Portal:World War I

The World War I Portal

World War I (WWI), also known as the First World War, was a global conflict fought between two coalitions, the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. Fighting took place throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. One of the deadliest wars in history, it resulted in an estimated 9 million soldiers dead and 23 million wounded, plus another 5 million civilian deaths from various causes. Millions more died as a result of genocide, and the devastation of the war heavily contributed to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

The first decade of the 20th century saw increasing diplomatic tension between the European great powers. This reached a breaking point on 28 June 1914, when a Bosnian Serb named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Austria-Hungary held Serbia responsible, and declared war on 28 July. Russia came to Serbia's defence, and by 4 August, Germany, France, and Britain were drawn into the war, with the Ottoman Empire joining in November of that same year. (Full article...)

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Russian prisoners of war after the battle

The Battle of Tannenberg, also known as the Second Battle of Tannenberg, was fought between Russia and Germany between 23 and 30 August 1914, the first month of World War I. The battle resulted in the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army and the suicide of its commanding general, Alexander Samsonov. A series of follow-up battles (First Masurian Lakes) destroyed most of the First Army as well and kept the Russians off balance until the spring of 1915.

The battle is particularly notable for fast rail movements by the German Eighth Army, enabling them to concentrate against each of the two Russian armies in turn, first delaying the First Army and then destroying the Second before once again turning on the First days later. It is also notable for the failure of the Russians to encode their radio messages, broadcasting their daily marching orders in the clear, which allowed the Germans to make their movements with the confidence they would not be flanked.

The almost miraculous outcome brought considerable prestige to Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg and his rising staff-officer Erich Ludendorff. Although the battle actually took place near Allenstein (Olsztyn), Hindenburg named it after Tannenberg, 30 km (19 mi) to the west, in order to avenge the Teutonic Knights' defeat at the First Battle of Tannenberg 500 years earlier. (Full article...)

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Fokker D.VII reproduction at the NMUSAF. The aircraft is painted in the colors of Leutnant Rudolf Stark of Jasta 35b
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the Luftstreitkräfte, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft. The Armistice ending the war specifically required, as the fourth clause of the "Clauses Relating to the Western Front", that Germany was required to surrender all D.VIIs to the Allies. Surviving aircraft saw much service with many countries in the years after World War I. (Full article...)

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The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.
Edward Grey, July 1914
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Armando Diaz, 1st Duke della Vittoria, OSSA, OSML, OMS, OCI (5 December 1861 28 February 1928) was an Italian general and a Marshal of Italy. He is mostly known for his role as Chief of Staff of the Regio Esercito during World War I from November 1917. He managed to stop the Austro-Hungarian advance along the Piave River in the First Battle of Monte Grappa. In June 1918, he led the Italian forces to a major victory at the Second Battle of the Piave River. A few months later, he achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, which ended the war on the Italian Front. He is celebrated as one of the greatest generals of the war. (Full article...)

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From the World War I task force of the Military history WikiProject:

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Adriatic Campaign of World War I Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I Balkans Campaign (World War I) Battle of Belleau Wood Battle of Gully Ravine Battle of Pozières Battle of Sari Bair Eastern Front (World War I) Italian Front (World War I) Robert Nivelle Serbian Campaign of World War I South-West Africa Campaign Landing at Suvla Bay Max von Boehn (General) Johannes von Eben Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign Naval warfare in the Mediterranean during World War I Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service
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Bombardment of Samogneux Götz von König de Black Sea Campaign (World War I) Battle of the Nete Battle of Musalla Battle of Qasr-i-Shirin Battle of Qom Battle of Hamadan Occupation of Tabriz Affair of Umm at Tubal Battle of Namacurra Makombe rebellion Auguste Clément Gérôme Konrad von Hippel Hermann von Ziegesar Josef Freiherr Roth von Limanowa-Lapanów Adolf Freiherr von Rhemen zu Barenfels Hugo Martiny von Malastów Battle of Kyurdamir Army Detachment Scheffer Egon Graf von Schmettow Army Group Boroević (currently a redirect) Max Hofmann (general)
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Battle of Behobeho Battle of Cambrai (1918) Battle of Caporetto Battle of Courtrai (1918) Battle of Dodoma Battle of Dutumi Battle of Kahe Battle of Kibata (1916) Battle of Kibata (1917) Battle of Kidodi Battle of Kilosa Battle of Kimbaramba Battle of Krithia Vineyard Battle of Lukigura Battle of the Lys (1918) Battle of Nambanje Battle of Mahiwa Battle of Matamondo Battle of Mlali Battle of Morogoro Battle of Mkalamo Battle of Mouquet Farm Battle of Narungombe Battle of Njinjo Occupation of German Samoa Battle of Rumbo Samarra offensive Battle of Scimitar Hill Battle of Sharqat Battle of St. Quentin Canal Battle of Utete Battle of Wami Demilitarisation First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux Second Battle of Krithia Second Battle of Kut Second Battle of the Isonzo Third Battle of Krithia Third Battle of the Isonzo Fifth Battle of the Isonzo Seventh Battle of the Isonzo Ninth Battle of the Isonzo Tenth Battle of the Isonzo Operation Marne-Rheims Joseph B. Sanborn Robert Kosch de Second attack on Anzac Cove Barue uprising Yser Front Ettore Mambretti Ukrainian Sich Riflemen
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Battle of Robănești
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Hundred Days Offensive Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company &bull Landing at Suvla Bay Battle of Gully Ravine Battle of Kumkale Victory Medal (Romania) Battle of Augustów (1914) Draft:Vilno-Dvinsk offensive
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de:Schlacht in den Karpaten (Large battle in the Carpathians) fr:Mémorial Interallié

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