Geography of Destruction: The Carnage of The First World War's Western Front

Coventry Amsterdam Zwolle Osnabrück A Transformation of Europe Cambridge Though often overlooked by its more thoroughly Ipswich Netherlands United Kingdom Bielefeld Münster destructive sequel, World War One remains a Oxford Nederrijn Luton North Sea Arnhem deeply traumatic and utterly transformative Waal Event in European History. Over the four years Thames Dortmund Middelburg of the conflict, 16 sovereign nations would wage London Essen Kassel 1st Battle of Ypres unprecedentedly brutal warfare on three 2nd Battle of Ypres Brugge Düsseldorf The Battle of Passchendaele (3rd Ypres) German continents resulting in the involvement of 93% Calais Empire of the world's population and over 14 million Gent BelgiumMaastricht Portsmouth The Battle of Messines Ridge Bonn deaths. World War One was not just fought by Brighton Lille Liege Giessen The Battle of Liege soldiers, but by entire populations. It was the The Battle of Neuve-Chapelle Battle of Loos The Battle of Mons Koblenz first conflict in which an entire countries English Channel Charleroi industrial capability was subordinated to the Arras The Battle of Frontiers Frankfurt war effort. It has therefore become, perhaps Dieppe Wiesbaden Amiens The Battle of Cambrai Cherbourg Battle of Arras 1st Battle of The Aisne more than any other conflict, a war of statistics. Luxembourg At The Battle of the Marne for instance German The Battle of the Somme Luxembourg City Mannheim 2nd Battle of The Aisne The Meuse-Argonne Offensive Heidelberg forces expend more ammunition daily than they 3rd Battle of The Aisne Rouen had in the entire Franco-Prussian war of 1870. The Reims Saarbrucken SeineThe Battle of Belleau Wood Verdun Rhine terrifying statistics do not end there. Key Features Karlsruhe Metz Battles by total Casualties The Battle of Verdun 750,000 - 1,220,000 Paris The Western Front by The Numbers 500,000 - 750,000 Versailles Nancy 1st Battle of The Marne 250,000 - 500,000 2nd Battle of the Marne Strasbourg Ulm 100,000 - 250,000 Melun Troyes 1,537 19,240 BritishArtillery Pieces British KIA’s First 24 50,000 - 100,000 Danube 10,000 - 50,000 France Freiburg at the Somme Hours of the Somme Orleans Rivers Auxerre Mulhouse Schaffhausen Major Cities Basel Capitals Loire 15,000,000 1,200,000 Switzerland Projectiles fired by German and French Frech artillery at Verdun Casualties at Verdun 475mi 15,000mi 66.9% Casualties were felt most heavily by the major Length of front Lenth of trenches Of total French Forces WIA/KIA countries involved. Germany, Russia, France, and Austro-Hungarian Empire suffered casualty rates greater than 60 percent. By the war’s end the Mobilized Forces =250,000 Troops German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro- Hungarian Empires collapsed entirely. Casualties by Nation Allied Powers Central Powers 1,000 - 100,000 0-250,000 100,000 - 500,000 250,000 - 975000 500,000- 3,000,000 975,000 - 7,000,000 3,000,000 - 9,000,000 Neutral Nations UK* Italy US France Russia Serbia By Alexander Johnson, December 20th, 2013. Germany Bulgaria Map of Western front Lambert Conformal Conic centered at Reims, France *Significant portions of British armed Forces were Candaian, Map of Europe Lambert Conformal Conic centerd at Vienna, Austria Indian, South African, Australia or New Zelander Austo-HungaryOttoman Empire Statistics taken or inferred from Clodfelter, Micheal. Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Reference to Casualty and Other Figures, 1500-2000. 2nd ed. London: McFarland& Co., 2002.