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Ferdinand’s Assassination
In Sarajevo, Bosnia, the Archduke of Austria-Hungary was shot by a nationalist by the name of Gavrilo Princip. A-H pushed the blame on the Serbian government for the assassination. Outrage followed, and this was one of the major reasons for the start of the war. Imperialism and nationalism are two other big reasons. The photo included is art of the scene. -
The War Begins
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. A-H aligned with Germany and later Italy. Their opponent Serbia gained the support of Russia, France, and Great Britain, and later Italy and the U.S. These two factions are most commonly referred to as the Central Powers and the Allied Powers respectively. -
Schlieffen Plan
Germany planned to fight the war on two fronts. They would fight Russia in the east, while on the west they would travel through Belgium to reach France. This plan was unsuccessfully executed and resulted in Belgium switching from a neutral country to an Ally. A major tactical error from Germany. -
First Battle of the Marne
This major fight took place near Paris. The French army decided to attack the German forces at a weak point. Joseph Joffre, a Commander-in-Chief of the French army, stated this on September 11, the day after the battle ended: "The battle which we have been fighting for the last five days has ended in an undoubted victory. The retreat of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd German Armies before our left and centre becomes more and more marked." The image shows a trench, which is where soldiers hid and fought. -
Lusitania is Sunk
A U.S. passenger ship known as the Lusitania was traveling to Liverpool, England when it was sunk by a German U-boat. It had ended up in an area where the U-boats were stationed, and it was too dangerous for the Germans not to sink it. Many other U.S. passenger ships and commercial ships were put out of commission by mines or U-boats, and the public hatred for Germany in the U.S. started to increase drastically. As time went on, this would lead to the United States entering the war. -
Battle of Verdun
This large fight occurred from February to December of 1916. Though the Germans lost, both sides lost around 600,000 people. Germans took over French land, but after a major loss in those lands, the French took a few months to retake it. German Army Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn, though realizing he lost the fight, thought Germany did well. He says, "...this fighting...afforded the sternest test imaginable of the capabilities of the troops...they stood the test most brilliantly." -
Battle of the Somme
The First Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest fights of the entire first World War. North of a river, the two armies fought in trenches. Likely due to a limited supply of machine guns and not very many French soldiers being able to fight (the Battle of Verdun was also going on at this point), the Allies lost this fight. Just on the first day, almost 60 thousand British lives were taken. The fight lasted until November of that year. -
U.S. Joins the War
Tensions had risen to the point where neutrality was impossible for America. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson requested that war be declared against Germany, officially removing their neutrality in the war. Four days afterwards, the Senate and the House both voted highly in favor of Wilson’s request. It took a while before U.S. troops actually engaged in combat. -
Second Battle of the Marne
The Germans launched a heavy offensive near the Marne. They used artillery and sent men to the opposing trenches, which were mostly empty. They had been tricked, and the area the Allies were located was further up ahead. When the German army approached the Allies, they got trapped and lost the fight. This was the "turning point" of the war. For those of you wondering what the Marne looks like, here is an image of how it looks today. -
Arriving Onshore
Albert John Carpenter, a young man who enlisted in the 36th Division of the 142nd Infantry, arrived on the shores of France sometime in September 1918. It is unknown whether he knew he would experience the war in its fullest weeks later. -
"The most eventful month of my life"
Private Carpenter kept a diary of October 1918, describing everything that happened to him and those with him in detail. In early entries, he describes learning the ropes, as well as seeing and hearing the chaos around him. He called this month "the most eventful month of [his] life". Here, he would report his pain and daily activities. -
A Near-Death Experience
Private Carpenter records on October 9, "Boche lay artillery barrage on relay station, a shell just went over my head and killed Lt. Lowery." He finally starts to completely feel the fear that war puts inside of all involved. If that shell had been launched at a greater angle, he could have died. -
Gassed
At midnight on the 11th, a shell landed where Carpenter was resting. The shell contained toxic gas that resulted in lasting effects to Carpenter's body. Until the 15th, he experienced headaches, lung soreness, and "throughing up blood". If he was alerted earlier, he would have been able to use a gas mask. -
The End is in Sight
"Had to go back to a town named Leffencourt to get some signal equipment," he explains in his diary. "I wrote a short letter to Mother." At this point, his group's supplies are running low, including their food, but they knew that the war was about to end. They keep this in mind as they "keep up good spirits". -
"We are out at last!!!!"
Private Carpenter expresses his happiness as he finally escapes the horrors of war. A full month of watching his comrades die had finally come to a close. Once he was freed, him and the other troops "Ate everything [they] could find". -
Armistice
Germany was continuing to lose their grasp on the land they had once controlled. Because they were failing in combat, it only made sense to request an armistice. This officially ended all of the fighting. The war didn't officially end, but this was the first step to ending it all. The Paris Peace Conference would negotiate throughout the next year. Look at the pure joy on these soldiers' faces in this photo. -
Treaty of Versailles
After months of planning at the Paris Peace Conference, a treaty was finally signed. It put Germany to blame for the war, and all of their branches of military were drastically reduced. Later on, this treaty and its effect on the economy would result in inflation and start a chain reaction of events that would lead to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the start of the second World War.
