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Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated
Ferdinand was visiting Bosnia when a group of 7 terrorists called 'The Black Hand' attempted to kill him. They all failed but Ferdinand insisted on visiting some people that had been injured during one of the murder attempts, and the driver took a wrong turn into the street where Gavrilo Princip (an assassin) was. He saw Ferdinand and shot him and his wife. Princip was caught but could not go to jail because he was only 20. The image of Ferdinand's coat shows the murder was brutal. -
Austria-Hungary Declares war on Serbia
Because of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austris declared war on Serbia, because Princip was Serbian. Since Russia was allied with Serbia, they mobilised their army, along with France. The image is of an article on the front page of The Washington Times about the declaration. This shows that this war declaration was big news and thought as drastic. -
Britain Declares War
Britain gave Germany a warning to get out of Belgium by the 3rd of August. Germany came up with the Schlieffen Plan to protect itself from any French or Russian attacks, and on the 4th Britain declared war. The image is a newspaper from 1914 about Britain's declaration. It tells us this was very big news then., because the whole frobt page is dedicated to news about the upcoming war. -
First Battle of Ypres
This was in Ypres, Belgium, designed to break through the German forces. After 34 days of fighting the allies won, resulting in trench wsarfare on the western front. Germany lost over 19,000 men, while France had 85,000 casualties. The photo shows soldiers walking across the battlefield. This shows how flat and barren the land was so sneaky was not an option. -
The first Zeppelin raid on Britain
Germanby launched two Zepplin airships towards London, carrying 8 bombs each. The zepplins were shot down and onlyynine people werte killed. The image shows the model of zepplin used in World War One. It tells us that the aircraft was big and an eaasy target to fire at. -
Second Battle of Ypres
This battle is known for the Geman's use of the new gas poison.The gas was heavier than oxygen, so it was able to flow along the ground and into the enemy trenches. It was quiet sand very effective. The Germans ended it after it was not progressing. The Germans had 35,000 casualties and the British had 60,000 casualties, which goes to show how well the gas weapon worked. The photo is of the British preaparing for a gas attack. This shows how quickly the British caught on and found a solution. -
Start of the Gallipoli campaign
The Gallipoli campaign is the most well-known battle that Australian took part in. It was planned for the Allied forces to take over the Turks and maybe try to persuade the Balkan states to be Britain's allies. The ships carrying the men went through bad weather and caused delays for the arrival, giving the Turks more time to grow their army. The picture is a cartoon made during the campaign; it shows people didn't really know what it was really like on the battlefields. -
Germany sinks America's "Lusitania"
The Lustiania was a passenger ship from America that was carrying US passengers to Liverpool. Even though there had been mulitple warnings about U-boat areas, the captain slowed down, making it an easier target. The Germans ended up hitting the ship with a U-boat, which killed1,300 people. The picture is of the sunken Lustania. It issobvious that the U-boat did terrible damage to the ship. -
Battle of Lone pine
The Lone Pine got its name because of the one tree that was growing when they fought there. It was origionally supposed to be a diversion of the ANZACs to force the enemy out of their trench. In the end they got control of the trench but it took 4 days of fighting by hand and over 2,000 Australians died in the process. The image shows one of the trenches at the Lone Pine. You can tell many died because of the dead bodies stacked out of the way. -
The Battle of the Loos
The aim of the Battle of Loos was to give a big blow to the Gemans, and it worked hugely. There were 132 Allied divisions fighting against Germany, and almost 8,000 Allies died. The Battle of Loos is known for the first Kitchener's Army division in the war. The Kitchener's Army was a volunteer army from Britain. The image to the left is of the Loos Village after the Germans bombarded it when it was in British control. This shows how much damage the Germans would do to British property. -
ANZACs Evacuate Gallipoli
When the war council decided to evacuate their troops, many people had died onn both sides. Over 120,000 men had died by the end of the campaign on both sides, some 8500 of them being Australians. The ANZACs swere regarded as heoree, making the phrase "ANZAC spirit". The photo is of the ANZACs leaving Gallipoli. This shows that there weren't many going back, because so many had died. -
British soldiers evacuate Gallipoli
After the ANZACS had evacuate Gallipoli, theBritish folllowed. If the Allies had won the Turks would have finished their parttin the war. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Britain lost around 44,000 men on the battle fields. This led Britain's Prime Minister being replaced by David Loyd George. The photo is of the troops in the Lone Pine. This shows us how beaten up the Australians and Britains were even before they left. -
Battle of Verdun
This battle was created by the Germans, attempting to fight the French in the West. The French did a good job at defending, but the Germans gained some land. No one won the battle, and both sides had around 400,000 casualties. The photo shows that so many died and were injured people were left alone without backup. -
Battle of the Somme
This was planned to be an atttack on Germany from the Western and Eastern fronts. One the first day there were almost 60,000 casualties on the British side, around 20,000 of those men were killed. Advancing only 12 kilometres, the Allies ditched the battle in November. In total around 620,000 Allies were killed. Neither side completely won, but a major loss in men was obvious. The image shows how many men were cramped into such a amall space. -
The Battle of Fromelles
The battle was designed to keep the German's from the Somme, but did nothing in the long run to impact the Germans going to the Somme. The were more than 5,500 casualties in the first day, and 470 were captured by the Germans. It is arguably the most tragic battle in Australia's history. The picture shows that so many died they could not find and bury them all. -
U.S. declares war on Germany and Austria-Hungary
Germany continued to make submarine attacks on America's ships, so the US President, Wilson, broke off the relations between the two countries. Britain went to a furthe extent and told the US about a secret message between Mexico and Germant stating plans to form an alliance against the US in return for a bribe. After finding this out, the US declared war on Germany. The photo is of the signing of the declaration. It shows how important and shocking people found it, especially the US citizens. -
Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele Campaign)
The Passchendaele campaign is renound for it's extremely muddy terrain. The intense amount of rainfall resulted in a death trap for anyone caught in it. If a soldier was stuck in the mud the only way to get out was if he was was pulled out. Neither the Germans nor Britain won the battle, and together 250,000 men died. The image on the left shows the muddy conditions in Passchendaele. It shows that the mud was too mucheven for the horses, and they can't pull themselves out either. -
Kaiser Wilhelm II is abdicated
After America entered the war, Germany's military forces went down hill. Because of this Wilhelm was abdicated, and exiled to the Netherlands. This photo is of a newspaper printed in 1918 about Wilhelm. You can tell by the tone of the article that the public is happy about the news. -
Armistice signed
As time goes on, things only get better for the Allies. They launch many successful offensives and capture 20,000 Germans as prisoners. Germany can't hol off any longer, so they agree to the Armistice. The signing of the Armistice by Germany took place on the 11 of November at 11am. The photo shows that everyone is very eager to end the war. -
League of Nations is Created
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League of Nations
The League of Nations was created to prevent any wars, arms races or competition between Monarchs. The US did not join in 1920, but 48 other states had joined, and the League was quite successful for the first ten years. The picture is a cartoon about America not joining the League. You can tell the public weren't happy about America's decision.
