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Eastern Front: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date 1914 - 1918
Location Europe
Context World War I

Photos

Historical map of the Eastern Front during World War I from 1914 to 1918, showing the farthest Russian advance in 1914, the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, the front at the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917, and the farthest Austro-German advance in 1918. The map shows Eastern Europe, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, western Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and northern Turkey, with key cities and front lines marked.
Map of Europe during World War I highlighting the Central Powers-Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire-in orange. Surrounding countries are marked as Allies, neutrals, or neutral countries occupied by the Central Powers, with modern borders and major bodies of water labeled.
Antique map from 1902 showing Russia in Europe, including Poland and Finland, with detailed borders, cities, rivers, and neighboring regions. The map uses fine lines and muted colors to distinguish territorial boundaries and geographic features as they appeared in the early twentieth century.
Map showing the Carpathian Mountains arching across Central and Eastern Europe, primarily through Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Romania. The map highlights mountain ranges, elevation levels, major cities, country boundaries, rivers, and physical features, with a small locator map indicating the region's position in Europe.
Map showing the location of the Pripet Marshes, which span southern Belarus and northern Ukraine along the Pripet River. The marshes are highlighted in white, bordered by nature reserves and major rivers, with the international boundary between Belarus and Ukraine marked in red. An inset map in the upper right corner shows the region's position within Europe.
Physical map of Europe showing major landforms, mountain ranges such as the Alps, Pyrenees, and Carpathians, major peaks including Mont Blanc and Mount Elbrus, plains like the European and Russian Plains, and major bodies of water such as the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea. A small inset locator map indicates Europe's position on the globe.
Sepia-toned photo of a Siberian soldier on horseback reaching out to say farewell to women and children, with a crowd of relatives standing nearby during World War I.
A line of German infantrymen in uniform with rifles and packs stand outdoors, while one soldier faces the camera holding supplies, circa World War I.
Austro-Hungarian soldiers in uniform operate a large field howitzer in an open field during World War I, with more troops and horses visible in the background.
Map illustrating the Schlieffen Plan of 1905, showing the German army's planned invasion routes at the start of World War I. Thick red arrows indicate German advances sweeping through Belgium and Luxembourg into northern France, curving toward Paris, with key cities and rivers labeled across Belgium, France, Germany, and neighboring regions.
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Timeline

Historical map of the Eastern Front during World War I from 1914 to 1918, showing the farthest Russian advance in 1914, the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, the front at the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917, and the farthest Austro-German advance in 1918. The map shows Eastern Europe, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, western Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and northern Turkey, with key cities and front lines marked.
Eastern Front
1914 - 1918
British Cavalry at the Battle of Mons
Battle of the Frontiers
August 4, 1914 - September 6, 1914
default image
Battle of Morhange-Sarrebourg
August 20, 1914 - August 22, 1914
Map of the Western Front during World War I from 1914 to 1918, showing northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. Colored lines indicate the farthest German advance in September 1914, the front line at the beginning of 1915, German and Allied offensives, and the armistice line of 1918. Major cities such as Paris, Brussels, and Verdun, as well as key rivers and geographic features, are labeled.
Battle of Mons
August 23, 1914
Thousands of Russian prisoners of war stand in long, winding lines outdoors near buildings and trees after the Battle of Augustov in World War I.
Battle of Tannenberg
August 26, 1914 - August 30, 1914
French infantry soldiers in helmets and long coats walk through a barren, fortified trench landscape at the Marne during World War I.
First Battle of the Marne
September 6, 1914 - September 12, 1914
Ypres, Belgium
First Battle of Ypres
October 19, 1914 - November 22, 1914
default image
Battle of Tanga
November 2, 1914 - November 5, 1914
Falkland Islands
Battle of the Falkland Islands
December 8, 1914
Christmas Truce
Christmas Truce
December 24, 1914 - December 25, 1914
default image
battle of Gallipoli
1915
Baltic and North seas and the English Channel
Battle of Dogger Bank
January 24, 1915
Large groups of Allied soldiers gather along the shore and hillsides at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli Peninsula, with boats and piers visible in the water during the 1915 Gallipoli campaign.
Gallipoli Campaign
February 16, 1915 - January 9, 1916
The Dardanelles
naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign
February 19, 1915 - March 18, 1915
Gas masks at the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
April 22, 1915 - May 25, 1915
French soldiers in uniform rest and eat on a grassy field behind the front lines during the Battle of Verdun in World War I, with gear and rifles stacked nearby.
Battle of Verdun
February 21, 1916 - December 18, 1916
Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
May 31, 1916 - June 1, 1916
Three soldiers in World War I uniforms and helmets operate a St. Etienne machine gun in a trench at the Somme.
First Battle of the Somme
July 1, 1916 - November 13, 1916
default image
Battle of Arras
April 9, 1917 - May 17, 1917
World War I soldiers walk through muddy, debris-strewn ruins with the damaged Cloth Hall of Ypres, Belgium, standing in the background under a cloudy sky.
Battle of Passchendaele
July 31, 1917 - November 6, 1917
Cadorna, Luigi
Battle of Caporetto
October 24, 1917 - December 19, 1917
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Battle of Gaza
November 1917
tank in the Battle of Cambrai
Battle of Cambrai
November 20, 1917 - December 8, 1917
German Prisoners at Belleau Wood
Battle of Belleau Wood
June 1, 1918 - June 26, 1918
default image
Battle of Amiens
August 8, 1918 - August 11, 1918
John J. Pershing
Battle of Saint-Mihiel
September 12, 1918 - September 16, 1918
World War I: British army
Battle of Cambrai
September 27, 1918 - October 11, 1918
default image
Battle of Mons
November 11, 1918

Key People

Conrad von Hötzendorf, Franz, Graf
Franz Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf
Austrian military strategist
Aleksey A. Brusilov
Aleksey Alekseyevich Brusilov
Russian general
Nicholas
Nicholas
Russian grand duke
Max Hoffmann, about 1925
Max Hoffmann
German general
August von Mackensen
August von Mackensen
German military officer

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