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Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was heir to the Austria throne but was assassinated by Gravrilo Princip. Princip was a Serbian nationalist who wanted independence for Serbia and not be controlled by a foreign power, like Austria. So, Austria soon declared war on Serbia. The Alliance system forced other nations to pick sides, which spirled out of controlled and became a spark that started WWI. -
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Declaring War
28 July, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
1 August, Germany declares war on Russia
3 August, Germany declares war on France. Britain also warns Germany if Belgium was invaded, Britain would go to war.
4 August, Germany invades Belgium, Britain declares war.
5 August, Austria- Hungry declares war on Russia.
10-12 August, France, and Britain declare war on Austria-Hungry.
WWI had begun -
British blockade placed on Germany
Britain placed a blockade on Germany to prevent military supplies, weapons, food, etc. to reach Germany. This affects many lives of those who live in Germany (by 1917, 750,000 people were starving). This leads to the use of German U-Boats in efforts to get supplies past the blockade and possibly weaken the blockade. -
Germans fire
On April 22, Germans fired on the Allies with chlorine gas-filled shells. This was the first time that large amounts of chemicals were used in war. This attack weakens the French lines, but Germany was unable to take advantage of this. -
The sinking of the Lusitania
A German submarine sinks passenger ship Lusitania. Germany sunk this ship because they had reason to believe that it was carrying military supplies to be used against them. 128 Americas were killed, which was a reason why the United States later entered the war. -
The battle of Somme
The battle of Somme started July 1st and ended on November 1st in 1916. This battle had one of the greatest casualties in the war. On the first day alone, the British had more than 57,000 casualties and by the end of the battle, the Allies and Central Powers would lose more than 1.5 million men. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
Britain intercepted the Zimmerman Telegram from Germany on the way to Mexico. This telegram was a German effort to convince Mexico to join the war on their side by promising to return land that was taken by the United States, but this was only if the United States joined the war. Mexico declined the offer and the United states entered the war. -
The United States enters the war
The United States declared war on Germany. The sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram were the two biggest factors in the United States decision. The United States was now apart of the Allies, fighting along France and Britain. -
A Special Mission
Quiren M. Groessl was awakes in the middle of the night and was told to pack his things and be outside the barracks in 10. He met Louis Heinricks outside and was told he was on a special mission, but he wasn't allowed to know anything else, then a truck picked him up with a few more men in the truck. Around 4:30 A.M. they arrive at a warehouse on the docks of Hoboken. -
War Zone
Groessl and his company were out on open waters. They did not have any troubles until 2:00 o'clock on Match 1 when The Huntington (armed ship protecting Groessl's and others ships on open water) fired in a war zone. No actual fighting started, but Groessl later learned that there was a possible hit on The Convincing. -
Baptism of shell fire
Groessl had been separated from his original company and moved to another and was welcomed by Germans shooting at them. Groessl said, "Here I and the other replacements received our first baptism of shell fire by the Germans". This was his first real fighting event, he finally knew what fear was. The Germans had more of an advantage because they were up in the hills and had a large field rifle, but they managed to stay safe. -
Open warfare training
Grossel and the companies go through "open warfare training", which meant the end to trench warfare for them. The intentions with this type of fighting is to push Germany off balance and push out of French soil and push them back into German soil. Although, Grossel is optimistic about this because Germany seems to be going strong. -
Caught by Germans
The trench Grossel was in was under heavy fire from German aircraft. Many of the men in the trenches were either wounded or dead. Grossel managed not to get hurt, but the Germans took over the trench and captured him but he later escaped. -
Germany surrenders
Germany agreed to an armistice so the fighting comes to an end at 11 A.M. on November 11. Germany realized that they would lose the war when they launched the "Michale Offensive" because their plan failed with a counterattack by France and Britain. The fail of the Schlieffen Plan at the beginning of the war and a blockade in place were also two major factors in Germany's surrender. -
The Treaty of Versailles
WWI officially ended when Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty stated many major things; Germany had to pay for the war, Germany's boundaries were reassigned, military supplies were restricted, and a New League of Nations was created in which Germany could not be apart of. But, this treaty would later be a reason why Hitler rose to power and WWII happened.
