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Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo. A group of six Bosnian Serbs were planning to do this for weeks. They were armed and trained by the Chief of Serbian Military Intelligence and two other powerful Serbians. Ferdinand and his wife were mortally wounded by Gavrilo Princip. -
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, World War I begins
Austria-Hungary finds out more information about the assassination. Germany states that they would help if Austria-Hungary decided to take action. Austria-Hungary tells Serbia their fifteen demands, one of which said that the members of the assassination group would be arrested and tried. Serbia declines, and Austria-Hungary declares war. -
War Declared By All
Germany declares war on Russia, France, and Belgium. Britain declares war on Germany. Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. Montenegro, France, and Britain declare war on Austria-Hungary. Montenegro and Japan declare war on Germany. Austria-Hungary declares war on Belgium. -
First Battle of the Marne
The First Battle of the Marne was fought at the north and east sides of Paris, France. The Germans were advancing towards France, and were within 30 miles of the country. But France was then reinforced by 6,000 infantrymen. This battle included the first use of automotive transport of troops in wartime and it was also the first use of radio intercepts. -
First Battle of Ypres
Ypres was a medieval town in Belgium. It was taken over by Germany early in the war. But in October 1914, the British Expeditionary Forces recaptured it. On October 15, 1914, Germany attempted to take back Ypres. Battle continued, but when France, Britain, and the weather were all fighting them, Germany abandoned the town. -
The Ottoman Empire joins the Central Powers
The Ottoman Empire was ruled by the Sultan of Turkey and his Grand Vizier. Their four provinces were Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, and Arabia. The Turkish Army included Anatolian Turks, Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, and Syrians. Turkey was concerned with Russian expansion, so they signed an alliance with Germany -
Second Battle of Ypres
A chemist named Fritz Haber offered his talents to the German Army. Germany attempted to take back Ypres again in April 1915. They used chlorine gas. The French soldiers thought that the Germans were advancing behind a smoke screen. But the French started noticing pains and burnings. The soldiers that were poisoned would soon have their respiratory organs destroyed and die by asphyxiation. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
A German U-boat off the coast of Ireland torpedoes the British ocean liner Lusitania. It sinks in only 18 minutes. Almost 1,200 people are killed, including 128 U.S. citizens. But the ship had allegedly been carrying tons of ammunition and artillery shells. The Lusitania was sunk because of this and also because the area was a war region. -
The Battle of Verdun begins
In World War I, Verdun, France was a fortified town east of France. Germany attacked Verdun with a million troops, and they only faced 200,000 French soldiers. France was forced to retreat. More regiments came, and the battles continued, off and on, for the next 10 months. Villages were destroyed, and around 300,000 soldiers were killed. -
Battle of Jutland
One of the causes of World War I was the competition of between the British and German Navy. During the war, Britain tried to lure the German Navy into the North Sea. But Admiral Hugo von Pohl did not want to get involved in a major battle. They replaced him with Admiral Reinhardt von Scheer, who was much more aggressive. On May 31, 1916, British and German fleets opened fire 60 miles off the coast of Jutland, Denmark -
First Battle of the Somme
On July 1, 1916, British and French lines joined on the Western Front. They fought the German in Northern France on the 15-mile front. It lasted 141 days, and almost 20,000 British soldiers were lost. July 1, 1916 is the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. -
Russian Revolution
Tsar Nicholas II was crowned in 1894. He was not considered a good leader at all. During World War I, food became scarce and defeats on the Eastern Front became abundant. Riots broke out, and Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne on March 15, 1917. This led to the rise to power of Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks. -
America enters the war
On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. The House of Representatives endorsed the declaration after the Senate voted for it 82 to 6. At the beginning of the war, the U.S. was neutral, which was what the citizens wanted. But President Woodrow Wilson entered the war mainly because of the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmermann Telegram. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Russia signed a treaty with the Central Powers near the Polish border on March 3, 1918. This ended its participation in World War I. Russia gave up Poland and Baltic territories, and recognized Ukraine and Finland’s independence. The treaty was signed in the city of Brest-Litovsk, which would be modern-day Belarus. -
Induction of Hubert Wesselman
Hubert Wesselman was inducted into the United States Army on April 27, 1918, at Littleton, Colorado. He was a Private in 3rd Platoon, Company L, 354th Infantry, 89th Division. On June 29, 73 men from Company L left for Boston. From there they went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then Liverpool, England. -
Lucey Sector (Wesselman)
The Occupation of Lucey Sector began on August 8th, 1918, in Lorraine, France. On the day the battle started, Hubert Wesselman sprained his foot because of a bomb dud. He crawled in a shell hole, and stayed there until he was taken back to Company L. The battle, and war altogether, ended on November 11, 1918. Wesselman was extremely happy. -
St. Mihiel Offensive (Wesselman)
The Battle of St. Mihiel started on September 12, 1918. Hubert Wesselman and Company L had previously renovated a deep dugout called "Gas Hollow" in St. Mihiel, France. During the battle, he experienced lots of action and got little sleep. He was not injured, though. The Allies won the battle, as it ended on September 19. -
Meuse Argonne Offensive (Wesselman)
The Meuse Argonne Offensive started on September 26, 1918. But Hubert Wesselman didn't enter the battle until October 19 because of his injury. He survived throughout the end of the battle, which occurred on November 11, 1918. The Allies won. -
End of World War I
On November 11, 1918, Germany signed an armistice with the Allied Powers. This ended World War I. The treaty was based largely off of Wilson’s Fourteen Points. It needed to be prolonged three times. Previous agreements had been made with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria-Hungary. -
Discharge of Hubert Wesselman
Hubert Wesselman was discharged on June 13, 1919, at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming. Hubert was happy, although he would miss the friends that he made while in the Army. But his war experiences scarred him. They negatively impacted his life, as they could be seen as a cause of his suicide in 1955. He was 61 years old.
