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Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand is believed to be what sparked WWI. On June 28, 1914 the Archduke of Austria-Hungary and his wife were assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. Franz Ferdinand and his wife were gunned down while touring through the city of Sarajevo. The assassination was a protest against the annexation of the Serbian region. The assassination led to Austria Hungary declaring war against Serbia. -
Austrian-Hungarian Empire Declares war on Serbia
On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. On July 23, Austria-Hungary presented an ultimatum to Serbia but on July 25, they decided that they would not take part in any diplomatic relations with Serbia, so they prepared their military. The idea of an international convention was presented but Germany didn’t agree, so they decided to continue with military preparations. On July 28, in response to Germany’s pressure, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. -
Germany Invades Belgium
Germany wanted to invade Paris, and to do that they were going to use the Schlieffen plan. This was a plan where Germany was going to force Belgium to let them pass through for an easier passageway to Paris. August 2, Germany presented an ultimatum to Belgium demanding free passage across Belgium. On August 3, Belgium sent a response refusing this ultimatum, and on the same day, Germany declared war on Belgium. On August 4, 1914, Germany invades Belgium and Great Britain declares war on Germany. -
Battle of tannenberg
August 26, 1914 Germany and Russia fought in the Battle of Tannenberg. On August 26, the German army attacks the Russian army with lethal force in East Prussia. The Germans led by Field Marshal Paul Von Hindenburg and his staff-officer Erich Ludendorff, and the Russians led by Commanding general, Alexander Samsonov who shot himself in devastation of the defeat of his troops at the end of the battle. The battle ended with 50,000 Russian soldiers dead and 92,000 taken in as prisoners. -
First battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne went from September 6-12, 1914, and was Germany against France and Britain. September 6th, the French army opened a gap between Germany's 1st and 2nd armies with the help of the British expeditionary force. At the same time, the French ninth army stopped the German second and third armies. On September 9th, the German armies retreated and for the next few days they pushed back to the Aisne River. The allied armies won but the next four years was trench warfare. -
Germany declares war zone around Great Britain
November of 1914, Britain created a blockade of Germany in the North Sea. In result of this act, on February 4, 1915, Kaiser Wilhelm declared a war zone around the British isles. Their intentions were to sink any ship found in these waters. On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat sank a British passenger ship killing over 1,000 people, including 128 Americans, so Germany stopped the use of submarines. Submarine warfare began again on February 1st, 1917, so the US broke diplomatic relations with Germany. -
Battle of Verdun
The battle of Verdun is known to be the longest war in History, going from February 21, 1916 to December of the same year. The battle was fought Between the Germans and the French at the Western front in the city of Verdun. July 14, the Germans called off their offensive and the french ended up being able to hold their line, retake their forts and push back the German troops. The battle ended with around 600,000 casualties on both sides. -
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was fought on May 31, 1916 and was the major naval battle of World War I . The battle was fought at Denmark’s North Sea coast between German and British forces. The main british ship ended up taking advantage and shot many hits to the main German ship causing them to retreat. The battle ended up being indecisive because both sides claimed victory although the British held control over the North Sea -
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Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was the British and French armies vs. Germany, July 1- November 1, 1916. The battle was fought by the Somme River in France and is known to be one of the bloodiest military battles in history. On the first day, the British artillery wasn’t strong enough to take down German defenses, or cover their infantry but the French defenses were stronger so they held longer. There were 620,000 casualties from the allied forces and around 465,000 casualties for the Germans. -
Veteran- Mexican Expedition
In September of 1916, Robert E Pate Jr. served on the mexican border. The US military had conducted an attack against Francisco Pancho Villa known as the Mexican Expedition that went from March 14, 1916 to February 7, 1917. This expedition began because of Villa’s attack on Columbus, New Mexico and it was the most prominent event of the border war. They ended up defeating Villa’s main forces but their goal was to capture Pancho Villa and not let him escape, which he did. -
US enters WWI
US enters World War I
When WWI began in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared neutrality for the US. He started to change his mind when Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare against all ships in the British isles in February of 1915. After the Germans continually sank German ships, President Woodrow Wilson went to congress on April 2, 1917 declaring war against Germany. On June 26, the first 14,000 of the US troops went to France to begin combat training. -
Woodrow Wilson fourteen points to peace
April, 1917, Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare, against any ship. They needed to defend the US ships, but President Woodrow Wilson’s primary goal was “to vindicate the principles of peace and justice in the life of the world.”. On January 8, 1918, to act on this goal he proposed a 14 point program to congress. It was a laid out plan for world peace and was to be used work out peace negotiations after World War I -
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
On March 3, 1919, Russia signed a treaty with the Central Powers. The treaty was signed to end Russia’s participation in World War I. The treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in the city of Brest-Litovsk. The treaty ended on November 11, 1918, when Germany signed the Armistice declared the allies victory over Germany. -
Treaty of Brest - Litovsk
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Battle of St.Mihiel
In August of 1918, the American Expeditionary Force was told to lead an attack on the Salient. The St. Mihiel Salient had been taken over by the Germans since fall of 1914. The attack began on September 12, 1918 and lasted until September 16th. The attack was successful because the Germans decided to leave the Salient and by the last day of the battle there were no more Germans left. -
Veteran- Wound Chevron authorization
On September 27, 1918, Robert E Pate Jr. was given permission to wear an authorized wound chevron. A wound chevron is a badge that was worn on any US army uniform. The badge signified the wounds he had received while in combat with an enemy. Robert E. Pate Jr. was was wounded while in combat against the German army at the Hindenburg line between Vendhuile and Bellicourt. The wound chevron was granted to him by order of Colonel Ward. -
Germany signs Armistice
On November 11, 1918, an Armistice was presented to Germany from the allied powers, to stop fighting between France, Britain and Germany. It was signed in Ferdinand Foch’s railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne, Ferdinand Foch being one of the people who signed. The Armistice brought an end to the four years of fighting in World War I. 22 years later, an armistice was signed in the same railway carriage but was from Germany telling France to end fighting between them in World War II. -
Veteran- Discharge from the US army
On April 2, 1919, a certificate was written regarding the discharge of Robert E. pate Jr., from the US army. It stated,” THE UNITED STATES ARMY, as a testimonial of honest and faithful service, is hereby honorably discharged from the military service of the United States…”, and the reasons for his discharge. It was commanded by Franklin W. Ward of the US army. A honorable discharge certificate stating the same information, was given by the State of New York, where he was born and enlisted. -
Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles was a peace document signed at the end of World War I by the allied forces, associated powers, and Germany. It officially took action on January 10, 1920. The Treaty of Versailles was made at the Paris Peace Conference which was attended by the four leaders of Britain, France, the US, and Italy. The Germans greatly despised the treaty, saying it had been primarily addressed to them. The terms of the treaty were very harsh and severe, leaving the Germans to barely agree. -
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Veteran- American Legion appreciation
A certificate of appreciation was given to Robert Edward Pate, Jr from the American Legion. They were expressing their appreciation for his assistance at the nineteenth annual national convention of the American Legion. The American legion is a wartime veteran organization that was formed in Paris on March 16, 1919. It was formed by the American Expeditionary Forces and it was qualified by Congress September 16, 1919. -
Veteran- Purple heart award
July 5, 1932, a letter was given to Robert E Pate Jr. from The Adjutant General's office. The secretary of war directed that a purple heart be given to Robert Edward Pate, Jr. Any soldier that held a wound chevron had to exchange it for the Purple heart. It was given to soldiers to represent the wounds they received while fighting in combat. Robert E. Pate Jr. was given a purple heart for his wound received in action on September 27, 1918 against the German army.
