 |
| 28/06/1914 |
Archduke Francis Ferdinand heir
to the Austria-Hungary throne and his wife are assassinated
by a Serbian Nationalist in Sarejevo. |
| |
 |
| 05/07/1914 |
Kaiser William II promises German
support for Austria against Serbia. |
| 28/07/1914 |
Emperor Franz Joseph
of Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and Russia. |
| 29/07/1914 |
Russia begins to
mobilise her armed forces. Austria-Hungarian troops invade
Serbia. |
| |
 |
| 01/08/1914 |
Official outbreak
of World War I. Germany declares war on Russia. |
| 02/08/1914 |
Germany invades Luxembourg. |
| 03/08/1914 |
Germany declares
war on France. |
| 04/08/1914 |
Germany declares
war on neutral Belgium and invades in a right flanking move
designed to defeat France quickly. This violates a treaty signed
by Prussua respecting Belgian neutrality. As a result of this
invasion, Britain declares war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.
Canada follows suit and joins the war. U.S President Woodrow
Wilson declares policy of American neutrality. |
| 07/08/1914 |
The British Expeditionary Force
lands in France to assist the French and Belgians in stopping
the German offensive. |
| 14/08/1914 |
The Battle of the
Frontiers begins. |
| 17/08/1914 |
Russia invades East
Prussia. |
| 19/08/1914 |
U.S President Wilson
appeals for neutrality. The Canadian Parliament authorises
the raising of an expeditionary force to send overseas and
constructs Valcartier Camp to give basic training to new recruits. |
| 22/08/1914 |
27,000 French soldiers are killed
on this single day in an offensive thrust to the east of Paris,
towards the German borders. |
| 23/08/1914 |
The BEF started to
retreat from Mons. Austria-Hungary launches an invasion
of Russian Poland. Japan declares war on Germany and attacks
the German colony of Tsingtau in China. |
| 26/08/1914 |
Battle of Tannenberg
begins. |
| 30/08/1914 |
The Battle of Tannenberg
ends in total Russian defeat. This becomes Germany's greatest
victory of the war inflicting over 250,000 casualties on the
Russians. |
| Aug 1914 |
Battle of Togoland.
The German Cruiser Goeben and Breslau are pursued by British
warships into Turkish waters. |
| |
 |
| 05/09/1914 |
First Battle of the
Marne begins. |
| 09/09/1914 |
First Battle of the
Masurian Lakes begins. |
| 10/09/1914 |
First Battle of the
Marne ends in a French Victory, thus halting the German advance
towards Paris, which results in stalemate. |
| 14/09/1914 |
Russia loses the
First Battle of Masurian Lakes. First Battle of Aisne begins.
Troops starts to construct trenches across the entire length
of the western front. |
| 17/09/1914 |
Austro-German forces launch an
attack into western Poland |
| Sep 1914 |
Battle of Lemberg
begins. |
| |
 |
| 14/10/1914 |
First Battle of Ypres begins.
The Canadian Expeditionary Force of 32,000 men lands at Plymouth,
England, to prepare for fighting at the Front. |
| 29/10/1914 |
Turkey enters the war on the
side of the Central Powers. |
| |
 |
| 22/11/1914 |
First Battle of Ypres ends. |
| Nov 1914 |
Battle of Lodz begins. |
| |
 |
| 08/12/1914 |
Battle of the Falkland Islands
between British and German Naval units. |
| 21/12/1914 |
First German air raid on Britain. |
| 25/12/1914 |
An unofficial Christmas truce
is declared by soldiers along the Western Front. |
