From early in the war, this front remained almost static with the opposing forces forming a continuous line of trenches from the channel coast in Belgium, to the borders of Switzerland.

Battles on this front have been characterised by the bloody, muddy and brutal trench warfare in particular the modern artillery barrages consuming thousands of soldiers and burying them in the mud. 19th century concepts of advancing lines of infantry broke upon the 20th century machine-guns while overhead, the concept of aerial combat was formed when spotter biplanes began taking pot-shots at each other.

• The Battles of the Frontiers 14 August 1914 - 25 August 1914
• The capture of Liège 16 August 1914
• Tirlemont 18 August 1914
• Le Cateau 26 August 1914 - 27 August 1914
• Guise or St Quentin 29 August 1914
• Action at Néry 01 September 1914
• The Battle of The Marne 03 September 1914 - 09 September 1914
• The Battle of The Aisne 13 September 1914 - 28 September 1914
• Albert 25 September 1914 - 29 September 1914
• The Seige of Antwerp 01 October 1914 - 09 October 1914
• Arras 02 October 1914
• The Battles of Flanders 11 October 1914 - 30 November 1914
• Givenchy 18 December 1914 - 22 December 1914
• The First Battle of Champagne 20 December 1914 - 31 March 1915
• Neuve Chapelle 10 March 1915 - 13 March 1915
• The Battle of the Woëvre 06 April 1915 - 15 April 1915
• The Second Battle of Ypres 22 April 1915 - 25 May 1915
• 2nd Artois, Souchez or Vimy Ridge 16 May 1915 - 30 June 1915
• The Battle of the Argonne 26 June 1915 - 04 July 1915
• Second battle of Champagne 25 September 1915 - 06 November 1915
• Loos (or 3rd Artois) 25 September 1915 - 08 October 1915
• Capture of Vimy Ridge 29 September 1915
• Verdun 21 February 1916 - 20 December 1916
• Somme Offensive 24 June 1916 - 19 November 1916
• The Battle of the Somme 01 July 1916 - 19 November 1916
• Arras 09 April 1917 - 15 May 1917
• Nivelle Offensive 16 April 1917 - 20 April 1917
• Messines 07 June 1917 - 14 June 1917
• Third Battle of Ypres 31 July 1917 - 10 November 1917
• Cambrai 20 November 1917 - 05 December 1917
• von Richthofen's last flight 21 April 1918