ww1

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Austria-Hungary Escalates, Kaiser Convenes War Council

Installment #48: As 1912 drew to a close, Europe seemed to be teetering on the brink of war. The victory of the Balkan League over the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War put Serbia on a collision course with Austria-Hungary over the issue of Serbian access to the sea through (formerly Ottoman) Albania, including the important port of Durazzo (Durrës). Fearing Serbia’s influence on Austria-Hungary’s restive Slavs, Austro-Hungarian foreign minister Count Berchtold was determined to prevent Serbia... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Balkan Armistice, Britain Warns Germany

Installment #47: Seeing his armies exhausted following their defeat at Chataldzha, Bulgaria’s Tsar Ferdinand (pictured) finally listened to the pleas of the Bulgarian civilian government and the advice of Bulgaria’s patron Russia, and consented to an armistice between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire. The armistice agreed on December 3, 1912, was a temporary ceasefire... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Albania Declares Independence

Installment #46: In the autumn of 1912, the Balkan League’s conquest of the Ottoman Empire’s European territories triggered an international crisis which threatened to provoke a general European war. The crisis resulted from Serbia’s desire to obtain access to the Adriatic Sea at Durazzo, and Austria-Hungary’s determination to prevent Serbia from gaining it. This put Austria-Hungary on a collision course with Serbia’s patron and protector, Russia... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Austria-Hungary Mobilizes Against Russia

Installment #45: The Balkan League’s triumph over the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War, and subsequent dismembering of Turkish territory in the Balkans, provoked an international crisis that threatened to touch off a general European war. After defeating the Turks at Kumanovo, Serbian armies seized Ottoman territory that would have doubled the size of the kingdom, had Serbia been allowed to keep it all. The territories claimed by Serbia in November 1912 included Albania... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Bulgarian Offensive Halted at Chataldzha

Installment #44: After scoring stunning victories over the Turks at Kirk Kilisse, October 22-24, 1912, and Lule Burgas, October 28-November 3, the Bulgarians pursued the retreating Turks until the latter made their stand about 20 miles west of Constantinople at Chataldzha (Turkish, Çatalca) – where a line of hills cuts the peninsula north-south and the land is made even narrower by two coastal lakes, offering an excellent defensive position.... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: The Greeks Capture Salonika

Installment #43: After simultaneous defeats at Kirk Kilisse and Kumanovo, October 22-24, 1912, the Ottoman Empire’s plan for defending its European territories collapsed. In the first half of November the armies of the Balkan League advanced on all sides, with the Serbs seizing northern Macedonia, the Greeks taking southern Macedonia, and the Bulgarians occupying Thrace. But these victories planted the seeds of discord within the Balkan League, whose members would soon fall to fighting over the spoils.... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Wilson Takes The White House

Installment #42: There aren’t many times in U.S. history when a candidate for president could take 41.8 percent of the popular vote and have it called a landslide victory, but that’s exactly what happened in the bizarre four-way election of 1912, when Democrat Woodrow Wilson swept to power with considerably less than half the vote.... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Turks Defeated at Kirk Kilisse and Kumanovo

Installment #41: After Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire on October 8, 1912, the situation began to unravel rapidly for the beleaguered Turks. On October 11 and 16 the Montenegrins occupied the towns of Bijele Polje and Berane, respectively (both located in the Sanjak of Novibazar, the narrow strip of territory separating Montenegro from Serbia). On October 18 the other members of the Balkan League – Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece – declared war on the Turks and mounted simultaneous invasions on m... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece Declare War

Installment #40: Ten days after Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire, the rest of the Balkan League piled on, with simultaneous declarations of war by Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece, which ultimately sent some 750,000 troops across the borders to seize Turkish territory in Europe.... READ ON

WWI Centennial

World War I Centennial: First Balkan War Begins

Installment #39: On this date in 1912, Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire, opening the First Balkan War and moving Europe one step closer to the conflagration looming in 1914. Immediately after the declaration, Montenegrin armies crossed into the Sanjak of Novibazar – the narrow strip of Turkish territory separating Montenegro from Serbia – and advanced on Scutari (Shkodra), an important port city lying on the Adriatic Sea just south of Montenegro.... READ ON