Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Armyopened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg andBelgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the race to the sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France. This line remained essentially unchanged for most of the war.
1914 INVASION OF BELGIUM
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Armyopened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg andBelgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the race to the sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France. This line remained essentially unchanged for most of the war.