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Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated
In an event that is widely acknowledged to have sparked the outbreak of World War I, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Josef and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is shot to death along with his wife by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on this day in 1914. The great Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, the man most responsible for the unification of Germany in 1871, was quoted as saying at the end of his life that "One day the great European War will come out of so -
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WWI
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Serbia Campaign begins
-The Serbian Campaign was an invasion of Serbia by Austria-Hungary.
-The Serbians were vastly outnumbered but managed to resist the invasion from 1914-1915. The Serbians took heavy losses during this campaign. Their army was destroyed going from an army of420,000 to 100,000. -
Battle of Tannenberg begins
- battle fought at Tannenberg, in what is now northeastern Poland, that ended in a German victory over the Russians in the early days of World War I.
- Tannenberg was a crushing defeat for Russia, which lost almost an entire army, 400 guns, and other war matériel. The Germans, however, were unable to extend their tactical victory to the strategic level.
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Battle of Tannenberg ends
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Trench Warfare begins
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First Battle of Marne begins
-When Germany invaded Belgium on August 3rd 1914, their movement across Western Europe was swift and in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan. -
First Battle of Marne ends
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The Germans use poison gas in battle for the first time
-Poison gas was probably the most feared of all weapons in World War One. Poison gas was indiscriminate and could be used on the trenches even when no attack was going on. Whereas the machine gun killed more soldiers overall during the war, death was frequently instant or not drawn out and soldiers could find some shelter in bomb/shell craters from gunfire. A poison gas attack meant soldiers having to put on crude gas masks and if these were unsuccessful, an attack could leave a victim in agony -
The Battle of Gallipoli begins
- At dawn on 25 April 1915, the ANZACs landed north of Gaba Tepe (the landing area later named Anzac Cove) while the British forces landed at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
- The aim of these two landings was to capture the Turkish forts commanding the narrow straits.
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RMS Lusitania is sunk by German u-boat, U-20
-As the Lusitania had sailed from New York, she had on board American civilians and in 1915 America was neutral in World War One. As she left New York, the dock was crowded with news reporters as New York newspapers had carried an advert in them paid for by the German Embassy that any ship that sailed into the "European War Zone" was a potential target for German submarines. Some newspapers printed the warning directly next to Cunard's list of departure dates. -
German Zeppelins bomb London
- The Zeppelins where nearly impossibe to shoot down until incindenary ammunition was invented during this time of Zeppelin raids
- The first Zeppelin to be shot down was by a pilot named Warneford. He pursuied an air ship for two hours. He brought the flying ship down by flying above the Zeppelin and dropping four bombs on top of it which destroyed the Zeppelin and Warneford was awarded the Victoria Cross
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The Battle of Gallipoli ends
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Battle of Verdun Begins
- The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was the longest single battle of World War One. The casualties from Verdun and the impact the battle had on the French Army was a primary reason for the British starting the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 in an effort to take German pressure off of the French at Verdun. The Battle of Verdun started on February 21st 1916 and ended on December 16th in 1916.
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Tanks are introduced into battle for the first time
-The British sent 49 tanks into the battle.WW1 tanks were very slow and couldn’t exceed 4 miles an hour.Tanks in WW1 played an extremely important role as they increased mobility on the Western Front and eventually broke the stalemate of trench warfare. -
Battle of the Somme begins
- The Battle of the Somme was a campaign Australia was involved in. Australias role in this Campaign was a role of support and reinforcements. The raason for the campaign was to support the french at Verdun by attacking from the germans to the north of Verdun to weaken them and releave pressure on the french. Battle of the some was mostly trench warfare but some of it was out i the open. Soldiers hiding in bomb craters and behind fallen trees and buildings. The Campaign was a succes.
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Battle of the Somme Australias involvment
- Reason for campaign: To support the French at Verdun
- Nature of Warfare: Trench and open field warfare. Some soldiers hid in bomb craters for cover in the open field
- Result of the Campaign: A success with the Germans having no other option but to surrender
- Effect on Australia & other countries: After battle of the Somme Paris was now not under threat thanks to Australian, English and French forces.
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Battle of the Somme ends
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Battle of Verdun ends
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America Declares war on Germany
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Battle of Arras Begins
-In April, the Allies launched a joint ground offensive, with the British attacking near Arras in Artois, northern France, while the French Nivelle Offensive was launched on the Aisne. Their air forces were called on to provide support, predominantly in reconnaissance and artillery spotting. The Battle of Arras began on April 9, 1917. In support, the Royal Flying Corps deployed 25 squadrons, totalling 385 aircraft, about a third of which were fighters (or "scouts" as they were called at the tim -
Battle of Arras ends
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The Battle of Passchendaele begins
- The Battle of Passchendaele, fought July 1917, is sometimes called the Third Battle of Ypres. For the soldiers who fought at Passchendaele, it was known as the 'Battle of Mud'. Few battles encapsulate World War One better than the Battle of Passchendaele. -On July 18th 1917, a heavy artillery barrage was launched at the German lines. This lasted for ten days. Three thousand artillery guns fired over four million shells. Therefore, the German army in the area fully expected a major Allied atta
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The Battle of Passchendaele ends
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US Presidant issues his fourteen points to peace
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German Flying Ace shot down
- The Red Barons plane was painted red to draw in enemies or to put fear in his enemies.
- The Red Baron manged to acheive 80 kills before he was shot down by a French/British pilot ( Still a mystery )
- The Red Barons real name is Manfred Von Richtofen
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The Spring Offensive
-In the spring of 1918, Luderndorff ordered a massive German attack on the Western Front. The Spring Offensive was Germany’s attempt to end World War One. With 500,000 troops added to Germany’s strength from the Russian Front, Luderndorff was confident of success:
- “ We must strike at the earliest moment before the Americans can throw strong forces into the scale. We must beat the British.”- Luderndorff -
Hundred days offensive begins
- The Hundred Days Offensive took place on the Western Front, from the 18th of July, until the 11th of November, 1918. Before that, the Germans gained a lot of land which was not properly defended, and so all over the map there were many territories, but few German Troops, very exhausted.
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Hundred days offensive ends
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The Treaty of Varsailles officially ends WWI
