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Britain comes in
Seeking a quick victory, the French invade Alsace and Lorraine, to be met by German counterattacks. The French suffer huge losses, including 27,000 men killed in a single day, the worst one-day toll in the history of the French army. Meanwhile, the German right wing is beginning to move across Belgium towards northeastern France. The plan calls for that wing to sweep around Paris like a huge swinging door to catch the eastward-facing French armies from behind and pin them against the frontier. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914, A young Serbian man named Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife while visiting Bosnia-Herzegovina. Later that very day Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. -
Britain calls for international mediation.
Britain calls for international mediation. Russia urges German restraint, but then begins partial troop mobilization as a precaution. The Germans warn Russia and begin to mobilize themselves. -
nearing us
Both sides try to outflank each other, side-stepping north in what was called “The Race to the Sea.” When they finally reach the North Sea, Europe is essentially bisected by a front that stretches to the Swiss border. Both sides begin to dig in and the infamous Western Front of trench lines is born.