Battle of Loos, The

On September 25, 1915, and for a few days afterwards, the small town of Loos, France, became the center of one of the most intense and bloody battles of the First World War. The casualties were appalling – about 60,000, most of whom died on the first day. Although the main objective of a large-scale breakthrough was not achieved, some 8,000 yards of enemy trench were captured and in some places the German defenses were penetrated by up to two miles. Had these initial gains been exploited, the course of the war might have been different.