The Great War extras

After the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the following events today known as the July Crisis, the European powers go to war. The Entente and the Central Powers mobilise their armies for a war that is supposed to be over by Christmas.

The war was supposed to be over by Christmas 1915 but instead of peace, 1915 brings ever more escalation. The Ottoman Empire and Italy join the war, gas warfare is introduced and the Eastern Front sees huge battles between Russia, German and Austria-Hungary.

2 years after the start of the war, three of the biggest battles of human history are fought simultaneously: The Russian Brusilov Offensive, the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Verdun cause over 4,000,000 casualties. And still there is no end in sight.

The war gets bigger and bigger as the USA and several other countries join the war. At the same time Russia is drowning in revolutions and pulling out of the war.

Even after 3 1/2 years of war, the waring nations still gear for bigger and bigger offensives that will finally bring and end to "the war to end all wars".