✦ History

Battle of the Frontiers

August 7, 1914 – September 13, 1919

Result German victory

French and German armies clashed along the Franco-German and Belgian borders at the start of World War I. The French offensives failed with very heavy losses, and the Allies fell back toward the Marne.

View war on globe Full event page

Battles 7

August 12, 1914
Battle of Halen Belgian victory Halen Georg von der Marwitz
August 14 – September 7, 1914
Battle of Lorraine German victory Battle of Lorraine Ferdinand Foch, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen
August 21–23, 1914
Battle of the Ardennes German victory Battle of the Ardennes Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, Pierre Ruffey
August 21–23, 1914
Battle of Charleroi German victory Battle of Charleroi Joseph Joffre, Karl von Bülow, Max von Hausen
August 22, 1914
Battle of Rossignol German victory Rossignol
August 23, 1914
Battle of Mons Battle of Mons John French, Alexander von Kluck, Horace Smith-Dorrien
September 4–13, 1914
Battle of Grand Couronné French victory Meurthe-et-Moselle Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Édouard de Castelnau

Key commanders

Allies 10

Ferdinand Foch military commander Augustin Dubail military commander Édouard de Castelnau military commander Pierre Ruffey military commander Fernand de Langle de Cary military commander Joseph Joffre military commander Charles Lanrezac military commander John French military commander Horace Smith-Dorrien military commander Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig military commander

Central Powers 8

Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria military commander Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen military commander Josias von Heeringen military commander Wilhelm, German Crown Prince military commander Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg military commander Karl von Bülow military commander Max von Hausen military commander Alexander von Kluck military commander

French Third Republic 4

Joseph Joffre military commander John French military commander Albert I of Belgium military commander Édouard de Castelnau military commander

German Empire 3

Helmuth von Moltke the Younger military commander Georg von der Marwitz military commander Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria military commander