Year 1914

World War One Diary for Thursday, August 13, 1914: WESTERN FRONT Belgium: 3 Liege forts surrender to Germans (one blows up) as Austrian 12inch (ca. 30 cm) Skoda howitzers join […]

World War One Diary for Wednesday, August 12, 1914: SOUTHERN FRONTS AUSTRIAN INVASION OF SERBIA: Advancing across the border into Serbia from the north and northwest, some 200,000 Austro-Hungarian troops

World War One Diary for Tuesday, August 11, 1914: WESTERN FRONT Alsace: Germans retake Mulhouse. Belgium: ­Belgians fight near Tirlemont, St Trond and Diest. SOUTHERN FRONTS Serbia: Austrian 2nd, 5th

World War One Diary for Monday, August 10, 1914: SEA WAR Mediterranean: The German warships ‘Goeben’ and ‘Breslau’ pass through the Dardanelles seaway and their British pursuers call off the

World War One Diary for Sunday, August 9, 1914: WESTERN FRONT France: LANDING OF THE BEF. British I and II Corps land at Le Havre and Boulogne (complete on August

World War One Diary for Saturday, August 8, 1914: WESTERN FRONT France: In accordance with a prewar strategic blueprint for war against Germany known as Plan XVII, France’s Army of

World War One Diary for Friday, August 7, 1914: SEA WAR Mediterranean: German Vice Admiral Wilhelm von Souchon, pursued by Vice Admiral Sir A. Berkeley-Milne‘s two British battlecruisers, continues to

World War One Diary for Thursday, August 6, 1914: POLITICS: SERBIA The government declares war on Germany. WESTERN FRONT Belgium: General Erich Ludendorff of the German Second Army wins great

World War One Diary for Wednesday, August 5, 1914: POLITICS: AUSTRIA-HUNGARY Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia at 1200 hours. Austrian Lt Pokorny solves first Russian cryptogram of war. Letter from

World War One Diary for Tuesday, August 4, 1914: POLITICS: BRITAIN The government declares war at 2300 hours as the Germans reject the British ultimatum requesting that their troops leave

World War One Diary for Monday, August 3, 1914: POLITICS: BELGIUM The Belgian government rejects the German ultimatum (0700 hours) demanding that its forces have free passage through Belgian territory

World War One Diary for Sunday, August 2, 1914: POLITICS: GERMANY Ultimatum is delivered to Belgium at 1900 hours demanding that German forces be allowed to move through Belgian terri­tory

World War One Diary for Saturday, August 1, 1914: POLITICS: GERMANY GERMANY DECLARES WAR ON RUSSIA at 1910 hours after Russia has ignored ultimatum. ORDERING OF MOBILIZATION of men aged

World War One Diary for Friday, July 31, 1914: POLITICS: GERMANY GERMANY DECLARES IMMINENT DANGER OF WAR ALERT AT MIDNIGHT, ISSUES ULTIMATUMS TO RUSSIA AND FRANCE. Russia is told that

World War One Diary for Thursday, July 30, 1914: POLITICS: RUSSIA Tsar signs general mobilization order. First day actually August 4. Russian fleets mobilize. Zemstvos Union of rural councils formed.

World War One Diary for Wednesday, July 29, 1914: BALKANS FRONTS In the first engagement of what will become World War One, Austro­-Hungarian warships on the Danube River bombard Belgrade,

World War One Diary for Tuesday, July 28, 1914: POLITICS: AUSTRIA AUSTRIA DECLARES WAR ON SERBIA at noon. Emperor Francis Joseph signs with tears in his eyes. Manifesto declares no

World War One Diary for Monday, July 27, 1914: POLITICS: AUSTRIA Austrian Foreign Minister Berchtold refuses to take Serb ultimatum reply as basis for future discussions. Austria decides to declare

World War One Diary for Sunday, July 26, 1914: POLITICS: AUSTRIA Austria begins to mobilize 8 corps on Russian frontier. Count Berchtold adopts German idea of immediate war declaration despite

World War One Diary for Saturday, July 25, 1914: POLITICS: AUSTRIA Austria refuses to extend ultimatum 48 hours for Russia who says she ‘cannot remain indifferent’. POLITICS: SERBIA Serb Crown