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World War I. Author Heiddy2.

World War 1 Dates: 10 Most Important Dates you should know About

The first major war to be fought in the modern world had devastating effects. Death, injury, sexual violence, malnutrition, illness, and disability are some of the most threatening physical consequences of war, while post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety are some of the emotional effects. No one would have celebrated such an occurrence.

It led to the Russian Revolution, the collapse of the German Empire, and the collapse of the Hapsburg Monarchy, and it led to the restructuring of the political order in Europe and in other parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East.

Here we look at World War 1 Dates: 10 Most Important Dates you should know About

1. Battle of Mons, (August 23, 1914)

The battle of Mons, took place on August 23, just five weeks after the start of World War I. The fierce fight involved the two bitter rivals in Europe then i.e.  The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the German army in Mons, Belgium. . The German victory forced the BEF into a retreat that was not checked until the First Battle of the Marne. It only lasted a few hours with the Germans succeeding to repulse the British and thus claim victory after 1,600 British soldiers lost their lives out of a battalion of 35,000 who were involved in the war. Read more here 

2. First Battle of Ypres (October 10 to mid-November1914)

British Troops at Kilkis, Greece, during World War i (Salonica Front). Author Original uploader was Мико at bg.wikipedia.

October 19, 1914, marked the beginning of three battles that were fought to gain control of Ypres city in Belgium. German, French, and Belgian armies and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought from Arras in France to Nieuwpoort (Nieuport) on the Belgian coast, from 19 October to mid-November. Allied and German forces begin the first of what would be three battles to control the city and its advantageous positions on the north coast of Belgium during the First World War.

By 31st October 1914, this war had already started claiming its first casualties. 375 battle-weary officers and men of the Worcestershire Regiment at the Belgian village of Gheluvelt were all that had remained after Germany’s triumph.

Despite the setback, Fighting continued, with heavy losses reported on both sides, until November 22, when it was halted by the arrival of the winter weather. The area between the positions established by both sides during this period from Ypres on the British side to Menin and Roulers on the German side became known as the Ypres Salient, a region that over the course of the next several years would see some of the war’s bitterest and most brutal struggles.

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3. Second Battle of Ypres, (April 22–May 25, 1915)

After the first Battle of Ypres, another war was fought between April 22 and May 25, 1915. This was known as the Second Battle of Ypres. This battle was significant as it marked the Germans’ first use of poison gas as a weapon. Although the gas attack opened a wide hole in the Allied line, the Germans failed to exploit that advantage.

See 10 Brutal Facts About World War I

4. 7 June 1917 – Battle of Messines

Battle of Messines fought between 7–14 June 1917, was significant particularly to the British as this was their first victory in World War I. The objective was to secure Ypres through the capture of Messines Ridge located to the south of the city. High-explosive mines placed under the German lines were used to devastating effect, and the blast from the explosions could be heard in London some 130 miles (209 km) distant.

5. 31 July 1917 – Third Battle of Ypres

Ypres was a key battlefront during World War I. This could be attributed to its strategic position.  On 31 July 1917, the Allied Forces launched a massive offensive in the area around Ypres in the Belgian province of Flanders. The Third Battle of Ypres, known in later years as Passchendaele, was not as bloody as the Somme the year before but would achieve its own notoriety.

The war had negative effects on both sides with The Allies counting over 250,000 casualties including those killed, wounded, or missing. On the other hand, casualties among German forces were also in the region of 200,000. Up to this day, The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has set a day annually to commemorate over 76,000 soldiers who died during the Third Battle of Ypres.

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6. 9 April 1918 – Battle of the Lys

The Battle of the Lys began on the 9th of April 1918 when the German army launched an attack on Allied lines near Armentieres. It was a carefully planned attack, in the aftermath of Operation Michael, the German offensive on the Somme which had begun on the 21st of March.

Unfortunately, it was very costly to the Germans as they counted 120,000 soldiers who were either killed, wounded, or missing, of the 800,000 men initially engaged in the battle. The arrival of US troops boosted Allied manpower enduring a defeat for the Germans.

The Battle of the Lys began on the 9th of April 1918 when the German army launched an attack on Allied lines near Armentieres. It was a carefully planned attack, in the aftermath of Operation Michael, the German offensive on the Somme which had begun on the 21st of March.

7. 26 September 1918 – Fourth Battle of Ypres

The Battle of the Lys, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres, was fought from 7 to 29 April 1918 and was part of the German spring offensive in Flanders during the First World War.

Just like previous wars, this one also had its fair share of fatalities. After heavy fighting which included the use of poison gas, the French had lost at least 50,000 at Ypres, while the Belgians suffered more than 20,000 casualties. The Germans were not spared either as they had more than 130,000 casualties after one month of fighting.

8. On January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Presented His Fourteen Point Vision

President Woodrow Wilson.Author Harris & Ewing.

By this time the war had already taken its heavy toll on the nations involved in terms of fatalities, equipment, and destruction of property and most of the countries involved were not ready to continue with the war. President Woodrow Wilson took this opportunity to present to Congress on January 8, 1918, outlining his Fourteen Points for ending World War I.

Unfortunately, as they began to debate the issues, the Allies opposed these points. Key elements of Wilson’s Fourteen Points were dropped; reparations the penalty that the losing countries must pay to the winners could not be agreed upon; control of distant colonies was hotly contested. The negotiations dragged on.

9. December 15, 1917, Armistice Signed

Meeting at the Russian army front before the attack. Author Yakov Vladimirovich Steinberg (1880–1942).

An armistice was signed between Russia on the one side and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the German Empire, and the Ottoman Empire on the other. It took effect two days later, on 17 December 1917.  This agreement signaled Russia’s exit from World War I, although fighting would briefly resume before the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on 3 March 1918, and Russia made peace.

10. November 2018 Marked The End Of The War

November 2018 is the most important date of World War I. This is the date that marked the end of World War I (1914–18), the first great international conflict of the twentieth century. After almost 100 years of relative peace, the major European nations went into a war threatening peaceful coexistence and left millions dead, empires toppled, and a continent devastated.