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Archduke Franz Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were shot dead in Sarajevo by a group of six assassins five Serbs and one Bosnian Muslim, coordinated by Danilo Ilić. The assassination led directly to the First World War. The political objective of the assassination was to break off Austria-Hungary's south-Slav provinces so they could be combined into a Greater Serbia. -
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World War 1
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German support for Austria
Kaiser William II promised German support for Austria against Serbia. The British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey was warned by the German Ambassador in London, of the dangerous situation in the Balkans. He “believed that a peaceful solution would be reached”. Kaiser Wilhelm II declared that he was entirely for “settling accounts with Serbia”. He ordered the German ambassador in Vienna, Count Heinrich von Tschirschky, to stop advising restraint, writing that “Tschirschky will be so good to dr -
Austria declared war on Serbia
Austria declared war on Serbia. Backed by Germany’s promise of support, Austria-Hungary sent a list of demands to Serbia. Serbia accepted most of the demands and offered to settle the rest through an international conference. Austria-Hungary rejected the offer and declared war on Serbia on July 28. Russia, coming to Serbia’s aid, massed troops along its borders with Austria-Hungary and Germany. -
Germany declared war on Russia
Germany declared war on Russia. In consequence of this threatening step, which was not justified by any military proceedings on the part of Germany, the German Empire was faced by a grave and imminent danger. If the German Government had failed to guard against this peril, they would have compromised the safety and the very existence of Germany. The German Government were, ordered to make representations to the Government of His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias and to insist upon a cessat -
'Schlieffen Plan’
Germany declared war on France and invaded Belgium. Germany implemented the Schlieffen Plan. The Schlieffen Plan was a battle plan created by German military tacticians, with the objective of securing victory in the event of a war with both France and Russia. German military tacticians had mused over this particular strategic concern since the 1870s. If Germany was ever at war with France and Russia, it would be surrounded on two fronts; fighting such a war would divide its resources and double -
Brittan declared war on Germany
Great Britain declared war on Germany. It was a decision that is seen as the start of World War One. Britain, led by Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, had given Germany an ultimatum to get out of Belgium by midnight of August 3rd. Britain, as always, had the chance to decide whether or not to participate in the struggle. After the German invasion of Belgium, Britain decided to come to the aid of Belgium and France and subsequently declared war on Germany. Britain's main weakness is her reliance on -
Russian army defeated at Tannenburg and Masurian Lakes
The Battle of Tannenberg took place in August 1914 and The Battle of the Masurian Lakes took place soon after Tannenberg. Both battles were decisive victories for Germany's Eighth Army and left the Russians off balance. By the end of the battles, Russia lost over 250000 men and was pushed fully out of Germany. By the end, the Russians were no longer a threat to Germany. The German Eighth Army had won one of the most astounding battles in history. Grand Duke Nicholas, the Russian commander agreed -
Battle of Ypres
The Battle of Ypres, has become linked forever with World War One. British troops entered Ypres in October 1914. They were unaware of the size of the German force advancing on the town. However, numbers did not make up for experience as the Germans used what were effectively students to attack professional British soldiers based north of the town at a place named Langemark. Eyewitnesses claim to have seen the German troops, with just 6 weeks training, with arms linked singing patriotic songs. -
Turkey entered the war on Germany’s side. Trench warfare started to dominate the Western Front.
Trench warfare is a form of land warfare using occupied fighting lines with large trenches, in which troops are significantly protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. The largest case of trench warfare is the Western Front in World War I. Trench warfare occurred when a revolution in firepower was not matched by mobility, resulting in a struggling form of warfare in which the defender held the advantage. In World War I, both sides constructed elab -
The first Zeppelin raid on Britain took place.
The German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, expressed a hope to his aides that 'the air war against England will be carried out with the greatest energy'. The German High Command had made the strategic decision to bomb the British mainland using airships. The initial target list included: military bases; fuel, ammunition and other military stores, military barracks; and, above all, the London Docklands. The reason for this rapid compliance by the German High Command was the unexpected availability of its fle -
Britain bombarded Turkish forts in the Dardanelles
Carden's plan was three-fold. He recognised that simple bombardment of the overlooking Turkish fortresses was impractical. For one thing, naval artillery could not be expected to achieve the necessary steep trajectory required to knock out the forts. Success would provide a path to Constantinople, thereby knocking Turkey out of war, and - importantly - open a supply lane to the Sea of Marmora and Britain's ally Russia. -
Allied troops landed in Gallipoli
Australians and New Zealanders landed on the rugged and mountainous western side of the peninsula. The small area captured that day became known as ‘Anzac’ and the little beach where most Anzacs came ashore after the initial attack was soon called Anzac Cove. The aim of the landing was to capture the heights of the Sari Bair range which dominate this part of the peninsula and to force a way inland to a hill known as Mal Tepe, overlooking the Straits and the Turkish lines of communication to the -
Gallipoli:The Turks mounted a major attack all along the ridge
An estimated 40 000 Turkish soldiers had been assembled to drive the invaders back to the beaches, but the Anzacs received warning of the attack and were ready. Despite their desperate courage the Turkish soldiers were shot down in their hundreds by rifle and machine-gun fire as they charged across the narrow ridge. That morning an estimated 3000 Turks died in this fruitless attack and a further 7000 were wounded. -
Italy declared war on Germany and Austria
Entering World War I on the side of the Allies—Britain, France and Russia. Italy first declared itself neutral in the conflict, despite its membership in the Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary.ver the course of the months that followed, Italy and its leaders weighed their options; they carefully considered how to gain the greatest benefit from participation in the war. The decision to join the fray on the side of the Allies was based largely on the assurances Italy received. -
Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare campaign
The use of unrestricted submarine warfare was announced by Germany on January 9th, 1917. The use of unrestricted submarine warfare was to have a major impact on World War One as it was one of the main reasons why America joined the war. -
Germany signed an armistice with the Allies – the official date of the end of World War One.
The last day of World War One was November 11th 1918, known as Armistice Day. Despite November 11th being the last day of the war, on many parts of the Western Front fighting continued as normal. This meant, of course, that casualties occurred even as the people of Paris, London and New York were celebrating the end of the fighting. -
Kaiser Wilhelm II's Abdication Proclamation
I herewith renounce for all time claims to the throne of Prussia and to the German Imperial throne connected therewith.
At the same time I release all officials of the German Empire and of Prussia, as well as all officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the navy and of the Prussian army, as well as the troops of the federated states of Germany, from the oath of fidelity which they tendered to me as their Emperor, King and Commander-in-Chief. I expect of them that until the re-establishment
