Battle of Haelen

The Battle of Liège opened the First World War on the Western Front. The forts encircling the city resisted German attack for more than 10 days. French elements supported the Belgians on the Meuse and conducted offensive reconnaissance without changing the fate of the fortress. German heavy artillery decided the outcome.

The First Battle of the Aisne marked the decisive passage from mobile warfare to positional warfare on the Western Front. After the Marne victory, French and British armies pursued retreating German troops, hoping to drive them beyond the Aisne. From 13 September, the Allies crossed the river under enemy fire, climbing the steep heights to the north (Craonne plateau, Chemin des Dames). The Germans, better entrenched and equipped with superior heavy artillery, offered stubborn resistance. Combat, initially offensive, progressively froze into a series of unsuccessful frontal assaults, local counterattacks, incessant bombardments, and artillery duels. Within days, both sides began digging trenches: the front line stabilized, prelude to nearly four years of positional war.

The Battle of the Ardennes was one of the first major French offensives of the First World War, within the 'Battle of the Frontiers.' French armies pushed into the dense Ardennes forest to surprise the German right wing. Poorly coordinated, lacking effective reconnaissance, and blinded by fog, they encountered strongly entrenched German positions. Several days of extremely violent engagements followed, characterized by hand-to-hand combat in the woods, crossfire from artillery and machine guns, and massive losses on both sides. The battle ended in a crushing French defeat: the offensive collapsed and survivors had to withdraw toward the Meuse.