Overview of the war:Western Front

The Schlieffen Plan was created by General Count Alfred von Schlieffen in December 1905.

The attack in August 1914 nearly succeeded and was only defeated by the first Battle of the Marne.

Schlieffen's speedy attack and expected defeat of France never occurred - it's failure did usher in the era of trench warfare that is so much linked to World War One.

The British tried at Neuve Chapelle and Loos.

The french lost thousands of men in an unsuccessful offensive in Champagne.

The Germans were driven back from Ypres in April.

It was at this second battle of Ypres that poison gas was first used.

VERDUN THE SOMME In February 1916, the

German (Commander Erick von Falkenhayn) launched a massive attack against this French fortress town.

General Philippe Pètain held out at a huge cost.

The casualties eventually (more than 800,000) broke all previous records for killing and destruction.

The Battle of the Somme is famous chiefly on account of the loss of 58,000 British troops (one third of them killed) on the first day of the battle, 1 July 1916, which to this day remains a one-day record. 

The aim of this attack was to take pressure off the French at Verdun.

The first attack was the most intensive preliminary artillery bombardment ever made.

A second major attack was made in September, tanks were used for the first time.

In February 1917, the germans withdrew behind the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line fortifications in north-eastern france.

During the rest of the year the British and French continued with no major breakthroughs.

In the battle of Cambrai, British and Australians using tanks broke through, but the Germans were able to counter-attack successfully.

In early 1917, German submarines began attacking American supply ships and passenger ships.

Following the success of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, an armistice was signed between the Bolsheviks and the Germans.

Germany had a war on only one front. In the sping of 1918, the Germans launched a

massive attack against the Allies but were not defeated.

By fall, the German military was weak . Germany agreed to an armistice on November 11,

1918.