The zone of fighting in western Europe in World War I, in which the German army engaged the armies to its west, i.e., France, the UK (and its dominions), and, from 1917, the U.S. For most of the war the front line stretched from the Vosges mountains in eastern France through Amiens to Ostend in Belgium. Fighting began in August 1914: German forces attacking through Belgium were checked in the first battle of the Marne and then at Ypres, both sides eventually engaged in trench warfare, the distinctive feature of warfare on this front. Battles were inconclusive with heavy casualties on both sides, notably at Verdun, the Somme, and Ypres. Early in 1917 the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line, a fortified line of trenches that was not breached for more than a year; U.S. forces in the region from 1917 helped to tip the balance in the Allies' favor.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
