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The Great War- World War 1
World War 1 timeline -
Spark
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia are assassinated in Sarejevo, Bosnia by a Black Hand assassin by the name of Gavrilo Princip while the couple was visiting to see the opening of a new hospital -
Start of the War
Austria-Hungary declares was on Serbiaas retaliation -
Germany on 2 Fronts
Germany declares war on France, England joins soon after -
Germany vs. Russia
Germany's plan is going well and with Austria-Hungary's help, it declares war on Russia, forcing Russia's allies into the conflict -
Germany Bites Off More Than It Can Chew
Great Britain declares war on Germany after Germany invades Belgium, who was neutral, to attack France. France, England, and Russia are now all allied against Germany and Austria-Hungary -
War reaches 'World War' status
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany. By now, the war is fought on 3 fronts; Eastern in Russia, Western in France, and southern in the Balkans. -
USA on the War
The US declares itself neutral in the war since the war takes place mostly in Europe and does not interfere directly with America at the moment -
1st Battle of the Great War: The Battle of Tannenberg
A battle fought in Allenstein between the Germans and Russians,this battle marked the beginning of a long and bloody struggle. Germany's 8th army obliterated Russia's 2nd army and killed the officer. The battle didn't happen at Tannenberg but was named after the location -
Trench Warfare: Battle of the Marne
With Austria-Hungary on the eastern front, Germany could focus on France and remove it from the picture. The Schleiffen plan was out into action. The Germans were to go through Belgium and attack France, surrounding Paris. THe plan went good for a while and the Allied forces retreated until about 30 miles from Paris. French reinforcements came in taxi cabs, forcing the Germans to retreat.At the River Marne, the Germans dig trenches to camp in. The French and Allied forces did the same. -
Battle of Ypres
After the failure of the battle of the Marne, Germany still needed to secure the western front. This battle quickly turned into a race to the North Sea's shore.It took about a month for the fighting to die out completely, but the first battle was very significant since the British gained control of the North sea as a result, blocking rescources from entering Germany. -
North Sea military
Britain uses its victory at Ypres and its superior navy to blockade the North Sea, blocking resources from enterin Germany through that passage -
Christmas Presents
An unnofficial Christmas treaty is signed, stopping all fighting for 1 day. On this day, enemies who were shooting each other just hours before, played soccer together and traded gifts. The day after, they went back to murdering each other -
Total War
Germany declares that all water zones around Great Britain are war zones, which meant that any vessel, civilian or military, would be attacked by the German fleet -
Gallipoli Campaign
The Allied forces start a march on Constantinople to gain control of the Bosphorous Strait and cause the Ottoman empire to collapse -
2nd Battle of Ypres
2nd Battle of Ypres begins and Germans use chlorine gas developed and weaponized by Fritz Haber. The results are devastating and the use opened up to inventions to counter it like the gas mask, but it would still take hundreds of thousands of lives -
Battle of Gallipoli
Allied forces try to attack Constantinople but fail miserably. The Ottomans win their first major victory in the war and the Allies retreat having lost many soldiers. -
USA and the Great War
The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat (U-20). More than 120 Americans die -
Russian Army Failure
Tzar Nicholas II takes personal control of the Russian army. The already badly trained and poorly armed forces are now led by someone with no military background or experience, which dooms Russia to multiple failures in the war. -
Battle of Verdun
This battle between the Germans and the French was the longest, lasting almost 10 months. The Germans wanted to attack Verdun because they knew the French would fight to the last man to protect the land since it was almost sacred to them. The Germans however did not expect the French to have such a solid resistance. Troops from both sides were slaughtered by the thousands and the Germans never advanced more than a few miles. It is estimated that both sides lost at least 340,000. -
Battle of Jutland
The first major naval battle of the war starts. The British Royal Navy is armed with 29 Dreadnoughts and 20 other ships with 209,000 men compared to the 17 Dreadnoughts and 12 other German ships along with 80,000 men. Ironically, in the end, neither side wins -
Battle of the Somme
Britain starts this battle to alleviate German pressure on the French. They bombard the area with artillery for an entire week before attacking. But unfourtunately, most of the shells hadn't exploded and the Germans had simply waited the artillery out underground. When the firing stopped, they emerged and shot the British, who were in plain sight since their officers had thought the Germans were all dead. In this battle alone, 650,000 Germans fell, along with 420,000 British and 120,000 French. -
Germans Provoke America
Germany sends a secret message called the Zimmerman Telegram calling on Mexico to attack the US. It is intercepted and translated by British and America is informed of the act. -
Tzar Nicholas II Abdicates
Tzar Nicholas II abdicates, leaving a power vacuum, making way for communism, Lenin, and eventually Stalin. -
3rd Battle of Ypres
The 3rd battle was intented to clear the German bases on the Belgian coast and destroy their submarines so Britain could deliver supplies to its land and continue in the was. It proved succesful but not without a giant loss of human life -
Lenin and the Bolsheviks
After years of plotting and planning, the Bolsheviks, a politcal party in Russia made up of violent, socialist radicals, takes power, led by genius and radical Vladmir Lenin. Through the teachings of Marx and people like Robespierre, the provisional government is overthrown and Russia becomes a Communist state for the next 76 years -
Armistice of Russia
The Central Powers agree to stop attacking Russia as long as they conform to their terms. Russia gives up 1/3 of its land and withdraws from the war. -
14 Points of Peace
American president Woodrow Wilson issues the 14 points of peace -
Treaty of Brest- Litosvk
Russia signs a treaty with the Central powers agreeing to withdraw from the war and give up some land in return for being seen as neutral. -
The Spring Offensive
The Allies knew Germany was going to launch a giant offensive, they just didn't know when. They secured the front lines and got ready, but they weren't ready for what came. The Germans came with storm troopers, gas, dynamic attacks, and 500,000 new troops. With new guns, they could shoot over 100 miles and could hit Paris from 200 kilometers away. British forces were overwhelmed and 20,000 were arrested in the first day of fighting -
2nd Battle of the Marne
This battle would mark the unofficial loss of the war for the Germans. They tried to advance on the Allies but were pushed back to where they had started before the Spring Offensive. Even the leaders of the German army realized by then that the war was lost. -
End of the Great War
Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates from his leadership position and flees Germany -
German Armistice
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Germany signs the armistice at Compiegne, France, officially ending World War 1 -
Treaty of Versaille
Treaty of Versaille officially ends The Great War on all fronts
