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The Start Of The War
World War 1 Began On July 28, 1914 When Austria-Hungary Declared War On Serbia. This Seemingly Small Conflict Between Two Countries Spread Rapidly: Soon, Germany, Russia, Great Britain, And France Were All Drawn Into The War, Largely Because They Were Involved In Treaties That Obligated Them To Defend Certain Other Nations. Western & Eastern Fronts Quickly Opened Along The Borders Of Germany & Austria-Hungary. -
The Western & Eastern Fronts
The First Month Of Combat Consisted Of Bold Attacks & Rapid Troop Movements On Both Fronts. In The West, Germany Attacked First Belgium And Then France. In The East, Russia Attacked Both Germany And Austria-Hungary. In The South, Austria-Hungary Attacked Serbia. -
Trench Warfare
The Middle Part Of The World War 1, 1916 And 1917, Was Dominated By Continued Trench Warfare In Both The East And West. Soldiers Fought From Dug-In Positions, Striking At Each Other With Machine Guns, Heavy Artillery, And Chemical Weapons. Though Soldiers Died By The Millions In Brutal Conditions, Neither Side Had Any Substantive Success Or Gained Any Advantage. -
The Battle Of Sambre
The Courses Of the Large Rivers Sambre & Scheldt Are So Directed That Between Them Is Left A Broad Avenue Where No Great Natural Obstacle Bars An Invasion Of France From The North-east. Here, On High Ground Between The Smaller Rivers Of The Ecaillon & Rhonelle, Stands The Fortress-town Of Le Quesnoy. Founded Before The XL Century, It Was A Place Of Considerable Importance In The Ancient France Hainault. -
Somme Defensive
The Battle Of The Somme, Also Known As The Somme Offensive, Was One Of The Largest Battles Of The First World War. Fought Between July 1 & November 1, 1916 Near The Somme River In France, It Was Also One Of The Bloodiest Military Battles In History. On The First Day Alone, The British Suffered More Than 57,000 Casualties, And By The End Of The Campaign The Allies & Central Powers Would Lose More Than 1.5 Million Men. -
The Battle Of Lys
On This Day 1918, German Troops Launch "Operation Georgette" The Second Phase Of Their Final, Last-Ditch Spring Offensive, Against Allied Positions In Armentieres, France, On The Rivers Lys. On March 21, 1918, The Germans Under Erich Ludendorff, Chief Of The General Staff, Launched Their First Major Offensive On The Western Front In More Than A Year, Attacking Allies In The Somme River Region France & Training Their New Huge Guns On Paris. -
Aisne ( Battle Of Cantigny )
In This First Sustained America Offensive Of World War 1, An Allied Force Including A Full Brigade Of Nearly 4,000 United States Soldiers Captures The Village Of Cantigny, On The Somme River In France, From Their German Enemy. Though The United States Formally Entered World War 1 On The Side Of The Allies In April 1917, They Were Not Fully Prepared To Send Significant Number Of Troops Into Battle Until A Full Year Had Passed.