-
Archduke of Austria Assassinated
Late at night on June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated in Sarajevo. The couple had already been attacked earlier in the day when a grenade was thrown at their car. The Archduke and his wife were unharmed, but several others were. Insisting on seeing those injured, the Archduke and his wife were on their way to the hospital when their cavalcade came to a halt, giving Gavrilo Princip, another nationalist, enough time to shoot and kill both of them. -
First Shots of WWI are Fired
On August 8th, 1914, the first shots of WWI are fired. British and French forces had been sent to invade Togoland, a German colony in Africa. Their mission was to seize a wireless station that communicated to German ships. The Germans soon surrender, but destroy the wireless station before the Allies could reach it. -
Battle of the Marne Begins
Germany plans to quickly dispatch France, so as to be able to focus resources on the Eastern Front. The Germans come up with the Schlieffen plan to do that. On September 9th, 1914, the German army begins advancing towards Paris and is met by French and British forces along the River Marne. This halted and ruined the Schlieffen plan as both sides attempted to outflank eachother. This begins 4 years of trench warfare on the Western Front. -
Poison Gas is Used for the First Time in WWI
On January 3rd, 1915 the German military deployed the use of poison gas on a battlefield for the first time. German soldiers use xylyl bromide on Russian troops at Bolimov, on the Eastern Front, killing more than 1,000. Near this same time, Belgium uses it at Ypres. German chlorine gas will kill more than 7,000 allied troops. -
Lusitania is Sunk
On May 7th, 1915, the RMS Lusitania was sunk, The Lusitania was a British civilian ship that was crossing near German U-Boats when it was torpedoed. The ship had 1,900 passengers onboard, including more than 120 Americans. This, along with the Zimmermann Telegraph, is one of the main reasons the United States joins the war. -
The United States Enters WWI
On April 4th, 1917, the United States Senate voted 82 to 6 in favor declaring war against Germany. Two days later the U.S. House of Representatives votes 373 to 50 in favor and formally joins the war. Initially, President Woodrow Wilson had remained neutrak and was adament about staying out of this war. However, pressure from allies and business people, along with several controversies, including the Lusitania, pushed Wilson to eventually support war. -
Congress passes the Selective Service Act
A little over a month after the United States entered WWI Congress passed the Selective Service Act. This act required all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for military service. This was needed because less than 100,000 men had volunteered for the war. Over 2.8 million men were drafted by the end of the war, including Thomas Glenden Millea. -
Thomas Glenden Millea is Drafted
On December 11, 1917, Thomas Glenden Millea was drafted to the United States military. He was sent to basic training at Camp Hancock in Georgia. He was initially assigned to be a pilot, however no planes were available for him, so he was reassigned to infantry and put into the 7th Infantry Regiment, part of the American Expeditionary Force. -
Battle at Belleau Wood Begins
The Battle of Belleau was the first major battle fought by Americans in World War I. The Germans' Spring Offensive had pushed the Western Front 45 miles into France had been halted, and the US took the opportunity to push them back at Belleau Wood. After more than two weeks the Germans had been pushed back at the cost of 10,000 American lives. It was for participating in this, the battle at Chateau Thierry, and the Second Battle of the Marne that Thomas and his unit recieved the Croix De Guerre. -
Attack on Orleans
On July 06, 1918, a German U-Boat launched an attack on Orleans, a small town in Massechusetts, starting the first and only battle to be fought in the US in WWI. The U-Boat was spotted at 10:30 A.M. and soon began to open fire on a tugboat. No one was hurt, and the U-Boat was scared by 2 US plans soon after the U-Boat was spotted. The U-Boat was destroyed months later in a minefield. -
Second Battle of the Marne Begins
On July 15, 1918, the German military launched their last major offensive on the Western Front. After another failed offensive to end the war, the Germans planned to attack France through Flanders and planned to distract the Allies by sending a force to the Marne. The Allies were able to mount a counterattack and forced the Germans to retreat. It was here that Thomas Glenden Millea first encountered mustard gas, which hospitalized him and ended his service with the 7th Infantry Regiment. -
Meuse-Argonne Offensive Begins
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was a part of the Hundred Days Offensive that ended the war. This was the largest offensitve the US had ever been in, the largest operation the US was involved in in WWI, and was also the deadliest battle in US history at that point. After being reassigned to the 353rd Regiment, Thomas Millea was in the front lines of this battle. While he was advancing he was hit with artillery shrapnel and gassed yet again, ending his activity on the battlefield. -
Armistice Day
On November 11, 1918, Germany surrendered to the Triple Entente, ending the war. Although the Germans had begun the war in a good position, and Russia leaving midway through the war, Germany had slowly lost momentum. Several failed offenses and America and Italy joining the Allies had cost Germany dearly. The German government had realized the war was lost for some time before they signed the British armistice. -
Kaiser Wilhelm II Abdicates
On November 28, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II officially abdicated from his throne. His abdication had already been announced several weeks earlier on November 9 By Prince Maximillian of Baden. On November 9, Kaiser Wilhelm II entered exile. He would not return to Germany, settling in the Netherlands. -
Thomas Glenden Millea is Released from the Hospital
On January 1st, 1919, Thomas Glenden Millea is released from the hospital. He had been hit with shrapnel from an artillery shell and mustard gas had burned and blistered his body and lungs. Gas only killed 90,000 during the war, but it's main use was the psychological effect it had on soldiers.
