The Great War
The Great War Begins
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist set off a domino effect for events that inevitably resulted in the start of the
First World War. But without the already existing and underlying issues Europe’s superpowers the assassination would have had limited effect. Problems of nationalism, imperialism, militarism, growing alliances, and completion between the European nations fueled the fire, but the assassination was the spark that lit it. After the assassination, Austria-Hungary threw blame at the Serbian government. With the support of Germany, Austria-Hungary declared war with Serbia, who had the support of Russia, France, Belgium, and Great Britain.
Timeline of the First Events of WWI
Year Date Event
1914 June 28 Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo.
1914 July 5 Kaiser Wilhelm promises German support to Austria-Hungary in the efforts against Serbia.
1914 July 20 Austria-Hungary sends troops to the Serbian frontier.
1914 July 25 Serbia orders of mobilization of troops.
1914 July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
1914 July 29 Britain warns Germany that it cannot remain neutral. Austrians bombard the Serbian
capital, while German patrols cross French border.
1914 July 31 As an ally of Serbia, Russia announces full mobilization of its forces.
1914 August 1 Germany declares war on Russia. French military mobilization order.
1914 August 3 Germany declares war on France and invaded Belgium. Germany had to implement the
Schlieffen Plan. Britain gives orders to mobilize troops.
First World War. But without the already existing and underlying issues Europe’s superpowers the assassination would have had limited effect. Problems of nationalism, imperialism, militarism, growing alliances, and completion between the European nations fueled the fire, but the assassination was the spark that lit it. After the assassination, Austria-Hungary threw blame at the Serbian government. With the support of Germany, Austria-Hungary declared war with Serbia, who had the support of Russia, France, Belgium, and Great Britain.
Timeline of the First Events of WWI
Year Date Event
1914 June 28 Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo.
1914 July 5 Kaiser Wilhelm promises German support to Austria-Hungary in the efforts against Serbia.
1914 July 20 Austria-Hungary sends troops to the Serbian frontier.
1914 July 25 Serbia orders of mobilization of troops.
1914 July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
1914 July 29 Britain warns Germany that it cannot remain neutral. Austrians bombard the Serbian
capital, while German patrols cross French border.
1914 July 31 As an ally of Serbia, Russia announces full mobilization of its forces.
1914 August 1 Germany declares war on Russia. French military mobilization order.
1914 August 3 Germany declares war on France and invaded Belgium. Germany had to implement the
Schlieffen Plan. Britain gives orders to mobilize troops.
Quotes From the Trenches
“The water in the trenches through which we
waded was alive with a multitude of swimming frogs. Red slugs crawled up the
side of the trenches and strange beetles with dangerous looking horns wriggled
along dry ledges and invaded the dugouts, in search of the lice that infested
them.”
- Unknown Journalist
“We slept in our clothes and cut our hair
short so that it would tuck inside our caps. Dressing simply meant putting on
our boots. There were times when we had to scrape the lice off with the blunt
edge of a knife and our underclothes stuck to us. “
- Elizabeth de T’Serclaes (a nurse on the front line)
“Whilst asleep during the night, we were
frequently awakened by rats running over us. When this happened too often for my
liking, I would lie on my back and wait for a rat to linger on my legs; then
violently heave my legs upwards, throwing the rat into the air. Occasionally, I
would hear a grunt when the rat landed on a fellow
victim.”
- R L Venables
“It was 9 a.m. and the so-called trench was full of corpses and all sorts of
equipment. We stood and sat on bodies as if they were stones or logs of wood.
Nobody worried if one had its head stuck through or torn off, or a third had
gory bones sticking out through its torn coat. And outside the trench one could
see them lying in every kind of position."
- August Hope
"We must looked out for our bread. The rats have become much more numerous
lately because the trenches are no longer in good condition. The rats
here are particularly repulsive, they are so fat - the kind we call
corpse-rats. They have shocking, evil, naked faces, and it is nauseating
to see their long, nude tails."
- Erich Maria Remarque
Battles
Battle of MonsThe Battle of Mons was one of the Battle of the Frontiers, the earliest
battles fought by the British Expeditionary Force. British troops arrived in France on August 14, 1914, where the British, led by Sir John French, matched two corps and one cavalry division against the advancing German forces of four corps and three cavalry divisions, led by General Alexander von Kluck. On August 23, the British troops attempt to hold off an overwhelming German First Army at the Mons-Conde Canal in Mons, Belgium. The British troops were able to create havoc amongst the German troops with rifle fire. Later in the day, however, the French Fifth Army retreated and left the British unsupported. German forces beat back the British troops and caused over 8,000 casualties. Though Sir French had recommended a complete withdrawal of the BEF from war lines, Lord Kitchener, the British war minister in 1914, ordered the forces to stay. Ultimately Allied forces withdrew to the Marne where the First Battle of the Marne was fought. Though the British forces at the Battle of Mons did not succeed in repelling the German forces, they did delay the advance of Germany to Marne, allowing time for the Allies to regroup and stop the troops from entering Paris. |
Battle of Vittori VenetoFollowing the Battle of Caporetto, General Armando Diaz took over as
commander in chief of the Italian army after Italy had lost over 300,000 soldiers. General Diaz set out to salvage the front line of troops along the Piave River. After hearing news of the Allied victory on the Western Front General Diaz planned an offensive at Vittorio Veneto. The Italians planned to cross the Piave and thrust across the two units of the Austro-Hungarian Army on the opposite bank. On October 24, 1918, having engaged the Austro-Hungarian troops in battle at Monte Grappa, the Italian Third Army made an attempt to cross the river. Initially occupying the Papadopoli Island, the army crossed over to the other side. The Austro-Hungarian Army lost over 30,000 soldiers and over 300,000 soldiers were taken captive by the Italians. The Italian losses numbered 38,000, the French lost 145 soldiers, and the British lost 374 soldiers. The Battle of Vittorio Veneto ended war on the Italian Front and marked the political disintegration of Austria-Hungary as an Empire. |
Military Technological Advances
Poisonous Gas
Chlorine gas was first used by the German troops at the battle of Ypres in 1915. Chlorine gas caused a burning sensation in the throat and chest pains. It caused you to suffocate. Mustard gas was the most feared and most deadly. It was a liquid agent that was put into trenches in shells. It is colorless and took 12 hours to take effect. It caused blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal and external bleeding, and death could take up to six weeks.
Tanks
The British first introduced tanks in late 1915, and the Allies deployed them to break down defensive trenches and to restore fighting. They were first used in the Battle of the Somme. Tanks needed a crew of 3 men and go a maximum speed
of 3 mph. Despite its proven short-term effectiveness during the final offenses of the war, the tank did not produce the longed-for strategic advantage.
of 3 mph. Despite its proven short-term effectiveness during the final offenses of the war, the tank did not produce the longed-for strategic advantage.
Airplanes
The airplane was constantly refined and improved as the war progressed, it showed dramatic improvements in speed, range, and altitude by the end of the war. At first planes were used to deliver bombs and for aerial reconnaissance.
Once they were armed with machine guns they became fighter aircrafts.
Once they were armed with machine guns they became fighter aircrafts.