Western Front
Western Front
The term “western front” was first applied in World War I (1914–18) to describe a region of fighting in Europe. The war involved many countries, and Germany was faced with conflicts on several fronts. The most difficult and dangerous battles happened along the western border of Germany, the western front.
During World War I, the western front stretched for 475 miles between Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg to the east and most of France to the west. Much of it was dotted with trenches on both sides and barbed wire. Nearly 900,000 German troops and 1.2 million Allied soldiers were positioned along the western front, an average of 1,900 Germans and 2,500 Allies per mile of front. As a result of the intense concentration of men, the fixed-place fighting from the trenches, and the newly created machine and artillery guns, casualties were high. Though the fighting was intense, little ground was gained for either side.
During World War II (1939–45), the term was used to describe the same region. Germany was again involved in conflicts on several fronts, and the western front came to describe the line along its western border. Unlike the previous war, this border did not remain fixed. The western front was quickly pushed through France to the English Channel early in the war. With the Allied invasion at Normandy, the Allies eventually pushed the western front back into Germany.