Events of World War I Trivia Quiz

Answer: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo

In actual fact, all of the above events were causes leading up to the outbreak of WWI, but it was the actual shooting of Franz Ferdinand (heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne) and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, by Gavrilo Princip, who was part of a group believing that Serbia had a right to annexe other Balkan states on the grounds of ethnicity. Serbia had become larger after the Balkan Wars and was still looking to increase its lands, at the expense of Bulgaria and the Turkish Empire.

Answer: Russia, Great Britain, France

Russia was bound by a treaty to Serbia and France was bound by a treaty to Russia, so therefore had to assist Serbia. Great Britain was loosely allied to France by a treaty that put a 'moral obligation' on her to defend France.
The USA President Woodrow Wilson, declared the US neutral and this lasted until 1917, when they tired of the threats to their commercial shipping by the unrestricted submarine warfare of Germany. The US joined the allies in April 1917.

Italy also declared its neutrality. It it had an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but only in the event of a defensive war on their part.
However, the two nations were waging an offensive war on the allies, therefore Italy declined to join in, that was until May 1915, when she finally joined in on the side of the allies.

Answer: The Battle of the Somme

Prior to the introduction of tanks, or armoured vehicles, it was the cavalry which fulfilled this role in battle. As machine guns became more commonly used in warfare, the position of the cavalry, as front-line attackers, became more dangerous and difficult, leading to closed fronts and long stand-offs on both sides (trench warfare).

This made advances impossible and gave rise to many casualties. British Mark I tanks, which were capable of going through the barbed wire fences set up in 'no man's land', first appeared on September 15th 1916 at the Battle of the Somme.

Unfortunately, the tanks were unable to breach the German defences sufficiently to advance the Allied troops. This came later in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.

Answer: The Canadian Corps

Vimy Ridge was one of the highest points of the border between France and Belgium (known as the Western Front), it stretched for roughly 7 km along the Front, at a height of 476 feet (145 m),so was an excellent strategic vantage point for the German army which had held it since 1914.

The British and French forces had attempted, on several occasions, to take control of the Ridge, but had been thwarted each time, as the German forces had dug tunnels and mines from the Ridge towards the Allies positions.

This enabled the German troops to attack the Allies underneath their trenches, using explosive devices. The Allies devised a plan, whereby the Canadian Corps would attack the Vimy Ridge and surrounding area,creeping slowly forward and drawing more of the German forces into that area. Meanwhile their southern flank was able to move in, in relative safety, without German flanking fire.

The assault lasted for 4 days, from April 9th to April 12th 1917.

Answer: The First Battle of Flanders

Ypres is a town in western Belgium, near the Belgian-French border, further north than the Vimy Ridge area, along the Western Front, with the Flanders region (containing the Flemish speaking population) opening directly onto the North Sea and necassary shipping routes for the Allies.

The four Battles of Ypres were fought to keep this area open, so that supplies and troops could safely be transported from Britain. The offensives by the Allies, were known as 'the Race to the Sea'. The battle itself took place between October 21st and November 11th 1914 and was a resounding, decisive victory for the Allied Troops.

Answer: Sir John Jellicoe

Admiral Sir John Jellicoe was given the position of 'Commander in Chief of the Grand Fleet' in 1914, by Winston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty), a post that he held, until November 1916, after the Battle of Jutland (31st May to 1st June 1916), when he was appointed 'First Sea Lord'. His mission was to prevent the German Navy from dominating the North Sea, safeguarding the merchant shipping from German attack and attacking the coast of Britain. He succeeded in defeating the German Navy and sending it back to its own harbours, but was not the complete victory, similar to the Battle of Trafalgar (1805)for which people had hoped.

Jellicoe had used sound tactics and had made few grave errors, but had also lost more ships and lives than had the German Fleet. He was dismissed from the position of 'First Sea Lord' on Christmas Eve 1917 and was made a Viscount in 1918, being given the ranl of 'Admiral of the Fleet' in 1919. Between 1920 and 1924, he served as Governor-General of New Zealand and was made an earl on his return to Britain.

Answer: United Kingdom, France, Russia

'The Triple Entente' included Britain, France and Russia and came from the 'Anglo-Russian Entente' signed between the two countries in 1907.
The three countries became the 'Allied Nations' at the outbreak of WWI, with Germany and Austro-Hungary, along with the fading Ottoman Empire, which guarded the eastern front of Europe, as their antagonists.

The 'Central Powers'consisted of the Austro-Hungarian, German and Ottoman Empires, as well as the Bulgarian Kingdom, which came about through the 'Triple Alliance' of 1882 which was an agreement between Germany, Italy and Austro-Hungary.

Most of the British Commonwealth countries became involved, being part of the British Empire, along with Italy, the United States, Portugal, Brazil and Japan.
Originally Italy had an agreement with Germany, but this was nullified by the country making a secret agreement with France.

Answer: The Russian Revolution

In March 1917 (Gregorian calendar) Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, following demonstrations by the people throughout Russia. However, this led to the formation of a weak, provisional government which ruled jointly with the Petrograd Soviet socialists, unfortunately leading to a chaotic, indecisive form of government, which affected people at home and on the Eastern Front. Because of this, the Bolshevik gained in popularity, led by Lenin, so that by October 1917 there was a successful uprising by the Bolsheviks, who subsequently took power. Overall, the Russian armed forces had been very weak participants in the war, probably due to the unrest and problems throughout Russia.

Answer: Turkey

The Gallipoli Campaign stretched on for over eight months, with the Allies attempting to take control of Eastern Europe, taking the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul) and opening up a sea route to Russia. The conditions were terrible, with overpowering heat in summer, leading to bodies being left unburied and rotting, attracting swarms of flies. This lead to filthy, unhygienic conditions which caused a dysentery outbreak. Winter was not much better, as the weather became precarious, with torrential rain and gales causing low lying areas to flood, there was also a problem with frostbite, due to the colder temperatures.

Unfortunately, the campaign was a failure for the Allies, but seen as a great victory to the Ottoman Empire. The Gallipoli Campaign was the first major campaign of the ANZACs (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) giving rise to Anzac Day (April 25th), which is commemorated by both countries annually.

Answer: Vickers FB5

The Vickers FB5 was the very first plane specifically made for air combat and 'dog fights'. Its first flight was in July 1914 and it was in action by November 1914. The design of the Vickers FB5 was a bi-plane run by a single 100 hp engine with 9 cylinders. It had one .303 inch Lewis gun mounted on the front, before the nacelle.

The Spitfire came from WWII, the de Havilland (British) and Curtiss Falcon (US) were both around in the 1920s so did not see any action in WWI.