BATTLE OF ARRAS
The Labyrinth, Arras, France. The British Army dug a huge system of tunnels beneath the German lines at Arras in preparation for an assault launched in April 1917. Photo / Getty
By 1917, the Western Front had been at a stalemate for two years. Both sides had already incurred millions of casualties, thanks in large part to battles at Verdun and the Somme. The Allied high command needed to break the German lines, so formed a plan to assault the trenches at the town of Arras. These were a maze of trenches stretching from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border. This battle was tactically a British victory, but didn't result in the breakthrough the Allies had hoped for. The Allies lost 158,000 casualties in the assault, to a German loss of 120,000. This battle was considered indecisive. |
BATTLE OF THE SOMME
This battle took place between 1 July to 18 November, 1916. Battles took place on both sides of the Somme River in France. The Somme is remembered as an example of the senseless slaughters of the war.
The battle was an Allied victory, but they paid a heavy price of 623,906 casualties, including 100 tanks and 782 aircraft. The Germans lost nearly 600,000 men. The British prepared for the offensive with a massive several day artillery barrage on the German lines. On the opening day of the battle, the British suffered 60,000 casualties including the death of 19,240 in one day. It was the greatest single day loss of life in the history of the British Army. The battle was strategically important to the allies, as it forced the Germans to withdraw 40 miles and later set the stage for the final victory in 1918.. |
HUNDRED DAYS OFFENSIVE
1,855,369 total casualties
This series of offensives occurred during the final period of WWI. It began on 8 August and went until November, 1918. The result of this offense was a resounding success for the allies which broke the German Army. The Germans sustained heavy casualties, 785.733, but the allies paid dearly losing a total of 1,069,636 casualties, including 127,000 Americans. The loss and collapse of the German Empire resulted in humiliating and demanding terms in the peace treaty. |