Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A lokacin da aka fara Yaƙin Duniya na I a watan Agusta 1914, Brauchitsch ya kai matsayin kyaftin. An nada shi jami'in ma'aikata ga rundunar soja ta XVI, wanda ke kusa da Metz. A lokacin Yaƙin Duniya na I, ya yi aiki tare da Rukunin Sojoji na 34 da kuma Tsaro na Tsaro. Tsakanin 1914 da 1916, ya shiga cikin yakin Verdun da yakin dajin Argonne. A cikin sauran shekaru biyu na rikici, Brauchitsch ya shiga cikin Yaƙin Aisne na Uku, Aisne-Marne na gaba, Yaƙin na biyu na Aisne
, Yaƙin Armentières, da Yaƙin Flanders. An ba Brauchitsch lambar yabo ta Iron Cross 1st Class da Gidan Gidan Hohenzollern, kuma ya ƙare yakin tare da mukamin Manjo.