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Assassination of Fran Ferdinand
Heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by a Serbian natioalist student, Gavrilo Princip. This incident began to cause an outbreak of World War One. -
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Australia's involvement in WW1
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Germany declares war on France
German troops invade Belgium and implement the Schlieffen Plan. British foreign secretary demands Germany to withdraw from neutral Belgium. -
Britain Declares War
Great Britain declares war on Germany and its Allies. The Australian Government pledge full support for Britain in the war against Germany. -
ANZAC Troops Land at Gallipoli
The Australian Imperial Force land at Gallipoli together with troops from New Zealand, Britain, and France to fight the Turks. -
Battle of Lone Pine, Gallipoli
This fierce battle was the only successful Australian attack against the Turks. This fight resulted in over 2,000 Australian casualties. Seven Victorian Crosses were awarded for bravery to Australian troops. -
Last Australian troops evacuate from Gallipoli Peninsula
83,000 ANZAC troops evacuate from the battlefields of Suvla Bay at ANZAC Cove in Gallipoli. -
Battle of Jutland
The only major navy battle of World War 1 between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet. -
Start of the Battle of the Somme
This battle was intended as a joint French-British attack trying to drain the German forces of reserves. On the first day nearly 60,000 soldiers were wounded, dead or missing, It is the worst single day's fighting in British military history. -
Battle of Fromelles
This was the first major battle on the Western Front fought by Australian troops. The attack was intended to deceive German troops away from the Somme offensive then being pursued further to the south. -
First Battle of Bullecourt
The Battle was fought as part of the British offensive north and south of Arras. It was undertaken to support a major attack further south. -
The Third Battle of Ypres
Also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. This battle was mostly fought in shocking weather conditions until the fall of Passchendaele village on 6 November. The Allies attacked the Flanders, a French region on the German front, but only gained a few kilometres. It was a costly battle taking the lives of 310,000 British men and 260,000 German men. -
Australians drive Germans from Villers-Bretonneux
The Germans had captured Villers–Bretonneux and were pushing out west in the direction of Amiens. Australian units helped defend the town. Eventually, the German advance was stopped by British troops working with the Australians soldiers. -
Second Battle of the Marne
This Battle was the turning point of WW1 on the Western Front. It was the last major German offensive of the war and the start of the collapse of the German Army. -
Armistice signed
During WW1 over 35 million people were killed, wounded or missing. After four long years of fighting, Germany signed an Armistice with the Allies. The official date and time of the end of WW1 was 11.00 am on the 11th day of the 11th month. This is known as Armistice Day.