine | 1918 | - | - | x | - |
  | Ethyl-dichlor-arsine | 1918 | - | - | x | - |
  | Ethyl-dibrom-arsine | 1918 | - | - | x | - |
  | N.ethyl carbazol | 1918 | - | - | x | - |
|
Vesicants (blister producers) | Dichlor-ethyl-sulphide (mustard gas) | 1917 | x | x | x | x |
Abbreviations:
GB | = Great Britain |
F | = France |
G | = Germany |
A | = Austria-Hungary |
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(Dutch branch of the European Cartridge Research Association)
Copyright © The Western Front Museum Foundation
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