World War One Timeline – Warwick War Memorial

Event 01

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Austria-Hungarian crown prince, is assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip.

June 28th 1914

Event 02

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. Russia begins mobilising its troops.

July 28th 1914

Event 03

Germany declares war on Russia.

1st August 1914

Event 04

Germany declares war on France.

3rd August 1914

Event 05

Germany invades Belgium. Britain declares war on Germany.

4th August 1914

Event 06

The Battle of Tannenberg is fought between Germany and Russia. The Germans defeat the Russian Second Army.

23rd to 30th August 1914

Event 07

First Battle of the Marne when the advancing German army is stopped before Paris by the British and French. The Germans dig in and four years of trench warfare follow.

5th to 12th September 1914

Event 08

The First Battle of Ypres. The Allies push back the German forces.

19th October to 22nd November 1914

Event 09

The Turkish Ottoman Empire declares war on the Allies.

11th November 1914

Event 10

The Germans start to use submarines against Allied merchant shipping around Britain.

4th February 1915

Event 11

The Allies attack the Ottoman Empire forces at the Battle of Gallipoli. Eight months later the Allies were forced to retreat after heavy loses.

25th April 1915

Event 12

The Lusitania, a luxury British passenger liner, is sunk by a German submarine. 1,195 civilians were killed, sparking international outrage and contributing to the USA eventually entering the war.

7th May 1915

Event 13

The Battle of Verdun begins between France and Germany. The battle lasted until the end of the year when the French claimed victory.

21st February 1916

Event 14

The Battle of Jutland in the North Sea, the largest naval battle of the war between Britain and Germany.

31st May 1916

Event 15

The Battle of the Somme begins. Over the next 141 days, the British advanced a maximum of seven miles. More than one million men from all sides were killed, wounded or captured. British casualties on the first day numbered over 57,000, of which 19,240 were killed, making it the bloodiest day in British military history.

1st July 1916

Event 16

The Russian Revolution begins. Tsar Nicholas II is removed from power on March 15.

8th March 1917

Event 17

The United States declares war on Germany.

6th April 1917

Event 18

The third battle of Ypres in Flanders, also known as Passchendaele, with more than half a million casualties.

July to November 1917

Event 19

Lenin’s Bolsheviks overthrow the Russian government and soon afterwards the Russians agree to peace with the Central Powers and leave the war.

7th November 1917

Event 20

Germany launches the ‘Spring Offensive’ hoping to defeat the Allies before reinforcements from the United States can be deployed.

21st March 21 1918

Event 21

The Second Battle of the Marne, ending three weeks later as a decisive victory for the Allies.

15th July 1918

Event 22

Germany agrees to an armistice and the fighting comes to an end at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month.

11th November 1918

Event 23

The Treaty of Versailles is signed by Germany and World War One officially ends.

28th June 1919