The Battle of Arras was a battle of the First World War. The battle was a British attack on the German defences near the French city of Arras on the Western Front. The battle started on 9 April 1917. The British Empire troops went quite far forward but they did not achieve a breakthrough. For the amount of ground gained, the British also lost many soldiers. The battle ended on 16 May 1917 and there was a stalemate.