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The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
When touring Sarajevo in Bosnia with his wife Sophie, the archduke and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire Franz Ferdinand was shot dead, along with his wife by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. -
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The Main Events of World War 1
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World War I Begins
Exactly one month after the death of Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary declare war on Serbia. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany backed Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers) while Russia, Belgium, France and Britain pledged their support to Serbia (The Allies). -
Battle and Siege of Liège
The battle of Liege was the first battle of World War I. This battle occured when German forces invaded the city after Belgium refused Germany's demand of passage through Belgian territory. While the Germans were in the end victorious, this battle was a moral victory for the Allies as the Germans suffered heavy losses despite the fact that they had an army of 320,000 soldiers compared to the Belgian's 70,000 men. The battle lasted a total of twelve days from the 4th-16th of August. -
Christmas Truce of 1914
On Christmas Eve,1914, Allied soldiers heard German soldiers singing 'Silent Night' from across no-man's land. The British soldiers then joined the Germans and finished the carol. The next morning, several German soldiers emerged from their trenches unarmed and walked across no-man's land towards the Allied trenches. Realising they were unarmed, British soldiers emerged from their trenches and shook hands with their enemies. The soldiers spent the day singing and playing football together. -
Italy Join the Allies
Italy had remained neutral for almost a full year before joining the war. It came a shock to most that Italy sided with the Allies over the Central Powers as they had sided with Germany and Austria-Hungary during the years leading up to WW1 in the Triple Alliance. However they realised the Allies had the upper hand in the war and thus decided to side with them with the hope of a reward when the war ended. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle of World War 1. It lasted from February 21st until December 16th 1916 and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 700,000 men. Flame throwers were used in large numbers for the first time during this battle and four days after the battle commenced, the German army had captured around 10,000 French Sodiers. Germany advanced 2.5 miles into Verdun in June before they exhausted themselves and were forced to retreat, a retreat which continued until December. -
The Use of Tanks During WW1
The first battle tanks featured in was the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. The tanks were only developed since the start of World War 1 and they were rushed into battle prematurely and before the issues had been fixed. The first battle the tank had a major impact in was the Battle of Cambrai in late 1917. Three hundred and fifty tanks were used during this attack alongside infantry soldiers. -
America Joins The War
America remained neutral during the first three years of the war. President Woodrow Wilson announced America's neutrality on August 4th 1914 and adopted a policy of 'fairness' meaning that American bankers could loan money to both sides of the war. However when Germany announced the use of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, Wilson felt that the time had come for America to act. -
Russia Leaves the War
On the 3rd of March 1918, Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, effectively ending Russia's involvement in the war. By signing this Treaty, Russia lost Riga, Lithuania, Livonia, Estonia and some of White Russia and allowed Germany to exploit these areas to aid their war effort. This Treaty came as a result of German advances into Russia and pressure from Lenin to establish peace so that the government could focus on the problems within Russia. -
World War I Ends
At 05:00 on the 11th November 1918, representatives from the Allies and the Central Powers signed the Armistice of Compeigne which came into effect at 11:00 am on the same day. The signing of this Armistice ended the fighting in Western Europe and ultimately marked the end of World War I. The Armistice was signed in the train Carriage, CIWL 2419.
