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Archduke and Wife Assassinated and World War l Begins
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were in Sarajevo, Bosnia when Gavrilo Princip, a member of a Serbian nationalist group, opened gun fire upon them assassinating them. Within weeks, the European powers that had been building empires, building up armies, and making alliances were now at war. -
Stalemate on Land Leads to Fighting at Sea
Fighting on land was going nowhere so both sides resorted to sea warfare. Great Britain created a blockade at all German owned sea ports, which resulted in major supply shortages in Germany. Germany responded with U-boats to attack British supply ships. U-boat attacks are what dragged the United States into the war. -
The Battle of Marne
The Germans marched to France near the capital, Paris. British came to help the French fight agaisnt Germany. They met at the Marne River and after a lot of fighting defeated the German advance. After the battle ended, both sides realize neither was going to defeat the other side speedily or easily. -
Germans Introduce a New Deadly Weapon
On April 1915, Germans began to use a new extremely deadly weapon, poisonous gas. Anyone who breathed it would be seriously injured if not killed. Allies began to use poisonous gas as well. Soliders began carrying around gas maks to protect themselves from the gas. -
The Sinking of Lusitania
On May 7, 1915 a German U-boat torpedoed a British passenger liner, the Lusitania, of the coast Ireland. 128 American citizens died from the sinking of the ship. This angered the American public. Germany began fearing Americans might enter the war, and they decided to offer money to the Americans hurt in the other torpedoing of Sussex merchant ship. -
The Most Dramatic Weapon Launched
The first fighter plane armed with weapons was used in battle on June 24, 1915. Airplanes were an easy way to see troop advancement, scout ahead, and bomb targets. Germans also used blimps to bomb many Allied cities. -
Allies Introduce Their Own Weapon
Allies tried and succeeded in finding their own weapon to give them an advantage. Allies introduced the tank to battle in January 1916 to break the stalemate of the war. They could cross into no-man's land and fire at close range at the enemy. It also made a quicker way for troops to get across by destroying all the barbed wire. -
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the whole war. It lasted from Febuary all the way until December 1916. More than 750,000 German and French soliders were dead while many more were injured. -
America Joins the War
After having many merchant ships attacked by Germany and slowly gaining public support to go to war, Congress declares war on Germany on April 2, 1917. Congress passed the Selective Service Act and drafted 24 million men quickly. -
Russia Leaves the War
March 1917, Russia's czar gave up his throne and he was replaced with someone who supported the war. However, they could not continue to fight with all the problems currently happing in Russia, such as food shortages. A group called Bolsheviks overthrew the government and the new ruler, Vladmir Lenin, called for a Communist state. Lenin then signed the Treaty of Breast-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918. -
Fighting Within the Argonne Forest
Over 1 million American troops rushed to join the Allies in the Battle of Argonne Forest. The battle lasted over seven weeks, soliders trudging threw barbwire, mud, and rain as German gun-fire rained down upon them. Many soldiers died during the battle. However in early November the Allies had won by pushing the Germans back and invading Germany. This attack is known as the largest in the United States history -
Germans Accept the Armistice
Germans realize they are not going to win the war with Amercians joining the Allies to fight against them. The German government asked President Wilson for an armistice. Wilson agreed under the circumstances following: all German troops left Belgium and France, promise not to renew fighting, and Wlison would get to deal with all nonmilitary government leaders. Germany agreed on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month to the terms of the armistice.
