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Chlorine Shells
Germans fire deadly chlorine filled bombs at the French. This causes many of them to nearly collapse. It marks the first time toxic gasses were used during war. Many soldiers now must wear gas masks to keep from passing out. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
A serbian nationalist shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand dead. Franz Ferdinand was the leader of Austria-Hungary. The death of him lead to a chain reaction that started WWI. That was after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and many other countries took sides. -
The Start of WWI
Within a week of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's death World War I begins. As said before it all happened in a chain reaction. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the attack and declared war. Germany backed up Austria-Hungary, and many other countries backed up Serbia. -
The Battles of Marne
The battle of Marne was the first major battle of WWI. It lasted a total of 6 days. The French army fought of the Germans that were invading France. The French held the Germans on the western shore, keeping them out of Paris, while loosing close to 250,000 men. -
Christmas Truce
Many found the noise of gunfire and bombs disturbing on Christmas. Many of the soldiers didn't feel the Christmas spirit while fighting either, so the troops declared a truce for the holidays. Some even sang carols together. The truce was not carried on in the next years of the war. -
Zeppelin Raid
Zeppelin were a new technology to Germans. It is a type of airship, almost like a blimp. The only difference is a zeppelin has framework on the inside to keep its shape and maintain weather conditions that blimps cannot. The zeppelins held machine guns and 4,000+ pounds of explosives. -
Battle of Verdun
The battle of Verdun marks World War I's longest battle. The battle lasted from February 21-December 18 of 1916. The battle resulted in over 700,000 casualties. The battle ended in a French victory after a long hard fight. -
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Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was started by Germany. Germany took over Fort Dovaumont withing a week. They advanced 6 miles into the territory and fought for nearly 10 months. It was known as one of the longest battles of WWI -
U.S. Joins WWI
The united states joins World War I, declaring war on central powers. President Woodrow questions going into a war. Many Americans wanted to remain neutral. The United States then took sides with Britain, France, and Russia. -
USSR Leaves WWI
A group of Russian communists overthrew government. They then created a communist government. The communists then removed Russia from the war. Germans then were forced to remove their army from Russian lands. -
Kaiser's Battle
Kaiser's battle was an attack Germans had planned for months. They waited for certain countries to drop out of the war. This made the battle easier so they didn't have to focus on being attacked by another army. They then sent their men to fight on the western front. -
First Trench Warfare
Leo and his "company" return safely from their first bit in the trenches. It was their second time in a bit. They get lots of work done according to a letter to his mother. The Boche left the hit with over 100 missing men from their arrival. The "company" then went unbothered by the Boche. -
The Battle of Belleau Wood
The battle of Belleau Wood was one of the most ferocious battles in history. Even to Leo, who was hurt diving back into his dugout during an artillery attack. He spent 2 months recovering in many hospitals. He recalls sleeping in a real bed and waking up to clean sheets and a healthy breakfast that wasn't provided to soldiers. -
The Wait
As said in a letter to his sister, Elizabeth, Leo and his "boys" are waiting for the Fritz to start something. It has been days since anything serious had happened because they were in reserve. So far they have done no fighting, but have had a fair share of strafing in the form of shells. He mentions that he has been able to sleep through the bombardments lately. -
Out of the Hospital
Leo has been out of the hospital for a week. He was sent to a classification camp. At the camp he got a new outfit. He plans to be out of the camp soon. -
WWI Ends
Germany surrendered to France, putting an end to World War I. Everyone agreed to stop fighting. There was tons of damage everywhere, but most importantly there were close to 13 million people dead from the war. It would still take close to a year for soldiers to return home. -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
The treaty of Versailles brought World War I to an end. It was signed by Germany, Russia, Britain, France, and Italy. It had many requirements for Germany. Later on the Treaty turned out to be unfair. Many historians believe that is what caused WWII to start. -
Almost Home
Leo Joseph Bailey writes to his sister and says he is waiting to be sent home. He mentions that he cannot be sent home until German government fully accepts peace. Many other soldiers are waiting to be sent home as well. The soldiers must make sure all auto-motive vehicles are returned to French before returning. -
The Promotion
Leo Joseph Bailey was appointed to sergeant shortly before being discharged on October 25th of the same year.This was after the war had already ended, so Leo Joseph Bailey was not interested in the job.
