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Schlieffen Plan was created
The Schlieffen Plan was a plan for Germany if they were attacked by two fronts. The plan assumed that Belgium and Britain will remain neutral and that the French will be easily taken out. The western side will be quickly disposed of then Germany will focus on fighting with Russia. -
The Triple Entente Formed
Britain, France and Russia join to form the Triple Entente. This alliance resulted in a "domino effect". When a country was declared war on, other countries in the alliance had to join in the war, making WW1 a huge war. -
Franz Ferdinard and his wife were assasinated
The heir to the Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand, was shot till death by Gavrilo Princip. He was part of the Serbian extremist group, Young Bosnia. -
Even more Countries declare war
Britain and France declares war on Austria as Austria are allied to their enemies -
Austria Declared war on Serbia
Austria blames Serbia as a country on the assassination. Austria then presents an ultimatum to Serbia on 23rd July, which is impossible to agree with. Serbia was willing to negotiate terms but Austria declared war anyway. -
Russia Mobilizes Army
Russia Mobilizes Army to assist Serbia -
Germany Declares War on Russia
Germany declares war on Russia, as Russia declared war on their ally, Austria. -
Germany Declares war on France
In addition to declaring war, the Germans invade Belgium according to the Schlieffen Plan -
Britain declares war on Germany
When Germany invaded the neutral country of Belgium, Britain declares war on Germany and sends troops to support the French. Australia, Canada and New Zealand join the war to support Britain. -
More countries declaring war
Austria declares war on Russia in response for Russia declaring war on their allies. Serbia also declares war on Germany as they are allied with Austria -
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The first battle of Ypres
This was the first battle to control the city and its advantageous terrain on the north coast of France and Belgium. This battle was the beginning of the 'race to the sea'. This particular phrase means that each army from opposing sides attempt to out flank each other while heading north. The battle continued until 22nd November, whenever the bitter conditions of winter set in with the Allies holding Ypres. -
Christmas Ceasefire
A temporary truce was in place during Christmas. Both sides of the war gave presents, sang carols and event played football with each other. However, there were no other Christmas celebrations as authorities saw celebrating with the enemy as treason. -
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The Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres demonstrated the advancement in chemical warfare. The Germans fired canisters filled with poisonous gas into the trenches of the Allies. This was the first time that a poisonous gas this devastating was used, so the Germans did not take the full advantage of the weapon and gained little terrain. -
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Gallipoli
The ANZACs, British, France and others landed on the rocky part of the Gallipoli peninsular. Instead of stable land, they encountered cliffs and steep hills. Both sides, the Allies and the Ottoman Emprie fought furiously each losing thousands of men. The only aspect that was successful was the retreat. On 18th December, the authorities decided to withdraw and the soldiers stealthily left Gallipoli without the enemy noticing. Over 392,000 people were killed or wounded in this battle. -
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The Battle of Fromelles and Pozières
The Battle of Somme was designed to draw German troops away from the main battle: Pozieres. This did not work as technology improvements made advancing nearly impossible. The Battle of Somme lasted for over 7 weeks and ended in a stalemate. The Battle of Pozières lasted for 2 weeks and -
First Conscription Referendum
When casualties were outmatching the number of people enlisting, the Australian government put out a referendum to allow conscription. The referendum narrowly rejected with 49% saying yes and 51% saying no. -
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Russian Army Collapse
During early 1917, discontent within Russia and the army lead to the collapse of the Russian army. Most of the army was made from poorly equipped peasants, so unequipped that they had no weapons or boots. The officers refused to lead the army as they were afraid that friendly-fire will kill them. This discontent eventually leads to the Russian Revolution, which officially takes them out of the war in November. -
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German Withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line
The German troops withdraw to the Hindenburg Line, a fortified sequence of defences they have been preparing. This line had a tactical significance. It provided a strong position to fight the Allies -
The First Battle of Bullecourt
This was the first attempt to break the Hinderburg line at Bullecourt. This attempt failed badly because of poor planning. Tanks that were supposed to support the advancing troops broke down or were quickly blown apart. The infantry managed to break through German defences but due to the uncertainty of how far they advanced, supporting artilary was not fired and then the Germans quickly retook the land. -
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The Second Battle of Bullecourt
This was the second attempt by the Allies to break the Hindenburg line at Bullecourt. The infantry managed to break through defences sustaining huge amounts of casualties. The German army then withdrew from the land. The Allies, despite having such heavy losses only moved a kilometer close to the Hindenburg Line -
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The Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)
The Third battle of Ypres was one of the most expensive and brutal battles in World War 1. Offences were launched from the city of Ypres. The Allies eventually won the village of Passchendaele and it's surrounding areas despite having over 310000 casualties. -
Second Conscription Referendum
The referendum was again narrowly rejected by the public -
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Breaking of the Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg line was broken at Bellicourt with a conjunction of weapons. These weapons include aircraft, artillery and tanks. Both sides sustained heavy casualties. -
Armistice with Germany
Armistice was signed by Germany brining the end to World War 1. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany. The treaty was designed to restrict the German army and navy to a minimum, and pay for the damages of the war which was determined to be over 22 billion euros.
