![]() The First Battle of Ypres, the last major battle of the first year of World War I, ends the Race to the Sea. South African troops invade German South-West Africa. Although not an outright victory for Germany, over 100,000 Russians are captured.Īustralian forces occupy German New Guinea. Through her alliance with Britain, Japan declares war on Germany and attacks the German colony of Tsingtau in China.īritish and French forces invade and occupy Togoland, a German protectorate in West Africa.Īfter defeating the Russian Second Army at Tannenburg, the Germans confront the Russian First Army at the Battle of Mausurian Lakes. Despite this success, they are forced to fall back to cover a retreating French Fifth Army. During their first encounter of the war, the massively outnumbered BEF seize the day. Tens of thousands of Russians are killed and 125,000 are taken prisoner.ħ0,000 soldiers of the BEF face twice that number of Germans at the Battle of Mons. The Germans use their railway system to surround the Russians and inflict heavy causalities. French and German forces collide along the eastern borders of France and southern Belgium.īattle of Tannenberg. Although much smaller than the French Army, the BEF are all seasoned professional volunteers, rather than raw conscripts. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) starts to land in France to assist the French and Belgians in stopping the German offensive. ![]() President Woodrow Wilson declares American neutrality. Germany fails to withdraw its forces from Belgium and so Britain declares war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, demands that Germany withdraw from neutral Belgium. Germany declares war on France, its troops march into Belgium implementing a pre-planned (Schlieffen) strategy, intended to quickly defeat the French. The official outbreak of World War I as Germany declares war on Russia. Through its alliance with France, Russia calls on the French to mobilise her armed forces. Kaiser William II promised German support for Austria against Serbia.īlaming the Serbian government for the assassinations, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and its ally Russia. A Serbian nationalist student, Gavrilo Princip, shot the couple when their open topped car stopped on its way out of town. Archduke Ferdinand and his wife had been inspecting Austro-Hungarian troops in occupied Sarajevo. 28 JuneĪssassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungary throne. Important events of 1914, the first year of the First World War, including the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
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