First World War in FocusBritish, Australian and New Zealand forces are victorious at the Battle of Magdhaba in the Sinai peninsula.
Battle of Verdun ends
Fighting at Verdun, the longest battle of the First World War, comes to an end.
Nivelle appointed French Commander-in-Chief
General Robert Nivelle replaces General Joseph Joffre as Commander-in-Chief of the French Army.
Lloyd George becomes British Prime Minister
David Lloyd George replaces Herbert Asquith as British Prime Minister.
Charles I becomes Austro-Hungarian Emperor
The Austro-Hungarian Emperor Francis Joseph I is succeeded by Charles I.
Battle of the Somme ends
The Battle of the Somme ends after months of attritional fighting.
Mohmand Operations begin
The Indian Army begins a punitive expedition against Mohmand tribal raiders on the North-West Frontier of India (now in Pakistan).
Battle of the Ancre
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of the Ancre, the last British attack on the Somme, ends in limited gains.
French recapture Fort Douaumont
The French recapture Fort Douaumont from the Germans at Verdun.
Battle of Le Transloy
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Le Transloy ends in stalemate.
Craiglockhart War Hospital begins treating shell-shock
The Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh begins treating officers with shell shock (neurasthenia).
British capture Karajakois
The British capture Karajakois (now Monokklisia in northern Greece) from the Bulgarians on the Salonika front.
Battle of Thiepval Ridge
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Thiepval Ridge sees British gains.
Battle of Morval
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Morval sees British-French gains.
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Flers-Courcelette sees the British use tanks for the first time in history.
Monastir Offensive
An Allied offensive against the Bulgarians at Monastir (now Bitola in the Republic of Macedonia) ends in limited gains.
Battle of Ginchy
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The British enjoy limited success at the Battle of Ginchy.
Battle of Guillemont
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Guillemont sees limited British success.
Hindenburg made German Chief of Staff
General Paul von Hindenburg replaces General Erich von Falkenhayn as German Chief of Staff.
Romania joins the Allies
Romania enters the war on the Allied side, but is defeated within a few weeks.
Italy declares war on Germany
First Battle of Doiran
The First Battle of Doiran on the Salonika front ends in a Bulgarian victory over the Allies.
Battle of Romani
An Ottoman attack on the British at Romani in the Sinai peninsula fails.
First creeping barrage
The British use the creeping artillery barrage for the first time during the Battle of the Somme.
Battle of Pozières
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Pozières sees limited Australian and British gains.
Battle of Fromelles
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Fromelles ends in a German victory.
Battle of Bazentin Ridge
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Bazentin Ridge ends in tactical gains for the British.
Battles for Longueval and Delville Wood
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The Battle of Delville Wood sees limited South African and British gains.
Battle of Albert
Part of the Battle of the Somme: The initial phase of the Somme offensive sees French success in the south but heavy British casualties for little gain in the north.
Battle of the Somme begins
The Battle of the Somme, a Franco-British attack aimed at relieving the pressure at Verdun, is part of a combined Allied offensive against the Central Powers.
Death of Lord Kitchener
Field Marshal Lord Kitchener drowns when HMS ‘Hampshire’ is sunk by a German mine off the Orkney Islands while bound for Russia.
Arab Revolt begins
The Arab Revolt against the Ottomans begins in Hejaz (now part of Saudi Arabia).
Brusilov Offensive begins
The Russians launch the Brusilov Offensive against German and Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front.
Battle of Mont Sorrel
A German attack at Mont Sorrel in the Ypres Salient is repelled by British and Canadian forces.
Attack on Namema
A British-Rhodesian force captures Namema in German East Africa (now Tanzania).
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland between Britain and Germany ends in stalemate, but the Royal Navy’s control of the North Sea continues.
Germany suspends unrestricted submarine warfare
British occupation of German East Africa begins
Three British columns invade German East Africa (now Tanzania) from the north, south and west, but fail to defeat the Germans. A long guerrilla war ensues.
Box respirator introduced
The box respirator is introduced as the British Army’s standard gas mask.
British surrender at Kut
The besieged British-Indian force at Kut in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) surrenders to the Ottomans.
Easter Rising
Irish Republicans mount an unsuccessful rising in Dublin against British rule in Ireland.
Early blood transfusion on Western Front
Major Lawrence Robertson of the Canadian Army performs one of the earliest blood transfusions on the Western Front.
First sinking of U-Boat with depth charges
The Royal Navy destroys Germany’s U-68, the first submarine to be sunk with depth charges.
Darfur Expedition begins
British-Egyptian forces successfully invade and annex the Sultanate of Darfur (now part of Sudan), whose ruler was suspected of having Ottoman sympathies.
Germany declares war on Portugal
Following the seizure of German ships in Lisbon, Germany declares war on Britain’s ally Portugal.
Battle of Dujaila
The British fail in another attempt to relieve the besieged town of Kut in Mesopotamia (now Iraq).
Conscription begins in Britain
The Military Service Act comes into force in the United Kingdom. Men from 18 to 41 years old are liable to be called up for Army service.
Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare
Battle of Verdun begins
The Battle of Verdun begins, an attritional German offensive intended to ‘bleed France white’.
German Kamerun surrenders
The Allies complete the conquest of German Kamerun (now Cameroon).
Battle of Hanna
The Battle of Hanna in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) ends in an Ottoman victory over British-Indian forces.
Battle of Wadi
The Battle of Wadi in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) ends in an Ottoman victory over British-Indian forces.
Corfu occupied
The Mediterranean island of Corfu is occupied by the Allies to receive the evacuated Serbian Army.
Gallipoli evacuation complete
The Allies complete the evacuation of Gallipoli. The campaign ends in an Ottoman victory.
Battle of Shaik Saad
British forces, marching to relieve the besieged town of Kut in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), defeat the Ottomans at the Battle of Shaik Saad.
Battles of the Isonzo
Fighting takes place between the Italians and Austro-Hungarians along the Isonzo (now the Soča) valley. A total of 12 battles are fought in this location, wearing down the armies of both nations over the following two years.
