-
Franz Ferdinand Assasination
Franz Ferdinand, who was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was shot dead in Sarajevo, capital of the Austrian province Bosnia. -
Europe descends into war
Europe became involved in the war because of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. -
Britain declares war on Germany
Germany attacks France first through neutral Belgium to eliminate any threat from the west before facing Russia in the east. Britain and the other great powers of Europe guarantee to protect Belgium’s borders. Belgium appeals to Britain and Britain declares war. After Britain’s entry to the war, the German army lays waste to the country. The British Empire is also dragged into the conflict and the war in Europe starts to expand across the globe. -
The War in Africa
The first shots in World War One were fired in Africa. By 1914 the German Empire has four colonies in East, West and South Africa. British and French forces invade Togoland the site of a key German wireless station, Kamina. It provides communications for German ships in the Atlantic. The Germans destroy it to stop it falling into the Allies’ hands and soon after surrender Togoland. -
The Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons in Belgium is the British Army's first engagement in France -
The Battle of Marne
As the German Army advances towards Paris, French and British soldiers counterattack along the line of the River Marne. -
The Indian Army joins the war
At the Battle of La Bassee in northern France Indian soldiers join the Allies for the first time. -
Siege of Tsingtao
In the autumn of 1914 British and Japanese forces attack the port of Tsingtao (Qingdao) – a German colony - in China. Although the Germans put up a firm resistance a force of 23,000 Japanese soldiers seizes control. Japan also takes over Germany’s colonies in the Caroline, Mariana and Marshall Islands. -
First use of poison gas
Both sides experiment with tear gas in the first winter of the war. -
The Gallipoli Campaign
Bogged down in a stalemate on the Western Front, the Allies attack Germany's allies in the Middle East, the Ottoman Turks.
Australian, New Zealand, British, French and Indian troops mount an amphibious landing to take the peninsula of Gallipoli, 100 miles south of the Ottoman capital Constantinople. -
The Sinking of the Lusitania
One of the most terrifying new weapons of World War One is the U-Boat. These German submarines patrol Atlantic and Mediterranean trade routes.
A civilian passenger liner, the Lusitania, is sunk off the coast of Ireland by a torpedo fired by a U-Boat. More than 1,200 people die – including 128 Americans. Although Germany had issued warnings, the world is shocked by this unprecedented attack on civilians. This devastating event pushes America closer to joining the war. -
Conscription introduced in Britain
By 1916 heavy losses on the Western Front mean Britain’s volunteer army needs reinforcements. On 27 January the government introduces conscription.
All single men aged 18 to 41 can now be sent to war, although thousands are exempted because they have vital jobs in industry which are important to the war effort. -
Battle of Verdun
At the start of 1916 the opposing forces are fighting a frustrating war of attrition on the Western Front. -
Battle of Jutland
The German fleet leaves the safety of its ports in a bid to shell the English coast and attack an element of the British fleet.
It meets the full force of the British Navy off the coast of Denmark, at Jutland. In the biggest naval battle of the war the British lose more ships than the Germans and fail to destroy the German High Seas Fleet. But the German Navy retreats and remains bottled up in its North Sea and Baltic ports. It does not want to risk losing more ships in a full-scale battle. For -
The Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme is one of the largest and bloodiest conflicts of World War One. Nearly 20,000 British soldiers die on the first day. -
America enters the war
In January 1917 Germany sends a message to Mexico, the infamous 'Zimmerman' telegram, inciting it to attack the US. -
Revolution in Russia
There is a popular uprising in Russia and Tsar Nicholas II abdicates.
The provisional government continues with the highly unpopular and unsuccessful war. In November the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, seize power under the slogan of “Peace, bread, land”. Russia leaves the war, signing an armistice in December. In the peace treaty Germany gains large swathes of Eastern Europe. -
Germany launches the Spring Offensive
With its armies now free from the threat of Russia in the east, Germany mounts a series of major offensives in France in the spring.
The Germans make a huge breakthrough on a 50-mile front south of Arras, pushing the Allies back 40 miles. The overstretched German Army is unable to sustain its attack. Time is running out as American troops begin to arrive in great numbers. -
Hundred Days Offensive
Bolstered by American troops, the Allies carry out a series of sustained attacks, known as the Hundred Days Offensive.
On 18 July the French, supported by 85,000 fresh US troops, counter-attack the German forces on the Marne and force them to retreat. In August, with more than 10 divisions of soldiers and 50 tanks, backed up by the Royal Air Force, the Allies launch a surprise attack at Amiens. In a series of battles the German Army is pushed further east and the German commanders privately con -
Armistice
Before the Allied armies can invade Germany, an armistice is signed, bringing the war on the Western Front to an end.
In a train carriage at Compiègne in northern France, the Germans surrender and agree to withdraw their forces from France and Belgium. Many German soldiers feel betrayed. The fighting ceases at 11am on 11 November 1918, which for Britain, France and America becomes the time when the war dead are honoured. In 1919 The Treaty of Versailles imposes harsh terms on Germany forcing th
