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The assassination
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were assassinated by a Bosnian Serb Nationalist in Sarajevo. The fact of who assassinated the two still remains a mystery to this day. But this moment in history can always be remember as the trigger to start the war. -
World War 1 Begins
Convinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilize and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers quickly collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun. -
Battle of Marne
First battle of the Marne begins. The Germans had advanced to within 30 miles of Paris, but over the next two days, The French are reinforced by 6,000 infantrymen who are transported to the front by hundreds of taxis. The Germans dig in north of the Anise River, and the trench warfare that is to typify the western front for the next four years begins. -
Christmas Truce
Pope Benedict XV suggested a small break of the war for the celebration of Christmas. The warring countries refused, but on Christmas the solders in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce. Starting on Christmas Eve, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines, and at certain points the allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans in the joyous singing. -
Snowfall - Frank Van Pelt
During his time in service Frank often found himself amused by the smallest things in everyday life. When they experienced his first snowfall he immediately wrote to his family sharing the exciting news. But while the snow fell he soon caught a cold. He noted that the red cross gave them sweaters and new helmets. And they would also often receive Christmas presents from the red cross. -
Gas In the War
The Germans fire shells filled with chlorine gas at allied lines. This is the first time that large amounts of gas are used in battle, and the result is the near-collapse of the French lines. However, the Germans are unable to take advantage of the breach. -
Lusitania Sinks
During the beginning of World War 1, America had found itself neutral until the day Lusitania sunk. A German submarine had sunk the ship Lusitania spilling not just our tea but also killing about 100 Americans on the ship. This turned the American opinion on Germany around as the government had now intended to make the United States ready for war. -
Christmas - Frank Van Pelt
Once Christmas past they soon began to get busier then ever so he had some regret in not writing to his family has soon as possible. But he mentions that at this point and around this time of year a lot of them men had become deeply depressed weather it was missing their family or losing hope in the war. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
During the war the British had given Wilson the Zimmerman Telegram, a message from Germany proposing an alliance between Mexico and Germany in case a war would to ever start between the United states and Germany. In return Germany would help retrieve the lands Mexico had lost before to the US; Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The news spreading around the country soon lead to the United States declaring War on Germany and taking the side of France and Britain. -
Free time - Frank Van Pelt
Frank often found that he had a lot of free time on his hands during his time in service. He would often write to his family mainly his sisters. -
Visiting the Military Prison - Frank Van Pelt
Most of the men got the privilege of joining the taking tour of the military prisons while at service. Frank and a five of his friends were part of this group who were lucky enough to tour the prison. Also before visiting he was given a pair of overalls and new shoes. -
Education - Frank Van Pelt
Frank recorded that they would often be given days where they had to the opportunity to learn about the more or get to know each other. He also mention that during this time they wold often get their papers and documents checked out by officers and his sister wrote all of his so he didn't have much of a problem like the other men did. -
Battle of Cantigny
The battle of Cantigny is the first Major American offensive of the war. It also was marked as the first major US victory. It deprived the Germans of an important observation point for their troops on the Western Front. It provided a warning to the Germans that the American, although recently arrived and relatively new to the battlefield, were not a force to be taken lightly. -
Wilhelm Abdicates
Wilhelm gained a reputation as a swaggering militarist through his speeches and ill-advised newspaper interviews. But once he abdicated all hope of Germany's victory had come to an end. He and his retinue quietly slip over the border into the Netherlands where he lives out the remainder of his life in relative peace and writes a self-promoting memoir defending his actions in the war. -
Armistice Day
The official end to world war 1. Armistice day is a day of commemoration to remember the 8.5 million soldiers who died across the world during the 1914-18 war. As well as the lose in the conflicts that followed. The Germans had been defeated after a brutal summer over the past four months. In the early hours of November 11th, finals terms were laid out and finally the armistice was signed declaring the end of World War 1.
