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Battle of Tannenberg
This was a major battle fought between Germany and Russia. Leading to a German victory. This battle resulted in the destruction of half the Russian Second Army, 92,000 prisoners captured, and 30,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded. This became a symbolic part of Russian and German political culture. The Russian invasion of East Prussia during the early stages of WW1 led to this battle. -
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First battle of the Marne
German forces advancing towards Paris during WW1 led to this battle. This battle was a crucial turning point in the war where Allied Forces successfully held the German forces from advancing towards Paris. This caused Germany to retreat and effectively crushed Germany's hopes for a quick win on the Western Front. Around 250,000 French perished, 12,733 British perished, and around 298,000 German perished in the Allied victory. -
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Battle of Gallipoli
A failed naval attempt by the British and French to force their way through the Dardanelles strait led to this battle. The battle was a land-based operation to allow Allied ships to pass through the Dardanelles, capture Constantinople, and knock Ottoman Turkey out of the war. There were around 27,000 French and 115,000 British and dominion troops killed or wounded. An estimated 86,900 Ottoman soldiers were killed in their Victory. -
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Second battle of Ypres
The Germans preparing to use chlorine gas as a weapon against the Allies led up to the battle. The battle was fought for control over the town of Ypres, Belgium. It marked the first time Germany used poison gas as a weapon on a large scale. There is an estimated number of 69,000 Allied troops and 35,000 German soldier deaths. The Allied Forces managed to hold back the German forces in a Victory. -
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Battle of Verdun
The strategic location and symbolic importance to both the French and Germans led to the battle of Verdun. This was an engagement where the French refused a major German offensive. It was one of the longest and most bloodiest battles of the war. Roughly 400,000 French casualties and about 350,000 casualties. France ended up coming out of the battle of Verdun victorious. -
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Battle of Jutland
The high and growing tensions between the British Royal Navy and the German High Seas Fleet led to this battle. This was the largest naval battle of the War, it involved 250 ships and around 100,000 men. Over this period there were several accounts of intense action. There were 2,551 Germans dead and 6,097 British soldiers dead. Although, there was no certain victor as both sides claimed to win there was huge amounts of damage done to both sides. -
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Brusilov Offensive
The tsar issued orders to speed the start of the Russian Summer Offensive. Tsar did this in response to pleas from the Italians facing Conrad's offensive, leading to the Brusilov Offensive. This was a major Russian attack against Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front. This battle took place in eastern Galicia. The Russian powers lost anywhere from 500,000-1,000,000 while the Central Powers lost about 1.5 million soldiers. The Russian army claimed a Victory in the Brusilov Offensive. -
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Battle of the Somme
The stalemate on the Western Front led up to this well needed battle. This battle was a brutal 5 month long operation between the French and British forces which intended to achieve a Victory over the Germans on the Western Front. There was over 1,000,000 casualties with roughly 420,000 coming from the British, 200,000 coming from the French, and 500,000 coming from the German. Despite the horrific losses the Allied powers rallied together and became victorious. -
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Battle of Passchendaele
After the Arras Offensive General Sir Douglas Haig planned a major attack that he thought would win them the war leading to the Battle of Passchendaele. This was a brutal campaign on the Western Front where British and French forces attempted to capture the important high ground around Ypres. The Allied Forces faced heavy resistance from Germany. Britain faced around 275,000 casualties while Germany had an estimate of 260,00. The British came out with a Victory with her help of Canadian forces. -
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Battle of Caporetto
The weakness of the Italian defence was mostly the reason this battle took place. This battle was a devastating defeat for the Italian army, where a combined Austro-German force launched a surprise attack on the Italian front along the Isonzo River, causing a massive retreat and resulting in huge casualties for the Italians, with many soldiers deserting or surrendering due to the demoralizing defeat. There were nearly 700,000 Italian casualties while Austro-German forces only had about 20,000. -
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Battle of Cambrai
There were several ideas that came up from proposals to capture the St Quentin Canal. This battle began when eight British divisions were launched against three German divisions. Attacking by complete surprise on November 20, the British tanks ripped through German defenses in depth and took around 7,500 prisoners with a low number of casualties. There were around 45,000 British soldiers killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. German forces only had 41,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or taken hostage. -
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Spring Offensive
The main reason the Spring Offensive took place was tactical expediency. a series of major attacks launched by the German army on the Western Front during World War I in 1918. Where they aimed to decisively defeat the Allies before the full arrival of American troops by utilizing a large force concentrated from the recently ended Eastern Front. resulting in initial gains but ultimately failing due to heavy casualties. The Allied Forces had about 328,00 casualties while Germany had about 348,000. -
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Second Battle of the Marne
The German Spring Offensives led up to this battle. This battle marked the final major German offensive, where they tried to draw Allied troops away from Flanders by attacking along the Marne River, but were decisively defeated by a combined French, British, and American counteroffensive. The German Forces had 168,000 casualties while the Allied Forces only suffered around 123,717 casualties. Most of the Allied Forces came from the French Forces. The Allies came away as victors of the battle. -
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Battle of Belleau Wood
The German Spring Offensive ultimately led to this battle. This battle was a pivotal engagement where the U.S. Marine Corps, successfully defended against a German offensive near the French town of Château-Thierry, stopping their advance towards Paris by fiercely battling through a dense wooded area called Belleau Wood. This battle hosted relentless close up combat with fists, bayonets, and knives. America suffered about 9,777 casualties in their win. Germany only had about 9,500 casualties. -
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Hundred Days Offensive
A major German spring offensive on the Western Front in 1918, known as "Operation Michael", which saw the Germans make significant gains but ultimately fail to achieve a decisive victory leading to the start of this battle. This was a series of major Allied attacks at the end of World War I, starting on August 8, 1918, with the Battle of Amiens, and culminating in the Armistice on November 11, 1918. The Allied Forces suffered 700,000 casualties while the Germans suffered 760,000 in the loss.