✦ History

Race to the Sea

September 13 – November 30, 1914

Result Indecisive

German and Allied armies tried to outflank each other northward after the First Battle of the Marne. The moves ended at the North Sea coast and created the continuous trench line of the Western Front.

View war on globe Full event page

Battles 6

September 19 – October 11, 1914
Battle of Flirey German victory Flirey Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Édouard de Castelnau, Maurice Sarrail
September 25–29, 1914
Battle of Albert (1914) Inconclusive Somme Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Édouard de Castelnau
September 26, 1914
First Battle of Picardy Inconclusive Picardy Joseph Joffre, Erich von Falkenhayn, Alexander von Kluck
October 10 – November 2, 1914
Battle of La Bassée Inconclusive La Bassée John French, Horace Smith-Dorrien, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
October 12 – November 2, 1914
Battle of Messines (1914) Inconclusive Bikschote Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
October 13 – November 2, 1914
Battle of Armentières Inconclusive Armentières Horace Smith-Dorrien, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria

Key commanders

Belgium 7

Joseph Joffre military commander John French military commander Albert I of Belgium military commander Édouard de Castelnau military commander Horace Smith-Dorrien military commander Maurice Sarrail military commander Michel-Joseph Maunoury military commander

German Empire 3

Erich von Falkenhayn military commander Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria military commander Alexander von Kluck military commander

Allies 1

Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby military commander

Central Powers 1

Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria military commander