I World war

World War I (WWI) was a global war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918.
It was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until the start of World War II in 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter.
It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; but, as Austria–Hungary had taken the offensive against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war).

Imperial, territorial, and economic rivalries led to the “Great War” between the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey) and the Allies (U.S., Britain, France, Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Montenegro, Portugal, Italy, and Japan).
About 10 million combatants killed, 20 million wounded.

TimeLine

1914

1914 June 28

Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and wife assassinated in Sarajevo by Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip

1914 July 28

Austria declares war on Serbia

1914 Aug. 1

Germany declares war on Russia and France (Aug. 3)

1914 Aug. 4

Germany invades Belgium

1914 Aug. 4

Britain declares war on Germany

1914 Aug

Germans defeat Russians in Battle of Tannenberg on Eastern Front

1914 Sept

First Battle of the Marne

1914

German drive stopped 25 miles from Paris. By end of year, war on the Western Front is “positional” in the trenches

1915

1915 Feb

German submarine blockade of Great Britain begins

1915 Dec.–Jan. 1916

Dardanelles Campaign-British land in Turkey (April), withdraw from Gallipoli

1915 April–May

Germans use gas at second Battle of Ypres

1915 May 7

Lusitania sunk by German submarine-1,198 lost, including 128 Americans

1915 Sept. 6

On Eastern Front, German and Austrian 'great offensive' conquers all of Poland and Lithuania; Russians lose 1 million men

1915 Sept.–Oct.

“Great Fall Offensive” by Allies results in little change from 1914

1915 Oct. 14

Britain and France declare war on Bulgaria

1916

1916 Feb.

Battle of Verdun-Germans and French each lose about 350,000 men

1916 June–Sept.

Extended submarine warfare begins (March). British-German sea battle of Jutland (May); British lose more ships, but German fleet never ventures forth again. On Eastern Front, the Brusilov offensive demoralizes Russians, costs them 1 million men

1916 July–Nov.

Battle of the Somme-British lose over 400,000; French, 200,000; Germans, about 450,000; all with no strategic results

1916 Aug. 27

Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary

1916 Dec.

Bucharest captured

1917

1917 April 6

U.S. declares war on Germany

1917 April

Submarine warfare at peak

1917 Oct.–Dec.

On Italian Front, Battle of Caporetto-Italians retreat, losing 600,000 prisoners and deserters

1917 Nov.

On Western Front, Battles of Arras, Champagne, Ypres (third battle), etc. First large British tank attack

1917 Dec. 7

U.S. declares war on Austria-Hungary

1917 Dec. 15

Armistice between new Russian Bolshevik government and Germans

1918

1918 March–June

Great offensive by Germans

1918 June

Americans' first important battle role at Château-Thierry-as they and French stop German advance

1918 July–Aug

Second Battle of the Marne

1918 Sept–Oct

start of Allied offensive at Amiens, St. Mihiel, etc. Battles of the Argonne and Ypres panic German leadership

1918 Sept

British offensive in Palestine

1918 Oct

Germans ask for armistice

1918 Oct

British armistice with Turkey

1918 Nov

German Kaiser abdicates

1918 Nov. 11

Hostilities cease on Western Front