World War 1

By Jason Tedmanson

  • Aeroplanes fitted with machine guns

    1. World War One Allied Machine Guns: 1914-1918 Before the forward firing machine gun was introduced in the Western Front, all air to air encounters featured small guns, mostly pistols and single round rifles; engagements which seldom ended in a kill.

  • Ferdinand of Austria

  • Assassination of Archduke Franz

    The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on 28 June 1914, set in train a series of diplomatic events that led inexorably to the outbreak of war in Europe at the end of July 1914

  • Poison gas used for the first time

    Poison gas was one of the most devastating weapons in World War 1. Poison Gas was used to kill soldiers instantly in big areas the French developed the poison gas, but the Germans were the first soldiers to use it. It was used in the first month of World War 1, August 1914.

  • German invasion of Belgium

    Because the French had heavily fortified the border, the German Schliffen Plan called for a massive stike through neutral Belgium to avoid the French fortifications along the French-German border. The Germans invaded Belgium (August 4, 1914).

  • Battle of the Mons

    The Mons battle signified the first engagement between British and German forces on the Western Front, and began on 23 August 1914.

  • Battle of the Marne

    The First Battle of the Marne was conducted between 6-12 September 1914, with the outcome bringing to an end the war of movement that had dominated the First World War since the beginning of August. Instead, with the German advance brought to a halt, stalemate and trench warfare ensued.

  • Battle of Ypres

    The first Battle of Ypres took place between October 30 - November 24, 1914. British, French and Belgian troops were outnumbered by the Germans who were trying to get to the English Channel. The Allies won the battle after 34 days of fighting, it started trench warfare on the western front

  • Gallipoli campaign commences

    The period of the proper battle is considered to be 19 February 1915 to 9 January 1916, however a number of events took place between August 1914 and January 1915 that are relevant to the battle.

  • Zeppelin raids of Britain begin

    On the morning of January 19th 1915 two German Zeppelin airships, the L3 and L4 took off from Fuhlsbüttel in Germany. Both airships carried 30 hours of fuel, 8 bombs and 25 incendiary devices

  • Naval Assault of the Dardenelles

    The naval assault on the Dardanelles begun in February 1915 was an allied attempt to open a supply line to Russia and knock the Ottomans out of the war. On October 29, 1914

  • Battle of Gorlice

    Despite its early date, the battle of Gorlice-Tarnow, 2-10 May 1915, was in many ways the decisive battle on the Eastern Front during the First World War

  • Lusitania is sunk by German U-boat

    The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, famous for its luxurious accommodations and speed capability, primarily ferried people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain. On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania left port in New York for Liverpool to make her 202nd trip across the Atlantic. On board were 1,959 people, 159 of whom were Americans.

  • Balkan campaign commences

  • Naval battle of Jutland

    The Battle of Jutland is considered to be the only major naval battle of World War One, 1916

  • Gallipoli campaign concludes

  • Battle of Verdun commences

    February 21, 1916 - The Battle of Verdun begins

  • Battle of the Somme commences

  • Bolshevik revolution in Russia

    The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 was initiated by millions of people who would change the history of the world as we know it. When Czar Nicholas II dragged 11 million peasants into World War I, the Russian people became discouraged with their injuries and the loss of life they sustained. The country of Russia was in ruins, ripe for revolution

  • USA declares war on Germany

    At 8:30 on the evening of April 2, 1917, President Wilson appeared before a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Germany in order to "make the world safe for democracy." On April 4, Congress granted Wilson's request.

  • Battle of Vimy Ridge

    The Battle of Vimy Ridge began at dawn on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, when all four divisions of the Canadian Corps attacked Vimy Ridge above the Douai Plain in France

  • Mutiny by the French Army

    In the spring of 1917, the French Army faced a stern test – widespread mutiny. The mutiny in the French Army was successfully hushed up and when writing after World War One, Luderndorff stated that he knew nothing about what was happening within the French Army. However, within the hierarchy of the army, many senior officers expressed severe concern, especially as some of those involved in muting had flown red flags and sang the ‘Internationale’.

  • Battle of Cambra

    The Battle of Cambrai, launched in November 1917, heralded the first time

  • Battle ofSomme concludes

  • Treaty of Brest - Litovsk

    The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk brought about the end of the war between Russia and Germany in 1918.

  • Ludendorff offensive

    Ludendorff’s offensives of 1918

  • Armistice

    "armistice" means a cessation of hostilities as a prelude to peace negotiations. In the context of the First World War 'the armistice' is generally referred to in context of the agreement between the Germans and the Allies to end the war on November 11, 1918.