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First Battle of the Marne
The French and British armies counterattacked the German army, which had invaded France and Belgium and was within 30 miles of Paris. The French surprise attack halted the German advance, and both sides dug in. The battle was a strategic victory for the French, but the Germans were able to capture a large part of the industrial northeast of France. -
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Second Battle of Ypres
What led up to the Second Battle of Ypres was the German military's desire to test a new weapon, chlorine gas, against Allied forces in the Ypres Salient. The battle was fought in the Ypres Salient, a section of the front line surrounding the town of Ypres, Belgium. By the end of the battle, the Allies won and remained in possession of Ypres but the salient was constricted and valuable high ground had been lost. 60,260 British soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing. -
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Battle of Gallipoli
The Battle of Gallipoli was a military campaign on the Gallipoli peninsula in Ottoman Turkey, which is now known as Gelibolu. What led to the battle was the Allied powers' desire to knock Ottoman Turkey out of World War I by capturing the Dardanelles Strait. British, French, and Russian Empire troops were against the Ottoman Empire; it was a military defeat for the Allies, with heavy casualties and the failure to achieve the campaign's goals. -
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Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was primarily instigated by German General Erich von Falkenhayn, who aimed to strategically bleed the French army. The battle resulted in an estimated 800,000 soldiers dead, wounded, or missing. France won the battle, but neither side gained much territory. -
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Battle of Jutland
The German High Seas Fleet hoped to weaken the Royal Navy by launching an ambush on the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea. The German dead amounted to 2,551, but British losses were 6,097. Both sides claimed victory. The outcome was confirmed British naval dominance and secured its control of shipping lanes. -
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Brusilov Offensive
Russia had lost a great deal of territory to Germany and Austria in 1915, and they wanted to gain it back. Russian casualties, ranging from 500,000 to 1 million soldiers killed, wounded, or captured, while the combined forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany suffered between 1 and 1.5 million casualties during the offensive. The battle was a significant Russian victory against the Austro-Hungarian forces, capturing large swathes of territory in Galicia and Bukovina. -
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Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was primarily triggered by the stalemate on the Western Front during World War I. There were over one million casualties and 300,000 fatalities. The battle is considered a British victory; the battle forced the Germans to divert troops from their siege of Verdun. This allowed the French to launch a successful counterattack. -
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Battle of Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele was primarily triggered by British Commander-in-Chief, General Douglas Haig's desire to capture German submarine bases on the Belgian coast. The battle resulted in nearly 600,000 deaths. The battle was a tactical Allied victory, with British and Canadian forces capturing the village of Passchendaele, but at a tremendous cost with massive casualties on both sides. -
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Battle of Tannenberg
When the Russian 2nd Army advanced into East Prussia during the early stages of World War I, and the German 8th Army launched a concentrated attack against them, exploiting poor Russian communication and coordination to encircle and decisively defeat Samsonov's forces. Near the city of Tannenberg, Germany vs. Russia, German victory, with the Russians losing almost an entire army. -
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Battle of Caporetto
Caporetto had been selected by the Central Powers as the target for a major offensive because of the weakness of the Italian defence there. Italian losses were enormous: 13,000 were killed, 30,000 wounded and 265,000–275,000 were taken prisoner. Despite the victory, the Central Powers were unable to capitalize on it and Italy recovered well. Italy emerged victorious after the final battle of Vittorio Veneto. -
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Battle of Cambrai
The plan for the battle came about as a result of an idea initially put forward by Lt-Col JFC Fuller, GSO1 of the Tank Corps. The battle caused approximately 45,000 casualties for the British and 41,000 for the Germans. The Allies won and had gained in some areas and lost in others. Overall, the Allies had gained little territory from the battle. -
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Spring Offensive
The German Spring Offensive of 1918 was a last-ditch effort to break the stalemate on the Western Front in World War I. The British lost 236, 000 men and the French 92, 000, amounting to an Allied total of about 328, 000. Estimated German losses were 348, 000.The Allies ultimately won the Spring Offensive, despite initial German gains, as the German offensive eventually stalled and was pushed back by Allied counterattacks. -
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Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne was triggered by a final major German offensive aimed at drawing Allied troops away from the Flanders region in Belgium. Germans over 168,000 casualties, but Allied casualties were equally high - 13,000 British and dominion, 12,000 American and 95,000 French. Allied victory, German offensive was halted and the Allies began a sustained counteroffensive that eventually led to the end of the war. -
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Battle of Belleau Wood
The chief of the German supreme command conceived another offensive as a diversion to draw French troops away from the Flanders front. American, 9,777 casualties (1,811 killed); German, 9,500 casualties, including 1,600 captured. Allied victory, with the US Marines successfully driving German forces out of the woods, significantly boosting morale among the Allies. -
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Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive was primarily caused by the Allies gaining a significant advantage in manpower and resources following the failed German Spring Offensive of 1918. The Allies suffered approximately 1,070,000 casualties, and the Germans lost 1,172,075 casualties. The Offensive led to the defeat of the German Army. By the Summer of 1918, German attacks in the war had halted.