-
Assassination and the beginning of WW1
On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a serbian nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to Austrians throne. The assassination lead to Austria declaring war on Serbia. It also set off a chain of events that lead to the beginning of the war a month later. Many people say that this war came out of the blue because the European countries was enjoying a long and outstretched peace. -
Germany Declared War on France and the Fighting Began
The war officially started on August 3, 1914, when Germany declared war on France. Germany’s troops were ready to fight. The German army got ready to march into Belgium the next day. Belgium resisted and fought against the Germans. -
The battle of Liege
Germany marched into Belgium, but Belgium resisted and fought against them. The first German assault was on the city of Liege. The battle lasted for 11 days and ended on August 16,1914. The Germans won and captured Liege. 2,000-3,000 Belgian troops were killed or wounded and 4,000 were captured by the Germans. -
The battle of Marne
The Offensive of the French forced the Germans into the defensive. The french’s original plan failed and had to come up with another plan. On the 5th the Allies had to retire back but planned an counterattack. The power of the counterattack shocked the Germans. The Germans had to retreat, they stopped just north of the Aisne River where they began digging trenches. This was where trench warfare will be fought for the next three years. -
The Siege of Antwerp
On September 28, 1914, Germany attacked the outer forts of Antwerp with their artillery. The Germans brought in 173 heavy artillery weapons into Antwerp. The Germans were overpowering and the Belgian had to retreat from the city and into Ostend to fight on open ground. Two days after the retreat, german troops stormed the city and the siege was over. -
The Christmas Truce
On Christmas Day, the fighting in the trenches stopped as the soldiers celebrated. They sang Christmas Carols to each other. The German soldiers climbed out of their trenches and approached the enemy lines and called out “Merry Christmas” to each other. Originally the allies thought that it was a trick until they saw that they were unarmed. The soldiers exchanged pudding and cigarettes and played a good natured-soccer match. Some took the time of peace to retrieve bodies from the no man's land. -
Poison Gas Warfare
Poison gas warfare was first introduced in the second battle of Ypres. The Germans deployed the gas on the Allies and a yellow, green cloud drifted toward them. The Allies assumed it was a cloud mask and they waited for an attack, but an attack never came. It was chlorine gas that if inhaled will cause life threatening problems. Chlorine can destroy respiratory organs and cause suffocation. -
German U-Boat sunk the Lusitania
The germans declared submarine warfare on the United Kingdom and germany made a naval blockade. They would blow up any ship that gets close to the blockade. The ship was spotted by the german U-boat U-20 and it took aim. The ship had sunk in 18 minutes because of all the heavy cargo the ship was carrying. 1,198 people were killed and only 761 had survived. -
Italy Declares War on Austria-Hungary
Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary and joined the Allies. Which means that they switched sides in the middle of the war. They used to be in an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Their decision to join the Allies was based on the assurances of the Treaty of London. -
The First Tanks
Britain Mark 1 tanks were deployed at the battle of Flers-Courcelette. There were 49 tanks and many of the them broke down. Out of the 49 tanks only 32 were able to attack and only 9 made it across “No Mans Land”. The tanks were not developed enough for battle, but they couldn’t wait.This battle was basically a test run for the development and innovation of the tank. -
America Joins the War
The Germany influenced us to get involved in the war. They sent U-boats to destroy ships and tried to get Mexico to go to war with us. America wanted to stay neutral throughout the entire war, but we have an alliance with Britain. We declared war on Germany, but we were not prepared for a major war. The Selective Service Act was passed by congress. This allowed men that were the ages 21 and 30 to serve in the army,it was then expanded to 18 ro 45. Over 2.8 million men joined the army. -
Mark Lewis McCave arrives in England
On June 15th, 1918, McCave’s ship had landed in Liverpool, England. The entire trip there everyone was on edge because of the German U-boats. They had to go way north where it was very cold and dreaded to avoid the U-boats. The next day they got off the ship and took a train to Camp Winnall Down and had extensive training. -
McCave Arrived in the Front Lines
McCave arrived in the front lines in Domvere but was soon relocated to Manonville. His platoon stayed behind as support. On August 11th he was ordered to lead the men that was in Limey after Lt. Millard got very sick. During the fight a plane flew over the trench and opened fire. No one was hurt during the surprise attack. On the 15th they were bombarded by gas after Lt. Lewis came to relieve him, but was meet with the gas and it took them over two hours to get out of the predicament. -
McCave Went Back to the Front Lines
McCave went back to the front lines in Limey, the 1st Battalion took up the support position near Lironville. The trenches became very muddy and full of water, making matters worse. On the 12th, a large gun shot at Heinie, and a few seconds later, flashes from cannons were fired by the Boche. The barrage of cannons and gunfire was too much for them and they fell back into Xammes. On the 23rd they were relocated and they were to raid the Boche. They were gassed pretty badly and lost a lot of men. -
McCave Got Relocated in Bois de Very
McCave and his men were six to eight kilometers behind the lines, but G.I. cans would come over. The thing was about 90% were duds. The probability of this high number was predicted that prisoners of war were making these shells and intentionally tampering with them. On the 19th they advanced forward into the Bantheville forest. Half way into the forest and they were met with a barrage of fire from the enemy. There were so many casualties in his Company that there were no stretchers available. -
The Continuous Shellfire was over for McCave
McCave had been in the front lines for six weeks. He was meet with continuous shellfire through the six weeks he was on the front lines. The experience was rough for him that he didn’t get a got night's sleep until this day. He was awoken and ordered to go to Capt. Leigh’s dugout. He then read an order from Capt. Com’dg from the 1st division that him and his men will cease from the front lines. He was relieved that it was all over.
