3. The Brusilov Offensive
The Brusilov offensive, named after the Russian commander Aleksei Brusilov, that took place between June 4 and September 20, 1916, was the most successful Russian offensive since the start of the First World War. It was also among the most successful breakthrough operations of World War 1.
The tactics applied in the offensive later proved successful on the Western Front. They involved the use of shock troops and sharp short artillery bombardment in exploiting weak points. With that, Brusilov introduced an element of surprise to the offensive.
2. The Somme Offensive
The Battle of the Somme or the Somme Offensive was a combined military operation involving the British and French forces. It lasted from July 1 to November 18, 1916, and was intended to attain a decisive victory over Germany on the Western Front.
This war remains the most infamous and painful episode of the First World War for many British folks. Germany had been laying its defenses carefully over several months. The British, now charged with the responsibility of leading the offensive after the weakening of France at the Battle of Verdun, faced a serious attrition.
Over a million men died, got captured or were wounded from both sides. The first day alone saw over 57,000 British casualties. Out of these, 19,240 got killed, making this day the bloodiest in the history of the British military.
1. The Third Battle of Ypres
The Third Ypres Campaign took place from 31st July to 10th November 1917. This was another battle in which Britain suffered massive casualties. The German forces had positioned themselves on higher ground to the disadvantage of the British powers. Britain experienced some success during the preliminary phase of the war but soon lost ground when the main war began at the close of July 1917. The Germans had reinforced their troops driving the British soldiers to a failed start.
Bad weather partly caused the initial failure by the British forces. Better weather in September, however, enabled the British troops to have an upper hand over the Germans. With the return of the bad weather in November, the war was called off, ending with both sides registering heavy casualties.