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The Triple Alliance!
The Triple Alliance was an alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and the kibgdom of Itlay. Under the alliance, if one country was to be invaded, the other two had to support that country. The Triple Entente was put in place some 25 years later to combat this alliance. -
Schlieffen concocts his plan
Many years before world war One, Alfred von Schlieffen concocted his plan on how Germany would go about invading France if it came to it. -
The Triple Entente!
Entente derives from the French word 'entente and means friendship and understanding. The Triple Entente involved an alliance between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This triple alliance was to counter weight the Triple Alliance formed by Germany, Austria Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy. As you can see, before the war physically
begun, there was lots of raw emotion flowing around the great powers of the time. -
Franz Ferdinand Assassinated!
The heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated by the vilainous terrorist group the Black Hand in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This was the second attempt at his murder, the first failed as the grenades bounced of his car, hitting the car behind. With innocent people being injured, Franz and his wife go to visit them in hospital, but on the way take a wrong turn and happen to stop outside the cafe were a student member of the Black Hand was sitting. -
The Ultimatum!
Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Serbia, making them bring the assassins to justice. Austria-Hungary expected that Serbia would reject the ultimatum so they could launch a small scaled war although didn’t realise that Serbia had long lasting ties with Russia -
The Kaiser Promises Support
The Kaiser Wilhelm II agrees and promises German support for Austria against Serbia. -
Austria Declares War
Austria out of the anger of their heir’s assassination and after Serbia did not meet their demands, declares war on Serbia -
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World War One
World War One, The War to End All Wars, The Great War was one of the most bloodiest events in the history of the world. This war was on a scale that no one, until then had thought existed. -
Germany Declares War
Germany, in assistance to Austria, declares war on Russia, Serbia’s ally. -
A secret Alliance
Turkey (Ottoman Empire) signed a secret treaty with Germany (German Empire) against Russia (Russian Empire). This was created to strengthen and modernise the Ottoman army. -
Germany declares war! Again! Alfred von Schlieffen is back!
Germany declares war on France and so begins the start of a long and complicated strategical plan, devised by Alfred Von Schlieffen (pictured). It was known as the Schlieffen Plan and involved a 6 week attack on France, via invading Belgium. After that, utilising Germany's advanced rail system, take the German troops to the Russian front and defeat the Russians. -
Britain declares war!
Britain issues an ultimatum to Germany to get out of Belgium by midnight of the 3rd of August, otherwise war will be declared. When the ultimatum had expired, Germany had made no contact ad so, Britain was drawn into the war -
Australia's early involvement
The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed at Rabaul, in Simpson's Harbour in German New Guinea. It consisted of 2,000 volunteers and it's mission was to destroy German wireless stations. -
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1st battle of Ypres
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The first Zeplin Raid in Britain
The first airborn attack on Britain, Zeppelins bomb Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn, killing five civilians. -
The landing of Gallipoli
The allied forces land on the Turkish Gallipoli peninsula. The allies included: Australia, New Zealand, France, United Kingdom India and other parts of the British Empire. This was the start of a pointless and horrific campaign that left many holes in people's lives. -
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The Battle of Gallipoli
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The Sinking of the Lusitiania
RMS Lusitiania was briefly the world's largest ship, until she was sunk by a German U boat (Submarine) of the coast of south coast of Ireland. 1,195 people lost their lives in the celtic sea. However this was not a war ship. -
Death of Major W.T.Bridges (Gallipoli)
Death on Gallipoli of Major General W T Bridges, Commander of the First Division, AIF. Bridge's body was returned to Australia, and buried in the grounds of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. -
Death of Simpson and his Donkey
Australians repelled major Turkish attack on their positions at Gallipoli.
Acronym ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) used to describe Australian positions at Gallipoli.
Death on Gallipoli of Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick of 'Simpson and his Donkey' fame. -
First Victorian Cross won for Australia
Lance Corporal Albert Jacka, 14th Battalion, AIF, became the first Australian to win the Victoria Cross in World War One for his action at Gallipoli, Turkey. -
A soldier's journal entry
"… About 9am my first patients from battlefield commenced to pour in (We had gone in during night & anchored outside Dardanelles). We wakened up & could plainly hear sounds of guns. They came in an endless stream, some walking holding arms, hands covered with blood, some on stretchers with broken legs, some shivering & collapsed through loss of blood & some with faces streaming with blood … we went for the worst cases first & worked like fury while all the sound of firing was going on … " -
The battle of Lone Pine
Battle of Lone Pine, Gallipoli – Australians were awarded seven Victoria Crosses.
One of the most famous assaults of the Gallipoli campaign, the Battle of Lone Pine was originally intended as a diversion from attempts by New Zealand and Australian units to force a breakout from the ANZAC perimeter on the heights of Chunuk Bair and Hill 971. 7 Australians were awarded with Victorian Crosses -
The Red Cross founded
Vera Deakin, daughter of ex-Prime Minister Alfred Deakin, established the Australian Red Cross Missing and Wounded Enquiry Bureau in Cairo, Egypt. During the remainder of the war the Bureau handled thousands of enquiries from Australian families seeking information about wounded and missing soldiers. -
An unfortunate blizzard
On 27 and 28 November, severe rain and thunderstorms, which turned into blizzards, hit Gallipoli. More than 280 men died and there were 16,000 cases of frostbite and exposure. -
The evacuation of Gallipoli
The evacuation of Gallipoli is considered the most successful part of the whole campaign. It consisted of the removal of 83,000 men and 300 guns.It took ten days to remove them all and not one was killed. The Turks didn't even know as well.They achieved this with the invention of the drip rifle, which fires periodically. -
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The Battle of the Somme
The British and the French launch an attack on the German Lines on the River Somme. The British commander, Sir Douglas Haig was the man behind this. He aimed to try and break through the line and thought that this could be achieved in a matter of hours, This attack was designed to relieve the pressure that was being put on the French borders. -
Italy declares war!
Italy declares war on Germany. -
The Tsar Abdicates
Tsar Nicholas II abdicates as Moscow falls to Russian Revolutionaries. -
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Third Battle of Ypres31 July 1917 - 10 November 1917
The third battle of Ypres was a major British offensive, designed to weaken the German lines enclosing the Ypres salient -
The Kaiser Abdicates
Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates and flees to Holland.
Revolution in Berlin breaks out. -
The Great War Ended
The Germans sign a armistice with the allies, marking the end of World War One -
The Paris Peace Conference Begun
The Paris Peace conference was the nations response to the horrors experienced in the war -
The Treaty of Versailles Signed
This ended the state of war between Germany and the allied powers. Seperate treaties were signed for the other powers on the German side of the war -
League of Nations formed
After a year of Parisian Peace conferences, the League of Nations was formed. The league was the first international organisation that focused on world peace. It was decided that it should be based in Geneva, Switzerland as Switzerland was a neutral country (they did not participate in the war) and the Red Cross was also based there.
