World War-I

World War-I

 

   In 1914 the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Hungary and Austria, by a Serbian terrorist led Austria to declare war upon Serbia. Later in the month of August Germany invaded Belgium and also declared war on France and Russia. These were two main groups who waged war against each other. 

More Topics:

World War-II

    There were the allies, made up of America, Britain, Russia, France and Italy one side and Germany, Hungary, Austria, Turkey, etc. on the other. Though most of this war was fought in Europe, there was also fighting in the Pacific, Middle East and in Africa. It was for the first time in World War-I that aero planes were used to wage war. The German pilot Manfred von Richthofen was one of the first ace pilot of the German Air Force. In 1916 the British used tanks for the first time in France. The Germans used submarines to attack and sink allied ships thus preventing supplieds from reaching Britain. In one such attack in May 1915, a German submarine sank the British passenger liner Lusitania and killed over 100 people. During the initial years of the war, morales ran high and thousands of young men joined the armed forces and went to fight for their countary. 

    Gradually it became clear that little was being achieved at a very high cost of human lives and suffering. The war effort was also supported by many women who worked day and night in the ammunition factories. Till 1918 the Austrian allies looked stronger and it was felt that they might win. However the large British forces outnumbered the Austrians and Germans. The British Navy blocked the ports and cut off supplies to the Germans and thus changed the fortunes of war. In November 1918 the German forces surrendered and the war ended. The war took its toll on all and over ten million people died within a span of almost four years.