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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
States in Bosnia were annexed by the Austrian-Hungarian empire, this angered many people and a nationalist group called The Black Hand was formed. Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were inspecting the Austrian-Hungarian troops in Bosnia on a national holiday. The Black Hand member Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Archduke was the Archduke was leaving the town. -
Austria-Hungary Declares war on Serbia
The Austrian government blamed the Serbian government for Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination. The Austrian government declared war on Serbia because of this. Germany offered to support Austria if Russia supported Serbia thinking they wouldn't. But Russia did support Serbia and called on France to do the same through their alliance. -
Battle of Tannenberg
The Russian army went to Prussia, modern day Poland. Due to railroads in between Russia and Prussia the Russians had a hard time getting supplies to their men. Their opponents, the Germans did not have this problem. The Germans surrounded the Russians before the its commanders could react. The Russians lost many men and the battle. -
Christmas Truce
Soldier on both sides of the war started their own truce on Christmas. They sang carols, played games and spoke as much as they could with language barriers. The truce was spontaneous and held in some areas along the front but not all. -
Chemical Warfare is used on a large scale for the first time
The battle of Ypres was the first time chemical warfare was used on a large scale. The Germans used chlorine gas against the Allies. Many were injured and almost half of the injured died. The Allies retreated by May 25 after the attacks. -
The Lusitania sinks
The Lusitania was sunk in British waters by a German U-boat. The ship carried many civilians and US citizens. A total of 1,198 drowned many US citizens. The Germans stopped unlimited submarine warfare because of the global outrage over the Lusitania sinking. -
Battle of Jutland
The battle of Jutland was fought between the British and the Germans in the North sea near Denmark. It took place May 31 through June 1 in 1916. It was the largest naval battle of the war. There has been a long debate over the winner of the battle and no clear winner was found. -
Battle of Somme
The Battle of Somme was fought by the British and the French against the Germans. It took place near the Somme river in France. It was the largest battle of WWI and it is one of the bloodiest battle in human history. The Germans won the battle in November. -
US President Wilson is reelected
The 28th President of The United States, Woodrow Wilson was reelected in 1916. He beat Supreme Court Justice Charles Hughes. Wilson ran on the fact that he kept America out of both of the current wars. Americans wanted to maintain a state of neutrality that Wilson had. -
Reinforcements sent to Italy
The Italians were losing many men trying to keep the line between Italy and the Central powers. The British and French sent reinforcements to help hold the line. -
US discovers Zimmerman telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a telegraph sent by Germany to Mexico. In the letter Germany proposed an alliance with Mexico. The telegraph was found and decoded by British intelligence. Americans were outraged by the telegraph and wanted America to declare war on Germany. -
US declares war on Germany
The US declared war on Germany. They declared war in response to the Zimmerman telegram and the sinking of US boats by the Germans. -
Charles Gerwitz enlist in the army
Gerwitz was drafted into the us army in 1917. He served with the 320th FA, 82nd division in France. He ended his career in the army in January of 1919. He was also awarded the Purple Heart on September 13th, 1979. -
Charles Gerwitz arrives in Liverpool England
Gerwitz left on the first of may with a convoy of 13 ships. A large storm hit the ships a few days into the trip. The trip took 13 days. The water calmed when the ships reached the Irish sea. In the end they arrived safely in Liverpool. -
Charles Gerwitz crosses the English Channel and arrives in France
Gerwitz boards a crowded boat after staying a few days in England. The boat delivered 7 bags of mail. After that the boat became standing room only. The boat departed after dark and many others complained of lack of sleep and no room to move. By day break they had arrived in Le Havre, France. -
Charles Gerwitz went to artillery school in De La Courtine
Gerwitz went to artillery school in De La Courtine, a small town in the Alps mountains. Gerwitz milked the cows and collected eggs from chickens that belonged to the locals. The soldier had to learn to use a new kind of gun and the only place they could practice was in the mountains. The practice area was far so they stayed for days at a time. -
Charles Gerwitz goes to Chateau Thierry
Gerwitz spent 3 days on a train until they got to a small town near Chateau Thierry. Gerwitz stayed there until the Allies captured Chateau Thierry from the Germans. After the Allies captured the town, Gerwitz stayed in the town for a few days before moving further into France. -
WWI ends
On 11am in a French town called Redonthes, the Armistice went into effect. This ended all fighting between the Allies and Germany. Other Armistices had been signed with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary before November 11.
