War for position
The solidification of the fronts into a war for position was already evident in the late autumn of 1914 on the western front and from 1915 on the eastern front. It continued until late 1917. The attacks, resulting in heavy losses, led to no military turning point. At Verdun («hell of Verdun») 335,000 German and 360,000 French soldiers fell in the spring; at the «Material Battle» on the Somme from June until November 1916, 400,000 German, 400,000 English and 200,000 French soldiers were killed.
The German forces were decisively weakened through the simultaneous pressure of the Brussilov Offensive in the east and the entry of Bulgaria into the war. During the war for position, the Germans' concern was merely to defend the areas occupied in 1915.