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1 Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife were assassinated in 1914, both shot by Bosnian-Serb Gavrilo Princip, who was also working with five other conspirators during the event. At the time of the couple's death, they had just escaped a previous assassination attempt involving the same group of people responsible for killing them. Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary at the time and the country declared war on Serbia after the assassination. -
Austria
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia after Ferdinand's assassination, rippling into the decisions of other countries that would lead to a large-scale war. In support of Austria-Hungary, Germany would declare war on Russia, France, and Belgium. Britain and France declared war on Austria-Hungary and Germany, with Japan following due to Germany claiming territory in China. After Ferdinand's death, his nephew, Karl I, would become the emperor of Austria-Hungary. -
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany began to enact a plan of submarine warfare where any ships or vessels, including passenger ships or ships from neutral countries, would be attacked. Britain planned to starve Germany through blockades guarding supplies from entering ports, so Germany retaliated using unterseeboots, or U-Boats. These vessels could hide underwater to wait for victims, as they were strong enough to punch holes in British blockades and their attacks resulted in strong damage and deaths in many cases. -
The Battle of the Somme Begins
The Battle of the Somme was the deadliest battle in WWI with an estimate of 126,3000 casualties over the course of 5 months. The British took the offensive position alongside France and Germany, but the Allies initially had a disadvantage against Germany's heavy fire. The battle focused on the sides wearing each other down through its prolonged time, although the Allies beginning to use tanks in September allowed them to break down more of Germany's defense and was a breakthrough for the future. -
The U.S. Declares War
One of the most prominent influences that led to the U.S. joining WWI was Germany's U-boat attacks on American and Allied passenger ships, killing civilians. The Lusitania, a boat that was sunk with all 1,959 passengers killed, was considered a great loss. Slightly over a month before the declaration, the Zimmerman Telegram was also intercepted, revealing that Germany had proposed giving Mexico back some of the U.S.'s territory in return for siding with them if the U.S. joined the war. -
Quincy Claude Ayres Joins the War
Quincy Claude Ayres was born on May 30, 1891, in Mississippi. Joining the war, he left his wife behind, Mary Harriet Heron, although he wrote about her in his diary, nicknaming her "Honey Presc.," and received letters from her frequently. At age 26, he boarded the USS Pocahontas, a Navy transport ship taking soldiers from America to Europe. The ship left the port 9 days after Ayres arrived, and the journey lasted 15 days, ending when the ship arrived at a port in Brest, France. -
Russia Leaves the War
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between Germany and Russia to officially exclude the latter from the war, however, the peace came with harsh terms. Russia gave up Ardakhan, Kars, Batum, Estonia, Finland, Livonia, and territory in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. The treaty resulted in the loss of 34% of Russia's population, 32% of its farmland, 50% of its industrial holdings, and 90% of its coal mines. Russia also renounced any compensation for losses in the war. -
Ayres is Promoted to First Lieutenant
Ayres first joined the war as a member of the 1st and 2nd Engineers (2nd and 2nd Divisions), and would be promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant four months after he first boarded the USS Pocahontas. Engineering is something that Ayres had been pursuing since he was a teenager. Around this promotion, Ayres is continuing to go to different schools but notes that nothing important has happened. He also notes information about aviation and being exposed to planes multiple times. -
Ayres Meets Eddie Rickenbacker
Meeting Eddie Rickenbacker while at a cafe in Champignuelles was mentioned briefly by Ayres in his diary, who he recognized as a skilled aviator. Just a year before this encounter, in 1917, Rickenbacker joined the U.S. Army and completed his training in five months, becoming a lieutenant. He was assigned to the Hat-In-The-Ring squadron in March and quickly made his skill known. Just five days after Ayres' encounter, Rickenbacker would shoot down five German planes and become an ace. -
Ayres Struggles
As Ayres maintains writing in his diary, he finds things less important and becomes less motivated. He writes much less, grouping weeks and months together, and continues to suffer from missing his wife. He is told by another First Lieutenant that almost his entire platoon is wounded or killed, and it is evident that Ayres is struggling mentally due to the war and the death surrounding him. However, this is when there begins to be talking about peace. -
Austria Separates from Hungary
The Austro-Hungarian empire finally reached its breaking point after suffering from famine, war, and a struggling economy. The empire was also being lead by Karl I, who was struggling in his role in the war and was also revealed to be having secret connections with France. The want for independences would soon result in the creation of Austria and Hungary as well as Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which would later be named Yugoslavia. -
Armistice Signed
Germany, suffering from war, lack of resources, and its main supporter splitting up and joining the Allies, had little say in signing an armistice stating that fighting would cease on the Western Front at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, along with other terms. Germany gave up an immense amount of its resources, including 25,000 machine guns, 3,000 mine throwers, 1,700 airplanes, and 150,000 railroad cars. The Brest-Litovsk treaty was also annulled by the armistice. Combat continued elsewhere briefly. -
Ayres Leaves Brest for Home
May 28, 1919: After increasingly becoming impatient of not reuniting with his wife, Ayres finally leaves Brest to go home, celebrating the end of the war along with others. He writes about each day at sea in detail along with the progress of coordinates, and reaches Boston on June 8. Later, he will take part in WWII and be promoted to the rank of captain. He will also have two children with his wife, Sarah and Marsha Ayres. He died on April 30, 1963. -
The Treaty of Versailles is Signed
This treaty was a more official way of ending the war, but Germany still faced major consequences. The treaty limited Germany's military size, supplies, and warships, took territory, mines, hundreds of thousands of livestock, tools, and materials, and included reparations of $5 billion. Although Germany accepted these terms, the harshness of them would make Germany vulnerable and want revenge, allowing Hitler to later gain power and turn Germany into a dictatorship, leading to WWII.