The Year of 1916

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February 21 – December 18

German attack on Verdun in the longest battle of the war, ultimately defended by the French at great cost to both sides

March 11 – November 14

5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Battles of Isonzo between Italy and Austria-Hungary

April

British forces in Mesopotamia begin to advance on Baghdad

March 9

Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus, New Mexico

March 24

French passenger ship, Sussex, torpedoed

April 24

Easter rebellion starts in Ireland

May 4

Germany renounces submarine policy

May 19

Britain and France conclude Sykes-Picot agreement

May 31 – June 1

Battle of Jutland, the biggest naval battle in history, ultimately without a clear victor

June – August

Turkish forces, led by Enver Pasha, are defeated by the Russians in the Caucasus

June 4 – September 20

Russian Brusilov offensive in Carpathia nearly knocks Austria-Hungary out of the war

June 5

With British support (led by T.E. Lawrence), Hussein, grand sherif of Mecca, lead an Arab revolt against the Turks in the Hejaz

July 1

Start of the Battle of the Somme, with the greatest number of casualties in British military history, 60,000

July 29

US marines land in Haiti

August – December

Romania enters the war with the Allies but is quickly overrun by German forces

August 28

Italy declares war on Germany

August 31

Germany suspends submarine assaults

September 15

Tanks were introduced for the first time on the Somme battlefield by the British

October 15

Germany resumes U-boat attacks

November 7-9

US President Woodrow Wilson secures re-election

November 18

End of the Battle of the Somme

November 28

First German airplane (as opposed to zeppelin) air-raid on Britain

November 29

US occupation of Santa Domingo proclaimed

December 7

David Lloyd George replaces Asquith as British Prime Minister

December 12

Germany issues peace note suggesting compromise peace

December 18

US President Woodrow Wilson requests statements of war objectives from warring nations in peace note

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