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The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The Archduke thought of the Serbians as “pigs”, and “thieves”, which caused hatred from both sides. A small revolutionary group of seven peasant Serbs planned to assassinate the Archduke. In the year 1914, on June 28th, A Bosnian-Serb student going by the name of Gavrilo Princip, an 18-year-old, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofie the Duchess of Hohenberg. This caused Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia, also the main catalyst causing WWI. -
The Battle of the Mons
On August 23rd, 1914, German forces prepared their guns and bombarded British forces at Mons. Unfortunately, the very first day of British combat ended in retreat against the Germans. Even though it felt like a loss for the British, the battle was also seen as a victory; people recall seeing "the angel of Mons" with a flaming sword appearing in the middle of the battle and taking down advancing German forces. The Battle of Mons ultimately resulted in 1,600 casualties. -
Germany begins naval blockade
On February 4th, 1915, Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare on Britain. A little while before Germany's announcement, Britain formed a naval blockade blocking any supplies or food from coming into Germany. Germany announced that any ships passing by would be shot down in an attempt to steal any cargo. A ship named the Lusitania was shot down by a German U-boat, containing 198 passengers, 128 of which were American; This is one of many reasons the U.S joined the war. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The British formed a naval blockade against Germany to block the transport of any weapons, food, etc. This caused Germany to perform unrestricted submarine warfare; Germans shot down many British ships to hopefully destroy the British naval blockade. On May 7th, 1915, A luxurious British steamship named the Lusitania, was torpedoed by German forces killing 195 people, 128 of which were American civilians. This angered the United States and was one of the many reasons the U.S. went to war. -
Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary
During the early stages of WWI, Italy ultimately decided to remain neutral in the war. Italy then sided with the Allied powers after the Allies promised them territory at the loss of Austria-Hungary. On May 23rd, 1915, Italy then declared war on Austria-Hungary. Both sides were certainly not prepared for large-scale warfare or prepared to perform large-scale attacks on one another. Germany stepped in to aid Austria-Hungary which resulted in severe loss for the Italians. -
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The Bloody Battle of Verdun
On February 21st, 1916, a shot from a German soldier started the battle of Verdun. From the very beginning of the battle, there were many losses from both sides. Casualties from both sides started rapidly increasing. The battle of Verdun was the longest-lasting conflict in WWI, resulting in a 10-month span of 300 days. The battle of Verdun was the bloodiest battle second to the battle of Somme, resulting in 550,000 German and 450,000 French casualties. -
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The Battle of Somme
The Battle of Somme took place over a period of nearly 5 months, stretching from July 1st to November 18th. The Battle of Somme was the bloodiest and most costly battle of the war. The Battle of Somme was a joint operation between the British and French forces to hopefully win over the Western front from the Germans. On the very first day of the battle, over 19,000 men died brutally fighting for their lives. The total casualties of the battle resulted in about 300,000 total. -
Harry L. Frieman gets drafted
On November 6th, 1917, Harry L. Frieman was finally drafted into the United States Army and was on his way to war. Harry L. Frieman then left for war and was sent to boot camp. Harry was then deployed and left boot camp. Harry L. Frieman documented his experiences in a journal he kept up until the very day he died. -
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The Second Battle of the Somme
On March 21st, 1918, the Germans launched a major offensive bombardment on the British. The British being unprepared, were forced to retreat from battle. As the Germans were advancing toward Paris, soldiers grew exhausted and were poorly supplied; soon enough, The Germans were put at a halt when the Allies put a stop to the Germans' advance. By the end of the battle of the Somme, casualties mounted up to about 200,000 total deaths throughout the battle. -
The United States first independent victory
On May 28th, 1918, The U.S. was declared victorious at the Battle of Cantigny, also the first independent victory for the United States. Going into WWI, the United States was not yet fully prepared considering the number of soldiers, supplies, etc. By the time the U.S. arrived in France, they were ready just in time to face their German enemies. After a devastating defeat for the French, they aided the U.S. in the battle of Cantigny, which would ultimately result in a victory for the U.S. -
Harry L. Frieman being stationed
Harry L. Frieman was stationed near the bloody trenches of Verdun on September 12th, 1918. Harry along with his unit, took their positions and stood guard almost the entire night, some even took turns so others could rest. Later, Harry and the other men advanced to the front lines, vigorously fighting for their lives in the middle of gunfire. The battle went on and many lives were lost on both sides. -
Front Lines and No Man's Land
Harry L. Frieman and the other men in his unit have spent days upon days near the front lines. One night when Harry was logging his experiences, he and the other men were ordered to advance to the front lines, and would soon fight in what they called no man's land. When Harry and the other men were quickly advancing to the front lines they encountered a sniper in a nearby tree. Harry logged in his journal that he had wounded the sniper, shooting him 7 times which killed him soon after. -
Trench Warfare
On Friday, November 1st, 1918, at about 4 am, the Germans opened an artillery barrage that wounded a soldier in Harry L. Frieman's unit. The trench where Harry was stationed was about 75 yards from the Boche trench. The men had to whisper to one another so that the opposing side couldn't hear them. Throughout the trenches, there were many American soldiers dead that could not be taken away. The Germans then sent another artillery barrage which thankfully didn't injure too many soldiers. -
The Treaty of Armistice
On the morning of November 11th, the Treaty of Armistice was signed by both the Allied and Central powers in an agreement to stop fighting rather than surrender. When Harry L. Frieman and the other troops were mid-battle things started quieting down around 10:30 am. As the troops were about to open fire, they got word to Hault and stopped firing. Harry logged in his journal that the last shots of the battle were fired at exactly 11 am. -
The Treaty of Versailles
On June 28th, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Palace of Versailles in Paris. The Treaty of Versailles commenced and held Germany responsible for the cause of WWI which resulted in the loss of territory, demilitarization, etc. The Treaty of Versailles was a great humiliation for Germany; the German people resented the treaty, which was also a cause of the rise of Adolf Hitler and his infamous Nazi party. The Treaty of Versailles ultimately put an end to WWI.