Trenches are now established along the entire Western Front.
8th December
Battle of the Falkland Islands.
1915
19th January
First Zeppelin raid on Britain (Great Yarmouth and Kings Lynn – killing 5).
18th February
Blockade of Great Britain by German U-boats begins. All vessels considered viable targets, including neutrals.
22nd April
Second Battle of Ypres begins Widespread use of poison gas by Germany.
25th April
Allied troops land in Gallipoli.
2nd May
Austro-German offensive on Galicia begins.
7th May
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-Boat – creating US/ German diplomatic crisis
23rd May
Italy declares war on Germany and Austria
31st May
First Zeppelin raid on London, killing 35 and shaking morale.
30th June
German troops use flamethrowers for the first time, against the British at Hooge, Ypres.
5th August
Germany captures Warsaw from the Russians.
21st August
Final British offensive in the Dardanelles (Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli). They lose, and suffer 5000 deaths.
25th September
Start of the Battle of Loos and Champagne. The British use gas for the first time, but the wind blows it over their own troops, resulting in 2632 casualties.
31st October
Steel helmets introduced on the British Front.
15th December
Sir Douglas Haig replaces Sir John French as Commander of the BEF.
1916
8th January
Allied evacuation of Helles marks the end of the Gallipoli campaign.
21st February
Start of the Battle of Verdun – German offensive against the Mort-Homme Ridge. The battle lasts 10 months and over a million men become casualties. (Finishes 18th December, the longest and costliest battle of the Western Front).
9th March
Germany declares war on Portugal. Six days later, Austria follows suit.
31st May
Battle of Jutland – lasts until 1st June. German High Seas Fleet is forced to retire despite having inflicted heavier losses on the Royal Navy (14 ships and 6,100 men). German fleet irreparably damaged.
4th June
Start of the Russian Brusilov Offensive on the Eastern front. Nearly cripples Austro-Hungary.
1st July
Start of the Battle of the Somme – 750,000 allied soldiers along a 25 mile front. Nearly 60,000 are dead or wounded on the first day.
14th July
Battle of Bazetin Ridge marks the end of the first Somme Offensive. The British break the German line but fail to deploy cavalry fast enough to take advantage. 9,000 men are lost.
23rd July
Battle of Pozières Ridge marks the second Somme Offensive, costs 17,000 allied casualties – the majority of whom are Australian. (ends 7th August).
10th August
End of the Brusilov Offensive.
9th September
The Battle of Ginchy. The British capture Ginchy – a post of vital strategic importance as it commands a view of the whole battlefield.
15th September
First use en masse of tanks at the Somme. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette signifies the start of the third stage of the Somme offensive.
13th November
Battle of Ancre. The fourth phase of the Somme Offensive is marked by the British capturing Beaumont Hamel and St. Pierre Division, taking nearly 4,000 prisoners.
12th December
Germany delivers Peace Note to Allies suggesting compromise.
US sever diplomatic relations with Germany as U-boats threaten US shipping. Intercepted messages reveal that Germany is provoking the Mexicans into war with the US.
21st February
The great German withdrawal begins. Serre, Miraumont, Petit Miraumont, Pys and Warlencourt are evacuated, falling back 25 miles to establish stronger positions on the Hindenburg Line.
15th March
Tsar Nicholas II abdicates as Moscow falls to Russian Revolutionaries. Demise of the Russian army frees German troops for the Western front.
6th April
USA declares war on Germany – troops mobilise immediately.
9th April
Battle of Arras. British successfully employ new tactics of creeping barrages, the ‘graze fuse’ and counter battery fire.
16th April
France launches an unsuccessful offensive on the Western Front.
- Second Battle of Aisne begins as part of the ‘Nivelle Offensive’. Losses are horrendous, triggering mutinies in the French Army.
7th June
The Battle of Messines Ridge. British succeed with few casualties as detonate 19 mines under German front lines – the explosions are reportedly heard from England.
13th June
Germans launch first major heavy bomber raid of London – kills and injures 594.
25th June
First US troops arrive in France.
31st July
Start of the Third Battle at Ypres – a 15 mile front in Flanders. Initial attacks are successful as the German forward trenches are lightly manned.
15th August
The Battle of Lens (Hill 70). – Canadians at the forefront , won a high vantage point, though loss of 9,200 men.
20th August
Third Battle of Verdun begins. French progress is marked by gaining lost territory in the earlier battles.
9th October
The third phase of the Ypres Offensive begins with British and French troops taking Poelcapelle. 25mm of rain falls in 48 hours and the battlefield turns into a quagmire.
12th October
British launch assault at Ypres Against the Passchendale Ridge. New Zealand and Australians take terrible casualties. Bogged down in mud and forced back to start lines.
24th October
Battle of Caporetto – Italian Army heavily defeated.
26th October
Second Battle of Passchendaele begins, 12,000 men lost and 300 yards gained (ends 10th November – 500,000 casualties, 140,000 deaths and 5 miles gained).
6th November
Britain launches major offensive on the Western Front.
20th November
Victory for British tanks at Cambrai - The Royal flying Corps drop bombs at the same time on German anti-tank guns and strong points. Early example of the ‘Blitzkrieg’ tactics later used by Germany in World War Two.
5th December
Armistice between Germany and Russia signed.
1918
16th January
Riots in Vienna and Budapest with dissatisfaction at the war.
3rd March
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed between (Soviet) Russia and Germany.
21st March
Second Battle of the Somme marked by the German spring offensive, the ‘Kaiserschlacht’. Germans attack along a 50 mile front south of Arras.
22nd March
Victory for Germany with operation Michael - Use of new ‘Storm trooper’ assault to smash through British positions west of St. Quentin, taking 16,000 prisoners.
23rd March
Greatest air battle of the war takes place over the Somme, with 70 aircraft involved.
5th April
The German Spring Offensive halts outside Amiens as British and Australian forces hold the Line. The second 1917 battle of the Somme ends, as Germany calls off operation Michael.
9th April
Germany starts offensive in Flanders –Battle of the Lys (ends 29th April).
19th May
German air force launches largest raid on London, using 33 aircraft.
27th May
Operation Blucher – The Third German Spring Offensive attacks the French army along the Aisne River. French are forced back to the Marne, but hold the river with help from the Americans.
15th July
Second battle of the Marne started; final phase of German spring offensive.Start of the collapse of the German army with irreplaceable casualties.
8th August
Second Battle of Amiens – German resistance sporadic and thousands surrender.
27th September
British offensive on the CambraiFront leads to the storming of the Hindenburg Line. Battle of St. Quentin – British and U.S troops launch devastating offensives.
4th October
Germany asks the allies for an armistice (sent to Woodrow Wilson).
8th October
Allies advance along a 20 mile front from St. Quentin to Cambrai, driving the Germans back and capturing 10,000 troops.
29th October
Germany’s navy mutinies (at Jade).
3rd November
Austria makes peace. German sailors mutiny at Kiel.
9th November
Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates and revolution breaks out in Berlin.
11th November
Germany signs the armistice with the allies – coming into effect at 11.00am (official end of WWI).
