By and large, the entire history of mankind is a series of battles and truces, sometimes short-term, sometimes long-term. Some battles have been lost in the memory of centuries, others remain well-known, however, over time, everything is erased, forgotten. The war, which claimed the lives of at least 20 million people, and crippled incomparably more, the battles for which were fierce not only in Europe, but also in Africa and the Middle East, is slowly fading into the past. And the new generation not only does not know the main battles of the First World War, but is not even able to remember the chronological framework of this page in a history covered in blood and covered with gunpowder of burnt houses.
Members
The opposing sides were united in two blocs - the Entente and the Quaternary (Triple Alliance). Partthe first included the Russian and British empires, France (as well as several dozen allied countries, including the United States, Japan). The triple alliance was concluded by Italy, Germany and Austria-Hungary. However, in the future, Italy went over to the side of the Entente, and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria controlled by it became allies. This association received the name of the Quaternary Union. The causes of the conflict, which led to the major battles of the First World War, are called various, but the most likely is still a complex of several factors, including economic and territorial ones. The boiling point in the world was reached when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the hope of the entire vast Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo. Thus, the wartime countdown began on July 28.
Battle of Marne
This is almost the main battle of the First World War at its very beginning, in September 1914. The arena of hostilities, which unfolded in the north of France, took about 180 km, and 5 armies of Germany and 6 of England and France took part. As a result, the Entente managed to prevent plans for a quick defeat of France, thereby radically changing the further course of the war.
Battle of Galicia
This operation of the troops of the Russian Empire was noted as the main battle of the First World War, which engulfed the Eastern Front at the beginning of the military conflict. The confrontation lasted almost a month, from August to September 1914, and approximately 2 million people took part. Austria-Hungary eventually lost more than 325 thousand soldiers (withprisoners, inclusive), and Russia - 230 thousand.
Battle of Jutland
This is the main battle of the First World War, the scene of which was the North Sea (near the Jutland Peninsula). The confrontation flared up between the fleets of Germany and the British Empire on May 31 and June 1, 1916, the balance of power was 99 to 148 ships (superiority on the side of the British). The losses of both sides were very tangible (respectively, 11 ships and more than 3 thousand people from the German side and 14 ships and almost 7 thousand fighting from the British side). But the rivals shared the victory - although Germany did not manage to reach the goal and break through the blockade, the enemy's losses were much more significant.
Battle of Verdun
This is one of the more bloody pages, including the major battles of the First World War, which lasted for most of 1916 (February to December) in the north-east of France. As a result of the fighting, about a million people died. In addition, the "Verdun meat grinder" became a harbinger of the defeat of the Triple Alliance and the strengthening of the Entente.
Brusilovsky breakthrough
This battle of the First World War with the participation of Russia on the Southwestern Front was one of the largest military operations organized directly by the Russian command. The offensive of the troops entrusted to General Brusilov started in June 1916 in the Austrian sector. Bloody battles with varying successcontinued throughout the summer and early autumn, however, it was still not possible to withdraw Austria-Hungary from the war, but the huge losses of the Russian Empire became one of the catalysts that led to the February Revolution.
Operation Knievel
Complex offensive actions designed to turn the tide of battles on the Western Front were organized jointly by England and France and lasted from April to May 1917, and the forces they put up far exceeded Germany's capabilities. However, it was not possible to make a brilliant breakthrough, but the number of victims is impressive - the Entente lost about 340 thousand people, while the defending Germans - 163 thousand.
Main tank battles of World War I
At the time of the First World War, the time for the widespread use of tanks had not yet come, but they managed to mark themselves. On September 15, 1916, for the first time, the English Mk. I entered the battlefield, and at least 18 out of 49 vehicles managed to take part (17 turned out to be out of order even before the start of the battle, and 14 were irreparably bogged down along the road or were out of order due to breakdowns), yet their very appearance caused confusion in the ranks of the enemy and broke through the lines of the Germans to a depth of 5 km.
The first battles directly between the vehicles took place towards the end of the war, when three Mk. IV (England) and three A7V (Germany) unexpectedly collided near Villers-Breton in April 1918, resulting in one tank from each the parties were seriously injured, but the overall outcome is difficult to interpret in favor of one of the parties. On the same day, the British Mk. A were “unlucky”, which suffered from the A7V that survived the first encounter. Although the ratio was 1:7, the advantage remained on the side of the cannon "German", additionally supported by artillery.
An interesting clash occurred on October 8, 1918, when 4 British Mk. IVs and the same number of the same German tanks (captured) collided, both sides suffered losses. However, the main battle of the First World War was left without the support of new dangerous armored vehicles.
The First World War caused the collapse of four huge empires at once - the British, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Russian, and both the winners in the face of the Entente and the defeated in the face of Germany, Austria-Hungary suffered, besides the Germans for a long time time were formally deprived of the opportunity to build a paramilitary state.
More than 12 million civilians and 10 million soldiers became victims of hostilities, a very difficult time of survival and recovery has come around the world. On the other hand, it was during 1914-1919 that a noticeable development of weapons took place, for the first time light machine guns, grenade launchers began to be used, tanks were noted on the roads of war, and in the sky - aircraft that began to support the troops from the air. However, the great battles of the First World War were only harbingers of those hostilities that unfolded two decades later.
