20th December 1914 - 17th March 1915 - First Battle of Champagne.

Joffre's general winter offensive began in Artois, where it made little progress, and extended along the whole line from Nieuport to Verdun. The main effort was concentrated in Champagne, beginning on 20 December and continuing into the new year; it was eventually suspended in the face of strong German counterattacks, but renewed again a month later, in March. The French Fourth Army made a few gains on the slopes of the hills of Eastern Champagne, but the smaller German Third Army demonstrated the advantages bestowed by the machine-gun and the trench on the defence. Although the fierce and bloody fighting was finally halted on 17 March with the French (like the Germans) having lost some 90,000 men, Joffre was determined to launch another attack as soon as possible.