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Assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The heir to the throne of Austro-Hungarian Empire in Sarajevo, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie was assasinated by young Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. -
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Worl War 1
In August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, starting the First World War. -
World War 1 began
Archduke Franz Ferdinand's death lead off a chain of events, setting off the start of World War 1. -
Australia
Due to the fact that Australia was still part of the British Empire when Britain declared war on Germany, Australia also went to war, although individual Australians could choose whether or not they wanted to go to war to fight. -
Letter to Kaiser
On Christmas day, Erich von Falkenhayn, the German Chief of Staff, sent a letter to Kaise Wilhelm II, trying to prove his point that the Western Front was the key to winning the war against Russia and not on the Eastern Front. Falkenhayn was convinced that if France was out of the picture, the Britain would be alone at the Western Front, where they would loose against Germany's submarine blockade.
(Image- Kaiser) -
Battle of Verdun
Followed by a 21 hour preliminary bombardment, the Battle of Verdun was initially scheduled to start on the 12th of February, although due to poor weather weather, the battle was delayed. -
Battle of Verdun Began
Faught between the Germans and the French, the Battle of Verdun commenced on the 21st Ferbruary 1916. -
The Falling of Driant
The French force had ben reduced from 600 men to just 180 men, due to Germany's victory against Driant, resulting the French losing all company commanders. -
Second line of trenches
Succeeding in over-running the French second line of trenches, German troops forced the defenders 8 kilometres withing Verdun itself. -
Fort Douaumont
Only 5 miles from Verdun itself and believed to be the most powerful fort in the world, Fort Douaumont could not with-hold against the Germans. -
French counter-attacks
At first, the Germans were making great progress against the French, after recieving fresh artillery supplies, allowing them to begin a fresh offensive, although the French counter-attacks eventually pushed back the advancing German Soldiers. -
Third Major Attack
Germany launched the third major attack, on both sides of the salient. -
Petain and Robert Nivelle
Due to his gre efforts in defending against the French , Petain gained a promotion and was soon replaced by the destructive Robert Nivelle.
(Image Petain) -
Mont Homme Hill
Germany Contained Mont Homme Hill on the 29th of May. -
Fort Vaux
Despite holding out against constant bombardment since the very start of the battle, Fort Vaux eventually gave in to the Germans, for the French defenders could no longer hold out. In spite of the loss, Major Raynal, commander of the fort, received Wilhelms' congratulations on his effort for holding out for so long. -
Belleville Heights
After conquering FortVaux, the Germans almost entered the last stronghol before Verdun itself, the Belleville heights. -
The Battle Of Somme
The Battle of Somme was brought forward to perform as a diversion elsewhere on the Western Front, with the intention of draining as much German man power as possible, although the Battle of Somme was originally scheduled for August 1st. -
Falkenhayn
Kaiser dismissed Falkenhayn to command Ninth Army in the Transylvanian Front, due to Falkenhayn's failed success in Verdun. Due to his successes in the Eastern Front, Falkenhayn's surperior critic, Paul von Hindenburg replaced Falkenhayn as Chief of Staff.
(Image: Hindenburg) -
Fort Dauaumont
The French managed to recapture Fort Douaumont with the Third Army's General Charlse Mangin appointed as the new French Commander. -
France's success
Shortly after recapturing Fort Douaumont, the French also succeeded on recovering Fort Vaux. -
End of Battle
The Battle of Verdun ended on the 18th of December 1916, with the French having turned things around and winning the Battle. -
Fallen alliance
The alliance between Britain, France and America, the Central Powers, took a downfall as the armies advanced towards the German borders in October 1918. -
The Armistice
On November 3rd 1918, Austria-Hungary signed an armistice (a truce), following after Turkey, who signed an armistice at the end of October. -
End of World War I
After 4 long years of conflict, the Great War ended in the morning of November 11, although when the war ended, there was no celebrationg at the front.
