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The Invention of the Rifle in WW1
The rifle was invented somewhere between 1886 and 1903. The rifle is the weapon the army sent their soldiers into battle with. Even though weapons like machine guns and heavy artillery were defining weapons of the war, the rifle was a constant (Duffy, 2004). Rifles in WW1 were mainly used in the trenches. -
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The Balkan Wars (France-Presse, 2017)
The Balkan Wars rid the Ottoman Empire of any territory it held in Europe. The wars were fought between the ¨Balkan League"- Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire. These allies decided to liberate their people residing in the land the Ottoman Turks took over. The first war ended with the Treaty of London signed on 5/30/1913. The second Balkan war was caused by Bulgaria owning Macedonia, and the other European countries wanted it too, it was ended with the Treaty of B... -
The Use of the Machine Gun in WW1
These guns were first used in the American Civil War but the use of these weapons stood out in WW1. This weapon changed the war right down to the militaries tactics. A machine gun could fire hundreds of rounds of ammunition ina minute changing the formation of battles from avoiding tighter groups, to more spread out formations. The machine gun also made casualty numbers in battles to dramatically rise according to HistorynetStaff (n.d.). It was responsible for about 20% of casualties of the war. -
The Use of the Plane in WW1 (Browne, 2018)
The plane was first invented on December 17th, 1903 by the Wright Brothers. The plane was actually used in combat before WW1 by the Italians in 1911 against the Turks. At first, planes were only used to spy on enemy bases from the sky, but once people started to realize the significance of the plane they started to shoot them down. This plane was eventually used for combat but that wasn't till enemies stopped opponents by fighting airplanes with airplanes! This was the first air combat of WW1. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (Slotnik, 2016)
In Sarajevo, Austria the heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie are shot to death during a visit to their nation's capital by a Bosnian-Serb, Gavrilo Princip. This political assassination was planned by nationalists and carried out by the 19-year-old Gavrilo . The Austria-Hungary empire now heirless, blamed the Serbian Government. This event is seen as the starting point of WW1 causing a chain of events. Such as different allied countries declaring war on each other. -
World War 1 Begins
The war began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia one month after the assassination. This led to Russia to order military action against A-H. After Russia´s military troops were met with defiance, Germany declared war on Russia (Rank, 2016). This led France to take military action, both Germany and France declaring war on each other. The USA and Italy would remain neutral for now. These string of events were the marking of a war that would change the entire world. -
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The Gallipoli Campaign (History.com Editors, 2019)
The Gallipoli campaign is seen as one of the biggest losses for the allied forces. The main goal of the battle was to force Germany's main ally Turkey out of the war and to take control of the land and sea to send supplies to Russia. The battle started with a failed naval attack by the British and the French on the Gallipoli peninsula that then turned into a land attack. This battle is seen as one of the worst battlefronts of WW1. Survivors recall it as the worst place to serve bc of the decease -
Chemical Weapons in WW1
April 22, 1915, is when the Germans use hurl 150 tons of lethal chlorine gas at Ypres, Belgium. This was the first use of chemical weaponry in the WW1, the first large scale of Chemical Weaponry in history according to Sarah Everts (n.d.). Chemical Weapons would range from tear gas to chlorine gas confusing or killing opposing soldiers. This warfare eventually led to the use of gas masks in combat to shield soldiers from harmful substances used in battle. -
Lusitania Sinking (McDermott, 2018)
The Lusitania was a British ocean liner with 2,198 passengers on it. It was sunk by a German U-Boat after Germany waged submarine warfare against Britain. On May 13 the USA sent a note to Berlin expressing concern on which the principles of the submarine war were being fought. Many Americans thought this attack would spur the USA to join the war. The Germans believed the attack to be justified bc of the war supplies being carried and the ignored warnings of an attack by the British Admiralty. -
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The Battle of Verdun (Bidou, 2019)
The battle of Verdun is recognized as the longest and most gruesome battle of WW1. All casualties from both sides topped over 1 mil. The battle was planned by German General Erich von Falkenhayn, meant to take over more territory in northern France. The battle ended up lasting over 10 months the longest battle of WW1. The main goal was to destroy the fort of Verdun to deplete French army morale. This battle was the main reason for the BAttle of Somme, to relieve French troops fighting in Verdun. -
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The Battle of Somme (Onion, 2018)
The battle of Somme fought in northern France is seen as one of the bloodiest battles. For 4 months French and British forces battled Germany at a 15-mile front suffering from the brutal battle of attrition. The main goal of the battle was to relieve French troops in Verdun and weaken German offense. The casualty count topped 1 million. The battle included the first use of tanks in war, perhaps contributing to the battles bloody reputation. The battle also killed the British Prime Minister. -
The First Use of the Tank in WW1 (Dowling, 2018)
The tank is a heavy armored fighting vehicle carrying guns and moving on a continuous articulated metal track. It was invented in September 15th, 1916 by Lancelot de Mole. It was used for the first time in battle in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which is apart of the Battle of Somme. This weapon revolutionized warfare by allowing soldiers to break the stalemate of the trenches Dowling, 2018). Even though may tanks broke down in the battle but a third succeeded in breaking through enemy lines. -
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The Battle of Argonne (HIstoryCentral, n.d.)
The battle of Argonne is one of the most significant battles of WW1 and is one of the attacks that brought an end to the war. It had over a million American soldiers fighting and is one of the deadliest campaigns in American history. This battle was fought in France in the forest of Argonne and is apart of the final Allied offense attacks in WW1. This was a major turning point in the war, ending the streak of German victories that started back in March. The battle ended with the Armistice. -
Zimmerman Note (WW1 Document Archive, 2009)
The Zimmerman Note was a coded message sent through a telegram from Author Zimmerman to Heinrich von Ekardt, a German ambassador in Mexico. The note proposed an alliance between Mexico and Germany, a covert alliance. It proposed that if America went to war against Germany, Mexico would be an ally to Germany. It also said Mexico would be able to recover lost territory in the states. Britain intercepted the note and gave it to the US,the note motivated the US president to abandon their neutrality. -
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Russian Revolution (History.com Editors, 2019)
The Russian Revolution started when the middle/ lower class of Russia revolted against the government. The government was ruled by the Tsar family, he controlled the army, most of the land in, and even the church. The revolutionist were led by Vladimir Lenin and they revolted because they blamed Tsar for getting involved in the war and getting so many soldiers killed. Tsar was forced to give up his position and the new reformed government was Communist. -
The U.S. Enters the War. (America's Library, n.d.)
The U.S. joined WW1 due to the sinking of America. merchant ships. On January 31st, 1917 Berlin declared targetting of neutral ships in a war zone, motivating the US to join with war with its allies France, Britain, and Russia. Many Americans were against joining the war and preferred to stay neutral. The war changed a lot in America, with all the men at war women had to take over and do their jobs. America then sent 2 mil. troops to France to fight with allies in the trenches. -
Russia Withdraws from the War (Smele, 2011)
After the Russian revolution, Vladimir Lenin was the new head of the communist country. As the new leader, he wanted to focus on rebuilding the country and establishing the new system of government. This meant Russia needed to leave the war. This also meant that German armies needed to get off Russian territory as stated in the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk Russia signed with Germany on March 3rd, 1918 officially marking Russia leaving the war. Russia never rejoins the war and isn't at peace meeting. -
The Battle of Chateau-Thierry (HIstoryontheNet, 2018)
The battle of Chateau-Thierry was fought in France, which resulted in an allied victory. The battle was spurred on by the German Spring Offensive- a battle that marked the first big attack against allied forces. The battle was mainly American troops under the lead of General Pershing also supported by French troops. It is also one of the first motions of the AEF. in WW1. The goal of the battle was to move German offensives back, which they did when the pushed the Germans back across the river. -
Armistice (Kiger, 2018)
This was the end of World War 1. It ended with an Armistice, meaning both sides agreed to stop, rather than one country surrender. The German's offensive weapons were severely damaged and all the countries grew weary. “An invasion of Germany would have required too much in terms of morale, logistics, and resources,” explains Guy Cuthbertson of Liverpool Hope University (2018). Germany went to the USA in hopes of less harsh conditions, compared to Britain or France. All was left was a Treaty. -
The Treaty of Versailles is Signed (HIstory.com Editors, 2018)
The Treaty of Versailles officially ended WW1 and marked the end of the fight between Germany and the allied powers. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles (hence the name) exactly 5 years after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, which was the leading cause of the whole war. The treaty went into place on January 20th, 1920. The treaty included that, Germany had to surrender all of its colonies, the land of Alice-Lorraine would be returned to France, and other stolen lands would be returned -
First Meeting of the League of Nations (HIstory.com Editors, 2018)
After WW1, people in America, as well as Great Britain, wanted an organization that would keep peace in a post-war world. The president of the United States Woodrow Wilson was an advocate of the League of Nations. He went as far as preaching the idea of long-lasting peace among countries during the meeting in Versailles, which was rejected by Britain and France. The League's first meeting was held in Paris, France 6 days after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
