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Austria-Hungary Blamed Serbia For The Death Of The Archduke
The assassination set off a rapid chain of events, as Austria-Hungary immediately blamed the Serbian government for the attack. Article - Archduke Ferdinand Assassinated -
Gavrilo Princip Fired Two Shots
Gavrilo Princip fired two shots and killed the Archduke and his wife. Video - A Shot That Changed The World -
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Archduke and Archduchess visit Sarajevo
Archduke and Archduchess visit Sarajevo to inspect the military camps, where after they get shot by Gavrilo Princip and die. -
Austria-Hungary sends ultimatum to Serbia and Serbia agrees to two of the three terms of the ultimatum
Nearly one month after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the ambassador of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Serbia, delivers an ultimatum to the Serbian foreign ministry. Article - Austria-Hungary issues ultimatum to Serbia Video - Austria-Hungary presents ultimatum to SerbiaN -
Austria-Hungary Declares War On Serbia
One month to the day after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, effectively beginning the First World War. Article - Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia -
Russia Mobilizes To Defend Serbia
Reacting to the Austrian attack on Serbia, Russia begins full mobilization of its troops. Germany demands that it stop. -
Germany Orders France and Russia To Stop Mobilizing
Germany warns Russia to stop mobilizing. Russia says mobilization is against Austria-Hungary only. -
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France Mobilizes To Support Its Russian Ally
France begin full mobilization. Article - France Mobilizes -
Germany Declares War On France
wo days after declaring war on Russia, Germany declares war on France, moving ahead with a long-held strategy, conceived by the former chief of staff of the German army, Alfred von Schlieffen, for a two-front war against France and Russia. Article - Germany and France declare war on each otherT -
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Britain Declares War On Germany
Article (1) - The British Declaration of War Acticle (2) - Britain Declares War on Germany -
First Battle of Ypres
The first battle of Ypres was fought near the Belgian city of Ypres, the Allied and German forces begin the first of three battles which were to occur. This battle was to control the city and its advantageous positions on the north coast of Belgium during the First World War.
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Second Battle of Ypres
Agian like the first battle of Ypres, this battle was to control the city and positions on the north coast of Belgium. But for the first time Germans used posion gases on the western front. Germans gave a big suprise to Candains with the unaxpected gases coming in.
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Battle of the Somme
This battle was fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. It was one of the bloodiest battles fought in WWI. On the first day alone, the British suffered more than 57,000 casualties, and by the end of the campaign the Allies and Central Powers would lose more than 1.5 million men.
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Battle of Vimy Ridge Starts
More info on the battle
The battle began at 5:30 on April 9, 1917 (Easter Monday) to April 12,1917. Bloody Easter they called it, the day the battle started. -
Battle of Vimy Ridge Ends
On April 9, 1917, 40,000 left their trenches and the attack had begun. The artillery (shells, bombs) fired just in front of the Canadian troops (was timed to a minute) as they made there way towards the Germans. It took two days of firing until the Germans retreated from the ridge, letting the Canadian's take the victory.
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Battle of Passchendaele
Also known as the third battle of Ypres, in this battle. The British attempted to drive the Germans out of Northern France at Falnders and north Ypres. Their goal was to take ou the Germans ports and sink their subs and u-boats.
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World War I End
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The Great Depression
After the stock makret crash everything went downhill. People lost their jobs, home, and money. People couldnt afford to get food for their families and the Canadian economy wasnt strong. All this caused homelessness and people with nothing to sustain themselves.
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THE INVASION OF POLAND
WHERE: Poland WHAT: The Germans invaded Poland using blitzkrieg tactics. OUTCOME: Britain and France declared war on Germany. Canada’s declaration followed a week later. So What? It started the Second World War. Blitzkrieg allowed the Germans to sweep through Poland with little resistance. Canada was not automatically obligated to go to war, but chose to do so a week after Britain’s declaration. -
BRITIAN JOINS THE WAR
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CANADA JOINS THE WAR
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THE PHONY WAR
October 1939 to April 1940 WHERE: Western Europe WHAT: It was expected that Germany was going to invade Western Europe. OUTCOME: Germany did not invade weather and indecision. SO WHAT? Allied troops and Canadians were all waiting
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EVACUATION OF DUNKIRK
WHERE: The English Channel WHAT: British and French troops retreated to the French beaches at Dunkirk and became trapped. OUTCOME: 900 ships sailed from England and rescued 340,000 soldiers. SO WHAT? In spite of this being a defeat, this event represented a moral victory for the Allies. A few weeks later, France surrendered to Germany. -
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
Summer of 1940
WHERE: Britain WHAT: Air attacks by the Luftwaffe on Britain’s RAF airfields OUTCOME: Hitler eventually abandoned air attacks on the airfields and ordered daylight bombing raids on London. This allowed Britain’s forces to regroup and later win the battle. SO WHAT? The use of radar and the German cipher machine (the Engima) contributed to Britain’s power in the airs. Hitler’s change in tactics in response to Churchill’s bombing of Berlin likely cost him the war. -
BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
The duration of the war
WHAT: Germany wanted to cut off all Allied supplies to Britain; British and Canadian navies wanted to put an end to the German submarine threat. TECHNOLOGY USED: U-Boats; the convoy system (merchant ships surrounded by destroyers for protection); long-range bombers; sonar OUTCOME: The Allies beat the German submarines, “wolfpacks”, by dropping bombs and depth charges. -
THE INVASION OF THE SOVIET UNION
WHERE: Soviet Union WHAT: Hitler launched an invasion called “Operation Barbarossa” with 3 million German troops. OUTCOME: The Germans advanced but were stopped just outside of Moscow for now. SO WHAT? Hitler invaded the Soviet Union to fulfill his vision of Lebensraum and to destroy communism. The Soviets reacted with a “scorched earth” policy Hitler now had a two front war. -
PEARL HARBOUR
WHERE: Pearl Harbour, Hawaii WHAT: The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base. OUTCOME: The United States and Britain declared war on Japan. SO WHAT? This attack brought the United States into the war. In Europe this gave Britain a much-needed ally. Canada declared war against Japan and Canadian troops were sent to fight in Hong Kong. -
THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
WHERE: Midway Islands, north and west of Hawaii WHAT: The Americans intercepted the Japanese fleet which was preparing to conquer these islands. OUTCOME: The Japanese were soundly defeated. This marked a turning point in the Pacific Theatre. SO WHAT? The American fleet sank the best units of Japanese naval aviation (aircraft carriers). The Japanese were on the defensive after this battle. -
DIEPPE RAID
WHERE: Dieppe – coast of France WHAT: 5,000 Canadians landed on the beach with the goal of taking the beach and the town back from the Germans. OUTCOME: The attack failed and many Canadians were killed and taken prisoner.
SO WHAT? More Canadian troops died in these few hours than on any other day in the war. Part of the reason for the failure was that Britain decided to forgo the much-needed aerial and naval support. Allies learned that heavy air and sea support is nessary for future. -
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THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD
WHERE: Stalingrad WHAT: Hitler attacked Stalingrad because of its name, and to go past it to the Caucasus oil fields. OUTCOME: The Soviets captured or killed the entire German army. SO WHAT? This victory was an enormous boost in morale for the Allied forces.After this battle, the Germans suffered defeat after defeat on the eastern front as Stalin’s forces moved closer to Berlin. -
BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN
WHERE: 60 miles west of Cairo, North Africa WHAT: The Germans and the Italians sought control of Egypt. OUTCOME: The British won in a decisive victory.
This victory was a turning point in the war. SO WHAT? It was the first time the Allies had defeated the forces of the fascist countries. This victory prevented the Germans from seizing the Suez Canal. -
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THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN
WHERE: A landing on Sicily and then onto the peninsula of Italy. WHAT: Allied forces, including Canadians, landed on Sicily using an amphibious attack, and then moved onto the mainland. OUTCOME: The Germans were finally driven back by a French-Canadian unit which then pushed through to free northern Italy in the fall of 1944. -
THE NORMANDY LANDING
WHERE: The shores of Normandy WHAT: “Operation Overlord” was the Allied invasion of German-held Europe. OUTCOME: The Allied forces gained a foothold in Europe to begin pushing back the German army. SO WHAT? This was the largest Canadian military operation of the Second World War. Canadian forces were assigned the target called Juno; over 5,000 Canadians were killed.There were more than 200,000 Allied casualties. Allies gained the much-needed beachhead in Europe. -
BATTLE OF LEYTE GULF
WHERE: The Philippines WHAT: The Americans took on virtually the whole Japanese fleet. OUTCOME: The Americans sank one half of the Japanese fleet. SO WHAT? The Japanese introduced the kamikaze suicide technique: planes loaded with explosives would deliberately crash into an American ship. -
THE LIBERATION OF HOLLAND
WHERE: Holland WHAT: Canadian forces drove the NAZIS to retreat from Holland and surrender. OUTCOME: On May 8th 1945 the last German troops surrendered. SO WHAT? This Canadian victory allowed Allied troopsto continue forward towards Germany. Canadians have been much respected in Holland ever since. -
HIROSHIMA
WHEN: August 6th, 1945 WHERE: Hiroshima, Japan WHAT: Truman decided to drop an atomic bomb on the city. OUTCOME: 100, 000 people were killed. SO WHAT? This was the first atomic bomb used in warfare. -
NAGASAKI
WHERE: Nagasaki, Japan WHAT: Truman dropped another atomic bomb since Japan did not surrender immediately OUTCOME: 35,000 people were killed. SO WHAT? A total of 170,000 people died due to both atomic bombs.This Introduced the nuclear era in modern international affairs. -
END OF WW2
Americans and Canadians like to believe they won the war in Europe.
