List of World War I Battles
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World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, which lasted from August 1914 to November 1918, was, at the time, the largest single war ever to have occurred. There was a large number of allies on each side of the conflict, and their geographical location and that of their imperial provinces meant that parts of the war were fought all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and in other places such as North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. A battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
is a smaller conflict between two military enemies that often makes up part of a war. This is a list (though not exhaustive) of the battles of World War I, in chronological order. They are organised as to the opening date of the battle.
August
- 5 Battle of LiegeBattle of LiègeThe Battle of Liège was the opening engagement of the German invasion of Belgium, and the first battle of World War I. The attack on the city began on 5 August 1914 and lasted until the 16th when the last Belgian fort finally surrendered...
- 5 Battle of the FrontiersBattle of the FrontiersThe Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of World War I. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan...
- 7 Battle of MulhouseBattle of MulhouseThe Battle of Mulhouse , which began on August 9, 1914, was the opening attack of World War I by the French army against Germany...
- 12 Battle of HaelenBattle of HaelenThe Battle of Haelen was a cavalry battle on the Western Front at the beginning of World War I. It took place on August 12, 1914 between German forces led by Georg von der Marwitz and the Belgian forces led by Leon De Witte and resulted in a tactical victory for the Belgians.-Strategic...
- 14 Invasion of Lorraine
- 16-19 Battle of Jadar, also Battle of TekerisTekerišTekeriš is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Loznica municipality, in the Mačva District. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 370 people .-History:...
, also Battle of Cer - 17 Battle of StalluponenBattle of StalluponenThe Battle of Stallupönen, fought between Russian and German armies on August 17, 1914, was the opening battle of World War I on the Eastern Front...
- 20 Battle of GumbinnenBattle of GumbinnenThe Battle of Gumbinnen, initiated by forces of the German Empire on August 20, 1914, was the first major German offensive on the Eastern Front during the First World War...
- 21 Battle of the ArdennesBattle of the ArdennesThe Battle of the Ardennes was one of the opening battles of World War I. It took place from August 21–23, 1914, part of the Battle of the Frontiers.-Background:...
- 21 Battle of CharleroiBattle of CharleroiThe Battle of Charleroi , or the Battle of the Sambre , was fought on 21 August 1914, between French and German forces and was part of the Battle of the Frontiers. The French were planning an attack across the Sambre River, when the Germans launched an attack of their own...
- 21 Siege of Namur (1914)
- 23 Battle of MonsBattle of MonsThe Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
- 23 Capture of Dinant
- 25 Siege of MaubeugeSiege of MaubeugeThe Siege of Maubeuge took place between August 24 and September 7, 1914 when the French garrison of the Maubeuge Fortress finally surrendered to the Germans at the start of World War I on the Western Front....
- 25 Destruction of Louvain
- 26 Battle of Le CateauBattle of Le CateauThe Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
- 26 Battle of TannenbergBattle of Tannenberg (1914)The Battle of Tannenberg was an engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I. It was fought by the Russian First and Second Armies against the German Eighth Army between 23 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete...
- 28 Battle of Heligoland Bight
- 29 Battle of Guise
- 29-30 Battle of St. QuentinBattle of St. QuentinThere have been a number of battles known as the Battle of St. Quentin or the Battle of San Quentin, most of which were fought in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, Aisne in Picardy, France....
September
- 6 First Battle of the MarneFirst Battle of the MarneThe Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
- 6 Battle of DrinaBattle of DrinaThe Battle of Drina was fought between Serbian and Austro-Hungarian armies in World War I, in September 1914. The Austro-Hungarians engaged in a significant offensive over the Drina river at the western Serbian border, and battles commenced, the heaviest being Battle of Mačkov Kamen and Battle on...
- 9 First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
- 12 Battle of Bita PakaBattle of Bita PakaThe Battle of Bita Paka was fought south of Kabakaul, on the island of New Britain, and was a part of the invasion and subsequent occupation of German New Guinea by the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force shortly after the outbreak of the First World War...
- 12 First Battle of the AisneFirst Battle of the AisneThe First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
- 25 First Battle of Albert
- 25 Battle of SandfonteinBattle of SandfonteinThe Battle of Sandfontein took place in South-West Africa at the outset of World War I.General Sir Henry Lukin commanded the South African forces...
- 28 Siege of AntwerpSiege of AntwerpThe Siege of Antwerp was an engagement between the German and the Belgian armies during World War I. A small number of British and Austrian troops took part as well.-Strategic Context:...
October
- 1 First Battle of Arras
- 17 Siege of Tsingtao until 7 Nov
- 19-22 First Battle of YpresFirst Battle of YpresThe First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
- 19- Battle of the YserBattle of the YserThe Battle of the Yser secured part of the coastline of Belgium for the allies in the "Race to the Sea" after the first three months of World War I.-Strategic Context:As part of the execution of the Schlieffen Plan, Belgium had been invaded by Germany...
November
- 1 Battle of CoronelBattle of CoronelThe First World War naval Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher...
- 3 Raid on YarmouthRaid on YarmouthThe Raid on Yarmouth, which took place on 3 November 1914, was an attack by the German Navy on the British North Sea port and town of Great Yarmouth. Little damage was done to the town since shells only landed on the beach after German ships laying mines offshore were interrupted by British...
- 3 Battle of Kilimanjiro
- 3 Battle of TangaBattle of TangaThe Battle of Tanga, sometimes also known as the Battle of the Bees, was the unsuccessful attack by the British Indian Expeditionary Force “B” under Major General A.E. Aitken to capture German East Africa during World War I in concert with the invasion Force “C” near Longido on the slopes of...
- 5 Capture of Basra
- 11 Battle of LodzBattle of LódzIn the history of warfare there were two battles fought in the vicinity of the city of Łódź:# Battle of Łódź during World War I# Battle of Łódź during the Invasion of Poland...
December
- 3 Battle of QurnaBattle of QurnaThe Battle of Qurna, was between British forces and Ottoman forces that had retreated from Basra, which they lost at the Battle of Basra during the Mesopotamian campaign of World War I.-Background:...
- 3-9 Battle of KolubaraBattle of KolubaraThe Battle of Kolubara was a major victory of Serbia over the invading Austro-Hungarian armies during World War I. The invaders were routed, and driven back across the Serbian border....
- 8 Battle of the Falkland IslandsBattle of the Falkland IslandsThe Battle of the Falkland Islands was a British naval victory over the Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 during the First World War in the South Atlantic...
- 16 Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and WhitbyRaid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and WhitbyThe raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, which took place on 16 December 1914, was an attack by the Imperial German Navy on the British seaport towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, and Whitby. The attack resulted in 137 fatalities and 592 casualties, many of which were civilians...
- 18 Battle of GivenchyBattle of GivenchyBattle of Givenchy was a battle fought during World War I as part of the First Battle of Champagne, that saw an initially advancing British force face strong opposition and counter-attack from a solidly entrenched German force around the village of Givenchy.With the French under heavy pressure at...
- 20 First Battle of the Champagne
February
- 3 Defence of the Suez Canal
- 7 Second Battle of the Masurian LakesSecond Battle of the Masurian LakesThe Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes, also known as the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes, was the northern part of the Central Powers' offensive on the Eastern Front in the winter of 1915...
- 19 Dardanelles Bombardment
April
- 11 Battle of ShaibaBattle of ShaibaThe Battle of Shaiba, 12–14 April 1915 was between British forces and Ottoman forces that were trying to retake the city of Basra from the British.-Background:...
- 22 Battle of Gravenstafel (part of Second Battle of YpresSecond Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
) - 24 Battle of St Juliaan (part of Second Battle of YpresSecond Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
) - 25 Anzac CoveAnzac CoveAnzac Cove is a small cove on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. It became famous as the site of World War I landing of the ANZAC on April 25, 1915. The cove is a mere long, bounded by the headlands of Ari Burnu to the north and Little Ari Burnu, known as Hell Spit, to the south...
- 25 Landing at Cape HellesLanding at Cape HellesThe landing at Cape Helles was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula by British and French forces on April 25, 1915 during the First World War. Helles, at the foot of the peninsula, was the main landing area. With the support of the guns of the Royal Navy, a British division...
- 28 First Battle of KrithiaFirst Battle of KrithiaThe First Battle of Krithia was the first Allied advance of the Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War. Starting at Helles on 28 April, three days after the initial landings, the attack broke down due to poor leadership and planning, lack of communications and exhaustion and demoralisation...
May
- 1 Eski HissarlikEski HissarlikThe Battle of Eski Hissarlik took place on the 1st May 1915 and was an attempt made by the Ottomans, commanded by Liman von Sanders to push Allied troops back to the sea.-Prelude:...
- 6 Second Battle of KrithiaSecond Battle of KrithiaThe Second Battle of Krithia continued the Allies' attempts to advance on the Helles battlefield during the Battle of Gallipoli of the First World War. The village of Krithia and neighbouring hill of Achi Baba had to be captured in order for the British to advance up the Gallipoli peninsula to the...
- 8 Battle of Frezenberg (part of Second Battle of YpresSecond Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
) - 15 Battle of FestubertBattle of FestubertThe Battle of Festubert was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. It began on May 15, 1915 and continued until May 25.-Context:...
- 19 Turkish attack at Anzac Cove
- 24 Battle of Bellewaarde (final part of Second Battle of YpresSecond Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
) - 31 Capture of Amara
June
- 4 Third Battle of KrithiaThird Battle of KrithiaThe Third Battle of Krithia , fought on the Gallipoli peninsula during World War I, was the final in a series of Allied attacks against the Ottoman defences aimed at capturing the original objectives of 25 April 1915...
- 23 First Battle of the IsonzoFirst Battle of the IsonzoThe First Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the Armies of Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front in World War I, between June 23 and July 7, 1915....
- 27 Battle of Nasiriyeh
- 28 Battle of Gully RavineBattle of Gully RavineThe Battle of Gully Ravine was a World War I battle fought at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula. By June 1915 all thoughts the Allies had of a swift decisive victory over the Ottoman Empire had vanished...
August
- 6 Suvla Bay
- 6 Battle of Lone PineBattle of Lone PineThe Battle of Lone Pine was a battle between Australian and Turkish forces that took place during the Gallipoli campaign from 6–10 August 1915. It was part of a diversion to draw attention from the main assaults of 6 August against the Sari Bair peaks of Chunuk Bair and Hill 971, which became...
- 6 Battle of Sari BairBattle of Sari BairThe Battle of Sari Bair , also known as the August Offensive, was the final attempt made by the British in August 1915 to seize control of the Gallipoli peninsula from the Ottoman Empire during First World War.The Battle of Gallipoli had raged on two fronts, Anzac and Helles, for three months since...
- 6 Battle of the NekBattle of the NekThe Battle of the Nek was a small World War I battle fought as part of the Gallipoli campaign. "The Nek" was a narrow stretch of ridge in the Anzac battlefield on the Gallipoli peninsula. The name derives from the Afrikaans word for a "mountain pass" but the terrain itself was a perfect bottleneck...
- 21 Battle of Hill 60Battle of Hill 60Battle of Hill 60 is a name shared by two battles of World War I:* Battle of Hill 60 , a subsidiary battle to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle...
- 21 Battle of Scimitar HillBattle of Scimitar HillThe Battle of Scimitar Hill was the last offensive mounted by the British at Suvla during the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I. It was also the largest single-day attack ever mounted by the Allies at Gallipoli, involving three divisions...
September
- 25 Battle of LoosBattle of LoosThe Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
- 28 Kut-al-Amara
- 28 Battle of Es Sinn
March
- 8 Battle of DujailaBattle of DujailaThe Battle of Dujaila was fought on 8 March 1916, between British and Ottoman forces during the First World War. The Ottoman forces, led by Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz were besieging Kut, when the Anglo-Indian relief force, led by Lieutenant-General Fenton Aylmer, attempted to relieve the city...
- 9 Fifth Battle of the IsonzoFifth Battle of the IsonzoThe Fifth Battle of the Isonzo was fought from March 9-15, 1916 between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary. The Italians, under immense pressure from the French commanders, had decided to launch another offensive on the Soča River.-Background:After four attempts to...
- 18 Battle of Lake Naroch
July
- 1 Battle of the Somme
- 14 Battle of Bazentin RidgeBattle of Bazentin RidgeThe Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle of the Somme. Dismissed beforehand by one French commander as "an attack organized for amateurs by amateurs", it turned out to be "hugely successful" for...
- 15 Battle of Delville Wood
- 23 Battle of Pozieres Ridge
September
- 3 Battle of GuillemontBattle of GuillemontThe Battle of Guillemont was a British assault on the German-held village of Guillemont during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Guillemont lay on the right flank of the British sector where it linked with French forces and by holding it, the Germans prevented the Allied armies from operating in...
- 14 Seventh Battle of the IsonzoSeventh Battle of the IsonzoThe Seventh Battle of the Isonzo was fought from September 14-17, 1916 between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary.- Battle :...
- 15 Battle of Flers-CourceletteBattle of Flers-CourceletteThe Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
March
- 11 Capture of Baghdad
- 13 Samarrah OffensiveSamarrah OffensiveThe Samarrah Offensive was launched by the British against the Ottomans as part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I....
- 19 Seizure of Falluja
- 25 Battle of Jebel Hamlin
- 26 First Battle of GazaFirst Battle of GazaThe First Battle of Gaza was fought in and around the town of Gaza on the Mediterranean coast in the southern region of Ottoman Palestine on 26 March 1917, during World War I...
April
- 9 Battle of Vimy RidgeBattle of Vimy RidgeThe Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
- 11 Battle of Shiala
- 16 Second Battle of the AisneSecond Battle of the AisneThe Second Battle of the Aisne , was the massive main assault of the French military's Nivelle Offensive or Chemin des Dames Offensive in 1917 during World War I....
- 17 Second Battle of GazaSecond Battle of GazaThe Second Battle of Gaza, fought in southern Palestine during the First World War, was another attempt mounted by British Empire forces to break Ottoman defences along the Gaza-Beersheba line...
- 21 Battle of Istabulat
- 30 Battle of the Boot
July
- 31 Third Battle of Ypres
- 31 Battle of Passchendaele
October
- 24 Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo
- 24 Battle of CaporettoBattle of CaporettoThe Battle of Caporetto , took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid , on the Austro-Italian front of World War I...
- 31 Third Battle of GazaThird Battle of GazaThe Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during the First World War. The British Empire forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby successfully broke the Ottoman defensive Gaza-Beersheba line...
- 31 Battle of Beersheba
November
- 5 Capture of Tikrit
- 13 Battle of Mughar RidgeBattle of Mughar RidgeThe Battle of El Mughar Ridge , took place on 13 November 1917 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War...
- 20 Battle of Cambrai
April
- 9 Battle of the Lys/Operation Georgette
- 23 Raid on Zeebrugge
May
- 27 Third Battle of the Aisne/Operation Blücher-YorckThird Battle of the AisneThe Third Battle of the Aisne was a battle of the German Spring Offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Force could arrive completely in France. It was one of a series of desperate offensives, known as the Kaiserschlacht,...
- 28 Battle of CantignyBattle of CantignyThe Battle of Cantigny, fought on 28 May 1918 was the first American offensive of World War I. The U.S. 1st Division, the most experienced of the seven American divisions then in France and in reserve for the French Army near the village of Cantigny, was selected for the attack...
June
- 1 Battle of Belleau WoodBattle of Belleau WoodThe Battle of Belleau Wood occurred during the German 1918 Spring Offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S...
- 18 Battle of Chateau-ThierryBattle of Château-ThierryThere have been two Battles of Château-Thierry fought near the French town of Château-Thierry on the Marne River:* Battle of Château-Thierry , 12 February 1814, Napoleon defeats Blücher...
- 15 Battle of the Piave RiverBattle of the Piave RiverThe Battle of the Piave River , known in Italy as Battaglia del Solstizio , Battaglia di Mezzo Giugno , or Seconda Battaglia del Piave , was a decisive victory for the Italian Army during World War...
- 18 Action of 18 June 1918Action of 18 June 1918The Action of 18 June 1918 was a German Navy attack on two allied ships near Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean during World War I. A German U-boat sank an allied merchant vessel but failed to destroy an American warship which came to the merchantman's aid.-Action:...
July
- 4 Battle of HamelBattle of HamelThe Battle of Hamel was a successful attack launched by the Australian Corps of the Australian Imperial Force and several American units against German positions in and around the town of Hamel in northern France during World War I....
- 14 Battle of Abu TellulBattle of Abu TellulThe Battle of Abu Tellul was fought on 14 July 1918 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I between German and Ottoman Empire forces which attacked the front line of the British Empire garrison protecting their occupation of the Jordan Valley...
- 15 Second Battle of the MarneSecond Battle of the MarneThe Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
- 18 Battle of SoissonsBattle of Soissons (1918)The Battle of Soissons was a World War I battle, waged during 18 July to 22 July 1918, between the French and the German armies....
- 21 Attack on Orleans
September
- 12 Battle of HavrincourtBattle of Havrincourt- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
- 12 Battle of Saint-MihielBattle of Saint-MihielThe Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12–15, 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions...
- 18 Battle of EpehyBattle of EpéhyThe Battle of Épehy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.- Prelude :...
- 19 Battle of MegiddoBattle of Megiddo (1918)The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
- 26 Battle of the Argonne ForestMeuse-Argonne OffensiveThe Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
- 27 Battle of the Canal du NordBattle of the Canal du NordThe Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
- 29 Battle of St. Quentin Canal
October
- 8 Battle of CambraiBattle of Cambrai (1918)The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
- 23 Battle of Vittorio VenetoBattle of Vittorio VenetoThe Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...
- 23 Battle of SharqatBattle of SharqatThe Battle of Sharqat was between the British and the Ottoman Empire in the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I, which became the final conflict that ended as a result of the signing of armistice....
See also
- Timeline of World War I
- List of military engagements of World War I
- List of battles 1901–2000