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Assassination of Archduke Ferdninand
Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated on this day in Bosnia. While going through Bosnia, he barely survived one terrorist attack, when a Serbian terrorist threw a bomb at his open-topped car. The later that day, his driver drove past a man named Gavrilo Princip, the guy who shot and killed Archduke Francis Ferdinand. This was what caused WWI. -
Start of WWI
Exactly one month after the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. They did this with the help of Germany. Days after, Germany declared war on Russia, who was Serbia's ally, and invaded France. With the invasion of France, Britain had to declare war on Germany. -
Christmas Truce
At this time, Pope Benedict XV suggested there be a temporary truce. This way, people could enjoy and celebrate Christmas, even though they were away from their loved ones. Many countries had refused, but the men that were in the trenches made an unofficial truce on Christmas day. The soldiers sang Christmas carols, exchanged gifts that consisted of cigarettes and plum pudding, and even played a game of soccer together. However, some had went and gotten the bodies of fallen soldiers. -
Germany Begins Naval Blockade
Germany began a naval blockade on Britain. Germany sank lots of Britain's ships, or any ships that were going to Britain, because Britain was blocking ships with supplies like food to getting to Germany. So many Germans had starved for a while, and the Kaiser had to do something to get back at Britain. -
Italy Declares War
Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. At first Italy was neutral, but after considering options from both the allied and axis powers, they picked to join the allies. They did this, because they were promised some land they had been wanting, and some other things. -
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Battle of Verdon
Germany started the Battle of Verdon. More than 1,220 guns opened fire in an eight mile circle. Within a week, the Germans had advanced six miles into the territory. The territory was practically undefended. They took over Fort Dovaumont. -
102nd Engineer Train
The 102nd Engineer Train (for the 2th Division U.S.A. was mustered into the state service by Colonel Chauncy Pratt-Williams. This relates to WWI and my Veteran, because it was the veteran's unit of service. -
27th Division Parade
This was the day of the 27th Division Parade. It was in New York City, and more than 31,000 men marched in it. The very first line started at 10:00 a.m. and the last line crossed the finish line at 6:30 p.m. -
John Joseph Brennan's First Night of Guard Duty
This was my veteran's first night of guard duty after training. He was at post number four. It had rained a lot almost all night long. It got in the tent they shared when they were resting, and soaked everything and everyone. They did shifts in two hours of guard duty, then four hours of rest. He says the lightning was so bright, it blinded him for a few seconds to a minute. He thinks it was one of the worst nights of his life since he joined the army. -
Thanksgiving During WWI
It was Thanksgiving Day. The people in the 27th Division had a feast of a meal. It was so much more, and tasted so much better than what they usually got. They had the place decorated in holly and green trimmings. Everyone was happy, including the commander. In fact he was the happiest, because he saw how happy everyone else was. -
Prisoner Escape
While John Joseph Brennan was on guard duty, a prisoner escaped, and John had to go find him. The only description of the prisoner John was given was he was six feet tall, about 200 pounds, and was wearing a grey sleeveless sweater. John didn't have much of a chance, because he was only 128 pounds, and the prisoner was almost 200 pounds. The prisoner was found around 3:00 a.m. on December 1, 1917 with a 22 shotgun. -
Women American Expeditionary Forces
American women who were recruited to serve as bilingual telephone operators for the AEF (American Expeditionary Forces) arrived in Europe. For the most part, women just made things for the troops during WWI, but these women did more. -
Kaiserschlacht (Kaiser's Battle)
Germany had declared it's last battle. They called it Kaiserchlacht, which translates to Kaiser's Battle. The Germans had been planning it for months beforehand. They waited for Russia, Serbia, and some other countries to drop out of the war. This way they could focus more on the Western Front, and not worry about anything coming from the other side. They sent 44 divisions of men to the Western Front to fight. -
Attack on St. Mihiel Salient
The American First Army attacked St. Mihiel Salient. The U.S. and other allied powers led war to St. Mihiel Salient. This was big for the U.S. because they could finally use their air-forces. The air-force was led by William "Billy" Mitchell. There were also some tank assaults, which were led by George Patton. He actually was on the front line with the other soldiers, unlike most other higher-ups during WWI. -
End of WWI
Germany surrendered. Everyone agreed to stop fighting. The terms for peace were being negotiated. The end of WWI. 9 million-13 million lives had been lost during the war, and tons of damage everywhere. -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany, Russia, Britain, France, and Italy. America agreed later to sign it. The Treaty of Versailles made may restrictions on Germany, such as their army couldn't have more than 100,000 men. President Wilson, wanted everything to be fair and right with the Treaty of Versailles. That wasn't quite what happened. The territory Germany had conquered, was split amongst the allied powers. Many believe this had caused WWII.
