Western Front | |||||||
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Part of World War I | |||||||
British wounded at Bernafay Wood during the Battle of the Somme, 19 July 1916. |
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Belligerents | |||||||
Belgium Italy (from 1915) Portugal (from 1916) Russian Empire (until 1917) Siam (from 1918) |
German Empire Austria-Hungary |
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Strength | |||||||
7,935,000 5,399,563 2,200,000 267,000 Total: ~16,000,000 |
13,250,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~7,500,000 |
~5,500,000 |
Decisive Entente victory
~7,500,000
~5,500,000
The Western Front or Western Theatre was the main theatre of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the Race to the Sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France. This line remained essentially unchanged for most of the war.