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The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
The leader of Austria-Hungry, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophie von Chottkovato, were inspecting the Austrio-Hungarian troop that were in Sarajevo. While he was there a Serbian terrorist, Gavrillo Pricip, shot the two of them in their car killing them and kick starting the war. -
WWI Begins
A few days after Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia, Germany and Russia declared war on each other. During the following few days Russia, France, Belgium, and Great Britain all lined up against Austria-Hungry and Germany and the German army invaded Belgium, kick starting the war that would come to be called "the war to end all wars." -
The Lusitania Sinks
A German U-Boat attacked and sunk the British ship, the Lusitania. This killed 1.198 people 128 of which were american citizens. this caused many Americans to become infuriated and protest that America fights back and become an active country in the war. -
Italy Declares War on Austria-Hungry
After declaring war, Italy's army immediately advanced into the South Tyrol religion and to the Isonzo river. There, they were met by Austrio-Hungarian forces with a strong defense. The snowy weather and terrain made the area a difficult place for the battle but Italy was able to come out as the successor of the battle. -
Morris is Called for Duty
Morris Albert Martin was ordered to report for duty to Caldwell, Idaho by April 2nd. He was the second man in his county to be selected for the draft lottery. After reporting in Caldwell he was sent to camp Lewis in Washington for his training. After completing his training he was assigned to the 91st division and became a message runner. He was eventually given the nickname "speedy" for his ability to deliver the massages very fast. -
The US Enter the War
Days after president Wilson called for war, claiming "the war must be made safe for democracy", American congress declared war against Germany. This also cause the congress to call for a draft. The draft required all men aging from 21-30 to register for the military. -
American Soldiers Arrive in France
On this day 14,000 troops landed in France at the port of Saint-Nazaire. The site had been kept secret because of the villainous German submarines otherwise known as U-Boats. By the time Americans had lined up to take their first salute on French soil, a very happy and grateful crowd had gathered to welcome them. -
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The 91st Division Preparation
The 91st division also known as "wild west" were an American group of army soldiers. Morris and the others soldiers were loaded on trains and prepped for their overseas journey. The trip took six days until the entire unit arrived at camp Merrittin, New Jersey. During their stay they received new uniforms and boots. They also were given final physical inspections. On July 6th they were awaken early and transported to ferries that took them to the ships that would transport the across the ocean. -
The 91st Division Arrived
The Division arrived at the training area in the Department of Haute Marne. The troops were housed in the nearby villages. There they spent the month of August practicing incessant drills, long marches, and frequent exercises. Then the division was pronounced as ready and completed with their training. -
A Battle Against the Salient
On September 12th a battle begun with the intent to eliminated the Salient that was occupying the reserves that the division was assigned to. After only three days the Salient was defeated and the reserves were cleared. The reserves were then used to occupy the first American Army. Then the soldiers were marched and trucked to another area to prepare for another offensive battle that would take place later in the month. -
Morris is Wounded
At 5:30 am Morris and thousands of other soldiers were moved forward into no-mans land facing the artillery and machine gun fire. While he was there, at approximately 10:30 am Morris was wounded and was taken to Avocourt Ambulance station. After finally arriving there at about 9:00 pm he was taken by ambulance to an evacuation hospital. After being moved around from multiple hospitals he was finally classified as "D" by the disability board and discharged from the army. -
Woodrow Wilson Gives Congress The Fourteen Points For Peace
Woodrow Wilson's fourteen points were a blueprint for world peace that were used for peace negotiations after WWI. In the speech, Wilson addressed what he believed were the causes for the war. He called for the abolition of secret treaties, a reduction in armaments, an adjustment in colonial claims in the interest in both natives peoples and the colonists, and freedom of the seas. Wilson also proposed many things that would help make peace in the future. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is Signed
The treaty was a mark of Russia's final withdraw from the war. The treaty made Bolshevick Russia secede the Beltic States to Germany, the states eventually became German vassal States. Russia also seceded its providence of Kars Oblast in the South Caucasus to the Ottoman Empire and give the independence to its Polish representatives. Russia also paid six billion gold marks to Germany for reparations. -
Germany Begins the Final Offense of the War
The Germans final offense begun with a five-hour-long bombardment of Allied positions near the Somme River from more than 9,000 pieces of German artillery, which surprised and overwhelmed the British Army causing them to focus on a retreat. For a week the Germans kept pushing towards Paris rapidly, getting closer to the city with their "Big Bertha: cannons. Eventually the German troops became exhausted and the Allies were able to halt their advance. -
US Forces Win the Battle of Cantigny
By May 1918 large numbers of American troops had arrived in France. A day after their French allies suffered a defeat, a two-hour artillery barrage preceded the attack on Cantigny. The French were able to provide air cover, artillery, heavy tanks, and teams of flamethrowers to aid the US advance. The German held village was quickly overrun and the Americans took 100 German prisoners by the end of the day. -
US Forces Stop German Attempt to Cross the Marne River
More then two million soldiers fought in the Battle of the Marne, and 100,000 of them were either killed or injured. The Germans began a fighting retreat towards the Aisne River. The battle was the first significant Allied victory of World War one. The win saved Paris and ruined Germany's plan for a quick victory over France. -
American First Army Attacks St. Mihiel Salient
On the twelfth of September, 1918 at the Western front of France, one of the most significant battles of World War One started. The American Armies faced several German armies who were defending several several in-depth trenches. However the terrain was the biggest threat to the attacking forces. Due to days of continuous rainfall, the ground became almost impassable to both tanks and infantry. Even through all the difficulty American forces were able to defeat the Germans. -
Germany Signs the Armistice
This day is now known as Armistice Day. This was the day that Germany signed the Armistice and World War One ended. The first world war had left nine million soldiers dead and twenty-one million wounded. There were also at least five million civilians dead from either disease, starvation, or exposure. The actual signing took place in a railroad car just outside of Compiege France. -
Peace Conference Begins at Pairs
The victorious allied power were able to make most of the crucial decisions for peace for peace conference in Paris. During these conferences the League conferences the League of Nations was formed. The League of Nations was part of a presentation by Woodrow Wilson. In many countries other than the US the League of Nations was a favored association. The Us didn't favor the idea as the other allied counties did. The conference eventually lead to the treaty of Versailles. -
The Treaty of Versailles Takes Effect
The Treaty of Versailles was the mark of the end of World War One. It had fifteen parts and four hundred and forty articals that reassigned German boundaries and made the liability for reparations. The treaty was negotiated between January and June of 1919 in Paris. There was almost no participation from Germany to write the treaty. After moths of negotiation, the treaty was finally put into place on January 10th of 1920.
