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Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian Nationalist Gavrilo Princip. The relations between Serbia and Austria-Hungary were already tense, and this act of rebellion was the last push towards war. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia shortly after the assassination. Due to the treaties signed between many European countries, everyone was sucked into the war. Within a week, all countries involved were ready to fight. -
The Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen plan was developed by Alfred Graf von Schlieffen in the early 1900s. He was the chief of the German general staff for fourteen years. His plan was to have their eastern armies stay defensive against Russia’s slowly emassing armies, while his western armies encompassed France through Belgium. His plan was put into action at the beginning of WWI in 1914, but it ultimately failed, leading to trench warfare. -
Battle of the Frontiers
The Battle of the Frontiers was a name given to the battles that took place between the start of the war and the First Battle of the Marne. It also marked the beginning of the German Invasions. It began when German troops started to invade Belgium en route to France. This was what prompted Britain to join the war. This also prompted France to launch offensive attacks, which failed horribly. This continued until September 6, which was the first day of the First Battle of the Marne. -
The Serbian Campaign
The Serbian Campaign was prompted by the invasion of Serbia by the Austrians. The Serbian commander at the time, Radomir Putnik, ended the invasion by successfully stopping the Austrians. However, when he tried to move northward, the Austrians launched two more offensive campaigns. The Serbians beat them, however, and were free from Austrian advances for a while. -
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first battle on European soil since the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. It was also the first battle the British fought in during WWI. It took place over the Mons canal in Belgium. After about nine hours of fighting the Germans outnumbered the French and British troops 2 to 1, so they retreated, leaving the Germans with a victory. -
First Battle of the Marne
The first Battle of the Marne took place in early September of 1914. German forces were trying to attack Paris, but the French army held them off. Due to this, the German forces retreated towards the Aisne river on the 10th of September. This battle marked the beginning of trench warfare. This battle was also the first battle in history that utilized radio communication and automobiles. -
The Christmas Truce
The Christmas Truce was an unofficial and unplanned truce between German and English troops along a 30 mile stretch of trenches. It began on Christmas Eve with German men singing Christmas carols, and the English responding. The next morning, both sides met in no man’s land for exchanging food, gifts, and stories. The ceasefire was also used to clear out corpses and reinforce trenches. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The Lusitania was a 787-foot-long liner that was, at the time, the biggest ship in the world. It was sunk by a German U-Boat on May 7, 1915, due to the fact that it was carrying around 173 tons of munitions supplied by America. The Germans felt entitled to sink the ship because of the munitions aboard. Of the 1,198 passengers drowned, 128 of those were Americans. This angered the U.S. greatly, but it still stuck to neutrality. -
The Italian Front
On April 26, 1915, Britain, Russia, and France finished a treaty with Italy that would allow them to switch sides in the war. Italy was given land as a persuasion device to get them to switch sides, and it worked. On May 23 of that same year, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. Italy tried to advance eastward at the foot of the Julian Alps, but overall their efforts were not really effective, as they lost a lot more soldiers than the Austrians. -
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was the first British-lead offensive battle. It took place along the Somme river in France, on the western front. The key to the battle was heavy artillery, and the French succeeded with supplying that, learning from the Battle of Verdun. It was one of the bloodiest battles in history with a combined death toll of 1.5 million. In the end, the German forces were weakened, but there was no clear winner. -
The Zimmerman Telegraph
The Zimmermann Telegraph was a message intended to get Mexico to launch an attack on the U.S. for Germany. It was intercepted by British codebreakers before it could get to the German ambassador to Mexico, however. The message detailed how Germany would supply Mexico with munitions and funds for an attack on the U.S. When the decoded message was eventually given to the U.S., it made the public and the government furious. So furious, in fact, that the U.S. joined the war because of it. -
The Russian Revolution
The first part of the Russian Revolution in March was when the monarchy was overthrown and replaced with a government that was supposed to turn Russia into a democracy. However, it was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in October. This established Communism in Russia. Since this happened during WWI, it effectively made Russia stop fighting the Central Powers completely as the Russians were fighting amongst themselves. -
America Enters WWI
America entered WWI on April 2, 1917 for many reasons. The sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmermann Telegraph were two of the biggest reasons. Germans had also sank many other American merchant ships and caused a vast amount of casualties. These reasons, along with general diplomatic relations crumbling between Germany and America and America’s allies suffering massive losses so far into the war, prompted the U.S. to send its forces in early April. -
Gustav H. Kissel departs for Europe
On July 23, 1917, Gustav H. Kissel departs from New Jersey to Europe to learn how to fly airplanes for the U.S. military. This was only three months after America joined the war. He had just graduated from Harvard earlier that year. He traveled to England by boat, which took three weeks, then took a train ride to Paris on August 13, 1917. He stayed in Paris for two months at the American air service headquarters. -
Kissel Arrives in England
Kissel arrived in England on Monday, October 8, 1917. He was stationed in Uphaven, which is in southern England, for more training. Before being moved, he became a lieutenant in the Air Service in Paris. He took a train from Paris to Bologne, then a boat to England, where he traveled via more trains until he reached Uphaven. After two weeks of more training, he received his wings insignia. -
Kissel's Classmate from Harvard is Killed in a Training Exercise
On January 7, 1918, one of Kissel’s classmates was killed in a training accident with their plane, which was a Sopwith Camel. The plane had given out and it nosedived to the ground, killing him. This shocked Kissel, and made him less excited to fight in the war. It happened that morning before Kissel’s lunch. His classmate’s name was William Smith Ely. -
Kissel Travels from the U.K. back to France
In March of 1918, Kissel traveled with others to France to begin fighting on the front lines. He took a boat across the English Channel and landed in Boulogne, near the border of Belgium. He then took a night train to Amiens, which sits right on top of the Somme river. He arrived there at 6:30 a.m. the next day. -
Kissel is Killed on his First Mission
Sadly, Kissel never returned home after the war. On Friday, April 12, 1918, near the city of Flanders, he was killed on his first mission in France. He was fighting in the sky on the front lines when his squadron came upon enemy planes. He was shot down and is the only American buried in France’s Pont-du-Hem cemetery. Every Memorial Day, the mayor of Armentières places a wreath with French and American flags on his grave. -
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne occurred near the Marne river in the Champagne region of France. It was the last battle that the Germans fought offensively. The Germans lost the battle, because of France’s good strategy. They set up fake trenches in front of the real trenches, and the Germans unloaded all of their guns and artillery on those trenches instead of the real ones. When they actually got to the real ones, they were trapped by the French and Americans in those trenches and lost badly. -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
After Germany reached an armistice on November 18, 1918, the Treaty of Versailles was written and signed on June 28, 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference. The treaty basically told Germany that they had to pay all of the war reparations, and this made Germany feel tricked.
