What was the Western Front? The Western Front was the line of battle in northern France between the Germans and the French, British Empire, and later American forces in World War I.

Western Front

Soldiers on their way to the Western Front.

The place where most of the British troops fought was called the Western Front (the ‘Front’). It was where Germany met France and Britain. The other front, the Eastern Front, was where Germany lined up against Russia.

The Western Front was a 700 kilometre-long line of trenches, and barbed wire that stretched from the English Channel to the Swiss frontier.

Although the Front at first passed through many towns, villages and forests, within a year, the entire Western Front resembled a barren moonscape where nothing lived except soldiers and rats. The towns, villages and forests had been shelled to smithereens.

Video: a silent video of the front and trenches is available by clicking the start arrow.

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