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Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
The Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife Sophie (duchess of hohenberg) were shot dead on the 28th June 1914 in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip. This event was arguably the initial push factor to begin the first world war, as it was the first major assassination to provoke the countries Austria-Hungary and Serbia against each other. -
Germany agrees to provide support to Austria-Hungary in case of Russian militariansim.
Austria-Hungary seeks out help from Germany for a war against Serbia, in case of a Russian intervention, and Germany promises Austria-Hungary that they will provide their support. Austria-Hungary delayed announcing war against Serbia until they had full confirmation that Germany would support them, as Serbia already had the support of Russia. -
Start of World War 1
Following the events of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Hohenberg, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, marking the beginning of the first World War. Russia assembles, getting prepared for the war. The Netherlands state their neutrality, taking themselves out of harms way and choosing neither side to fight with, rendering themselves not a part of the first world war. -
Britain Declares War on Germany and the United States proclaim Neutrality
On the 4th August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, and Britain hence joins the battle. Australia was very quick in joining forces with Britain to aid them in battle, and Andrew Fisher stated “Australians will stand beside our own to help and defend her to our last man and our last shilling.” The United States also proclaimed neutrality in this way, just as The Netherlands did. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia, and Serbia declares war on Germany continuing the initial phase of countries picking sides and declaring war upon each other. -
Japan Declares War on Germany
On the 23rd of August 1914 Japan Declared War on Germany as an Ally of Britain, offically stating their willingness to partake in battle. -
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Australian occupation of German New Guinea
The Australian occupation of German New Guinea was the takeover of Pacific Colony of German New Guinea by the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force.This was one of Australia's first campaigns and wins, a major achievement for the soldiers of the time. -
Battle of Marne
The Battle of Marne was an Allied victory against the German forces, and was the climax of German invasion into France. The battle was very brief (it lasted from the 5-12th of September 1914) but set up and readied the soldiers for 4 years on the Western Rront, battling. -
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The First Battle of Ypres
It was a part of the First Battle of Flanders, and in it German, French, Belgian and British armies fought from from 10 October to mid-November, covering the area of Arras in France to Nieuport in Belgium. The battle proceeded in five stages, with no decided winner. Each side gained small amounts of land at a time, but suffered from huge amounts of casualties and deaths. -
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Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli Campaign was one of the most recognised campaigns that Australia took part in, and took place in the Gallipoli Peninsula in the Ottoman Empire. The Allied Forces suffered one of their worst losses and the battle is considered the greatest Ottoman victory of WW1. After 8 months of steady fighting, the ANZAC forces were withdrawn to Egypt, to avoid suffering further casualties. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
On the 7th of May 1959, a passenger British Ocean Liner was sunk by a speeding German U-Boat, and 1100 people perished out of 1900 passengers and crew members. This event was a significant factor in the rise of hate against Germany, and a push factor for them to join the war. -
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Battle of Verdun - Victory: The French
The battle of verdun was fought on the Western Front on the hills north of Verdun-sur-Meuse, between the German and French armies. The Région Fortifiée de Verdun (RFV) and those of the Second Army garrisons on the right bank of the Meuse were attacked by the German Fifth Army, whose objective was to capture the Muese Heights from which they fire at Verdun. Basing their plan on their experiences in the battles of Champagne, the Germans assumed the French would suffer more losses than they would. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 2
The infantry division fought at Gallipoli between April and December 1915, and was reinforced by a later second division as well as three light horse brigades.
When the AIF was evacuated to Egypt it was expanded to five infantry divisions, which were bound to fighting in France and Belgium along the Western Front in March 1916.
A sixth infantry division was partially raised in 1917 in the United Kingdom, but was broken up and used as reinforcements for the Western Front to replace casualties. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 3
In September 1918, when the call was made to separate eight battalions, there followed a series of “mutinies over disbandment” where the ranks refused to report to their new divisions. In the AIF, mutiny was one of two charges that carried the death penalty, the other being desertion to the enemy. Instead of being charged with mutiny, the instigators were charged as being AWOL and the doomed battalions were eventually permitted to remain together for the forthcoming battle. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 4
However, the mutineers' plight in prison was hidden by the strict censorship, and when the war finished, all mutineers were pardoned. During the war at the beginning soldiers were granted a lot of rest and recovery time, so they would be at full capability for fighting the battle. However from 1917 soldiers truly believed that downtime would be essential to their survival, and they were allowed much less of it. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 6
Australia's involvement in the Western Front was to aid the British trroops, and later become a main force when the AIF became six different divisisons. The reasons for the multiple campaigns involved in the Western Front was to reclaim/gain more land from the enemy with as few casualties as possible. Men were cooped up in trenches for extended periods of time, suffering from diseases and firing guns at the enemy. The lives of Australians back home were affected directly,many loved ones lost. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 7
Australia’s role in the Western Front campaign was to assist the British troops in claiming land from the enemy, with minimum casualties. The Australian soldiers were cooped up in trenches for long periods of time, suffering from diseases and firing guns. There were different outcomes depending on the campaign being held within the Western Front. Australia itself was majorly affected, there were more job opportunities however it was also a time of grieving for those in all countries. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 8
Key events/battles that occured within the period of time the Australian soldiers were fighting on the Western Front in chronological order: Battle of Marne, Battle of Ypres, Battle of Champagne, Second Battle of Ypres, Battle of Verdun, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Passchendaele, Second Battle of Marne. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 1
The Australian Army during World War I, which formed from 15 August 1914 following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany, was a purely volunteer force with a total of 331,814 Australians. The army initially had the strength of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. -
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Western Front Mutinies- Zoomed in Aspect of Australia's involvement in WW1 PART 5
The repeated offensives of 1917 began to sap the energy of the AIF, with many men becoming depressed over the long periods they had spent in the trenches – longer than those of the British.82 Under normal circumstances, divisions were usually granted rest before they reached breaking point.
By 1918 when the mutinies began occurring many men had reached their breaking point and no longer wanted to continue fighting. As a resukt of the mutinies and low spirit, this was one of the last campaigns. -
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Battle of the Somme
The battle of Somme took place on the Somme River, and was a battle between the allied forces of Britain and France against the German forces. It is branded as one of the bloodiest battles in human history, with 1 million men dead or wounded in what is considered an extrememly large battle of WW1. On the very first day of the battle, Britain suffered its worst losses ever, adding up 60 thousand casualties. However, there was no winner at the end. -
Battle of Fromelles
The Battle of Fromelles was a brief operation run by the British on the Western Front, a part the Battle of the Somme however not as major. The battle plan was not well thought out and the troops poorly trained, not to mention the German troops outnumbering the British with a 2:1 ratio. As a result, the Germans were victorious in this small battle. -
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The result of the Battle of Vimy Ridge was an Allied victory fought in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, which was achieved by the Canadian forces overtaking most of the ridge on the first day of the battle. The second day saw the rest of the ridge captured as well as the town of Thélus, and on the final day the Germans retreated and the fortified knoll that was the final objective of the Canadian forces fell. The battle in now considered a symbol of achievement for Canada. -
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Battle of Passchendaele
This battle is also known as the Third Battles of Ypres, and took place on the Western Front. It was fought between the Allies and German forces, who were both fighting for control over the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres. The Canadian army eventually reached Passchendaele Ridge with the loss of half a million men and the German army lost a quarter of a million men, with neither resulting in victory. -
End of World War 1
Following the final Allied attack on the German border, at the end of October 1918 Turkey signed an armistice, as did Austria-Hungary on the 3rd of November 1918. The war officially ended at 11am on the 11th of November 1918, and is today known as Remembrance Day, -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the peace treaty that officially declared peace between the Allied Powers and Germany after WW1 had ended. The fighting itself was concluded with the armistice, however the Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties used to tie up loose ends, and separate treaties were developed for the other Central Powers. The Treaty of Versailles was signed exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. -
League of Nations Formed
The League of Nations was formed as a way to prevent such a horrific event as WW1 happening again. Essentially, an international organisation that would maintain world peace, It lasted for 26 years, but in the end proved ineffective as WW2 broke out and the League of Nations ultimately did not have enough power alone to maintain peace as countries pulled out of it one by one. Depicted is a League og Nations meeting.
