21 January 1915Minister of WarAdolf Wild von Hohenborn
Appointed Minister of War
Historical records for Germany in 1915, rendered directly from the World History Database and ordered by month, day and event.
Appointed Minister of War
Ingenohl orders Hipper's scouting force toward Dogger Bank to attack British fishing vessels and patrols.
Hipper sails with battlecruisers, Blücher, light cruisers and destroyers to strike British forces around Dogger Bank.
Hipper's squadron, sent to attack British fishing vessels and patrols, is intercepted by Beatty. SMS Blücher is sunk while the surviving German battlecruisers escape.
Hipper's faster battlecruisers continue their withdrawal while the crippled Blücher falls farther behind.
Hipper recognises that stronger British forces are approaching and prepares to withdraw toward Germany.
Hipper directs concentrated German fire against Beatty's flagship HMS Lion, causing serious damage.
Hipper turns southeast toward home after discovering that Beatty's battlecruiser force outguns his squadron.
Emergency action prevents the fire aboard Seydlitz from reaching its magazines and destroying the battlecruiser.
Hipper escapes with Seydlitz, Moltke and Derfflinger after British fire shifts toward the damaged Blücher.
SMS Blücher, slower than Hipper's battlecruisers, falls behind during the retreat and is sunk by British fire.
Blücher fell behind the German battlecruisers after heavy British fire and was overwhelmed during the withdrawal from Dogger Bank.
The slower armoured cruiser SMS Blücher prevents Hipper's squadron from escaping at the speed of its battlecruisers.
Hipper's flagship SMS Seydlitz is heavily hit, causing a dangerous fire near its aft turrets and magazines.
Awarded the Iron Cross, 1st class
Germany declares submarine blockade of Britain, with all approaching ships considered targets, the start of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany treats ships approaching Britain as potential targets after declaring a submarine war zone around the islands.
Germany declares submarine blockade of Britain, with all approaching ships considered targets, the start of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
A German submarine blockade of Great Britain begins
German submarines begin operating against shipping bound for Britain as the declared blockade takes effect.
Following action at the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes in February wins the prestigious Pour le Merite
The near-loss of Seydlitz leads Germany to improve anti-flash precautions and ammunition handling aboard major warships.
Ingenohl is removed from command of the High Seas Fleet after the German setback at Dogger Bank.
Wilhelm II requires greater caution before major fleet operations, limiting the High Seas Fleet's offensive freedom.
Hugo von Pohl replaces Ingenohl and adopts a more cautious approach to High Seas Fleet operations.
The Reprisals Order, in which Britain bans all neutral parties from trading with Germany
The Reprisals Order, in which Britain bans all neutral parties from trading with Germany
Liman von Sanders takes command of the Ottoman Fifth Army responsible for defending Gallipoli.
Directs the Carpathian Offensive, March-April
Jodl returns to active service after recovering from his 1914 wound.
Zetkin organises the Socialist Womens Conference
Deimling commands units during the gas attack at Ypres.
Albrecht commands German forces during Second Ypres.
Poison gas is first used on the Western Front, in a German attack on Canadian troops at Ypres
German forces release chlorine gas during the opening attack of the Second Battle of Ypres.
Haber helps prepare chlorine gas use at Ypres.
Poison gas is first used on the Western Front, in a German attack on Canadian troops at Ypres
Poison gas is first used on the Western Front, in a German attack on Canadian troops at Ypres
Appointed Commander of the Eleventh Army
Appointed Commander of the Eleventh Army
Liman von Sanders assigns divisions to protect Bulair, the peninsula and the Asian shore.
Breaks through the Russian lines at Gorlice-Tarnow & destroys the Russian 3rd Army
Captures Libau, Russian Baltic port
Germany sinks the Cunard liner Lusitania, 1152 lives are lost including 102 Americans
The sinking intensified diplomatic pressure on Germany because 128 United States citizens were among roughly 1,200 people killed.
Allied aircraft bombs Karlsruhe in retaliation for German bombing of London
The blockade context reflects Germany's submarine campaign against shipping approaching the British Isles.
Appointed Field Marshal
Appointed Feild Marshal
Captures Lvov
Signs the manifesto Gebot der Stunde which openly opposes the war aims of the Government
The German Triple Offensive begins, aiming to destroy the Russian army
The Great Retreat is ordered - Russian forces pull back out of Poland (currently part of Russia), taking machinery and equipment with them
A 2nd leg wound forces him into hospital
Kannengiesser receives warning that Allied troops have landed north of Ari Burnu and moves to assess the Suvla threat.
Death of Paul Ehrlich, Nobel Prize winning bacteriologist
Creates a semi-independent "Congress Poland" ruled by an aristocratic Assembly
Appointed Military Governor of Poland
Leads a raid which captures Mount Cosna from the Romanians
Involved in a failed diplomatic mission to Italy, headed by von Bulow
After American outrage, Germany officially stops sinking passenger vessels without warning
Begins an Axis assault on Serbia
Commands the Eleventh Army which helps capture Belgrade
Captures Belgrade
Presents revised gravitational field equations to the Prussian Academy during his final push toward general relativity.
Presents another formulation of gravitation using a restricted coordinate condition with unit determinant.
Explains Mercury's anomalous perihelion advance using the emerging general theory of relativity.
Hilbert submits a variational treatment of gravitational field equations during the final formulation of general relativity
German, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian forces push the Serbian army into exile; Serbia falls
Presents the final generally covariant gravitational field equations to the Prussian Academy.
Rommel marries Lucie Mollin
After the failure of the Austrian Black Yellow offensive, Germany takes over ultimate control of Austro-Hungarian forces
Elected a corresponding member of the Royal Society of Sciences at Göttingen.
Warns the Americans, "had better look out after this war"
Appointed Assisstant Signals Officer in 4th Army HQ
Appointed Assisstant Signals Officer in 4th Army HQ
Spearheads the 2nd major German offensive around Ypres. Albrecht's Army uses the first chlorine gas attacks against the British and French
Appointed Captain in the General Staff
Publishes experimental work with Wander de Haas linking magnetism to angular momentum.
Appointed Field Marshal
Appointed Field Marshal
Liman von Sanders redistributes Ottoman formations and prepares mobile reserves against expected Allied landings.
Appointed Head of the Navy General Staff. Appointed General
Appointed Head of the Navy General Staff
Lectures on gravitation in Göttingen, stimulating intense discussion with leading mathematicians.
Publication of "Hesperien"
Leads the Eleventh Army in the Autumn invasion of Serbia
Awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class
Awarded the Iron Cross, 1st class
Appointed Lieutenant
Appointed Lieutenant
Appointed Military Attache to the USA
Appointed Military Attache to the USA
Appointed Minister of Finance
Claims submarine warfare can end the war in 6 months, forced to resign in Aug 1918
Appointed President of the Allgemeine-Elektrizitats-Gesellschaft
Expelled from the USA as "persona non grata"
Appointed Quartermaster General, 1st term
Appointed Quartermaster General, 1st term
Appointed leader of the Reichsgetreidestelle, an office in which he was responsible for the administration of Prussian corn and wheat in the World War I
Leads the Siege of Novogeorgievsk
The Army Group Gallwitz joins in the Triple Offensive in central Poland
This page is generated from stored World History Database records matching the exact country and year shown above. Exact duplicate display records are collapsed. Records without a month are listed after the monthly sections. Source provenance varies by record; formal academic citation should be checked against the relevant primary source, archive or specialist historical reference.