Military History of the First World War
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The Western Front
During 1915, in France, the British army, under Sir John French, mounted an independent attack on the Germans in the battle of Neuve Chapelle (10th - 13th March) in an attempt to gain the Aubers Ridge They pierced the line, but were unable to exploit the breach. The Germans mounted an attack using poison gas for the first time, resulting in the second battle of Ypres, which the British were able to contain, after suffering severe losses. At the Second Battle of Ypres (April 22nd) the Germans made the first use of poison gas in the history of warfare. Nonetheless, the Germans were not able by this means to break the British lines either. Joffre also attacked in the area of Artois between the Vimy Ridge and Arras. The German line was depleted owing to the transfer of men to the Austrian front, and the French were able to take Vimy Ridge on two separate occasions, but on both they lacked the manpower to be able to hold it. Advancing forces moved out of the range of covering artillery, and this made them vulnerable to counter-attack - a theme of the warfare on the Western front from 1914 onwards. French casualties were 100,000 compared to German casualties of 60,000. But the collapse of the Russian front made it imperative for the British and French to launch another offensive, to relieve pressure on the Russians. In the autumn Joffre launched attacks simultaneously in Artois and the Champagne, though the main thrust was in the Champagne where he massed 20 divisions and 700 heavy guns. In Artois the attack was conducted by 11 French and 5 British divisions. The French made some early gains and took the German first line, but failed to overrun the second. Falkenhayn rapidly transferred men from the Eastern front and thus halted the French attack. However, as Falkenhayn also transferred forces facing the British, the British under Sir John French were able to capture the German first line of trenches on a four mile front at the village of Loos. However, on the second day of fighting two British divisions were cut up in the attempt to take the German second line. There were 8,000 casualties and Sir John French was sacked. Thus, in September 1915 the Allies sustained 200,000 casualties in comparison to 85,000 German and were unable to mount another offensive.
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Contents of
Military History of the First World War
1 The Central Powers and the Entente
2 The run-up to the war: The July Crisis, 1914
3 Military Planning in Advance of the War
4 Serbia and the Eastern Front, 1914
5 The Battle for the Marne
6 The Race to the Sea and the First Battle of Ypres
7 First Battle of Ypres
8 The Pacific
9 Africa
10 The Eastern Front during 1915
11 Italy enters the war
12 The Balkans
13 The Western Front
14 Gallipoli
15 The Western Front, 1916
16 Verdun
17 The Battle of the Somme
18 The Trentino Offensive
19 The Brusilov Offensive
20 Romania
21 The Russian Front in 1917
22 Mesopotamia
23 The Nivelle Offensive
24 The Third Battle of Ypres (The Battle of Passendaele)
25 Cambrai
26 Caporetto
27 German offensive in Russia, 1918
28 Ludendorff's offensive in the West
29 Allied counter-offensive
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