First World War in FocusAn unofficial Christmas truce takes place along some sections of the Western Front.
First use of underground mines on Western Front
The Germans detonate ten mines under the British lines at Givenchy. This is the first large-scale use of underground mines on the Western Front.
Naval bombardment of Scarborough
The German navy shells the English coastal towns of Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool.
Battle of the Falklands
The Royal Navy is victorious against the Germans at the Battle of the Falklands in the South Atlantic.
Capture of Qurna
British-Indian troops capture Qurna in Mesopotamia (now Iraq).
Operations in the Tochi Valley
British-Indian forces defeat a tribal uprising in Waziristan on the North-West Frontier of India (now part of Pakistan).
Battle of Basra
The Battle of Basra in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) ends in a British-Indian victory against the Ottomans.
Sultan Mehmed V declares jihad on the Allies
The ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mehmed V, declares holy war on the Allies.
Battle of Cheikh Saïd
British-Indian troops drive back an Ottoman force threatening the British base at Aden.
Battle of Cocos
The Australian navy secures victory over the Germans at the Battle of Cocos, in the eastern Indian Ocean.
British-Indian troops land at Fao
British-Indian troops land at Fao in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), a territory of the Ottoman Empire.
Britain and France declare war on the Ottoman Empire
Battle of Tanga
Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck’s German colonial forces defeat British-Indian troops at the Battle of Tanga in German East Africa (now Tanzania).
Battle of Kilimanjaro
The Germans secure victory over the British at the Battle of Kilimanjaro in German East Africa (now Tanzania).
Hostilities begin on the Caucasus front
The Russians launch an offensive against the Ottomans on the Caucasus front.
Naval blockade of Germany
The Royal Navy begins blockading the coast of Germany.
Battle of Coronel
The Germans win a naval victory against the British at the Battle of Coronel off the coast of Chile.
Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres ends the ‘Race to the Sea’. The Germans are prevented from reaching the Channel ports, but the original British Expeditionary Force (BEF) is almost destroyed.
Battle of the Yser
French and Belgian forces secure the Belgian coast with British naval support.
Battle of Armentières
Part of the ‘Race to the Sea’: The Battle of Armentières, fought between British and German forces, is inconclusive.
First Battle of Messines
Part of the ‘Race to the Sea’: The First Battle of Messines, fought between British and German forces, is inconclusive.
Battle of La Bassée
Part of the ‘Race to the Sea’: The Battle of La Bassée, fought between British and German forces, is inconclusive.
Germany besieges Antwerp
The Germans besiege and capture the city of Antwerp in Belgium.
Battle of Sandfontein
The Germans are victorious against South African forces at the Battle of Sandfontein.
Maritz Rebellion
A Boer rebellion, led by General Manie Maritz against South Africa’s support for Britain and its invasion of German South-West Africa, is eventually suppressed.
Falkenhayn appointed German Chief of Staff
General Erich von Falkenhayn replaces General Helmuth von Moltke the Younger as German Chief of Staff.
First Battle of the Aisne
Allied attacks on the Germans during the First Battle of the Aisne end in stalemate. Both sides dig in. This leads to attempts at outflanking each other northwards in a so-called ‘Race to the Sea’.
Invasion of German South-West Africa
Pro-British South African forces, under the command of General Louis Botha and General Jan Smuts, invade German South-West Africa (now Namibia).
New Guinea captured
Australia, a British ally, occupies German New Guinea (now part of Papua New Guinea).
Second Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia
The Austro-Hungarians fail in a second attempt at invading Serbia.
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
The Russians withdraw from East Prussia following defeat by Germany at the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes.
Development of wire defences
In the aftermath of the First Battle of the Marne, thick belts of barbed wire appear on the Western Front as both sides dig in.
First Battle of the Marne
The German advance on Paris is stopped at the First Battle of the Marne. This Allied victory marks the failure of the Schlieffen Plan and condemns Germany to a war on two fronts.
First British use of armoured cars
The Royal Naval Air Service deploys its vehicles on the Western Front, marking the first British combat use of armoured cars.
Battle of Nery
Part of the Battle of the Frontiers: The British are victorious at the Battle of Nery during the Retreat from Mons.
German Samoa captured
New Zealand, a British ally, occupies German Samoa (now Samoa).
Battle of Saint Quentin
Part of the Battle of the Frontiers: French success at the Battle of Saint Quentin (or the Battle of Guise) slows the German advance.
Battle of Heligoland Bight
The Royal Navy is victorious against the Germans at the Battle of Heligoland Bight in the North Sea.
Battle of Tsingtao
British and Japanese forces capture the German port of Tsingtao in China.
Battle of Tannenberg
The Russians suffer a heavy defeat at German hands at Tannenberg in East Prussia.
Battle of Le Cateau
Part of the Battle of the Frontiers: The British and French fight a successful holding action at Le Cateau during the Retreat from Mons.
Allies conquer Togoland
British and French forces conquer Togoland (now Togo), a German protectorate in West Africa.
Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary
Japan declares war on Germany
Battle of Mons
Part of the Battle of the Frontiers: The first major engagement of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) leads to a retreat from Mons in Belgium.
Germany occupies Brussels
The Germans capture Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.
Battle of Gumbinnen
A German attack at the Battle of Gumbinnen fails to stop the Russian advance in East Prussia. It also leads to reinforcements being transferred east from the Western Front, thus weakening the Schlieffen Plan’s chances of success.
Battle of Stalluponen
The Russians invade East Prussia, but are temporarily checked by the Germans at the Battle of Stalluponen.
Battle of Cer
The Serbs defeat the invading Austro-Hungarians in the first major Allied victory of the First World War. This battle also sees the first aerial dogfight when the pilots of Serbian and Austro-Hungarian reconnaissance aircraft engage each other with small arms.
First large-scale overseas deployment of Royal Flying Corps
Four squadrons from the Royal Flying Corps join the British Expeditionary Force in France.
Austria-Hungary invades Serbia
Britain declares war on Austria-Hungary
France declares war on Austria-Hungary
Battle of the Frontiers
The Germans’ Schlieffen Plan meets with initial success in a series of engagements fought against the Allies in southern Belgium and eastern France.
British Expeditionary Force arrives in France
Field Marshal Sir John French’s British Expeditionary Force (BEF) arrives in France.
Lord Kitchener’s appeal for new recruits
The British Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, calls for 100,000 volunteers for his ‘New Armies’.
Serbia declares war on Germany
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia
Germany captures Liège
The Germans besiege and then capture the fortresses of Liège in Belgium.
Ottomans close the Dardanelles
The Ottomans close the Dardanelles Strait, a shipping route linking the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
Britain declares war on Germany
Britain declares war on Germany following the latter’s violation of the Treaty of London (1839), which guaranteed Belgian neutrality.
Germany invades Belgium
As part of its plan to attack France, Germany invades Belgium aiming to outflank and encircle much of the French Army.
Sir Edward Grey addresses Parliament
Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, addresses Parliament on the war in Europe and outlines the pros and cons of a British intervention.
Germany declares war on France and Belgium
Germany declares war on France (an ally of Russia) and neutral Belgium. The Germans’ Schlieffen Plan is based on a quick strike against France while Russia is slowly mobilising.
Germans and Ottomans sign treaty
Germany and the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) sign a secret alliance treaty aimed against Russia.
Germany declares war on Russia
Germany warns Russia
Germany warns Russia to cease mobilisation despite the latter’s claim that this is only aimed against the Austro-Hungarians.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. Russia mobilises in support of its Serb ally.
Austro-Hungarian ultimatum rejected
Austria-Hungary sends Serbia an impossible ultimatum, which is rejected.
Germany backs Austria-Hungary
Germany assures Austria-Hungary of its support against Russia should the latter oppose Austria’s planned attack on Serbia.
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, is assassinated by a Bosnian Serb in Sarajevo. The Austro-Hungarians blame the Serbs and seek revenge.
