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Battle of Tannenberg
Who? German 8th Army (leaders Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff) Russian 1st Army (leader P.K. Rennenkampf) Russian 2nd Army (leader General Aleksandr Samsonov)
What? Russia sent 2 armies in East Prussia while Germany had the majority of its forces in the west against France.
Where? East Prussia
Why? Russia planned to outnumber the German 8th Army.
Impact/Outcome? The Germans won over the Russians after sending all of their soldiers there. -
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First Battle of the Marne
Who? French army and British Expeditionary Force against Germans.
What? The French 6th army attacked the flank of the German 1st army. The Allies sent the French 5th army and British Expeditionary Force.
Where? Belgium and Northeastern France (within 30 miles of Paris).
Why? The Germans had invaded Belgium and France.
Impact/Outcome? The Germans began a general retreat that ended north of the Aisne River. The French won. -
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First Battle of Ypres
Who? France, Britain, Belgium against Germany.
What? One of the last battles fought between the Allies and Central Powers in the Race to the Sea. The Germans wanted to attack the Allied troops and take the city of Ypres. They were held back by riflemen of the First Corps. The Germans tried again on November 11, but they failed. The winter came and they withdrew form the battle.
Where? Ypres, Belgium
Why? The Germans wanted to capture the city of Ypres.
Impact/Outcome? Germans withdrew Allies won -
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Battle of Gallipoli
Who? The French and the British were joined by the Australians and New Zealanders against the Turkish.
What? It was an unsuccessful attempt by the Allied power to control the sea route from Europe to Russia.
Where? Gallipoli Peninsula.
Why? The Allies wanted to control the sea route from Europe to Russia.
Impact/Outcome? The Allies evacuated their failed plan. There were over 250,000 casualties. -
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Battle of Verdun
Who? Germans against the French.
What? One of the longest, bloodiest, and most ferocious battles of the war. Germany took Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux.
Where? Verdun
Why? Germany wanted to take down France. They pinpointed Verdun because it was a military stronghold along the eastern border.
Impact/Outcome? The Germans call off their offensive and the French retake Douaumont and Vaux. Around 700,000 people die. It was a stalemate. -
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Battle of Jutland
Who? British and German fleets.
What? The British find out that the Germans have left port. The British meet the German fleets and the battle begins. The British have the advantage.
Where? Skagerrak, arm of the North Sea, about 60 miles off the coast of Jutland (Denmark).
Why? The Germans saw advantage when they saw the British in between German fleets and German ports.
Impact/Outcome? The battle was a tie. Both sides won. Germany had destroyed more ships. Britain controlled North Sea. -
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Battle of the Somme
Who? Britain and France against Germany.
What? The Allies set off mines in the morning on July 1 (this failed). The Germans used machine guns to fight off the British.
Where? Somme River Valley, France
Why? The French and the British wanted to drain the German Army of troops and arms.
Impact/Outcome? This ended in a stalemate and over a million people were killed. -
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Battle of Chateau-Thierry
Who? American forces teamed up with the French.
What? It was part of the Second Battle of the Marne. The Allies executed a surprise early morning counterattack on the Germans.
Where? The Marne , Belleau Wood
Why? The Americans wanted to gain important ground.
Impact/Outcome? Americans won and they gained important ground. There were also major casualties. This was considered the turning point of the war. -
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Second Battle of the Marne
Who? Germany against France (assisted by British, American, and Italian units)
What? Last large German offensive of WWI. Germany planned to divert and split the French armies. The French foresaw the attacks and they counterattacked.
Where? In France; Marne River
Why? The Germans wanted to capture Reims and split the French army.
Impact/Outcome? German offensive was called off. The Allied troops attacked the Germans' large Marne salient, and they cross the Marne 3 days later. Germans retreated. -
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Battle of Amiens
Who? German General Ludendorff versus British troops.
What? Ludendorff attacked the city in hopes of forcing the British troops to the English Channel.
Where? Amiens, France
Why? Important to the Allies because it was a major rail hub used to receive supplies for the front line and from where those supplies were moved out to where they were needed.
Impact/Outcome? This led to the end of the First World War. Many German forces surrendered. -
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Battle of St. Mihiel
Who? France and USA against Germany.
What? It was the first independent operation of the newly organized U.S. First army during WWI (American Expeditionary Force (AEF)). America attacked the German troops who were retreating from the Saint-Mihiel salient to the Hindenburg Line.
Where? St. Mihiel, France -- Western Front
Why? The Americans wanted to attack the Germans.
Impact/Outcome? The First American Army had a success. This boosted the morale of the American troops.