The Western Front 1914–1916

The Western Front, running from the Belgian coast in the north to the Swiss border in the south, was to prove the decisive battlefront of World War I. It was where the great powers of Germany, France and the British Empire concentrated the bulk of their military might, and it was where many believed the war would be settled before Christmas 1914. The German General Staff realised the dangers of fighting a two-front war against both France and Russia simultaneously. They sought to knock the Frenc