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Period: to
WW1
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Germany declares war on Russia
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Volunteer recruiting begins in Australia
-At the outbreak of the First World War, the number of people volunteering to enlist for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was so high that recruitment officers were forced to turn people away
-Despite two attempts to introduce conscription, enlistment remained voluntary for the
- However, as the war went on, casualty rates increased and the number of volunteers declined,
-By the end of 1914, 52,561 Australian volunteers passed the strict physical and medical standards for overseas service -
The First Battle of the Marne begins. T
- Just one month into World War I, the First Battle of the Marne took place
- It took place 30 miles northeast of Paris in the Marne River Valley of France -The Germans had been moving swiftly toward Paris when the French staged a surprise attack that began the First Battle of the Marne -The French, with the aid of some British troops, successfully halted the German advance and both sides dug in.
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, HMAS Sydney destroys the German raider SMS Emden at the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- This was the first action fought by the Royal Australian Navy -Sydney sank the Emden, thereby neutralising a major threat to the Australian–New Zealand troop convoy headed for Europe -The more powerful Australian ship quickly inflicted serious damage and forced Müller to run his ship aground to prevent her from sinking. -Out of a crew of 376, 133 were killed in the battle -Most of the survivors were taken prisoner
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the first Australia and New Zealand troops headed for Egypt
Having arrived at the seaport of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea, Australian and New Zealand troops were diverted to Egypt as a garrison force to protect the Suez Canal against the Ottoman Turks. -
The unofficial Christmas truce is declared.
-On Christmas Day, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s-land, calling out “Merry Christmas” to their enimies
- At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers.
-The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. -
Australians land at ANZAC Cove
-The Australians and New Zealanders landed at Anzac Cove.
-Although only lightly defended by the Turks, Anzac Cove was overlooked by precipitous terrain and was easily defended.
-By that first evening 16,000 men had been landed; of those over 2,000 Australians had been killed or wounded. -
The Battle of Gallipoli begins
- It happened on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire. -The doomed campaign was thought up by Winston Churchill to end the war early by creating a new war front that the Ottomans could not cope with.
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The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by German U-boat, U-20
-The British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, which primarily ferried people and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Great Britain, was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk.
-Of the 1,959 people on board, 1,198 died, including 128 Americans.
-The sinking of the Lusitania enraged Americans and hastened the United States' entrance into World War I. -
Burial truce
So pervasive was the stench of the Turkish corpses resulting from the attack on 19 May that a temporary truce was negotiated between Australian and Turkish troops to recover the dead from no-man’s land for burial. -
The Battle of Lone Pine
the 1st Division assaulted the Turkish positions at Lone Pine, which they ultimately captured, and spent the next three days defending it against repeated counter-attacks. So fierce was the fighting at Lone Pine that the 1st and 3rd brigades suffered 2,277 casualties. Seven Victoria Crosses were awarded to Australian troops for this action.e 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 -
Turkey entered the war on Germany’s side
-The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers to form the Triple Alliance with the signing of the August 1914 Turco-German Alliance. Turkey formally entered World War I. -
Evacuation of Gallipoli
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Conscription introduced in Britain
-Conscription during First World War began when the British government passed the Military Service Act in 1916.
-The act specified that single men aged 18 to 45 years old were liable to be called up for military service unless they were widowed with children or ministers of a religion. -
The Battle of Verdun
-The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was the longest single battle of World War One.
-The casualties from Verdun and the impact the battle had on the French Army was a primary reason for the British starting the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 in an effort to take German pressure off of the French at Verdun.
- The Battle of Verdun started on February 21st 1916 and ended on December 16th in 1916.
-It was to make General Philippe Pétain a hero in France. -
- Battle of Jutland , the major naval battle of the war
-The Battle of Jutland is considered to be the only major naval battle of World War One.
-Jutland witnessed the British Navy losing more men and ships
-Jutland was that the German Navy lost and was never in a position again to put to sea during the war.
- Admiral John Jellicoe's tactics were criticised by some, but after the battle the British Navy remained a powerful fighting force whereas the German High Seas fleet was not. -
The United States declares war on Germany.
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Battle of Beersheba
-Beersheba was a heavily fortified town 43 kilometres from the Turkish bastion of Gaza. It anchored the right end of a defensive line that stretched from Gaza on the Mediterranean coast. -The first two frontal attackes on Gaza, in March and April 1917, failed. The British Army re-organised before trying again. The capture of Beersheba would break the Gaza—Beersheba line and enable the British, Australian and New Zealand forces to outflank Gaza. -
The Bolsheviks successfully overthrow the Russian goverment
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Armistice between Germany and Russia signed
-Russia on the one hand and of Bulgaria, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey on the other hand, for the purpose of achieving a lasting and honourable peace between both parties, the following armistice is concluded: The armistice shall begin on December 17th at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and continue until January 14th.
-The contracting parties have the right to break the armistice by giving seven days' notice. -
Russia signs the Treaty of Brest Litovsk
-Russia signs the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, which is a peace treaty between Russia and the Central Powers -
Spring Offensive
-In the spring of 1918, Luderndorff ordered a massive German attack on the Western Front.
-The Spring Offensive was Germany’s attempt to end World War One.
-With 500,000 troops added to Germany’s strength from the Russian Front, Luderndorff was confident of success -
The Second Battle of the Marne begins.
-In what began as the last major German offensive of the First World War, the Second Battle of the Marne developed into a significant Allied victory.
-After it became clear that the Germans had not only failed in their aim to win the war in this offensive, but had in fact lost ground,
- a number of German commanders, including Crown Prince Wilhelm, believed the war was lost. -
Germany signs the armistice at Compiegne, France.
- fighting in World War I came to an end following the signing of an armistice between the Allies and Germany that called for a ceasefire effective at 11 a.m.– it was on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
