The Top 10 Bloodiest Battles of the First World War

From July 28, 1914-November 11, 1918, some 9.5 million soldiers would be killed in action, with a further 17 million listed as wounded, and countless millions listed as missing in action. Needless to say, the four years that comprised the First World War saw some of the bloodiest battles in human history. The following, based on total casualties (killed, wounded, and captured/missing), are the 10 bloodiest battles of that war.

10. First Battle of the Marne (September 6-12, 1914) - 496,000 total casualties

The initial German drive on Paris is stopped just to the east of the city by a combined army of British and French soldiers. Two million men took part in this battle as the Germans were forced to retreat after a gap opened wide in their lines, allowing the BEF to penetrate it and hit their flanks.

9. Battle of Gallipoli (April 25, 1915-January 9, 1916) - 555,268 total casualties

In what has been called one of the biggest blunders in military history, British, French, and ANZAC forces attempted to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war by trying to force the Dardanelles and reach the Turkish capital of Constantinople in the process. What transpired was a bloodletting of biblical proportions and the forced evacuation of Allied forces after a failed 10-month-long battle.

8. Battle of Lemberg (August 23-September 11, 1914) - 580,000 total casualties

Centered around the modern day city of Lviv, Ukraine, the Battle of Lemberg (also known as the Battle of Galicia) saw the Russian Empire score a major victory over the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the early weeks of the war. This battle decimated Austria's forces and forced them to retreat from the region of Galicia.

7. Battle of Verdun (February 21-December 20, 1916) - 750,000 total casualties

While it might be a little surprising to see this battle so far down the list, the Battle of Verdun was still likely the most horrific battle of the First World War due to the small area it took place in. Unlike most of the other battles on this list, the battlefield itself was relatively small, with the majority of fighting/killing occurring in a 20 kilometer area. The French held on to Verdun after an appalling nine-month-long engagement.

6. Third Battle of Ypres (July 31-November 10, 1917) - 848,614 total casualties

Better known by the popular title of Passchendaele, the Third Battle of Ypres has gone down in history due to the senseless slaughter and the sea of mud which encompassed most of the battlefield. Some of the war's most iconic photos were recorded at this battle. The British-Canadian offensive ended in something of a draw with very little gained over the course of the battle's three month runtime.

5. Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916) - 1,060,000 total casualties

Britain's answer to France's call for help at Verdun was given on July 1, 1916, with the launching of the Somme Offensive. That day saw some 57,000 British soldiers become casualties of war (the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army). However, over the course of the next four and a half months, British and French forces would steadily drive the Germans back from their positions around the Somme. The battle was a victory for the Entente but it came at a cost of some 620,000 Allied casualties.

4. Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive (May 2-July 15, 1915) - 1,507,774 total casualties

This offensive, the brainchild of German general August von Mackensen, saw Russian imperial forces, on the very brink of total victory over Austria-Hungary, driven from the Carpathian mountains and back into Russian territory. The combined Austro-German army netted itself almost half a million Russian prisoners of war and helped to severely destabilize the Russian imperial government.

3. 1918 Spring Offensive (March 21-July 18, 1918) - 1,551,751 total casualties

Germany's all or nothing gamble to end the war on the Western Front before the United States could become fully involved in the conflict ended some 80 miles outside the city of Paris at some of the most famous places in the history of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps (the Marne River, Belleau Wood, Château-Thierry, etc.). The Germans suffered nearly 700,000 casualties in its drive on Paris and, at the end of it all, was effectively done as an offensive fighting force.

2. Hundred Days Offensive (August 8-November 11, 1918) - 2,242,075 total casualties

The Allied counteroffensive after the failure of the German's 1918 Spring Offensive was anything but a cakewalk. Both the Entente and the German Army suffered over a million casualties a piece in the fighting. However, the end result was the collapse of the Western Front, the German Army, and the German Empire. Included in this battle was the famed Meuse-Argonne, an offensive which saw both of my maternal great-grandfathers duking it out against the German Army.

1. Brusilov Offensive (June 4-September 20, 1916) - 2,317,800 total casualties

The bloodiest battle of the First World War (and perhaps the bloodiest battle in history based on how you keep score) was named not after a location, but a man. Russian general Aleksei Brusilov launched this offensive, aimed primarily at the Austro-Hungarian army, to assist France and Britain on the Western Front with the Battle of Verdun and the upcoming Battle of the Somme. The offensive itself resulted in a limited tactical Russian victory, but achieved its main strategic objectives of drawing German troops away from the Western Front and eliminating the Austro-Hungarian army as an effective fighting force on the Eastern Front.