World War I

**World War I** (WWI or WW1), also known as the First World War, or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 10 October 1917. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Central Powers.

## Overview of the War:

1914:

* German Generals decide to stay defensive on the Western Front (no DoW on France) and behind the strong  border defences in Alsace-Lorraine, but the decision comes late and the additional Forces  weren´t deployed to the Eastern Front, so the Battle of Tannenberg and the Battles of the Masurian Lakes still happen

* Eastern Front is reinforced by the additional armies

* Western Front: France declares war on Germany to help the Russians

* Battle of the Frontiers: numerous French attacks are resulting in massive casulties and with no success

* The German Navy win numerous victories over the French in the world’s oceans and threaten to blockade it

* Trench Warfare begins at the Western Front

1915:

* i. In February the French attack Metz and take the city with enormous casulties; Germans retreat to the Saar River

* ii. Italy joins the Central Powers (CPs), as planed my the military months before.
It get's Tento, Triest and Isteria along ethnic lines.
First attacks, small gains and the Italian Front turns to a Stalemate like the Western Front

* iii. March: to contain the CPs Britain enters the war on the side of France and Russia
* iv. Britain builts up a navel blockade around the CPs, but at some positions it is waak and the CPs try several times to break it

* v. Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare, but has to limit it's attacks to avoid provoking the neutral US

* vi. June: Battle of Saarbruck: the Germans use large scale gas attacks for the first time after the French used gas grenades

* vii. July: A combinded Austro-German offensive in Galicia breaks through Russian lines;

* viii. Combined Italian and Austro-Hungarian naval attacks weakens Entente presence in the Mediterranean Sea  and forcing Britain to deploy Ships from the other Seas

* ix. Bulgaria joins the central Powers and they attack Serbia thus defeating it in a few months: the Serbian army flees to the Albanian mountains

* x. September: Battle of Straßburg: the Allies fail again to break through the strong German defences, but there are more heavy losses on both sides

1916:

* i.  March: Russian revolution begins; Tsar is forced to abdicate; Provisional Government under Kerensky takes power; they decide to continue the war

* ii. Finland declares independance
* iii. May: Battle of Jutland: the German and the Swedish Navy and the British Navy clash; German victory, but the naval balance remains in Britains favor;

* iv. German and Italian Americans in favor of the CPs the US gets more and more CP-friendly

* v.  August: Riga falls
* vii. October: Minsk falls
* viii. In the Russian Revolution the Bolsheviks under Lenin takes Power and signs the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk to focus on his enemies inside Russia; The Russian civil war begins

* ix. September: British tanks attack near Colmar

* x. November: 1916: Franz Josef dies and his succeeded by his Grandnephew Karl

1917:

* i. Easter Rising: Irish Republicans launch an full scale armed revolt against British rule

* ii. Spring offensive:

1. all German and some Austro-Hungarian forces that can be released in the East begin an attack through Belgium to outflank the Entente
2. with newly developed infiltration Tactics help the CPs to make gain after gain
3. Central Powers advancerapidly and reach the river Marne
4. Battle of the Marne: German forces successfully break through French and British lines
5. Italy and the rest of the releasable Austro-Hungarian forces attack at the Italian front; limited breakthrough
6. August: Battle of Paris; German Forces enter Paris

* iii. with Paris fallen US loans to Entente drop and they are forced to sign an armistice

* iv. 10.10.: Armistice is signed at Sedan

28. June 1918: The Treaty of Potsdam is signed