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Russians are defeated at battle of Tannenberg
On the eastern front, Germans shatter the Russian Second Army and take over 92,000 prisoners at the Battle of Tannenberg. -
Germans conduct air raid on Paris
The attack has little military value, but is intended to terrorize civilians. -
Germans stopped at first battle of the Marne
German invasion of France is stopped in the first battle of Marne as German troops are forced to the north side of the Marne River, causing the Schlieffen Plan to fail. -
In first battle of Ypres, entrenched allies fight off German assault
As the armies tried to out flank each other they extended their lines to the English Channel and began trench warfare. Ypres, a Belgian city and communications hub, was essential to both sides. In the first battle of Ypres, entrenched allies fight off German assault. Germans give up their offensive by November 24 as winter and stormy weather set in. -
Japan Attacks and Captures Tsingtao, China
Held by the Germans since 1898, Tsingtao is lightly garrisoned port city on the Yellow Sea. The Germans surrender on November 6. -
Christmas Truce Observed on Western Front
The sound of Christmas carols across No Man's Land encourages troops from both sides to exchange greetings. The truce is spontaneous and was experienced by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of soliders. -
Bread Rationing is introduced in Germany
Each citizen and neutral foreign national is issued a bread card for an initial daily quota of 225 grams (about 8 ounces). -
Turkish army disarms its Armenian Troops
Ottoman Turkish army disarms and segregates Armenian soldiers into the labor battalions fearing Christian Armenians are aiding Orthodox Russians in their fight against Turkey. 1915, 1,000,000 Armenians are forcibly removed to Syria and Mesopotamia. -
Germany threatens submarine warfare against merchant vessels
Germany warns that neutral vessels in British waters "would be destroyed without it always possible to warn crews and passengers." -
In second Battle of Ypres, Germans use poison gas
In the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans open the assault with a chlorine gas attack, the first successful use of poison gas on the Western Front; more than 10,000 Allied troops are affected, over half of whom died. By May 25, the Allies withdraw. The affects of a gas attack are vividly described in Wilfred Owen's poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, written in 1917. -
Allies Land in Gallipoli, Turkey
Allies, including Australian and New Zealand troops, land in Gallipoli, Turkey at Helles and Anzac Cove. The Turkish controlled peninsula of twisting shorelines protects the Dardanelle Straits- a key international waterway cinecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. -
In London, Women Demonstrate for the right to work in war industries
In London, women demonstrate for the right to work in war industries with banners proclaiming: "Women Demand The Right to Serve" and "The Situation is Serious - Women Must Help To Save It." -
Allied Troops Enter Kut-Al-Amara in Mesopotamia
British and Indian forces move up the Tigris River to capture Kut-al-Amara in Mesopotamia from Turkish forces. Their ultimate goal is Baghdad, roughly 100 miles from present-day Baghdad in Iraq. They will surrender their forces in April, 1916.