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Britain declares war on Germany
Britain and France are at war with Germany following the invasion of Poland two days ago -
Period: to
The timespan of World War 1
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First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was conducted between the 6th and 12th of September 1914. -
First Battle of Ypres
The Belgian city of Ypres had been the scene of numerous battles since the sixteenth century. With the German failure at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914 and the subsequent Allied counter attacks, the "Race to the Sea" began -
The Gallipoli Campaign begins
The French and British naval attack on the Dardanelles. -
Second Battle of Ypres
Eric von Falkenhayn preferring to concentrate German efforts against the Russians on the Eastern Front. The Second Battle of Ypres comprised the only major attack launched by the German forces on the Western Front in 1915 -
Australia and Gallipoli
Australian troops landed on the beaches of Gallipoli, Turkey. Once the Turkish forts and batteries had been seized, the Royal Navy could steam on to Istanbul. -
The First Battle of Krithia
On 28 April, one shrapnel shell from the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, containing 24,000 bullets, wiped out a whole Turkish company as they charged against some demoralised British troops at Helles. -
The Second Battle of Krithia
Between 6 and 8 May, the British, with French, Australian and New Zealand forces, fought the Second Battle of Krithia but the Turkish lines held and the village did not fall. On 6 May, Lieutenant-Colonel John Quilter, was killed carrying an ‘oversized walking stick’ as he lead his men in the attack on Krithia. -
The Third Battle of Krithia
Again falure at advencing is less surprising. At Helles, the British launched the Third Battle of Krithia on what was described as ‘an exquisite summer’s day’. Although the British broke through the Turkish lines towards Krithia, this advantage was not followed up and the Turkish line held. -
The Battle of Gully Ravine
Between 28 June and 5 July, Turkish forces at Helles attacked British positions at Gully Ravine. In eight days the Turks suffered more than 16,000 casualties, more than 10,000 of whom had been killed. The British refused a truce in this area, similar to the one on 24 May at Anzac, to bury the dead. -
The Battle of Sari Bair
Last and unsuccessful attempt by the British to seize the Gallipoli peninsula. Part of the August Offensive. -
The Gallipoli Campaign ends
After nine grueling months of combat, ANZAC troops led the charge into the capital of the Ottoman Empire and brought about its surrender. -
The Battle of Verdun
The German siege of Verdun and its ring of forts, which comprised the longest battle of the First World War, has its roots in a letter sent by the German Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, to the Kaiser, Wilhelm II, on Christmas Day 1915. -
Anzac day
First commemoration of Anzac Day -
The Battle of the Somme
With the French Army being hard-pressed to the south at Verdun the British intended to breakthrough the German defences in a matter of hours. When the attack began the Germans dragged themselves out of their dugouts, manned their posts and destroyed the oncoming waves of British infantry. -
Third Battle of Ypres
Whereas the first and second battles of Ypres were launched by the Germans in 1914 and 1915 respectively, the Third Battle of Ypres was intended as Sir Douglas Haig's Allied forces breakthrough in Flanders in 1917 -
The Battle of Cambrai
The first time tanks were used in significant force -
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne developed into a significant Allied victory. In what began as the last major German offensive of the First World War
