All about World War 1 briefly. End of World War I

Air battle

According to general opinion, the first World War is one of the largest armed conflicts in the history of mankind. Its result was the collapse of four empires: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German.

In 1914, events took place as follows.

In 1914, two main theaters of military operations were formed: French and Russian, as well as the Balkans (Serbia), the Caucasus and, since November 1914, the Middle East, colonies of European states - Africa, China, Oceania. At the beginning of the war, no one thought that it would take on a protracted character; its participants were going to end the war in a few months.

Start

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, the Germans, without any declaration of war, invaded Luxembourg on the same day, and the very next day they occupied Luxembourg, put forward an ultimatum to Belgium to allow German troops to pass to the border with France. Belgium did not accept the ultimatum, and Germany declared war on her, on August 4, invading Belgium.

King Albert of Belgium appealed for help to the guarantor countries of Belgian neutrality. In London, they demanded to stop the invasion of Belgium, otherwise England threatened to declare war on Germany. The ultimatum has expired - and Great Britain declares war on Germany.

Belgian armored car brand "Sava" at the Franco-Belgian border

The military wheel of the First World War rolled and began to gain momentum.

Western Front

Germany at the beginning of the war had ambitious plans: the instant defeat of France, passing through the territory of Belgium, the capture of Paris ... Wilhelm II said: “We will have lunch in Paris, and dinner in St. Petersburg.” He did not take Russia into account at all, considering it a sluggish power: it is unlikely that she will be able to quickly mobilize and bring her army to the borders . It was the so-called Schlieffen Plan, developed by the Chief of the German General Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen (modified by Helmut von Moltke after Schlieffen's resignation).

Count von Schlieffen

He was wrong, this Schlieffen: France launched an unforeseen counterattack in the outskirts of Paris (Battle of the Marne), and Russia quickly launched an offensive, so german plan failed and the German army began a positional war.

Nicholas II declares war on Germany from the balcony of the Winter Palace

The French believed that Germany would inflict the initial and main blow on Alsace. They had their own military doctrine: Plan-17. As part of this doctrine, the French command intended to deploy troops along its eastern border and launch an offensive through the territories of Lorraine and Alsace, which the Germans occupied. The same actions were envisaged by the Schlieffen plan.

Then there was a surprise on the part of Belgium: its army, 10 times inferior to the size of the German army, unexpectedly offered active resistance. But still, on August 20, Brussels was taken by the Germans. The Germans behaved confidently and boldly: they did not stop in front of the defending cities and fortresses, but simply bypassed them. The Belgian government fled to Le Havre. King Albert I continued to defend Antwerp. “After a short siege, heroic defense and fierce bombardment, on September 26, the last stronghold of the Belgians, the fortress of Antwerp, fell. Under a hail of shells from the muzzles of monstrous guns brought by the Germans and installed on platforms they had previously built, fort after fort fell silent. On September 23, the Belgian government left Antwerp, and on the 24th the bombardment of the city began. Entire streets were in flames. Grandiose oil tanks were burning in the port. Zeppelins and airplanes bombarded the unfortunate city from above.

Air battle

The civilian population fled in panic from the doomed city, tens of thousands, escaping in all directions: on ships to England and France, on foot to Holland ”(Iskra Voskresenye magazine, October 19, 1914).

border battle

On August 7, a border battle began between the Anglo-French and German troops. The French command, after the German invasion of Belgium, urgently revised its plans and began an active movement of units towards the border. But the Anglo-French armies suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of Mons, the battle of Charleroi and in the Ardennes operation, losing about 250 thousand people. The Germans invaded France bypassing Paris, taking the French army in giant pincers. On September 2, the French government moved to Bordeaux. The defense of the city was led by General Gallieni. The French were preparing to defend Paris along the Marne River.

Joseph Simon Gallieni

Battle of the Marne ("Miracle on the Marne")

But by this time the German army had already begun to run out of strength. She did not have the opportunity for deep coverage French army around Paris. The Germans decided to turn east north of Paris and hit the rear of the main forces of the French army.

But, turning east north of Paris, they exposed their right flank and rear to the attack of the French grouping concentrated for the defense of Paris. There was nothing to cover the right flank and rear. But the German command went for this maneuver: they turned their troops to the east, not reaching Paris. The French command took advantage of the opportunity and hit the bare flank and rear of the German army. Even taxis were used to transport troops.

"Marne taxi": such cars were used to transfer troops

First Battle of the Marneturned the tide of hostilities in favor of the French and threw back German troops on the front from Verdun to Amiens 50-100 kilometers back.

The main battle on the Marne began on September 5, and already on September 9 the defeat of the German army became obvious. The order to withdraw was met in the German army with complete misunderstanding: for the first time during the hostilities in german army moods of disappointment and depression began. And for the French, this battle was the first victory over the Germans, the morale of the French was strengthened. The British realized their military insufficiency and set out to increase the armed forces. The Battle of the Marne was the turning point of the war in the French theater of operations: the front was stabilized, and the forces of the opponents were approximately even.

Battles in Flanders

The Battle of the Marne led to the "Run to the Sea" as both armies moved in an attempt to flank each other. This led to the fact that the front line closed and ran into the coast of the North Sea. By November 15, the entire space between Paris and the North Sea was filled with troops from both sides. The front was in a stable state: the offensive potential of the Germans was exhausted, both sides began a positional struggle. The Entente managed to keep ports convenient for sea communication with England - especially the port of Calais.

Eastern front

On August 17, the Russian army crossed the border and launched an offensive against East Prussia. At first, the actions of the Russian army were successful, but the command failed to take advantage of the results of the victory. The movement of other Russian armies slowed down and was not coordinated, the Germans took advantage of this, striking from the west on the open flank of the 2nd Army. This army at the beginning of World War I was commanded by General A.V. Samsonov, a member of the Russian-Turkish (1877-1878), Russo-Japanese Wars, chief ataman of the Don Army, Semirechensky Cossack army, Turkestan Governor-General. During the East Prussian operation of 1914, his army suffered a heavy defeat in the Battle of Tannenberg, part of it was surrounded. When leaving the encirclement near the city of Willenberg (now Velbark, Poland), Alexander Vasilyevich Samsonov died. According to another, more common version, it is believed that he shot himself.

General A.V. Samsonov

In this battle, the Russians defeated several German divisions, but lost in the general battle. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich in his book “My Memoirs” wrote that the 150,000-strong Russian army of General Samsonov was a victim deliberately thrown into a trap set by Ludendorff.

Battle of Galicia (August-September 1914)

This is one of biggest battles First World War. As a result of this battle, Russian troops occupied almost all of eastern Galicia, almost all of Bukovina and laid siege to Przemysl. The operation involved the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th armies as part of the Russian Southwestern Front (front commander - General N. I. Ivanov) and four Austro-Hungarian armies (Archduke Friedrich, Field Marshal Götzendorf) and the German group of General R. Woyrsch. The capture of Galicia was perceived in Russia not as an occupation, but as a return of the torn away part of historical Russia, because. it was dominated by the Orthodox Slavic population.

N.S. Samokish “In Galicia. Cavalryman"

Results of 1914 on the Eastern Front

The campaign of 1914 took shape in favor of Russia, although on the German part of the front Russia lost part of the territory of the Kingdom of Poland. The defeat of Russia in East Prussia was also accompanied by heavy losses. But Germany was not able to achieve the planned results, all its successes from a military point of view were very modest.

Advantages of Russia: succeeded in inflicting a major defeat on Austria-Hungary and capturing large territories. Austria-Hungary has turned for Germany from a full-fledged ally into a weak partner requiring continuous support.

Difficulties for Russia: the war by 1915 turned into a positional one. The Russian army began to feel the first signs of an ammunition supply crisis. Advantages of the Entente: Germany was forced to fight in two directions at the same time and to carry out the transfer of troops from front to front.

Japan enters the war

The Entente (mostly England) convinced Japan to move against Germany. On August 15, Japan presented an ultimatum to Germany, demanding the withdrawal of troops from China, and on August 23, Japan declared war and began the siege of Qingdao, the German naval base in China, which ended with the surrender of the German garrison.

Then Japan proceeded to capture the island colonies and bases of Germany (German Micronesia and German New Guinea, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands). At the end of August, New Zealand troops captured German Samoa.

Japan's participation in the war on the side of the Entente turned out to be beneficial for Russia: its Asian part was safe, and Russia did not have to spend resources on maintaining the army and navy in this region.

Asian theater of operations

Turkey initially hesitated for a long time whether to join the war and on whose side. Finally, she declared "jihad" (holy war) to the countries of the Entente. On November 11-12, the Turkish fleet under the command of the German Admiral Souchon fired at Sevastopol, Odessa, Feodosia and Novorossiysk. On November 15, Russia declared war on Turkey, followed by Britain and France.

The Caucasian front was formed between Russia and Turkey.

Russian airplane in the back of a truck on the Caucasian front

December 1914 - January 1915. took placeSarykamysh operation: the Russian Caucasian army stopped the offensive Turkish troops on Kars, defeated them and launched a counteroffensive.

But along with this, Russia lost the most convenient way of communication with its allies - through the Black Sea and the straits. Russia had only two ports for transportation a large number cargo: Arkhangelsk and Vladivostok.

The results of the military campaign of 1914

By the end of 1914, Belgium was almost completely conquered by Germany. The Entente left a small western part of Flanders with the city of Ypres. Lille was taken by the Germans. The 1914 campaign was dynamic. The armies of both sides actively and quickly maneuvered, the troops did not erect long-term defensive lines. By November 1914, a stable front line began to take shape. Both sides had exhausted their offensive potential and began building trenches and barbed wire. The war turned into a positional one.

Russian Expeditionary Force in France: Head of the 1st Brigade, General Lokhvitsky, with several Russian and French officers, bypasses the positions (summer 1916, Champagne)

The length of the Western Front (from the North Sea to Switzerland) was more than 700 km, the density of troops on it was high, significantly higher than on the Eastern Front. Intensive military operations were carried out only on northern half front, the front from Verdun and to the south was considered as secondary.

"Cannon fodder"

On November 11, there was a battle near Langemark, which the world community called senseless and neglected human lives: the Germans threw units of unfired young people (workers and students) at the English machine guns. After a while, this happened again, and given fact became an entrenched opinion of the soldiers in this war as "cannon fodder".

By the beginning of 1915, everyone began to understand that the war had become protracted. This was not planned by either side. Although the Germans captured almost all of Belgium and most of France, they were completely inaccessible to the main goal - a swift victory over the French.

Stocks of ammunition ran out by the end of 1914, and it was urgently necessary to establish their mass production. The power of heavy artillery turned out to be underestimated. The fortresses were practically not ready for defense. As a result, Italy, as the third member tripartite alliance did not enter the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Front lines of World War I towards the end of 1914

With such results ended the first military year.

World War I is one of the greatest tragedy in the history of the world. Millions of victims who died as a result of geopolitical games the mighty of the world this. This war has no clear winners. The political map has completely changed, four empires have collapsed, in addition, the center of influence has shifted to the American continent.

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Political situation before the conflict

There were five empires on the world map: the Russian Empire, the British Empire, the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, as well as such superpowers as France, Italy, Japan, tried to take their place in world geopolitics.

To strengthen their positions, the states tried to form unions.

The most powerful were the Triple Alliance, which included the central powers - the German, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, and the Entente: Russia, Great Britain, France.

Background and objectives of the First World War

Main background and goals:

Alliances. According to the treaties, if one of the countries of the union declared war, then others should take their side. Behind this stretches a chain of involvement of states in the war. This is exactly what happened when the First World War began.
Colonies. Powers that did not have colonies or did not have enough of them sought to fill this gap, and the colonies sought to free themselves.
Nationalism. Each power considered itself unique and the most powerful. many empires claimed world domination.
Arms race. Their power had to be backed up by military power, so the economies of the major powers worked for the defense industry.
Imperialism. Every empire, if not expanding, is collapsing. There were five then. Each sought to expand its borders at the expense of weaker states, satellites and colonies. Especially the young German Empire, which was formed after the Franco-Prussian war, aspired to this.
Terrorist attack. This event was the reason for the global conflict. The Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. The heir to the throne, Prince Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia arrived in the acquired territory - Sarajevo. There was a fatal assassination attempt by a Bosnian Serb, Gavrilo Princip. Because of the assassination of the prince, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which led to a chain of conflicts.

Speaking briefly about the First World War, US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson believed that it did not start for any reason, but cumulatively for all at once.

Important! Gavrilo Princip was arrested, but the death penalty could not be applied to him, because he was not 20 years old. The terrorist was sentenced to twenty years in prison, but he died of tuberculosis four years later.

When did World War I start

Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to Serbia to purge all authorities and the army, eliminate persons with anti-Austrian convictions, arrest members of terrorist organizations, and also allow Austrian police to enter Serbia for investigation.

Two days were given to fulfill the ultimatum. Serbia agreed with everything except the admission of the Austrian police.

July 28th, under the pretext of not complying with the ultimatum, Austro-Hungarian Empire declares war on Serbia. From this date officially count down the time when the First World War began.

The Russian Empire has always supported Serbia, therefore it began to mobilize. On July 31, Germany delivered an ultimatum to stop mobilization, and gave 12 hours to complete. The response announced that the mobilization was taking place exclusively against Austria-Hungary. Despite the fact that Wilhelm ruled the German Empire, a relative of Nicholas the Emperor of the Russian Empire, August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on the Russian Empire. Then Germany concludes an alliance with the Ottoman Empire.

After the German invasion of neutral Belgium, Britain did not remain neutral, declaring war on the Germans. August 6 Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary. Italy is neutral. August 12 Austria-Hungary begins to fight with Britain and France. Japan opposes Germany on August 23. Further along the chain, more and more new states are involved in the war, one after another, all over the world. The United States of America enters only on December 7, 1917.

Important! England first used tracked fighting vehicles, now known as tanks, during the First World War. The word "tank" means tank. So British intelligence tried to disguise the transfer of equipment under the guise of tanks with fuel and lubricants. Subsequently, this name was assigned to combat vehicles.

The main events of the First World War and the role of Russia in the conflict

The main battles are unfolding on the western front, in the direction of Belgium and France, as well as the East - from Russia. With the accession of the Ottoman Empire began a new round of operations in the eastern direction.

Chronology of Russia's participation in the First World War:

East Prussian operation. The Russian army crossed the border of East Prussia towards Königsberg. 1st Army from the east, 2nd - from the west of the Masurian Lakes. The Russians won the first battles, but misjudged the situation, which led to a further defeat. Big number soldiers became prisoners, many died, so had to fight back.
Galician operation. Huge scale battle. Five armies were involved here. The front line was oriented towards Lvov, it was 500 km. Later, the front broke up into separate positional battles. Then began the rapid offensive of the Russian army against Austria-Hungary, its troops were pushed back.
Warsaw show. After a series of successful operations from different sides, the front line became crooked. There were many forces thrown to her alignment. The city of Lodz was alternately occupied by one or the other side. Germany launched an attack on Warsaw, but it was unsuccessful. Although the Germans failed to capture Warsaw and Lodz, the Russian offensive was thwarted. Russia's actions forced Germany to fight on two fronts, thanks to which a large-scale offensive against France was thwarted.
The entry of Japan to the side of the Entente. Japan demanded that Germany withdraw its troops from China, after the refusal it announced the start of hostilities, taking the side of the Entente countries. This is an important event for Russia, since now there was no need to worry about the threat from Asia, besides, the Japanese helped with provisions.
The accession of the Ottoman Empire to the side of the Triple Alliance. The Ottoman Empire hesitated for a long time, but nevertheless took the side of the Triple Alliance. The first act of her aggression was the attacks on Odessa, Sevastopol, Feodosia. After that, on November 15, Russia declared war on Turkey.
August operation. It took place in the winter of 1915, and received its name from the city of Augustow. Here the Russians could not resist, they had to retreat to new positions.
Carpathian operation. There were attempts on both sides to cross the Carpathian mountains, but the Russians failed to do so.
Gorlitsky breakthrough. The army of Germans and Austrians concentrated their forces near Gorlitsa, in the direction of Lvov. On May 2, an offensive was carried out, as a result of which Germany was able to occupy Gorlitsa, Kielce and Radom provinces, Brody, Ternopil, and Bukovina. The second wave of the Germans managed to recapture Warsaw, Grodno, Brest-Litovsk. In addition, it was possible to occupy Mitava and Courland. But off the coast of Riga, the Germans were defeated. To the south, the offensive of the Austro-German troops continued, Lutsk, Vladimir-Volynsky, Kovel, Pinsk were occupied there. By the end of 1915 the front line has stabilized. Germany threw the main forces in the direction of Serbia and Italy. As a result of great failures at the front, the heads of the army commanders "flew". Emperor Nicholas II, took over not only the management of Russia, but also the direct command of the army.
Brusilovsky breakthrough. The operation is named after the commander A.A. Brusilov, who won this fight. As a result of a breakthrough (May 22, 1916) the Germans were defeated they had to retreat with huge losses, leaving Bukovina and Galicia.
Internal conflict. The Central Powers began to become significantly exhausted from waging war. The Entente with the allies looked more profitable. Russia at that time was on the winning side. She put a lot of effort into this and human lives, but could not become a winner due to internal conflict. It happened in the country, because of which Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne. The Provisional Government came to power, then the Bolsheviks. To stay in power, they took Russia out of the theater of operations by making peace with the central states. This act is known as Brest Treaty.
Internal conflict of the German Empire. On November 9, 1918, a revolution took place, which resulted in the abdication of the throne by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Weimar Republic was also formed.
Treaty of Versailles. Between the winning countries and Germany On January 10, 1920, the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Officially the first world war ended.
The League of nations. The first assembly of the League of Nations was held on November 15, 1919.

Attention! The field postman wore a lush mustache, but during gas attack the mustache prevented him from putting on a gas mask tightly, because of this the postman was severely poisoned. I had to make a small antennae so as not to interfere with wearing a gas mask. The postman was called.

Consequences and results of the First World War for Russia

The results of the war for Russia:

For a step away from victory, the country made peace, stripped of all privileges like a winner.
The Russian Empire ceased to exist.
The country voluntarily gave up large territories.
Undertook to pay an indemnity in gold and products.
It was not possible to establish a state machine for a long time due to an internal conflict.

Global consequences of the conflict

Irreversible consequences occurred on the world stage, the cause of which was the First World War:

Territory. 34 out of 59 states were involved in the theater of operations. This is more than 90% of the Earth's territory.
human sacrifice. Every minute 4 soldiers were killed and 9 were injured. In total, about 10 million soldiers; 5 million civilians, 6 million died from epidemics that flared up after the conflict. Russia in World War I lost 1.7 million soldiers.
Destruction. A significant part of the territories where hostilities were fought were destroyed.
Cardinal changes in the political situation.
Economy. Europe lost a third of its gold and foreign exchange reserves, which led to a difficult economic situation in almost all countries except Japan and the United States.

The results of the armed conflict:

The Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German empires ceased to exist.
The European powers lost their colonies.
Such states as Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Austria, Hungary appeared on the world map.
The United States of America became the leader of the world economy.
Communism has spread in many countries.

The role of Russia in the 1st world war

Results of the First World War for Russia

Conclusion

Russia in the First World War 1914-1918 had victories and defeats. When the First World War ended, she received the main defeat not from an external enemy, from herself, an internal conflict that put an end to the empire. Who won the conflict is unclear. Although the Entente with its allies is considered the winner, but their economic condition was deplorable. They did not have time to recover, even before the start of the next conflict.

To maintain peace and consensus among all states, the League of Nations was organized. She played the role of an international parliament. Interestingly, the United States initiated its creation, but they themselves refused membership in the organization. As history has shown, it became a continuation of the first, as well as a revenge of the powers offended by the results of the Versailles Treaty. The League of Nations here proved to be an absolutely ineffective and useless body.

Commanders

Side forces

World War I(July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918) - one of the largest armed conflicts in the history of mankind. The first global armed conflict of the XX century. As a result of the war, four empires ceased to exist: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German. Participating countries lost more than 10 million people killed soldiers, about 12 million killed civilians, about 55 million were injured.

Military operations at sea in the First World War

Members

The main participants in the First World War:

Central Powers: German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria.

Entente: Russian Empire, France, Great Britain.

For a complete list of participants, see: World War I (Wikipedia)

Background to the conflict

The naval arms race between the British Empire and the German Empire was one of the the most important reasons First World War. Germany wanted to increase her navy to a size that would allow German overseas trade not to depend on the goodwill of Britain. However, the increase in the German fleet to a size comparable to the British fleet inevitably threatened the very existence of the British Empire.

Campaign of 1914

Breakthrough of the German Mediterranean Division to Turkey

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The Mediterranean squadron of the Kaiser Navy under the command of Rear Admiral Wilhelm Souchon (battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau), not wanting to be captured in the Adriatic, went to Turkey. German ships avoided a collision with superior enemy forces and, passing through the Dardanelles, came to Constantinople. The arrival of the German squadron in Constantinople was one of the factors that pushed the Ottoman Empire to enter the First World War on the side of the Triple Alliance.

Operations in the North Sea and the English Channel

Long-range blockade of the German fleet

The British fleet intended to solve its strategic tasks through a long-range blockade of German ports. The German fleet, inferior in strength to the British, chose a defensive strategy and began laying minefields. In August 1914, the British fleet carried out the transfer of troops to the continent. During the cover of the transfer, a battle took place in the Helgoland Bay.

Both sides actively used submarines. German submarines acted more successfully, so on September 22, 1914, U-9 sank 3 British cruisers at once. In response, the British Navy began to strengthen anti-submarine defenses, the Northern Patrol was created.

Operations in the Barents and White Seas

Actions in the Barents Sea

In the summer of 1916, the Germans, knowing that everything large quantity military cargo enters Russia by the northern sea route, sent their submarines to the waters of the Barents and White Seas. They sank 31 Allied ships. For confrontation, he created the Russian Flotilla of the Arctic Ocean.

Operations in the Baltic Sea

The plans of both sides for 1916 did not provide for any major operations. Germany kept insignificant forces in the Baltic, and the Baltic Fleet constantly strengthened its defensive positions by building new minefields and coastal batteries. Actions were reduced to raiding operations of light forces. In one of these operations, on November 10, 1916, the German 10th "destroyer" flotilla lost 7 ships at once in a minefield.

Despite the generally defensive character of the actions of both sides, the losses in the ship composition in 1916 were significant, especially in the German fleet. The Germans lost 1 auxiliary cruiser, 8 destroyers, 1 submarine, 8 minesweepers and small ships, 3 military transports. The Russian fleet lost 2 destroyers, 2 submarines, 5 minesweepers and small ships, 1 military transport.

Campaign of 1917

Dynamics of losses and reproduction of the tonnage of allied countries

Operations in Western European waters and in the Atlantic

April 1 - a decision was made to introduce a system of convoys on all communications. With the introduction of the convoy system and the increase in anti-submarine defense forces and means, losses in merchant tonnage began to decline. Other measures were also introduced to strengthen the fight against boats - a mass installation of guns on merchant ships was begun. During 1917, guns were installed on 3,000 British ships, and by the beginning of 1918, up to 90% of all large-capacity British merchant ships were armed. In the second half of the campaign, the British began mass laying anti-submarine minefields - in 1917 they laid 33,660 mines in the North Sea and the Atlantic. During 11 months of unrestricted submarine warfare, she lost 1,037 ships with a total tonnage of 2,600,000 tons in the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean alone. In addition, the allies and neutral countries lost 1085 ships with a capacity of 1 million 647 thousand tons. During 1917, Germany built 103 new boats, and the losses were 72 boats, of which 61 were lost in the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

cruiser hike wolf

German cruiser raids

On October 16 - 18 and December 11-12, German light cruisers and destroyers attacked the "Scandinavian" convoys and achieved major successes - they sent 3 English escort destroyers, 3 trawlers, 15 steamers to the bottom and damaged 1 destroyer. Germany in 1917 completed operating on the communications of the Entente with surface raiders. The last raid was made by a raider wolf- in total, he sank 37 ships with a total tonnage of about 214,000 tons. The fight against Entente shipping switched exclusively to submarines.

Operations in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic

barrage of otranto

Combat operations in the Mediterranean boiled down mainly to the unrestricted operations of German boats on enemy sea communications and anti-submarine defense of the Allies. During 11 months of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Mediterranean, German and Austrian boats sank 651 Allied and neutral ships with a total tonnage of 1,647,000 tons. In addition, over a hundred ships with a total displacement of 61,000 tons were blown up and killed on mines laid by minelayer boats. Heavy losses from boats in 1917 were suffered by the Allied naval forces in the Mediterranean: 2 battleships (English - Cornwallis, French - Danton), 1 cruiser (French - Chateaurenault), 1 minelayer, 1 monitor, 2 destroyers, 1 submarine. The Germans lost 3 boats, the Austrians - 1.

Actions in the Baltic

Defense of the Moonsund Archipelago in 1917

The February and October revolutions in Petrograd completely undermined the combat capability of the Baltic Fleet. On April 30, the sailor's Central Committee of the Baltic Fleet (Tsentrobalt) was created, which controlled the activities of officers.

From September 29 to October 20, 1917, using the quantitative and qualitative advantage, the German Navy and ground forces carried out Operation Albion to capture the Moonsund Islands in the Baltic Sea. In the operation, the German fleet lost 10 destroyers and 6 minesweepers, the defenders - 1 battleship, 1 destroyer, 1 submarine, up to 20,000 soldiers and sailors were captured. The Moonsund archipelago and the Gulf of Riga were abandoned by Russian forces, the Germans managed to create an immediate threat of military attack for Petrograd.

Actions in the Black Sea

Since the beginning of the year, the Black Sea Fleet continued to blockade the Bosphorus, as a result of which the Turkish fleet ran out of coal and its ships were in bases. The February events in Petrograd, the abdication of the emperor (March 2) sharply undermined morale and discipline. The actions of the fleet in the summer-autumn of 1917 were limited to raids by destroyers, which still disturbed the Turkish coast.

During the entire campaign of 1917, the Black Sea Fleet was preparing for a major landing operation on the Bosphorus. It was supposed to land 3-4 rifle corps and other units. However, the timing of the landing operation was repeatedly postponed, in October the Headquarters decided to postpone the operation on the Bosphorus to the next campaign.

Campaign of 1918

Events in the Baltic, the Black Sea and the North

March 3, 1918 in Brest-Litovsk by representatives Soviet Russia and the Central Powers signed a peace treaty. Russia withdrew from the First World War.

All subsequent hostilities that took place in these theaters of operations historically refer to the Civil War in Russia.

Operations in European waters

Operations in the North Sea

The last military campaign in the North Sea did not differ from the previous one in terms of the nature of the combat operations of the fleets of the parties, the opponents solved the same tasks. The German naval command considered the main task of the fleet in the 1918 campaign to be the continuation of the submarine war. German submarines from January to October 1918 in the North Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean sank 1283 ships with a total displacement of 2 million 922 thousand tons. In addition, the Allies lost 1

Causes and nature of the First World War. The main goal of the First World War was precisely the redivision of the world. The initiators of the outbreak of the First World War were Germany and Austria-Hungary. With the development of capitalism, the contradictions between the big powers and the military-political blocs intensified;

weaken England.
struggle for the redivision of the world.
split France and seize its main metallurgical bases.
seize Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Baltic countries and thereby weaken Russia.
cut off Russia from the Baltic Sea.

The main goal of Austria-Hungary was:

capture Serbia and Montenegro;
gain a foothold in the Balkans;
tear off Podolia and Volhynia from Russia.

Italy's goal was to gain a foothold in the Balkans. Involving in the First World War, England wanted to weaken Germany and divide the Ottoman Empire.

Russia's goals in the First World War:

to prevent the strengthening of German influence in Turkey and the Middle East;
gain a foothold in the Balkans and in the Black Sea straits;
take possession of the lands of Turkey;
capture Galicia, which is under the control of Austria-Hungary.

The Russian bourgeoisie intended to enrich itself through the First World War. The assassination in Bosnia by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 was used as a pretext for war.
On July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia announced mobilization to help Serbia. Therefore, on August 1, Germany declared war on Russia. On August 3 Germany declared war on France and on August 4 attacked Belgium. Thus, the treaty on the neutrality of Belgium, signed by Prussia, was declared "a simple piece of paper." On August 4, England stood up for Belgium and declared war on Germany.
On August 23, 1914, Japan declared war on Germany, but did not send troops to Europe. She began to seize German lands in the Far East and subjugate China.
In October 1914, Turkey entered World War I on the side of the Triple Alliance. In response, on October 2, Russia, on the 5th - England and on the 6th - France declared war on Turkey.

The First World War with the participation of 38 countries was unfair and predatory
First World War 1914
At the beginning of the First World War, three fronts were formed in Europe: Western, Eastern (Russian) and Balkan. A little later, a fourth was formed - the Caucasian front, on which Russia and Turkey fought. The Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) plan prepared by Schlieffen came true: on August 2, the Germans took Luxembourg, on the 4th - Belgium, and from there entered Northern France. The French government temporarily left Paris.
Russia, wishing to help the Allies, on August 7, 1914 introduced two armies into East Prussia. Germany removed two infantry corps and a cavalry division from the French front and sent them to the Eastern Front. Due to inconsistency in the actions of the Russian command, the first Russian army died near the Masurian Lakes. The German command was able to concentrate its forces on the second Russian army. Two Russian corps were surrounded and destroyed. But the Russian army in Galicia (Western Ukraine) defeated Austria-Hungary and moved into East Prussia.
To stop the advance of the Russians, Germany had to withdraw 6 more corps from the French direction. So France got rid of the danger of defeat. On the seas, Germany waged a cruising war with Britain. On September 6-12, 1914, on the banks of the Marne River, the Anglo-French troops repulsed the German attack and launched a counteroffensive. The Germans managed to stop the Allies only on the River Aisne. Thus, as a result of the Battle of the Marne, the German plan for "Lightning War" failed. Germany was forced to wage war on two fronts. The war of maneuver turned into a positional war.

World War I war - military actions in 1915-1916
In the spring of 1915, the Eastern Front became the main front of the First World War. In 1915, the main attention of the "Triple Alliance" was turned to the withdrawal of Russia from the war. In May 1915, the Russians were defeated in Gorlice and retreated. The Germans took Poland and part of the Baltic lands from Russia, but to withdraw Russia from the war and conclude separate peace failed.
In 1915, special changes to Western front Did not happen. Germany used submarines for the first time against England.
German attacks without warning on civilian ships aroused the indignation of neutral countries. April 22, 1915 Germany first used the poison gas chlorine in Belgium.
To divert the attention of the Turkish army from the Caucasian front, the Anglo-French fleet fired on the fortifications in the Dardanelles, but the allies suffered damage and retreated. Under a secret agreement, in the event of victory in the Entente war, Istanbul was transferred to Russia.
The Entente, having promised Italy a number of territorial acquisitions, won it over to its side. In April 1915 in London, England, France, Russia and Italy concluded a secret agreement. Italy joined the Entente.
And in September 1915, the Quadruple Alliance was formed, consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria.
In October 1915, the Bulgarian army captured Serbia, and Austria-Hungary captured Montenegro and Albania.
In the summer of 1915, on the Caucasian front, the offensive of the Turkish army on Apashkert ended in vain. At the same time, England's attempt to seize Iraq ended in failure. The Turks defeated the British near Baghdad.
In 1916, the Germans became convinced of the impossibility of withdrawing Russia from the war and again concentrated their efforts on France.
On February 21, 1916, the battle of Verdun began. This battle went down in history under the name "Verdun Meat Grinder". The belligerents lost up to a million soldiers near Verdun. For six months of fighting, the Germans conquered a piece of land. The counterattack of the Anglo-French forces also did nothing. After the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, the parties again returned to trench warfare. The Battle of the Somme saw the first use of tanks by the British.
And on the Caucasian front in 1916, the Russians captured Erzurum and Trabzon.
In August 1916, Romania also entered the First World War, but was immediately defeated by the Austro-German-Bulgarian troops.

On June 1, 1916, in the Battle of Jutland, neither the English nor the German fleets achieved an advantage.

In 1917, active actions began in the warring countries. In February 1917, a bourgeois-democratic revolution took place in Russia, the monarchy fell. And in October, the Bolsheviks staged a coup d'état and seized power. On March 3, 1918, the Bolsheviks in Brest-Litovsk concluded a separate peace with Germany and its allies. Russia left the war. Under the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk:

Russia has lost all territories up to the front line;
Kars, Ardagan, Batum were returned to Turkey;
Russia recognized the independence of Ukraine.

Russia's withdrawal from the war eased Germany's position.
The United States, which gave out large loans to European countries and wished for the victory of the Entente, became worried. In April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. But France and England did not want to share the fruits of victory with America. They wanted to end the war before the US troops arrived. Germany, on the other hand, wanted to defeat the Entente before the arrival of US troops.
In October 1917, at Caporetto, the troops of Germany and Austria-Hungary defeated a significant part of the Italian army.
In May 1918, Romania signed peace with the Quadruple Alliance and withdrew from the war. In order to help the Entente, which lost after Russia and Romania, the United States sent 300,000 soldiers to Europe. With the help of the Americans, the German breakthrough to Paris was stopped on the banks of the Marne. In August 1918, the American-Anglo-French troops besieged the Germans. And in Macedonia, the Bulgarians and Turks were defeated. Bulgaria withdrew from the war.

On October 30, 1918, Turkey signed the Armistice of Mudros, and on November 3, Austria-Hungary surrendered. Germany, on the other hand, adopted the 14 Points program put forward by W. Wilson.
On November 3, 1918, a revolution began in Germany, on November 9, the monarchy was overthrown and a republic was proclaimed.
On November 11, 1918, the French Marshal Foch, in a staff car in the Compiègne Forest, accepted the surrender of Germany. The First World War is over. Germany undertook to withdraw its troops from France, Belgium, Luxembourg and other occupied territories within 15 days.
Thus, the war ended with the defeat of the Quadruple Alliance. The advantage of the Entente in manpower and equipment decided the fate of the First World War.
German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian empire fell apart. Former empires have been replaced by new ones. independent states.
The First World War claimed millions of lives. Only the United States enriched itself in this war, turning into a world creditor to which England, France, Russia, Italy and other European countries were indebted.
Japan also successfully emerged from the First World War. It seized the German colonies in the Pacific Ocean and increased its influence in China. The First World War was the beginning of the crisis of the world colonial system.

Allies (Entente): France, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Serbia, USA, Italy (participated in the war on the side of the Entente since 1915).

Friends of the Entente (supported the Entente in the war): Montenegro, Belgium, Greece, Brazil, China, Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Siam, Haiti, Liberia, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica.

Question about the causes of the First World War has been one of the most discussed in world historiography since the outbreak of the war in August 1914.

The beginning of the war was facilitated by the widespread strengthening of nationalist sentiments. France hatched plans for the return of the lost territories of Alsace and Lorraine. Italy, even being in alliance with Austria-Hungary, dreamed of returning her lands to Trentino, Trieste and Fiume. The Poles saw in the war an opportunity to recreate a state destroyed by the divisions of the 18th century. Many peoples who inhabited Austria-Hungary aspired to national independence. Russia was convinced that it could not develop without limiting German competition, protecting the Slavs from Austria-Hungary, and expanding influence in the Balkans. In Berlin, the future was associated with the defeat of France and Great Britain and the unification of countries Central Europe under German leadership. In London, it was believed that the people of Great Britain would live in peace only by crushing the main enemy - Germany.

In addition, international tension was intensified by a series of diplomatic crises - the Franco-German clash in Morocco in 1905-1906; the Austrian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908-1909; Balkan wars in 1912-1913.

The immediate cause for the war was the Sarajevo massacre. June 28, 1914 Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nineteen-year-old Serbian student Gavrilo Princip, who was a member of the secret organization "Young Bosnia", fighting to unite all South Slavic peoples in one state.

July 23, 1914 Austria-Hungary, enlisting the support of Germany, presented an ultimatum to Serbia and demanded that its military formations be allowed into the territory of Serbia in order to stop hostile actions together with the Serbian forces.

Serbia's response to the ultimatum did not satisfy Austria-Hungary, and July 28, 1914 she declared war on Serbia. Russia, having received assurances of support from France, openly opposed Austria-Hungary and July 30, 1914 announced a general mobilization. Germany, taking advantage of this occasion, announced August 1, 1914 Russian war, and August 3, 1914- France. After the German invasion August 4, 1914 Britain declared war on Germany in Belgium.

The First World War consisted of five campaigns. During first campaign in 1914 Germany invaded Belgium and northern France, but was defeated at the Battle of the Marne. Russia captured part of East Prussia and Galicia (the East Prussian operation and the Battle of Galicia), but then was defeated as a result of the German and Austro-Hungarian counter-offensive.

Campaign of 1915 associated with the entry into the war of Italy, the disruption of the German plan to withdraw Russia from the war and the bloody inconclusive battles on the Western Front.

Campaign of 1916 associated with the entry into the war of Romania and the conduct of an exhausting positional war on all fronts.

Campaign of 1917 associated with the US entry into the war, Russia's revolutionary withdrawal from the war, and a number of successive offensive operations on the Western Front (Operation Nivelle, operations in the Messines region, on Ypres, near Verdun, near Cambrai).

Campaign of 1918 characterized by a transition from positional defense to a general offensive of the Entente armed forces. From the second half of 1918, the Allies prepared and launched retaliatory offensive operations (Amiens, Saint-Miyel, Marne), during which they eliminated the results of the German offensive, and in September 1918 they switched to a general offensive. By November 1, 1918, the allies liberated the territory of Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, entered the territory of Bulgaria after the armistice and invaded the territory of Austria-Hungary. On September 29, 1918, Bulgaria signed a truce with the Allies, on October 30, 1918 - Turkey, on November 3, 1918 - Austria-Hungary, on November 11, 1918 - Germany.

June 28, 1919 signed at the Paris Peace Conference Treaty of Versailles with Germany, officially ending the First World War of 1914-1918.

On September 10, 1919, the Treaty of Saint-Germain was signed with Austria; November 27, 1919 - Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria; June 4, 1920 - Treaty of Trianon with Hungary; August 20, 1920 - Treaty of Sevres with Turkey.

In total, the First World War lasted 1568 days. 38 states participated in it, in which 70% of the population lived the globe. The armed struggle was carried out on the fronts with a total length of 2500-4000 km. The total losses of all warring countries amounted to about 9.5 million people killed and 20 million people wounded. At the same time, the losses of the Entente amounted to about 6 million people killed, the losses of the Central Powers were about 4 million people killed.

During the First World War, for the first time in history, tanks, aircraft, submarines, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, mortars, grenade launchers, bomb throwers, flamethrowers, super-heavy artillery, hand grenades, chemical and smoke shells, poisonous substances were used. New types of artillery appeared: anti-aircraft, anti-tank, infantry escorts. Aviation became an independent branch of the military, which began to be subdivided into reconnaissance, fighter and bomber. There were tank troops, chemical troops, air defense troops, naval aviation. The role of the engineering troops increased and the role of the cavalry decreased.

The results of the First World War were the liquidation of four empires: German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman, the latter two being divided, and Germany and Russia were cut down territorially. As a result, new independent states appeared on the map of Europe: Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, and Finland.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources