WWI Timeline: Key Battles and Fronts (1914-1918)

The War of Movement Begins

Western Front

The Schlieffen Plan involved a German attack on France through neutral Belgium. Moltke directed German troops. The French army, under the command of Joffre, restrained the German advance in the Battle of the Marne. Stabilizing fronts marked the start of trench warfare.

Eastern Front

After initial Russian advances, the Germans imposed their will, though not definitively, in the Battle of Tannenberg. There were advances against Austria-Hungary. Austro-Hungarian troops failed in their attack on Serbia.

1915–1916: The War of Position

Western Front Stabilization

Fronts stabilized. Successive attempts to break the line resulted in bloody carnage, yielding advances of just a few kilometers. This was the height of trench warfare.

• Italy entered the war alongside the Allies after signing the secret Treaty of London, opening the Alpine Front between Italy and Austria-Hungary.
• In April 1915, the Germans used toxic gas for the first time at Ypres (Belgium). Chemical warfare had begun.
• Falkenhayn attempted a war of attrition at Verdun (1916). The result was more than 600,000 casualties without significant progress.
• The Allies fought on the Somme with identical results.

Naval Warfare and U.S. Intervention

The Battle of Jutland reaffirmed the naval blockade of Germany. The Germans started unrestricted submarine warfare. The sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania caused the U.S. to consider intervention.

Eastern Front and Other Theaters

Progress was made under the direction of German commander Hindenburg. Germany conquered Lithuania and Russian Poland. Austria-Hungary conquered Serbia and retrieved Galicia.

• Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in October 1915.
• Romania joined the Entente in 1916 and was rapidly defeated.
• French troops landed in Greece.

The Turning Point of the War

U.S. Entry and Frontline Discontent

In January, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. The resulting economic and human losses led President Wilson to decide on intervention. The United States entered the war in April 1917.

Discontent spread among the combatants. Mutinies in the French army were heavily repressed. Italy suffered a major defeat at Caporetto.

Russian Revolution and Armistice

The Russian Revolution occurred. Russia signed an armistice in December. The Central Powers made moderate progress. Greece entered the war alongside the Entente.

The Decisive Phase and Conclusion

Western Front and German Collapse

President Wilson pronounced the Fourteen Points speech, proposing the necessary conditions for peace. Mass German offensives followed. The arrival of U.S. troops facilitated the Entente's final counteroffensive under the command of Foch.

Hindenburg and Ludendorff reported to Kaiser Wilhelm II that continuing the war was impossible. Following the Italian victory at Vittorio Veneto, Austria-Hungary signed the armistice.

The consciousness of defeat caused a revolution in Germany. The Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland. The Republic was proclaimed. Germany signed the armistice on November 11, 1918.

Eastern Front and Treaties

The outbreak of the Russian Civil War forced the Russian delegation to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Soviet Russia left the conflict and ceded large areas to the Central Powers. Following a French attack from Greece, Bulgaria signed the armistice.