The Great War spanned four years and involved many nation states.  
This section illustrates the landmark events of the period 1914-19.

Timeline: 1914


June 28 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of 
Austro-Hungarian empire, in Sarajevo, Bosnia 
July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia 
July 29 - December 9 Austria-Hungary repeatedly invades Serbia but is 
repeatedly repulsed August 1 Outbreak of war
Germany declares war on Russia 
August 3 Germany declares war on France 
August 4 Germany invades neutral Belgium 
August 4 Britain declares war on Germany 
August 4 US President Woodrow Wilson declares policy of US neutrality 
August 14 Battle of the Frontiers begins 
August 17-19 Russia invades East Prussia 
August 23 Japan declares war on Germany 
August 23 - September 2 Austria-Hungary invades Russian Poland (Galicia) 
August 26-30 Battle of Tannenberg, which Russia loses; Germany's greatest 
success of the war on Eastern Front 
September 5-10 First Battle of Marne, halts German advance, resulting in 
stalemate and trench warfare 
September 9-14 First Battle of Masurian Lakes, which Russia again loses 
September 14 First Battle of Aisne begins 
September 15 - November 24 The "race to the sea", trenches appear on September 
15 
September 17-28 Austro-German attack western Poland 
October 14 - November 22 First Battle of Ypres 
October 29 Turkey enters the war on the side of the Central Powers 
December 8 Battle of the Falkland Islands 
December 21 First German air raid on Britain 
December 25 Unofficial Christmas truce declared by soldiers along the Western 
Front 


Timeline: 1915

January 1 - March 30 Allied offensive in Artois and Champagne 
January 15 Japan's 21 demands on China 
January 19-20 First German zeppelin attack on England 
February 4 German U-boat attacks on Allied and neutral shipping; declares 
blockade of Britain 
February 7-21 Russians suffer heavy losses at Second Battle of Masurian Lakes 
(also known as the Winter Battle) 
February - April Austro-Hungarian attack on Russian Poland (Galicia) collapses, 
with the Russians counterattacking 
February 19-August Allied amphibious attack on the Dardanelles and Gallipoli 
(initiated by Winston Churchill, who resigns as a consequence) ends with the 
Turkish siege of the Allied 
forces 
March 1 First passenger ship sinks, the British liner Falaba  
March 11 Britain announces blockade of German ports 
April-June Germans focus on Eastern Front, breaking through Gorlice-Tarnow and 
forcing Russia out of much of Poland 
April 22 - May 25 First use of poison gas by Germany starts Second Battle of Ypres 
April 25 Allied landing at Gallipoli 
April 26 France, Russia, Italy and Britain conclude secret Treaty of London 
May 2 Austro-German offensive on Galicia begins 
May 7 U-boat sinks British liner Lusitania with the loss of American lives, 
creating a US-German diplomatic crisis 
May 9 Second Battle of Artois begins 
May 23 Ignoring treaty agreements with the Central Powers, Italy declares war 
on Austria-Hungary 
May 25 British Prime Minister Asquith reorganises his Liberal government as a 
coalition of the parties 
June 29 - December 2 Italians launch unsuccessful attack on Hungarians at 1st, 
2nd, 3rd & 4th Battles of Isonzo; there are to be 12 in total 
August 4 Germans capture Warsaw 
September 5 Tsar Nicholas takes command of Russian armies 
September 22 Second Battle of Champagne begins 
October 3 Anglo-French force lands at Salonika in Greece 
October - November Austro-German-Bulgarian forces invade Serbia, expelling Serbian 
army from the country 
December 19 Sir Douglas Haig replaces Sir John French as commander of British 
Expeditionary Force 
December 28 Allies begin withdrawal of troops from Gallipoli 


Timeline: 1916

February 21 - December 18 German attack on Verdun in the longest battle of the war, 
ultimately defended by the French at great cost to both sides 
March 11 - November 14 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Battles of Isonzo between Italy and 
Austria-Hungary 
April British forces in Mesopotamia begin advance on Baghdad 
March 9 Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico 
March 24 French passenger ship, Sussex, torpedoed 
April 24 Easter rebellion starts in Ireland 
May 4 Germany renounces submarine policy 
May 19 Britain and France conclude Sykes-Picot agreement 
May 31 - June 1 Battle of Jutland, the biggest naval battle in history, ultimately 
without a clear victor 
June - August Turkish forces, led by Enver Pasha, are defeated by the Russians 
in the Caucasus 
June 4 - September 20 Russian Brusilov offensive in Carpathia nearly knocks 
Austria-Hungary out of the war 
June 5 With British support (led by T.E. Lawrence), Hussein, grand sherif of Mecca, 
lead an Arab revolt against the Turks in the Hejaz 
July 1 Start of the Battle of the Somme, with the greatest number of casualties in 
British military history, 60,000 
July 29 US marines land in Haiti 
August - December Romania enters the war with the Allies, but is quickly overrun 
by German forces 
August 28 Italy declares war on Germany 
August 31 Germany suspends submarine assaults 
September 15 Tanks introduced for the first time on the Somme battlefield by the British 
October 15 Germany resumes U-boat attacks 
November 7-9 US President Woodrow Wilson secures re-election 
November 18 End of the Battle of the Somme 
November 28 First German airplane (as opposed to zeppelin) air-raid on Britain 
November 29 US occupation of Santa Domingo proclaimed 
December 7 David Lloyd George replaces Asquith as British Prime Minister 
December 12 Germany issues peace note suggesting compromise peace 
December 18 US President Woodrow Wilson requests statements of war objectives from 
warring nations in peace note 


Timeline: 1917

January 10 Allies state peace objectives in response to US President Woodrow Wilson's 
December 1916 peace note 
January 31 Germany announces unrestricted submarine warfare 
February 1 Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare 
February 3 US severs diplomatic ties with Germany 
February 23 - April 5 German forces begin withdrawal to strong positions on the Hindenburg 
Line 
February 24 Zimmermann Telegram is passed to the US by Britain, detailing alleged German 
proposal of an alliance with Mexico against the US 
February 26 US President Woodrow Wilson requests permission from Congress to arm US 
merchantmen 
March 1 Zimmermann Telegram published in US press 
March 11 British capture Baghdad 
March 12 US President Woodrow Wilson announces arming of US merchantmen by executive 
order after failing to win approval from Congress 
March 15 Tsar Nicholas II abdicates as a consequence of Russian Revolution 
March 20 US President Woodrow Wilson's war cabinet votes unanimously in favour of declaring
 war on Germany 
April 2 US President Woodrow Wilson delivers war address to Congress 
April 6 US declares war on Germany 
April 9-20 Nivelle Offensive (Second Battle of Aisne, Third Battle of Champagne) ends in French 
failure 
April 9 Canadian success at the Battle of Vimy Ridge 
April 16 Lenin arrives in Russia 
April 29 - May 20 Mutiny breaks out among French army 
May 12 - October 24 10th, 11th and 12th Battles of Isonzo fought, ending in Italian failure 
May 28 Pershing leaves New York for France 
June 7 British explode 19 large mines under the Messines Ridge 
June 15 US Espionage Act passed 
June 26 First US troops arrive in France, 1st Division 
June 27 Greece enters the war on the side of the Allies 
July 2 Pershing makes first request for army of 1,000,000 men 
July 6 T.E. Lawrence and the Arabs capture Aquaba 
July 11 Pershing revises army request figures upwards to 3,000,000 
July 16 Third Battles of Ypres (Passchendaele) begins 
July 31 Major British offensive launched at Ypres. 
September 1 Germany takes the northernmost end of the Russian front in the Riga offensive 
October 24 Austria-Germany breakthrough at Caporetto on Italian front 
November 7 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia results in Communist government under Lenin 
taking office 
November 20 British launch surprise tank attack at Cambrai 
December 7 US declares war on Austria-Hungary 
December 9 Jerusalem falls to Britain 
December 22 Russia opens separate peace negotiations with Germany (Brest-Litovsk) 


Timeline: 1918

January - September T.E. Lawrence leads Arab guerrillas in successful campaign against 
Turkish positions in Arabia and Palestine 
January 8 US President Woodrow Wilson makes "Fourteen Points" speech to Congress 
February 11 US President Woodrow Wilson makes "Four Principles" speech to Congress 
March 3 Soviet Russia concludes separate peace negotiations in treaty of Brest-Litovsk 
March 21 Germany launches Spring push, eventually mounting five major offensives against 
Allied forces, starting with the Battle of Picardy against the British 
March 26 Doullens Agreement gives General Ferdinand Foch "co-ordinating authority" over the 
Western Front 
April 9 Germany launches second Spring offensive, the Battle of the Lys, in the British sector 
of Armentieres 
April 14 Foch appointed Commander-in-Chief of Allied forces on Western Front 
May 25 German U-boats appear in US waters for first time 
May 27 Third German Spring offensive, Third Battle of the Aisne, begins in French sector along 
Chemin des Dames 
May 28 US forces (28th Regiment of 1st Division) victorious in first major action, Battle of 
Cantigny 
June 6 US 3rd Division captures Bouresches and southern part of Belleau Wood 
June 9 Germans launch fourth Spring offensive, Battle of the Matz, in French sector between 
Noyan and Montdider 
June 15 Italians prevail against Austro-Hungarian forces at Battle of Piave 
July 6 US President Woodrow Wilson agrees to US intervention in Siberia 
July 15 Final phase of great German Spring push, the Second Battle of Marne, begins 
July 16-17 Former Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, and children, are murdered by the Bolsheviks 
July 18 Allies counterattack against German forces, seizing initiative 
August 3 Allied intervention begins at Vladivosto 
August 8 Haig directs start of successful Amiens offensive, forcing all German troops back to 
the Hindenburg Line; Ludendorff calls it a "black day" for German army 
September 12 US forces clear the St.-Mihiel salient, during which the greatest air assault of the 
war is launched by the US 
September 19 Start of British offensive in Palestine, the Battle of Megiddo 
September 26 Battle of the Vardar pits Serb, Czech, Italian, French and British forces against 
Bulgarian forces 
September 26 Meuse-Argonne offensive opens; the final Franco-American offensive of the war 
September 27 - October 17 Haig's forces storm the Hindenburg Line, breaking through at 
several points 
September 29 Bulgaria concludes armistice negotiations 
September 28 - October 14 Belgian troops attack at Ypres 
October 3-4 Germany and Austria send peace notes to US President Woodrow Wilson 
requesting an armistice 
October 17 - November 11 British advance to the Sambre and Schledt rivers, taking many 
German prisoners 
October 21 Germany ceases unrestricted submarine warfare 
October 27 Erich Ludendorff resigns 
October 30 Turkey concludes an armistice with the Allies 
November 3 German fleet mutinies at Kiel 
November 3 Trieste falls to the Allies; Austria-Hungary concludes an armistice 
November 7-11 Germany negotiates an armistice with the Allies in Ferdinand Foch's railway 
carriage headquarters at Compiegne 
November 9 Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates 
November 10 Kaiser Wilhelm II flees to Holland 
November 10 German republic is founded 
November 11 Armistice day; fighting ceases at 11am 


Timeline: 1919

January 10-15 Communist revolt in Berlin 
January 18 Start of peace negotiations in Paris 
January 25 Peace conference accepts principle of a League of Nations 
February 6 German National Assembly meets in Weimar 
February 14 Draft covenant of League of Nations completed 
May 6 Peace conference disposes of German colonies 
May 7 - June 28 Treaty of Versailles drafted and signed 
June 21 German High Seas Fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow 
July 19 Cenotaph is unveiled in London 





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