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The Start of the War
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. This was one reason for the start of the war. -
Germany's promise to Austria Hungary
Kaiser William ll of Germany promises to support Austrian Hungary against Serbia. -
Germany Declares War on Russia
Germany declares war on the Russians because they promised to protect Austria Hungry. Austria Hungry and them are Allies. So when The Archduke was assassinated they went to war to help them. -
The Beginning of Trench Warfare
The Germans declared war on France. They can up with the Schlieffen plan and invaded Belgium. The Belgian troops were defeated, but they were held off by the French’s troops. This caused their plan to fail. This began trench warfare. -
British Joins the War
The British join the war to support their French and Russian allies. The declare war on Germany. This is because Germany had taken control over Belgium. Belgium's ports were really close to Britain's coasts. This was a threat to Britain so they declared war whenever Germany attacked France. -
The First Time That Gas Is Used
Germany fought against the Allied Powers using chlorine gas. This was the first time that this large amount of gas was used for a war. Germany did not win even though it helped them vastly in the battle. They were even able to result in nearly collapse the Frenches lines. They used many other gasses such as tear gas, mustard gas, and phosgene gas in the war. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania.
Germany sinks the Lusitania. This causes a uproar with the people of the US. The ship had 1198 people and 128 were Americans. Unknown to the US people though there were military supplies on that ship being taken to Britain. This upset the Germans because the US was suppose to be neutral. This event caused the US to join the war. -
The Battle of Somme
The Battle of Somme was also known as the Somme Offensive. It was a very deadly war fought by the Allies vs the German empire. It was the largest battle in World War 1. More then 1 million were either killed or injured make it one of the bloodiest battle in history. -
The First Tank
The first tank used by Britain in the Battle at Delville Woods. They were convent enough to clear barbed wire and to to clear paths, but not so much for battle. If they got destroyed you would likely die since you would be unable to free your self. The guns and design made them hard to use and inconvenient in battle. Someone had to pedal to even work the tank. Plus you could only shoot a couple time and then have to wait and reload it. -
Germany Allows Submarines Again
On September 18, 1915 Germany limits submarine care to try and keep the US out of the war, but this causes them to not be able to stop the US from sending supplies to France and Britain. Eventually though Germany allows submarine warfare again. This inevitably cause the US to join the War on the side of the Allied Powers and Germany's defeat in the war later on. -
The US Joins the War
The US officially joined the war on April 6th 1917. The United State's allies were Britain, French, Russia, Siberia, and Belgium. This group was called the Allie Powers. They joined the war with 2 million US soldiers. They were under the command of a Major General named John J. Pershing. -
Germany and Russia are at Peace
Germany signs a peace treaty with the new Russian government. Germany got a lot out of it. They got a large amount of land that had been Ukraine and Poland. They also gained peace on all eastern fronts. This caused the location of the war to shift to the Western fronts of the war. This meant many problems for Britain, France, and the US. -
James Edwin Hopkins Joins The War
Him and some other recruits went to Camp Pike in Arkansas to get vaccinated. He was 24 when he was drafted. Many people didn’t believe he should go because of his religious upbringing as a Quaker. Still that didn't stop him he joined the army. -
James Gets Sick
He suffered from the flu epidemic and ended up in the hospital. He constantly sent letters to his mother during this time. The person in the hospital room with him died and at one point he had a fever of 104. In his letters to his family this scared them, but he just kept writing to them saying I'm fine. He eventually got better, but it caused him to have lung problems later on in his life. -
James Edwin Hopkins Trip to Washington DC
He took a trip to Washington DC to see the capital on a break. He went on a Saturday and didn't come back till 9:25 on Sunday. Afterwards they had to walk back to their camp. Unfortunately that took them many hours causing them to not get back until 2 am. They got to see the Art Museum, The Treasury Building, the National Zoology Park, and even go to see the President and his wife when they went by. He had a good time, but he said he enjoyed New York a lot more. -
James and Ordnance Corp
The Ordnance division were the ones who guard and help with shell testing. His group were suppose to go to New York but the cease fire happened before they were able to go. So him and his group stayed in Boston. He then later went to New York. -
Germany's Surrender
The formal surrender of Germany happened on this date. All nations agreed to stop fighting until terms could be negotiated. It was also known as the Armistice or Compiegne. This was because that was the location in which it was signed. This ended all fighting that was going on. -
James Christmas Dinner and More
Many agency sponsored events such party and movies. One Christmas party he went to he enjoyed the food, but what he enjoyed more was the fact the servers were female. During this party he was able to relax and have a good time. He was a member of the American Legion and took well care of his money. He knew not to spend to much on things unless he needed them. -
James Is Finally Able to Go Home
He is discharged from the army. His mother receives a letter from the 2nd lieutenant V. H. Heparin informing her of his arrival. V. H. Heparin was James commanding officer in the war. He spoke well of James and commented on how proud of him. His family was overjoyed to find out he was coming home. -
Treaty of Versailles
This was the official end of the war. On this day the Treaty of Versailles was signed. It ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed exactly 5 years after the Archduke was killed.
