timeline
- june 28 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to Austria-Hungary's throne, and his wife, Sophie, are assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip while the couple were visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia.
- July 28 - Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
- August 1 -- Germany declares war on Russia.
- August 3 - Germany declares war on France.
stalemate in war
Both sides of the war built trenches in which they would hide in when the would shoot so they would have some coverage from the other side. Both sides had people dying but their was not really any winning, they just hid in their trenches and shot at anything. There was really no progress when it came to the war because no side was doing anything to help in the end.
quotes from soldiers
- “I cannot commend too highly the spirit shown among the colored combat troops, who exhibit fine capacity for quick training and eagerness for the most dangerous work.” —General John J. Pershing
- “Whilst asleep during the night, we were frequently awakened by rats running over us. When this happened too often for my liking, I would lie on my back and wait for a rat to linger on my legs; then violently heave my legs upwards, throwing the rat into the air. Occasionally, I would hear a grunt when the rat landed on a fellow victim.” (R L Venables)
- “If you have never had trench foot described to you, I will explain. Your feet swell to two to three times their normal size and go completely dead. You can stick a bayonet into them and not feel a thing. If you are lucky enough not to lose your feet and the swelling starts to go down, it is then that the most indescribable agony begins. I have heard men cry and scream with pain and many have had to have their feet and legs amputated. I was one of the lucky ones, but one more day in that trench and it may have been too late.” (Harry Roberts)
- “We slept in our clothes and cut our hair short so that it would tuck inside our caps. Dressing simply meant putting on our boots. There were times when we had to scrape the lice off with the blunt edge of a knife and our underclothes stuck to us. “ (Elizabeth de T’Serclaes – a nurse on the front line)
- "We must looked out for our bread. The rats have become much more numerous lately because the trenches are no longer in good condition. The rats here are particularly repulsive, they are so fat - the kind we call corpse-rats. They have shocking, evil, naked faces, and it is nauseating to see their long, nude tails." (Erich Maria Remarque)
wwI battles in europe
- The battle of Verdun- This battle was fought between the French and German armies in 1916. By the end of the war no new advantages had come by the end of the war.
- The battle of Cambrai- This war was between Britain and Germany in 1917. The purpose of the war was to show Britain's secret weapon, the tank. The attack started of with 476 tanks, in which the breached the Hidenberg lines to depths of 4-5 miles. Neither Britain nor Germany expected this from the tanks.
Weapons used during the war
- Rifle- A rifle was a much more efficient gun because it put out more rounds per minute. Also, the rifle was more accurate than other guns of its time.
- Tanks- A tank has a top speed of four mph on flat land, has the ability to turn sharply at top speed, and it can also go over eight feet gaps.
- Machine guns- With machine guns there is no external power needed rather than other guns in which you have to redo the powder and cartridge.