Western Front
Front
(489)1915
January
- 24
- Murray leaves the BEF staffOn 24 January 1915 John French sent the BEF chief of staff, General Archibald Murray, on sick leave. The next day he demanded his resignation.
- Robertson ceases to be BEF quartermaster generalOn 24 January 1915 General William Robertson stepped down as Quartermaster General of the BEF to take over as chief of staff from Murray.
February
March
April
- 22
- Key eventSecond Battle of Ypres beginsOn 22 April 1915 the Germans released a cloud of chlorine at Ypres. Two French divisions broke, and a gap several kilometres wide opened north of the town.
- Key eventBattle of Gravenstafel Ridge beginsOn the night of 22–23 April 1915 Canadians counter-attacked at Ypres to close the gas-attack gap. Of 1,500 men who charged the wood, under 500 were left.
May
- 09
- Key eventBritish attack Aubers RidgeOn 9 May 1915 the British First Army attacked Aubers Ridge to support the French in Artois. Machine-gun fire stopped the attack in no man's land.
- Key eventSecond Battle of Artois beginsOn 9 May 1915 the French Tenth Army attacked near Arras. Pétain's corps reached Vimy Ridge in two hours, but without reserves it could not hold it.
- First New Army division crosses to FranceOn 9–12 May 1915 the 9th (Scottish) Division crossed to France, the first division of Kitchener's volunteer New Armies to reach the front.
- 25
- End of the Second Battle of YpresOn 25 May 1915 the Second Battle of Ypres died down. After five weeks of fighting and gas attacks the Germans had shrunk the salient but not taken Ypres.
- End of the Battle of FestubertOn 25 May 1915 the London 47th Division took a German trench at Festubert and French decided to halt the offensive. Ten days of fighting cost 16,600 men.
June
July
September
- 25
- Key eventBattle of Loos beginsOn 25 September 1915 the British attacked at Loos behind chlorine gas, taking the village, Hill 70 and the Hohenzollern Redoubt, but reserves were too far back.
- Key eventThird Battle of Artois beginsOn 25 September 1915 the French Tenth Army again attacked Vimy Ridge. The left wing reached Souchez, but on the rest of the front the attack broke down.
- Key eventSecond Battle of Champagne beginsOn 25 September 1915 two French armies attacked in Champagne. They took the German first line and 14,000 prisoners, but the second position stopped the attack.