George Guynemer, Knight of the Air (WWI Centenary Series). Henry Bordeaux

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18^th February Blockade of Great Britain by German U-boats begins. All vessels considered viable targets, including neutrals. 22^nd April Second Battle of Ypres begins. Widespread use of poison gas by Germany. 25^th April Allied troops land in Gallipoli. 2^nd May Austro-German offensive on Galicia begins. 7^th May The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-Boat – creating US/German diplomatic crisis. 23^rd May Italy declares war on Germany and Austria 31^st May First Zeppelin raid on London, killing 35 and shaking morale. 30^th June German troops use flamethrowers for the first time, against the British at Hooge, Ypres. 5^th August Germany captures Warsaw from the Russians. 21^st August Final British offensive in the Dardanelles (Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli). They lose, and suffer 5000 deaths. 25^th September Start of the Battle of Loos and Champagne. The British use gas for the first time, but the wind blows it over their own troops, resulting in 2632 casualties. 31^st October Steel helmets introduced on the British Front. 15^th December Sir Douglas Haig replaces Sir John French as Commander of the BEF.

       1916

8th January	Allied evacuation of Helles marks the end of the Gallipoli campaign.
21st February	Start of the Battle of Verdun – German offensive against the Mort-Homme Ridge. The battle lasts 10 months and over a million men become casualties. (Finishes 18th December, the longest and costliest battle of the Western Front).
9th March	Germany declares war on Portugal. Six days later, Austria follows suit.
31st May	Battle of Jutland – lasts until 1st June. German High Seas Fleet is forced to retire despite having inflicted heavier losses on the Royal Navy (14 ships and 6,100 men). German fleet irreparably damaged.
4th June	Start of the Russian Brusilov Offensive on the Eastern front. Nearly cripples Austro-Hungary.
1st July	Start of the Battle of the Somme – 750,000 allied soldiers along a 25 mile front. Nearly 60,000 are dead or wounded on the first day.
14th July	Battle of Bazetin Ridge marks the end of the first Somme Offensive. The British break the German line but fail to deploy cavalry fast enough to take advantage. 9,000 men are lost.
23rd July	Battle of Pozières Ridge marks the second Somme Offensive, costs 17,000 allied casualties – the majority of whom are Australian. (ends 7th August).
10th August	End of the Brusilov Offensive.
9th September	The Battle of Ginchy. The British capture Ginchy – a post of vital strategic importance as it commands a view of the whole battlefield.
15th September	First use en masse of tanks at the Somme. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette signifies the start of the third stage of the Somme offensive.
13th November	Battle of Ancre. The fourth phase of the Somme Offensive is marked by the British capturing Beaumont Hamel and St. Pierre Division, taking nearly 4,000 prisoners.
12th December	Germany delivers Peace Note to Allies suggesting compromise.

       1917

1st February	Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare campaign starts.
3rd February	US sever diplomatic relations with Germany as U-boats threaten US shipping. Intercepted messages reveal that Germany is provoking the Mexicans into war with the US.
21st February	The great German withdrawal begins. Serre, Miraumont, Petit Miraumont, Pys and Warlencourt are evacuated, falling back 25 miles to establish stronger positions on the Hindenburg Line.
15th March	Tsar Nicholas II abdicates as Moscow falls to Russian Revolutionaries. Demise of the Russian army frees German troops for the Western front.
6th April	USA declares war on Germany – troops mobilise immediately.
9th April	Battle of Arras. British successfully employ new tactics of creeping barrages, the ‘graze fuse’ and counter battery fire.
16th April	France launches an unsuccessful offensive on the Western Front. – Second Battle of Aisne begins as part of the ‘Nivelle Offensive’. Losses are horrendous, triggering mutinies in the French Army.
7th June	The Battle of Messines Ridge. British succeed with few casualties, detonating 19 mines under German front lines – the explosions are reportedly heard from England.
13th June	Germans launch first major heavy bomber raid of London – kills and injures 594.
25th June	First US troops arrive in France.
31st July	Start of the Third Battle at Ypres – a 15 mile front in Flanders. Initial attacks are successful as the German forward trenches are lightly manned.
15th August	The Battle of Lens (Hill 70). – Canadians at the forefront, won a high vantage point, though loss of 9,200 men.
20th August	Third Battle of Verdun begins. French progress is marked by gaining lost territory in the earlier battles.
9th October	The third phase of the Ypres Offensive begins with British and French troops taking Poelcapelle. 25mm of rain falls in 48 hours and the battlefield turns into a quagmire.
12th October	British launch assault at Ypres Against the Passchendale Ridge. New Zealand and Australians take terrible casualties. Bogged down in mud and forced back to start lines.
24th October	Battle of Caporetto – Italian Army heavily defeated.
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