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Battle of Tannenberg
The Battle of Tannenberg was primarily caused by the Russian invasion of East Prussia during World War I, where two separate Russian armies became significantly separated. The Russians lost 30,000 killed or wounded, while the Germans sustained a total of only 13,000 casualties. Some 92,000 Russian prisoners were taken. The Germans won.The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of half of the Russian Second Army and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov -
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First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was preceded by Germany's invasion of Belgium and a rapid advance through northern France, following the Schlieffen Plan. This battle resulted in 250,000 French casualties, 12,733 British casualties and 298,000 German casualties. This battle was an Allied victory. It effectively stopped the German advance on Paris, foiling the Schlieffen Plan, and forced the war into a prolonged stalemate on the Western Front, -
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Battle of Gallipoli
The Battle of Gallipoli was triggered by the Allied powers' desire to knock Turkey out of the war by seizing control of the Dardanelles Strait.The Battle of Gallipoli resulted in around 8,700 Australian fatalities, 2,779 New Zealand deaths,and an estimated 250,000 casualties for the Ottoman Empire defending the peninsula. The Ottoman Empire won this battle.Overall the Gallipoli campaign was unsuccessful for the Allies.But the campaign did help to draw Ottoman troops away from the Caucasus front. -
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Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was primarily triggered by the German military's decision to use chlorine gas as a weapon against Allied forces. Losses are estimated at 59,000 British, 10,000 French, and 35,000 German. The Allies won this battle.The battle marked the Germans' first use of poison gas as a weapon. Although the gas attack opened a wide hole in the Allied line, the Germans failed to exploit that advantage. -
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Battle of Verdun
This World War I siege stemmed from German General Erich von Falkenhayn's edict to elicit major bloodshed from the French defense of the fortress complex around Verdun. approximately 714,000 casualties for both the French and German sides combined. France won this battle.The Battle of Verdun resulted in immense casualties for both French and German forces, leaving the battlefield devastated and psychologically scarring many soldiers. -
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Battle of the Somme
The Somme simply had to be fought. Mainly to take pressure off the French, but also to start wearing down the German army as part of grand allied strategy.The British Empire had suffered 420,000 casualties and the French 200,000 in the process. German losses were at least 450,000 killed and wounded. A total of over 1 million casualties. The Allies won this battle. The consequences were simply that a more professional and effective army emerged from the battle.