1917: Первая мировая война and World War I (Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Faroe Islands, France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Monaco, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Thailand, United Kingdom)

Originally posted on 11th October 2018

12th January - Big Protests in Hamburg due to the bad situation of the civilian population in the German Steckrübenwinter (Turnip Winter)

16th January - The secret Zimmermann Telegram is issued from the German Foreign Office that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the case that the USA declared war on the Central Powers and that promised Mexico the recovery of various lost former territories. The British intercepted the telegram and later decoded it.

1st February - Resumption of the unrestricted submarine warfare by the German Empire

The Resumption of the unrestricted submarine warfare impressively shows how the war also affected a neutral territory, the Faroe Islands. Already short after the declaration of war there were shortages in supply on the Faroe Islands, as the belligerents put up naval blockades. In these times of dearth the Faroese started to experiment around to get the most necessary goods. For example they used roe to extend rye flour or blubber as lamp oil and fuel for motorboats. On 1st February 1917 the German Empire declared the waters around the British Islands as war zone, which also stretched to the southern part of the Faroe Islands, and announced to dump all boats in the zone by submarines, but full of hope the Faroese still sent out their fishing boats. The tragedy occurred on the 23rd and 24th May 1917, when a German submarine dumped altogether eight Faroese boats. 

21st February - Beginning of the Toplica Uprising

The Toplica Uprising was a Serb rebellion in 1917 carried out by Serbian guerrillas in the Toplica District in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Serbia against the Bulgarian occupation force. Serbia was occupied since October 1915, but when Romania entered the war in August 1916, new hope awakened among the Serbian population. Some armed themselves and took to the forests. Even a secret resistance organisation was founded. On 21st February the rebellion broke out and the Serbs started to liberate some cities. On 15th March the Bulgarians started a counter-attack with Austro-Hungarian support and although some rebels survived and escaped, the order was fully restored by the 25th March. During the rebellion several thousand people were killed including civilians. It was the only rebellion in the territories occupied by the armies of the Central Powers during World War I.

8th March - Beginning of the February Revolution

In the early 20th century Russia was coined by the conservative and authoritarian government of Tsar Nicholas II and a growing proletariat in the cities, but at the beginning of World War I the country was still caught by a wave of nationalism. Heavy military setbacks and the horrible situation of the civilian population at home however changed the people's mind. Soon this would also led to a loss of confidence in the regime, as the Tsar was made responsible for all the problems. Beginning in February 1917 there were big strikes and demonstrations in Saint Petersburg. On 8th March (or 23rd February according to the Julian calendar used then in Russia), International Women's Day, small demonstrations turned into economic and political gatherings. A few days later factories and other enterprises had to be closed down, as too many workers were demonstrating. The Tsar hoped that the available soldiers would quell the riots, but when he actually ordered the army to suppress them, many soldiers began to mutiny. After he figured out his desperate situation, he abdicated on 15th March. One day later a Provisional Government was established. Already four days earlier the socialists had formed the Petrograd Soviet. In the following time these two bodies competed for power over Russia. Thus they created a factual dual power.

11th March - Bagdad is captured by the British.

19th March - As part of the Operation Alberich, which began on the 9th February, the German Empire had withdrawn to new positions on the shorter and more easily defended Hindenburg Line on the Western Front.

6th April - The USA enter World War I alongside the Entente.

Although they had already supplied the Entente countries earlier, the USA officially remained neutral during World War I until their declaration of war on Germany on 6th April 1917. Reasons for the entry included the resumption of the unrestricted submarine warfare and Zimmermann Telegram. The USA were an independent power and did not officially join the Entente, but they closely cooperated militarily. American soldiers arrived in large numbers on the Western Front in the summer of 1918. 110,000 of them died and never came back home.

9th April - Beginning of the Battle of Arras

9th April - Beginning of the Battle of Vimy Ridge

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was fought in 1917 between the German Empire and the British Empire and is a part of the Battle of Arras. It was the first battle in which the four divisions of Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together and became a symbol of Canadian national achievement. It ended with a victory of the British Empire. 

11th April - The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD), which later played an important role in the Weimar Republic, is founded.

16th April - Beginning of the Battle of Chemin des Dames

The Battle of Chemin des Dames, also known as Second Battle of the Aisne, was fought between the German Empire and France in April and May 1917. The battle began as part of a meticulously planned Franco-British offensive, but had to be abandoned after many French divisions mutinied. It ended with a tactical victory of the German Empire. Prince Louis II of Monaco, who volunteered to serve in the French Army in August 1914, took part in the battle.

22nd April - Beginning of the Second Battle of Doiran

After Bulgaria's entry into the war the Balkan theatre saw successful campaigns of rapid movement in 1915 and 1916, but soon the conflict degraded into a state of trench warfare. The Second Battle of Doiran was fought between Bulgaria and the United Kingdom in April and May 1917. It ended with a Bulgarian victory and thus thwarted an Allied breakthrough at the Balkan front.

12th May - Beginning of the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo

4th June - The Polish military contingent known as Blue Army is created in France to fight alongside the Entente. After fighting on the Western Front it was later moved to Poland to fight for the return of Poland's independence.

7th June - Beginning of the Battle of Messines Ridge

The Battle of Messines Ridge was fought near the village of Messines in West Flanders in June 1917. The battle resulted in a British victory and the recapturing of the Messines Ridge. During the battle Irish soldiers, supporting and opposing the ideas of the Easter Rising, fought together.

29th June - Greece enters the war alongside the Entente.

1st July - Although big parts of the population and the soldiers were against a further participation in the war, Alexander Kerensky, Minister of War in the Provisional Government, decided to start a new offensive against the Central Powers, the Kerensky Offensive. After an initial success the offensive ended on 19th July with a military catastrophe, which further weakened the Provisional Government.

14th July - The German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg resigns.

20th July - The Corfu Declaration is signed.

After Serbia was occupied by the Central Powers, Corfu became the new seat of the Serbian government in exile. On 20th July 1917 Croatian, Serbian and Slovenian politicians in exile with the support of France and the United Kingdom signed there the Corfu Declaration, which enabled the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes after the war.

22nd July - Thailand enters World War I alongside the Entente.

Thailand, back then known as Siam, is possibly one of the least well-known participants in World War I, although an Expeditionary Force was sent to France to fight on the Western Front, which began operations in the middle of September 1918. Siam was the only state in Southeast Asia to enter the conflict entirely of its own free will and as an equal of the European powers. During the war 19 soldiers of Siam died. After it Siam became a founding member of the League of Nations.

22nd July - Beginning of the Battle of Mărăști

When Romania entered World War I alongside the Entente in 1916, there were soon some victories of the Romanian forces aided by Russia against the Central Powers, but when the Central Powers started to fight back, big parts of Romania were occupied by the end of 1916. The three battles of Mărăști, Mărășești and Oituz, which were fought between July and August 1917 and which all ended with Romanian successes, left the remaining Romanian territories unoccupied and seemed like a relief, but the situation once again took a turn for the worse for Romania in November 1917, when Russia's involvement in the war ended with the October Revolution.

31st July - Beginning of the Battle of Passchendaele

The Battle of Passchendaele, which is also known as Third Battle of Ypres or Dritte Flandernschlacht in German, was fought by Belgium, the British Empire and France against the German Empire between the 31st July and the 10th November 1917. The battle ended, when Canadian troops captured the village of Passchendaele. The quite big gains of territory for the Allies were bought with horrible losses and thus the battle became another symbol of the absurdity and brutality of the war. The Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the World, is located on the former battleground.

14th August - China enters the war alongside the Entente.

17th August - Beginning of the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo

3rd September - Riga is captured by the Germans.

At the beginning of World War I the Latvian territory was a part of the Russian Empire and had a direct border with the German Empire. Already in August 1914 Liepaja and the Užava Lighthouse were attacked by German troops, but just in May 1915 the war reached the whole of Latvia leading to many Latvians leaving their region. Also much of the region's industry was evacuated to Russia and was lost forever. In September 1917 Riga was captured by German troops. After the Russian Revolution parts of Latvia were given to the Germans according to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, who quickly established an occupational regime which ruled between March and November 1918. After the end of World War I the Latvian War of Independence was fought, which ended with the recognition of the Latvian Republic by Soviet Russia in 1920.

24th October - Beginning of the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo

The region around Kobarid was located near the Isonzo Front and was hard fought between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy. After a long trench warfare the Battle of Kobarid, fought in October and November 1917, resulted in a victory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the collapse of the Italian Second Army. The battle is also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, Battle of Caporetto (Italian name of Kobarid) or Battle of Karfreit (German name of Kobarid).

26th October - Brazil enters World War I alongside the Entente.

31st October - Beginning of the Battle of Beersheba in Ottoman Syria, which ended with a British victory and thus paved the way for the Battle of Jerusalem

2nd November - The Balfour Declaration is issued by the British government.

The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government on 2nd November 1917. With it the British government announced their support for the Zionist aim of establishing a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, which was then still under Ottoman rule. Thus the British hoped to mobilise new resources.

7th November - Beginning of the October Revolution

In the unstable time of the dual power Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Party, returned with German help from his exile in Switzerland to Russia. His return was enabled by the democratisation of politics after the February Revolution and the legalisation of formerly banned political parties. One of his main political aims as formulated in his April Theses was the accession to power by the soviets. At the beginning Lenin's Bolsheviks formed a minority in the both big cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but in the following months various events led to a strengthening of their power. The October Revolution finally began on 7th November (or 25th October according to Julian calendar), which saw the overthrow of the Provisional Government and the accession to power by the Soviets. This event would later mark the beginning of the spread of communism in the 20th century and would create the Soviet Union as new global power, but for the moment it laid the foundation for the Russian Civil War.

17th November - Beginning of the Battle of Jerusalem

The Battle of Jerusalem was a part of the British Sinai and Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire. The battle started on 17th November 1917 and already on the 9th December Jerusalem surrendered to the British, although fightings continued until the 30th December. When General Edmund Allenby entered the Old City on 11th December, he was the first Christian in many centuries to control the holy city. The capture of Jerusalem was a great morale boost for the British Empire and led to a loss of prestige for the Ottoman Empire in the Arabic World. After the battle the British established a new strategically strong fortified line.

20th November - Beginning of the Battle of Cambrai

4th December - Russia and the German Empire sign a ceasefire agreement. One day later a ceasefire agreement with all Central Powers followed.

9th December - Romania and the Central Powers sign the Armistice of Focșani.

15th December - Russia and the Central Powers sign an armistice.

22nd December - Beginning of peace negotiations between Russia and the Central Powers in Brest-Litovsk

1915: Prima Guerra Mondiale and I. Dünya Savaşı (Armenia, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom)

Originally posted on 11th August 2018

22nd February - The German Empire declares the unrestricted submarine warfare.

22nd April - During the Second Battle of Ypres the German Empire uses toxic gas for the first time in the war.

Although the Hague Conventions of 1907 prohibited the use of toxic gas the German Empire used it for the first time in 1915. Because of the naval blockade of the Triple Entente the German Empire used the Haber process to produce the needed ammonia. During the war the Triple Entente and the Central Powers used more and more powerful toxic weapons.

24th April - Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople are arrested and exiled.

At the beginning of World War I the traditional territories of the Armenians were divided between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. In the Ottoman Empire the Christian Armenians were accused to be liable to ally with Russia and the government treated the entire Armenian population as an enemy within its empire. On 24th April 1915 Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople were arrested and exiled. This is conventionally held to be the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. In the coming months the Armenians in Eastern Anatolia were displaced, killed or forced to walk in inhuman conditions towards the southern borders of the Ottoman Empire. Around 1,5million Armenians lost their lives during the Genocide. After World War I the short-living First Republic of Armenia was established. The Armenian Genocide is acknowledged to have been one of the first modern genocides, although Turkey still denies that the word genocide is an accurate term for these crimes.

At some places like Van or Mount Musa Armenians defended
themselves and resisted acts of massacre. The Ottoman authorities used these
armed resistance to justify the forced deportations of Armenians
from all over the empire, although the decisions of deportation and extermination
were made before them.

25th April - British and French forces land on Gallipoli (ANZAC Day).

Starting in February 1915 the British Empire and France tried to open the Dardanelles strait to the Allied fleets to provide access to the allied Russian Empire and to capture the Ottoman capital Constantinople. On 25th April 1915 Australian, British, French and New Zealandian troops landed on Gallipoli, but were repelled by the Ottoman defenders, which also included Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The campaign ended in January 1916 with an Ottoman victory and many casualties. The campaign was the only major Ottoman victory of the war and is regarded as a defining moment in Turkey's history. For Australia and New Zealand the battle is said to be the beginning of the national consciousness. In both countries is ANZAC Day the most significant commemoration of military casualties.

2nd May - Beginning of the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive, which was a turning point of the World War I on the Eastern Front, as the victory of the Central Powers led to the total collapse of the Russian lines and resulted in their retreat far into Russia

3rd May - John McCrae writes In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields is a war poem written on 3rd May 1915 by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae from Canada. He wrote the poem after his friend was killed during the Second Battle of Ypres. It is one of the most popular and most quoted poems about World War I. Due to the poem the red Poppy became a famous symbol of World War I, as it keeps the remembrance of the fallen soldiers alive, but still shows that life goes on.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

7th May - Sinking of the RMS Lusitania

The RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner. The ship was sunken as consequence of the unrestricted submarine warfare of the German Empire on 7th May 1915. 1198 passengers died including 128 citizens of the USA. The sinking caused a storm of protest in the United States and helped shift public opinion in the United States against the German Empire. Due to the protests from the USA the German submarine warfare was discontinued until 1917.

9th May - Beginning of the Second Battle of Artois or Lorettoschlacht, a Allied attempt to break through the German lines which remained inconclusive like so many others

23rd May - Italy enters World War I alongside the Triple Entente.

Before World War I was Italy a part of the Triple Alliance with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany, but when the war began in 1914 Italy stayed neutral. As Italy desired parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Trentino and Trieste, as spoils of war, it started secret negotiations with France and Great Britain. They agreed and Italy joined the war on 23rd May 1915 alongside the Triple Entente. Between 1915 and 1918 Italy fought a position warfare against the Austro-Hungarian Empire without major shifts of the lines. After World War I Italy got the promised territories and additionally also South Tyrol and Istria.

22nd June - The Austro-Hungarian Empire recaptures Lviv.

At the beginning of World War I was Lviv one of the strongest Austro-Hungarian garrisons in the Eastern part of the country. During the Battle of Lviv in August 1914 the city was captured by Russian troops and stayed conquered until June 1915. After World War I Lviv became a part of Poland.

23rd June - Beginning of the First Battle of the Isonzo, the first of twelve battles fought between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy in the Isonzo river valley in modern day Slovenia, of which the most were failures for the Italian army

18th July - Beginning of the Second Battle of the Isonzo

4th August - The German Empire captures Warsaw.

25th September - Beginning of the Second Battle of Champagne

The Second Battle of Champagne, in German known as Herbstschlacht in der Champagne (Autumn Battle in Champagne), was after the First Battle of Champagne (Winter Battle of Champagne) the second French try to break through the German lines in Champagne. It was fought between the 25th September and the 8th November 1915. Simultaneous also the French Third Battle of Artois and the British Battle of Loos were fought. Although the German troops were outnumbered by the French, the battle ended with a German victory. Afterwards there were no new attempt of the French to break through the German lines in Champagne.

25th September - Beginning of the Battle of Loos

The Battle of Loos was the largest British attack on the Western Front in 1915 and was fought between the United Kingdom and the German Empire between the 25th September and the 8th October. It was a part of the plan to break through the German defences to restore a war of movement. The battle ended without a major shift in the front. In the battle the British army used poison gas for the first time.

9th October - Austro-Hungarian and German troops capture Belgrade.

Belgrade was attacked for the first time short after the beginning of World War I. The city, which was bravely defended by Serbian troops and the city's inhabitants, was finally captured by Austro-Hungarian and German troops in October 1915. In the following time entire Serbia was occupied and the Serbian government had to retreat to Albania and later to Greece. After the war Belgrade became the capital of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

14th October - Bulgaria enters World War I alongside the Central Powers.

18th October - Beginning of the Third Battle of the Isonzo

10th November - Beginning of the Fourth Battle of the Isonzo

1914: Grote Oorlog and Први светски рат (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Burundi, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Isle of Man, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, United Kingdom)

Originally posted on 11th July 2018

28th July - World War I begins with the declaration of war of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on Serbia.

 1st August - The German Empire enters the war with a declaration of war on Russia.

1st August - General Mobilisation in France, two days later the German Empire declares war on France

2nd August - Luxembourg is invaded by German troops.

Already on 1st August 1914 the troops of the German Empire used without authorisation Troisvierges station to come to France. One day later the German Empire launched a full invasion of Luxembourg. Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde ordered the army not to resist. In the evening she and Prime Minister Paul Eyschen met the German commander Richard Karl von Tessmar in Luxembourg City and after a small protest they accepted German military rule. During the occupation Luxembourg was allowed to retain its own government and political system. The occupation just ended on 11th November 1918.

3rd August - World War I comes to Africa.

When Germany entered the war, also its colonies became involved. Although the most of them were quite easily under the control of Entente countries, Africa remained a theatre of the war until 1918. On the German side the war in Africa is mainly associated with Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, who was undefeated in the field in German East Africa. For the British and especially the French Africa was used to recruit soldiers for the war in Europe. On the French side especially the Tirailleurs Sénégalais became famous.
Unfortunately I was not able to get many collectibles about World War I in Africa for my collection (in fact just one card and one stamp), so this will be the first of just two mentions of Africa in this post series. This is not because I think that the war in Africa was not important, but as said because I do not have much to show.

The German Fault in Burundi, which was once a part of German East Africa,
was once home to a German military post.

4th August - The parties of the German parliament declare the Burgfriedenspolitik, which included the omission of strikes, the voting for war credits in the parliament and the agreement not to criticise the government and its war.

4th August - Beginning of the German Invasion in Belgium

German forces invaded Belgium at the beginning of World War I and occupied it until the end. Not only did to Western Front run through Belgium, but the German troops also committed various war crimes in the country.

4th August - The United Kingdom and its Empire enter the war.

The United Kingdom joined the war on 4th August 1914 alongside Russia and France with the declaration of war on the German Empire, as the German Empire captured Belgium whose guarantor power the United Kingdom was. Together with the mother land also its colonies were involved in the war. 

7th August - Montenegro declares war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

16th August - The Fortress of Liege is destroyed by German troops.

19th August - German troops capture Brussels. Belgium's military leaders flea to Antwerp.

23rd August - Massacre of Dinant

During the German invasion Dinant was fought between French and German troops. On 23rd August 1914, after the city was captured by the Germans, 674 inhabitants were summarily executed by the German Army and within a month some five thousand Belgian and French civilians were killed by the Germans at numerous similar occasions. It was the biggest massacre committed by the Germans in 1914 and contributed greatly to the propagandistic image of the Rape of Belgium.

23rd August - Beginning of the Battle of Mons

The Battle of Mons took place from 23rd to 24th August 1914 near Mons and was fought between British and German forces. The battle was the first major activity of the British army in the war and ended with a retreat of the British forces.
The Saint-Symphorien military cemetery was laid out by the German troops after the Battle of Mons. Today it is the last resting place of 284 German and 229 Commonwealth soldiers, including the first and the last Commonwealth soldier killed in World War I.

23rd August - Japan declares war on the German Empire. The Austro-Hungarian Empire declares war on Japan

25th August - The Fortress of Namur is captured by German troops

25th August - Destruction of Leuven

Leuven was ravaged by rampaging German soldiers, as they were in fear of Belgian franctireurs. Nearly 300 civilians lost their lifes and a sixth of the city was destroyed including the university library with its important book collection. The destruction of Leuven was one of cruelest German war crimes during World War I and contributed greatly to the propagandistic image of the Rape of Belgium.

26th August - Beginning of the Battle of Tannenberg

The Battle of Tannenberg was fought by German and Russian troops in East Prussia between the 26th and 30th August 1914. It resulted in a decisive German victory and drove the Russians out of East Prussia. Furthermore the Russian Second Army was almost completely destroyed. If this would be enough the battle also was the beginning of an important political myth and paved the way for the rise of a man, Paul von Hindenburg, the Hero of Tannenberg. Together with his staff-officer Erich Ludendorff he won more battles on the Eastern Front and as Chief of the General Staff from August 1916 onwards they formed a de facto military dictatorship that dominated German policymaking for the rest of the war. After the war he retired (once again), but due to his popularity among the German public he returned to public life in 1925 and became the second President of the Weimar Republic.

29th August - The German colony of Samoa is captured by troops from New Zealand.

As part of the British Empire New Zealand entered the war on 5th August 1914. The dominion sent nearly 100,000 of its 1,000,000 civics to the war, of which nearly 18,500 did not come back. One of the New Zealandians who left for the war was Melville Mirfin. He was a bank clerk from the South Island and signed up short after the proclamation. Melville Mirfin was one of the 1385 men who captured Samoa from the Germans as New Zealand's first duty in World War I.

1st September - Beginning of the Battle of Lviv

2nd September - Beginning of the British-Japanese siege of the German colony Qingdao (or Tsingtau as it is known in German) in China, which ended with the colony's capture on the 7th November

5th September - Beginning of the First Battle of the Marne

The First Battle of the Marne was fought from the 5th until the 12th September between the German Empire and the Triple Entente countries France and the United Kingdom. The battle stopped the German advance and wrecked the Schlieffen Plan as the German Empire was not able anymore to capture France as easy as they thought. It is widely considered to have been a turning point of World War I. The Triple Entente bought time and was able to get a back-up for the Western Front from the French and British colonies. The battle created the French myth of the Renault Taxis de la Marne, which were used to bring soldiers to the front and thus showed the determination of the French nation.

24th September - Beginning of the Siege of Przemyśl

Przemyśl in modern day Poland was besieged by Russian troops during World War I. First Przemyśl was besieged from the 24th September to the 12th October 1914 and then for 133 days from the 9th November 1914 onwards. The Siege of Przemyśl was the largest siege of World War I and ended with a defeat of the Austro-Hungarian troops.

Tank Cupola from the Siege of Przemyśl,
now in the Museum of Military History in Vienna

10th October - German troops capture Antwerp. After this a Belgian government in exile was installed in Saint-Adresse in France, where it stayed until November 1918. The leader of the government was Charles de Broqueville. The Belgian King Albert I stayed in the non-occupied part of Belgium and never visited Saint-Adresse.

16th October - Beginning of the Battle of the Yser

The Battle of the Yser was fought between the 16th and 31st October 1914 by German against Belgian and French troops. It was started by an attack on the city of Diksmuide, which was largely destroyed by the end of the war, and ended with an Allied victory and the creation of the Yser Front. To stop the German advance into this last corner of unoccupied Belgium the Belgian and French troops flooded the area by opening the flood gates of the Yser river.

Diksmuide was already rebuilt in the 1920s.

The Dodengang on the Yser Front is one of the
oldest World War I memorials in Belgium.

20th October - Beginning of the First Battle of Ypres

The Belgian city of Ypres of hard fought during World War I. The First Battle of Ypres was fought by Belgian, British and French against German troops between the 20th October and the 22nd November 1914. Although many soldiers lost their lives, the battle remained without military results. Until the end of the war there were three more big battles in the region, which are subsumed as Vier Flandernschlachten (Four Battles of Flanders) in German.

The famous Ypres Cloth Hall was destroyed
in the First Battle of Ypres. After the war it was reconstructed and
now houses the In Flanders Fields Museum.

29th October - The Ottoman Empire enters the war alongside the Central Powers by declaring war on France and Russia.

11th November - The Battle of Basra begins. On 21st November the Ottoman city in modern day Iraq is captured by British troops.

14th November - The Ottoman Sultan declares the holy war on the Entente. Thus he hoped to mobilise Muslim soldiers in the Entente forces to rebel against their commanders.

8th December - Battle of the Falkland Islands

19th December - The Sultanate of Egypt is declared.

22nd December - Beginning of the Battle of Sarikamish

The Battle of Sarikamish was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire during the Caucasus Campaign from 22nd December 1914 to 15th January 1915. It ended with a victory of the Imperial Russian Army.

24th December - Beginning of the short Christmas Truce

On 24th December 1914 and on the next days British and German soldiers on the Western Front stopped the war and exchanged small gifts. This Christmas Truce was not authorised by the level of command. After a few days the battles started again.

31st December - First battles at the Hartmannswillerkopf

The Hartmannswillerkopf is a peak in the Alsace. During World War I it was hard-fought between France and the German Empire. The battles took mainly place in 1915 as both sides withdrew big parts of their troops in 1916. Around 30000 soldiers lost their lifes at Hartmannswillerkopf. Today is the area a National Monument of France and has a museum and a cemetery. The trenches can also be visited.