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On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, along with his wife Sophie. They were both assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, who was a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The assassination was carried out after an initial failed attempt earlier that day with a bomb when the couple's car took a wrong turn and stopped directly in front of Princip, who then shot them both. The assassination took place on a street corner near the Latin Bridge. This was the event that triggered WWI. -
The First Battle of the Marne, which was fought from September 5 to 9, 1914, was a decisive Allied victory during World War I that stopped the German advance on Paris and messed up the Schlieffen Plan. French and British forces launched a counterattack that pushed the Germans back across the Marne River, which then led to the start of trench warfare on the Western Front. The First Battle of the Marne marked the end of the German sweep into France and the beginning of trench warfare.
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The Battle of Verdun started on February 21, 1916, and ended on December 18, 1916. It was the longest battle of World War I, fought between the German and French armies in northeastern France. It was originally planned by the German Chief of General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn,n to secure victory for Germany on the Western Front. Their goal was to crush the French army before the Allies grew in strength. The Battle of Verdun ended in a French victory.
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The United States declared war on the German Empire on April 6, 1917. America declared war on Germany due to Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, which led to American ships being sunk, and the discovery of the Zimmerman Telegram, a German proposal for Mexico to join an alliance against the U.S. The Senate approved it on April 4, and the House of Representatives on April 6. -
Forbes Allan Enlisted in the Army in December 1917 and served in France with the American Expeditionary Forces. After enlisting, Forbes served with the American Expeditionary Forces under General Pershing. -
In Forbes Allan's letter to his father, he mentioned that he mentions meeting his brother Andrew, who was also in service in France. They had been spending some time together, and it seemed like they were enjoying each other's presence. Forbes was also showing a man around, and he played ball with him. He also mentioned having a great new year. -
The Central Powers surrendered to the Allied powers in 1918 due to a combination of military defeats, internal collapse, and pressure from the Allies. The central powers did not have enough food to feed the people. After four years of fighting, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire finally decided it was time to surrender. -
On February 28th, 1919, Forbes Allan received a letter from John J. Pershing, who was a highly respected U.S. Army general. He was most known for leading the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. In this letter to Forbes Allan, it was talking about how Forbes was an important part of the war. John J. Pershing was giving him a personal thank you for everything that he did to help them succeed. -
Forbes Allan received his honorable discharge from the United States Army on July 2nd, 1919. An honorable discharge is awarded to service members who have completed their service with a very good performance. After returning to the base on July 2, 1919, he was honorably discharged and sent back home after serving for a year and a half. -
On October 2nd, 1919, Forbes Allan received a letter from Juliette. Juliette was a woman whom he met overseas. She wrote this letter letting Forbes know that she likes him a lot and she didn't want him to forget about her. Juliette was happy that Forbes was enjoying his time away from the war and that he was in good health. In this letter, she was hoping that he was in good health, as well as asking about his family.