The Real Locations & Battles Of Battlefield 1

As Battlefield 1 sets itself during World War I, a great number of the locations used in the game are based on real-life battles and locations.

As the game traverses the entire globe, so to did the so-called War To End All Wars spread out across many countries. From the sand dunes of Sinai to the Argonne Forest, the ferocious battles that took place are recreated in Battlefield 1 with incredible attention to detail.

THE SINAI DESERT / BATTLE OF MAGDHABA

In Battlefield 1, players are brought on an incredible journey through the Sinai Desert in a huge battle that sees airplanes, trains and cavalry charges take place. The reality wasn't much different. On December 23rd, 1916, the Battle of Magdhaba took place between a force of 6,000 soldiers from the 1st and 3rd Light Horse Brigade, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and the Imperial Camel Brigade launched an all-out assault on 2,000 heavily entrenched Ottoman soldiers. Using mounted cavalry charges and air reconnaissance, together with fierce fighting, the battle raged throughout the day with the Ottomans suffering close to 300 losses, with the remaining 1,200 or so soldiers surrendering.

Soldiers of the 9th Light Horse Regiment of the Australian Army, dismounted from their horses, charge on Magdhaba

THE ARGONNE FOREST / THE MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE

The Argonne Forest map sees players engaged in close-quarter combat, as teams make use of bunkers and machine gun nests to surprise their enemies. From September 26th until November 11th, 1918, the Argonne Forest was the site of the largest offensive in the United States Army's history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers and formed part of the Hundred Days Offensive, which brought World War I to an end. It's said that in the hours before the assault began, the Allies used more ammunition than both sides of the American Civil War used in four years of fighting. The battle was the deadliest in US military history, with 26,277 U.S. soldiers killed with a further 95,786 wounded in action.

Soldiers of the 2nd Division engaged in fighting in the Argonne Forest

AMIENS / BATTLE OF AMIENS, THIRD BATTLE OF PICARDY

The Amiens map sees players engaged in heavy fighting in the city of Amiens, with British and German soldiers using heavy tanks and trains to gain supremacy. The real-life Battle of Amiens marked the end of trench warfare in World War I and was one of the first major uses of armoured tanks. Taking place over four days, Amiens was the launching point for the Hundred Days Offensive, which brought down the German Empire and the signing of the Armistice of 1918. With superior numbers - over 500 tanks were used by the combined forces of the British, French and Canadian, Australian and U.S. forces - Amiens and all German positions were overrun quickly. Many believed the Battle of Amiens was the turning point for Allied victory, as General Ludendorff of the Imperial German Army described their loss at Amiens as "the black day of the German Army."

British Army soldiers amid the ruins of Amiens

FAO FORTRESS / THE LANDING AT FAO

Fao Fortress sees players recreate one of the earliest amphibious landings in World War I. The initial landing took place on November 6th, 1914, with the 16th Poona Brigade making landfall first against heavy fire from the fortress. The British forces, under the command of Brigadier General Delemain, had to halt their advance until heavy artillery landed two days later. Within a matter of hours, the fortress was captured with 300 Ottoman troops captured. The landing at Fao was the beginning of the British Empire's advance into modern-day Iraq, culminating with the Battle of Shaqrat four years later.

ST. QUENTIN SCAR / THE BATTLE OF ST. QUENTIN, OPERATION MICHAEL

The St. Quentin Scar map sees fierce fighting both in the trenches and in the sky above St. Quentin and the village of Travecy. The battle for St. Quentin took place on March 21st and saw some of the most brutal bombarding from the German forces. Mustard gas, chlorine gas and smoke canisters were fired onto the forward trenches whilst heavy bombardment took place on the rear to disrupt supply lines. Over 3,500,000 were fired in the first five hours of the battle. Winston Churchill, then Minister of Munitions who was inspecting a division nearby, said that the "weight and intensity of the bombardment surpassed anything which anyone had ever known before." Thirty-six squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps had been in action in the first day of the battle, with heavy fog hampering movements and causing confusion amongst all forces.