Norman Ferguson - The First World War: A Miscellany

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THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Copyright Norman Ferguson, 2014

Illustrations Shutterstock

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

Norman Ferguson has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Condition of Sale

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Summersdale Publishers Ltd
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West Sussex
PO19 1RP
UK

www.summersdale.com

eISBN: 978-1-78372-063-7

Substantial discounts on bulk quantities of Summersdale books are available to corporations, professional associations and other organisations. For details contact Nicky Douglas by telephone: +44 (0) 1243 756902, fax: +44 (0) 1243 786300 or email: .

Contents

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Introduction

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If there is ever another war in Europe, it will come out of some damned silly thing in the Balkans.

Prince Otto von Bismarck, 1890

In 1914 few wished for war and when it began, even fewer thought it would last as long as it did. A century after, debate still rages over whether it was a just or a futile conflict. What can't be denied is that the scale of suffering and loss spread across Europe and beyond ensured it would never be forgotten.

I grew up in towns where every November we gathered around the war memorials to pay tribute to those whose names were displayed in metal and stone. It is hoped that this book will, in some small way, help to keep alive the memory of the war they fought.

Author's note: Because not all information fits neatly into one year or another, each of the specific year chapters contains a mixture of general information and information relating to the year in question.

Major battles and important locations of the First World War

1. Marne/Peace Offensive/Operation Gneisenau/Battle of Matz
2. Aisne/Operation Blcher-Yorck
3. Race to the Sea
4. Cambrai
5. Arras
6. Loos
7. Neuve Chapelle
8. Somme/Operation Michael/Amiens
9. Compigne
10. Versailles
11. Verdun
12. Meuse-Argonne
13. Mons
14. Tannenberg
15. Gorlice-Tarnw
16. Gallipoli
17. Jutland
18. Brusilov Offensive
19. Messines
20. Battles of the Isonzo
21. Sarajevo
22. Ypres/Passchendaele
23. Lys/Flanders
24. The sinking of the Lusitania

Timeline

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1914

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JUNE

28 Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo.

JULY

28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

AUGUST

1 Germany declares war on Russia.

3 Germany declares war on France.

4 German forces invade neutral Belgium.

4 Britain declares war on Germany.

4 USA declares neutrality.

6 First British casualties as HMS Amphion is sunk in North Sea.

6 First air raid sees nine killed as Lige is bombed by Zeppelins.

7 First British troops arrive in France.

9 Battle of the Frontiers begins as France attempts to regain Alsace and Lorraine.

12 Britain declares war on Austria-Hungary.

17 Russia invades East Prussia.

23 Battle of Mons begins as British Expeditionary Force (BEF) faces advancing German forces.

23 Japan declares war on Germany.

26 Battle of Tannenberg begins.

26 Battle of Le Cateau. Retreating British troops fight a rearguard action.

28 Battle of Heligoland Bight, the first naval engagement of the war.

SEPTEMBER

5 Battle of Marne begins.

15 Battle of Aisne begins.

22 British aircraft carry out first air raid on Germany.

OCTOBER

19 Battle of Ypres sees the Germans attempt to break through to Channel ports.

29 Turkish ships attack Russian ports in the Black Sea, heralding Turkey's entry into the war.

NOVEMBER

2 Russia declares war on Turkey.

5 Britain declares war on Turkey.

DECEMBER

3 Battle of Kolubra begins. Austro-Hungarian forces pushed out of Serbia.

8 Battle of the Falkland Islands.

16 Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby are shelled by German ships. 137 people are killed.

1915

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JANUARY

19/20 First Zeppelin raid on Britain.

FEBRUARY

19 Campaign at Gallipoli begins with French and Royal Navy ships bombarding Turkish positions.

MARCH

10 Battle of Neuve Chapelle begins.

APRIL

22 Second Battle of Ypres begins.

25 Allied troops land at Gallipoli and face heavy Turkish resistance.

MAY

2 Germany and Austria-Hungary attack on the Eastern Front between Gorlice and Tarnw.

7 Lusitania is sunk by U-boat.

23 Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.

SEPTEMBER

6 Bulgaria joins the war, signing a pact with Austria-Hungary and Germany.

25 Battle of Loos begins. British forces use chemical weapons for the first time.

OCTOBER

12 British nurse Edith Cavell is executed.

1916

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JANUARY

9 Allied troops complete their evacuation from Gallipoli.

FEBRUARY

21 Germany launches large-scale attack at Verdun.

APRIL

29 British surrender at Kut.

MAY

31 Battle of Jutland. Only large-scale naval engagement of the war.

JUNE

4 Brusilov Offensive begins.

JULY

1 Battle of the Somme begins.

SEPTEMBER

15 Tanks are used for the first time at FlersCourcelette.

DECEMBER

18 Battle of Verdun ends.

1917

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JANUARY

31 Germany restarts unrestricted U-boat warfare.

FEBRUARY

9 German troops begin withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line.

MARCH

15 Russia's Tsar Nicholas II abdicates in the face of civil unrest.

APRIL

6 USA declares war on Germany.

9 Battle of Arras begins.

16 Nivelle Offensive leads to heavy losses and French Army mutinies.

JUNE

7 Battle of Messines Ridge.

JULY

6 T. E. Lawrence 'of Arabia' takes the Red Sea port of Aqaba after a surprise raid.

31 Third Battle of Ypres begins.

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