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Assassination
While attending a series of military exercises, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia were killed by the Young Bosnians, a secret revolutionary group. As the couple was driving down a public street, one of the members threw a bomb at the car. It bounced off, and rolled away, leaving them unharmed. However, Ferdinand insisted on following the rest of the schedule, and the couple took side streets to their next meeting. This took past teenage Gavrilo Princip, who shot them. -
Battle of Tannenberg
On August 26, 1914, the German 8th army stuck against the Russian 2nd army. After a major victory, Russia had paused to regroup. The Germans took them by surprise, and after 3 days of battering them with artillery, cut off their escape route. 50,000 Russians were killed, and 92,000 taken prisoner. Samsonov, their general, killed himself before its end. -
X-Rays
Marie Curie, a French physicist, was an expert in radiology. She knew that x-rays could detect bullets, shrapnel, and other problems faster, saving countless soldiers lives. Curie convinced the French government to let her set up France's first military radiology centers. After persuading the auto manufacturers to make vans and donate equipment, she equipped them to transport x-ray apparatus'. In October, 1914, the first 20 radiology vehicles were ready. -
"Let Cavall be the battle cry"
After helping 2 British soldiers escape enemy territory, British nurse Edith Cavall was recruited into a group of Allied patriots. Her hospital became a station in an underground network helping soldiers get to the Netherlands. The German police became suspicious, and she was betrayed by a French collaborator. Although she knew authorities were closing in, she continued her work until her capture. Cavall was convicted of helping enemy soldiers, and shot by a German firing squad. -
Battle of Loos
On September 25, 1915, the British attacked the Germans at Loos. It started in 2 different regions, and was later calculated that it included 54 French and 13 British divisions. Despite being outnumbered, the Germans were able to defend both positions. German casualties equaled 60,000, while combined Allied casualties reached a quarter of a million. the British used poisonous for the first time, but it didn't do any real damage. Death tolls exceeded any previous battle. -
They Shall Not Pass
The Battle of Verdun began when more than 1,220 guns around an 8 mile perimeter opened fire. German orders were to take the French positions "without regard to causalities". They gained 6 miles, and took many almost undefended forts with ease. It was a low point for France. The battle lasted the rest of the year, and the casualties on both sides are around 1.25 million. Even today skeletons still surface there. -
Sykes-Picot Agreement
Since the beginning of the war, Allied governments had argued over the vast Ottoman Empire's vast territory. In May of 1916, Britain and France secretly reached an agreement, dividing the land between the. They would retain free trade and passage in each other's spheres, along with other advantages. The agreement however, neglected to allow for the future growth of Arab nationalism. It was named for its British and French negotiators. -
German and British Win?
On May 31, 1916, scouting forces started a running artillery duel in the Jutland, off the coast of Denmark's North sea coast. After the initial shooting, the British lure the Germans into the Grand Fleet. They cut off their exits, but the Germans escaped total destruction by executing 3 180 degree turns. By the end, the battle had involved 250 ships, and 100,000 men. Both sides claimed victory. -
Black Tom
The New York are was a major hub for the munition industry. Black Tom, one of the most important shipping centers, and most of the arms going through there went to the Allies. One morning, two blasts went off in Black Tom, killing 5 people and leveling 13 warehouses. The hole created was so deep it was below sea level. Although German terrorism was suspected, it couldn't be proven. Years later, a team of lawyers discovered evidence linking the German government to the disaster. -
Influenza Outbreak
Nettie Euritha Trax wrote to her mother that there was an outbreak of influenza among the nurses. One of the doctors decided to get ahead of it, and turned the nurses barracks upside down. When the women came back after their shift, their beds and sheets were sitting outside. Then, at 4 in the morning, they had a fire call. Someone had started a fire to dry the building out, and it had caught fire. -
New Ward
Base Hospital No.18 opened a new ward. They admitted 18 patients, and only had 2 nurses, Nettie and ... Most of the patients were from the Engineering Corps, and one was from the Medical Corps. Nettie thought that he look enough like Dick Sylvester to be his brother, It startled her to walk in and just see his face poking up over the sheets. -
Battle of Caporetto
On October 24, 1917, Germany transported seven divisions of troops to reinforce the Austrians. They were able to surprise Italians, and after a brief artillery attack, moved across Italian lines. The Central Powers used grenades and flamethrowers to keep their advantage. At the end of the first day, they had advanced over 15 miles. By the end, 40,000 Italians were killed or wounded, 280,000 captured, and 350,000 had deserted. -
Christmas Eve
Nettie was working in ward "M" over Christmas. The patients and nurses decorated for the holiday. They put a big tree in the center of the room, and decorated it with homemade ornaments. Ivy and spruce pine was wound around the rafters, and wreaths were hung all over the room. They made gifts for the patients, who acted like little boys. Both staff and patients were most grateful for the snow, because it grounded any enemy airmen. The lights could be safely left on as long as they wanted. -
Proposal
Soldiers on the front often proposed to the nurses that treated them. They missed their families and sweethearts so much, they truly believed they were in love. Nettie received a proposal from one of her patients. Although they barely spoke, he said he loved her. She began to avoid him, but says it happens fairly often, and that in the last eight months she has gotten "five proposals and a bushel of love letters". -
Fourth of July
Each hospital ward decorated and competed for a prize. Nettie said she thought theirs was the best, but that the judges didn't agree! The men in her ward were from the Yankee Division, so they put a giant YD in the middle of the room. They boys fresh out of the trenches had been talking about how they had been craving pie, so the nurses put together a celebration. They had an celebration, with an entire table loaded with pie. The soldiers loved it, but it made some homesick.
