Allies of World War I
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/WWI-re.png/400px-WWI-re.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Map_Europe_alliances_1914-en.svg/400px-Map_Europe_alliances_1914-en.svg.png)
The Entente Powers or Allies (French: Forces de l'Entente / Alliés; Italian: Alleati; Romanian: Puterile Antantei / Aliații; Russian: Союзники, Soyuzniki; [Савезници, Saveznici] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help); Turkish: İtilaf Devletleri or Müttefik Devletler) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the French Republic, the British Empire and the Russian Empire; Italy ended its alliance with the Central Powers and entered the war on the side of the Entente in 1915. Japan, Belgium, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania and the Czechoslovak legions[1] were secondary members of the Entente.[2]
The United States declared war on Germany in 1917 on the grounds that Germany violated U.S. neutrality by attacking international shipping and because of the Zimmermann Telegram sent to Mexico.[3] The U.S. entered the war as an "associated power", rather than a formal ally of France and the United Kingdom, in order to avoid "foreign entanglements".[4] Although the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria severed relations with the United States, neither declared war.[5]
Although the Dominions and Crown Colonies of the British Empire made significant contributions to the Allied war effort, they did not have independent foreign policies during World War I. Operational control of British Empire forces was in the hands of the five-member British War Cabinet (BWC). However, the Dominion governments controlled recruiting, and did remove personnel from front-line duties as they saw fit.
From early 1917 the BWC was superseded by the Imperial War Cabinet, which had Dominion representation. The Australian Corps and Canadian Corps were placed for the first time under the command of Australian and Canadian Lieutenant Generals John Monash and Arthur Currie,[6] respectively, who reported in turn to British generals. [citation needed] In April 1918, operational control of all Entente forces on the Western Front passed to the new supreme commander, Ferdinand Foch.
The only countries represented in the 1918 armistice which ended the combat were Britain, France and Germany.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Triple_Entente.jpg/250px-Triple_Entente.jpg)
The original alliance opposed to the Central Powers was the Triple Entente, which was formed by three Great European Powers:
The war began with the Austrian attack invasion of Serbia on 28 July 1914, in response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The Austrian Empire followed with an attack on the Serbian ally Montenegro on 8 August.[citation needed] On the Western Front, the two neutral States of Belgium and Luxembourg were immediately occupied by German troops as part of the German Schlieffen Plan.
Of the two Low Countries, Luxembourg chose to capitulate, and was viewed as a collaborationist State by the Entente Powers: Luxembourg never became part of the Allies, and only narrowly avoided Belgians efforts of annexation, at the conclusion of hostilities in 1919. On 23 August Japan joined the Entente, which then counted seven members. [citation needed]. The entrance of the British Empire brought Nepal into the war.
On 23 May 1915, Italy entered the war on the Entente side and declared war on Austria; previously, Italy had been a member of the Triple Alliance but had remained neutral since the beginning of the conflict. In 1916, Montenegro capitulated and left the Entente, and two nations joined, Portugal and Romania. [citation needed]
On 6 April 1917 the United States and its American allies entered the war. Liberia, Siam and Greece also became allies. After the October Revolution, Russia left the alliance and ended formal involvement in the war, by the signing of the treaty of Brest Litovsk in November effectively creating a separate peace with the Central Powers. This was followed by Romanian cessation of hostilities, however the Balkan State declared war on Central Powers again on 10 November 1918. The Russian withdrawal allowed for the final structure of the alliance, which was based on five Great Powers:
Population | Land | GDP | |
---|---|---|---|
Russian Empire (plus Poland and Finland) | 173.2m (176.4m) | 21.7m km2 (22.1m km2) | $257.7b ($264.3b) |
French Third Republic | 39.8m (88.1m) | 0.5m km2 (11.2m km2) | $138.7b ($170.2b) |
The British Empire | 446.1m | 33.3m km2 | $561.2b |
Empire of Japan (plus colonies) | 55.1m (74.2m) | 0.4m km2 (0.7m km2) | $76.5b ($92.8b) |
Kingdom of Italy (plus colonies) | 35.6m (37.6m) | 0.3m km2 (2.3m 2 ) | $91.3b ($92.6b) |
United States (plus overseas dependencies),[8] | 96.5m (106.3m) | 7.8m km2 (9.6m km2) | $511.6b ($522.2b) |
Allied approximate total | 928.7m | 79.2m km2 | $1,703.3b |
Major affiliated state combatants
United Kingdom
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Lancashire_Fusiliers_trench_Beaumont_Hamel_1916.jpg/220px-Lancashire_Fusiliers_trench_Beaumont_Hamel_1916.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/HMS_Lion_hit_at_Jutland.jpg/220px-HMS_Lion_hit_at_Jutland.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/RAF_Sopwith_Camel.jpg/220px-RAF_Sopwith_Camel.jpg)
War justifications
In response to Germany's invasion of neutral Belgium, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914.[9] The British Empire held several semi-autonomous dominions that were automatically brought into the war effort as a result of the British declaration of war, including Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Colonies and dependencies
In Europe
Gibraltar, Cyprus and Malta were British dependencies in Europe
In Africa
The UK held several colonies, protectorates, and semi-autonomous dependencies at the time of World War I. In Eastern Africa the East Africa Protectorate, Nyasaland, both Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the Uganda Protectorate, were involved in conflict with German forces in German East Africa. In Western Africa, the colonies of Gold Coast and Nigeria were involved in military actions against German forces from Togoland and Kamerun. In Southwestern Africa, the semi-autonomous dominion of South Africa was involved in military actions against German forces in German South-West Africa.
In North America
Canada and Newfoundland were two semi-autonomous dominions during the war that made major military contributions to the British war effort.
Other British dependent territories in the Americas included: British Honduras, the Falkland Islands, British Guiana, and Jamaica.
In Asia
The UK held large possessions in Asia, including the British Raj that were an assortment of British imperial authorities in the territory then defined as India.
Australia and New Zealand were two semi-autonomous dominions of the UK in Asia during the war.
Other British territories at the time included: British Malaya – referring to several Malay states under British control as a result of the Straits Settlements; North Borneo; and Hong Kong.
Russia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Russian_battery_WWI_76_mm_model_1902_guns.jpg/220px-Russian_battery_WWI_76_mm_model_1902_guns.jpg)
In response to Austria-Hungary's invasion of Serbia in 1914, Russian government officials denounced the Austro-Hungarian invasion as an "ignoble war" on a "weak country".[10] Russian government official Nikolaĭ N. Shebeko stated: "the attack on Serbia by a powerful empire such as Austria, supposedly in order to defend its existence, cannot be understood by anyone in my country; it has been considered simply as a means of delivering a death-blow to Serbia."[10] Russia held close diplomatic relations with Serbia, and Russian foreign minister Sergey Sazonov suspected the events were a conspiracy between Austria-Hungary and Germany to expel Russian influence in the Balkans.[10] On 30 July 1914, Russia enacted a general mobilization. The day after general mobilization was enacted, Austria-Hungary's ally Germany declared war on Russia prior to expected Russian intervention against Austria-Hungary.
Following a raid by Ottoman warships on the Russian port of Odessa, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire in November 1914.[11]
France
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/River_Crossing_NGM-v31-p338.jpg/220px-River_Crossing_NGM-v31-p338.jpg)
After Germany declared war on Russia, France with its alliance with Russia prepared a general mobilization in expectation of war. On 3 August 1914, Germany declared war on France.[12]
Serbia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Vojska_Ada_Ciganlija.jpg/220px-Vojska_Ada_Ciganlija.jpg)
Serbia was invaded by Austria-Hungary after Austria-Hungary placed a stringent ultimatum to the Serbian government demanding full compliance to an Austro-Hungarian investigation of complicity by the Serbian government in the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. Serbia agreed to most of Austria-Hungary's demands but because it did not fully comply, Austria-Hungary invaded.
Serbia had the diplomatic support of Russia and both Serbia and Russia resented Austria-Hungary's absorption of Bosnia and Herzegovina that held a substantial Serb population, and Serbia had expanded in size through its actions in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 when the Ottoman Empire's control in the Balkans collapsed.
During the war, Serbia justified the war as being the result of Austro-Hungarian imperialism towards Serbs and South Slavs, Serbia cooperated with Yugoslavists including the Yugoslav Committee who sought pan-South-Slav unification, particularly through liberating South Slavs from Austria-Hungary. In the Corfu Declaration in 1917, the Serbian government officially declared its intention to form a state of Yugoslavia.
The first two allied victories in the war were won by Serbian army, on the mountains of Cer and Kolubara, in the western Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian army was expelled from the country suffering great losses. Serbia had suffered great losses in the war, losing almost 50% of all men and around 30% of the entire country population. On July 28, 1918, the Serbian flag was raised at American public buildings, including the White House, on the order of President Woodrow Wilson as a sign of recognition for Serbia's resistance against the Central Powers. [13]
Japan
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Battle_of_Tsingtao_Japanese_Landing.jpg/220px-Battle_of_Tsingtao_Japanese_Landing.jpg)
Japan declared war on Germany after it did not accept an ultimatum sent by Japan to Germany, demanding that Germany extinguish its title to the Kiautschou Bay concession and restore that territory to China.[14] The Japanese government appealed to the Japanese public that Japan was not merely entering a "European War" on behalf of European powers, but that Japan was fighting on behalf of Asians against a belligerent European power, Germany, that Japan identified as the "source of evil in the Far East".[14] Thus as a result of this, Japan was following through with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.[14]
Italy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Italian_alpine_troops.jpg/220px-Italian_alpine_troops.jpg)
Italy had been a member of the Triple Alliance alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary since the 1880s, however the Triple Alliance stipulated that all parties must be consulted in the event of one country engaging in war and Italy was not informed of this.[15] As such Italy claimed that it was not obligated to join their war effort.[15] Italy's relations with Germany and Austria-Hungary in contrast to the Allies were additionally affected by the fact that in 1913, Britain supplied Italy with 90 percent of its annual imports of coal.[15] The war effort of the Central Powers meant that Germany and Austria-Hungary were using their coal supplies for the war, and little was available to be exported to Italy.[15] Italy initially attempted to pursue neutrality from 1914 to 1915.[15]
After diplomatic negotiations, Britain and France convinced Italy to join the war effort with promises that Italy would gain favourable territorial concessions from the Central Powers, including Italian-populated territories of Austria-Hungary.[16] Italy ordered mobilization on 22 May 1915, and issued an ultimatum to Austria-Hungary, and then declared war on Austria-Hungary, though it did not declare war on Germany.[16]
Minor affiliated state combatants
Belgium
Belgium had declared its neutrality when the war began, however Germany disregarded Belgium's neutrality and invaded the country in order to launch an offensive against the French capital of Paris. As a result Belgium became a member of the Allies.
Brazil
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e2/Brazilian_Soldiers_First_War.jpg/220px-Brazilian_Soldiers_First_War.jpg)
Brazil entered the war in 1917 after the United States intervened on the basis of Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare sinking its merchant ships, which Brazil also cited as a reason to enter the war fighting against Germany and the Central Powers.
Montenegro
Montenegro had very close cultural and political connections with Serbia and had cooperated with Serbia in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. Montenegro joined the war against Austria-Hungary.
Serbia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Vojska_Ada_Ciganlija.jpg/220px-Vojska_Ada_Ciganlija.jpg)
Serbia was invaded by Austria-Hungary after Austria-Hungary placed a stringent ultimatum to the Serbian government demanding full compliance to an Austro-Hungarian investigation of complicity by the Serbian government in the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. Serbia agreed to most of Austria-Hungary's demands but because it did not fully comply, Austria-Hungary invaded.
Serbia had the diplomatic support of Russia and both Serbia and Russia resented Austria-Hungary's absorption of Bosnia and Herzegovina that held a substantial Serb population, and Serbia had expanded in size through its actions in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 when the Ottoman Empire's control in the Balkans collapsed.
During the war, Serbia justified the war as being the result of Austro-Hungarian imperialism towards Serbs and South Slavs, Serbia cooperated with Yugoslavists including the Yugoslav Committee who sought pan-South-Slav unification, particularly through liberating South Slavs from Austria-Hungary. In the Corfu Declaration in 1917, the Serbian government officially declared its intention to form a state of Yugoslavia.
The first two allied victories in the war were won by Serbian army, on the mountains of Cer and Kolubara, in the western Serbia. The Austro-Hungarian army was expelled from the country suffering great losses. Serbia had suffered great losses in the war, losing almost 50% of all men and around 30% of the entire country population. On July 28, 1918, the Serbian flag was raised at American public buildings, including the White House, on the order of President Woodrow Wilson as a sign of recognition for Serbia's resistance against the Central Powers. [17]
Major co-belligerent state combatants
United States
The United States declared war on Germany in 1917 on the grounds that Germany violated U.S. neutrality by attacking international shipping with its unrestricted submarine warfare campaign.[3] The U.S. entered the war as an "associated power," rather than a formal ally of France and the United Kingdom, in order to avoid "foreign entanglements."[4] Although the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria severed relations with the United States, neither declared war.[5]
Non-state combatants
Four non-state combatants, which voluntarily fought with the Allies and seceded from the constituent states of the Central Powers at the end of the war, were allowed to participate as winning nations to the peace treaties:
Polish Legions
Czechoslovak Legions: armed by France, Italy and Russia
The Hejaz: armed by Britain in Arabia
Armenians: seceded from Russia and fought against Ottoman Empire.
Leaders
- Raymond Poincaré – President of France
- René Viviani – Prime Minister of France (13 June 1914 – 29 October 1915)
- Aristide Briand – Prime Minister of France (29 October 1915 – 20 March 1917)
- Alexandre Ribot – Prime Minister of France (20 March 1917 – 12 September 1917)
- Paul Painlevé – Prime Minister of France (12 September 1917 – 16 November 1917)
- Georges Clemenceau – Prime Minister of France (From 16 November 1917)
- Joseph Joffre – Commander-in-Chief of the French Army (3 August 1914 – 13 December 1916) and Marshal of France
- Robert Nivelle – Commander-in-Chief of the French Army (13 December 1916 – April 1917)
- Philippe Pétain – Commander-in-Chief of the French Army (April 1917 – 11 November 1918)
- Ferdinand Foch – Marshal of France, Supreme Allied Commander (26 March 1918 – 11 November 1918)
- Milan Rastislav Štefánik – General of French Army, Commander of Czechoslovak Legions
- Georges Thenault – Commander of the Lafayette Escadrille
- George V – King of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India
- H. H. Asquith – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Until 5 December 1916)
- David Lloyd George – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (From 7 December 1916)
- Horatio Herbert Kitchener – Secretary of State for War (5 August 1914 – 5 June 1916)
- William Robertson – Chief of the Imperial General Staff (23 December 1915 – February 1918)
- Henry Wilson – Chief of the Imperial General Staff (February 1918 – February 1922)
- John French – Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (4 August 1914 – 15 December 1915)
- Douglas Haig – Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (15 December 1915 – 11 November 1918)
- Hugh Trenchard – Commander of Royal Flying Corps – (August 1915 – January 1918)
- Winston Churchill – First Lord of the Admiralty – (1911 – May 1915)
- Arthur Balfour- First Lord of the Admiralty – (May 1915 – December 1916)
- Edward Carson – First Lord of the Admiralty – (10 December 1916 – 17 July 1917)
- Eric Geddes – First Lord of the Admiralty – (July 1917 – January 1919)
- "Jackie" Fisher – First Sea Lord – (1914 – May 1915)
- Henry Jackson – First Sea Lord – (May 1915 – November 1916)
- John Jellicoe – Commander of the Grand Fleet (August 1914 – November 1916); First Sea Lord (November 1916 – December 1917)
- Rosslyn Wemyss – First Sea Lord (December 1917 – November 1919)
- David Beatty – Commander of the Grand Fleet (November 1916 – April 1919)
- Edmund Allenby – Commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (June 1917 – November 1918)
- Robert Borden – Prime Minister of Canada (1914–18)
- Sam Hughes – Minister of Militia and Defence (1914 – January 1915)
- Joseph Flavelle- Chairman of Imperial Munitions Board (1915–19)
Julian Byng (June 1916 – June 1917) Canadian Corps commander
- Edwin Alderson – Commander of the unified Canadian Corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (26 January 1915 – September 1915)
- Arthur Currie – Commander of the unified Canadian Corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (June 1917 –)[18]
- Joseph Cook – Prime Minister of Australia (until 17 September 1914)
- Andrew Fisher – Prime Minister of Australia (17 September 1914 – 27 October 1915)
- Billy Hughes – Prime Minister of Australia (from 27 October 1915)
- John Monash – Commander of the Australian Corps (all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front) (May 1918 –)
- William Holmes – Commander of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (August 1914 – February 1915)
- Harry Chauvel – Commander of Desert Mounted Corps (Sinai and Palestine) (August 1917 –)
- Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst – Viceroy of India 1910–1916
- Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford – Viceroy of India 1916–1921
- Austen Chamberlain – Secretary of State for India
- John Nixon commander of the British Indian Army (active in the Middle East)
- Louis Botha – Prime Minister of South Africa
- Jan Smuts – Led forces in South-West Africa Campaign and East African Campaign, later member of the Imperial War Cabinet
- William Massey – Prime Minister of New Zealand
General Sir Alexander Godley – Commandant of New Zealand Military Forces (to October 1914); Commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
- Major General Sir Alfred William Robin – Quartermaster-General and Commandant of New Zealand Military Forces (from October 1914)
- Sir Edward Morris – Prime Minister of Newfoundland (1909–1917)
- Sir John Crosbie – Prime Minister of Newfoundland (1917–1918)
- Sir William Lloyd – Prime Minister of Newfoundland (1918–1919)
- Nicholas II — Russian Emperor, King of Poland, and Grand Prince of Finland. (Until 15 March 1917)
- Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich – Commander-in-chief (1 August 1914 – 5 September 1916) and viceroy in the Caucasus
- Alexander Samsonov – Commander of the Russian Second Army for the invasion of East Prussia (1 August 1914 – 29 August 1914)
- Paul von Rennenkampf – Commander of the Russian First Army for the invasion of East Prussia (1 August 1914 – November 1914)
- Nikolay Ivanov – Commander of the Russian army on the Southwestern Front, (1 August 1914 – March 1916) responsible for much of the action in Galicia
- Aleksei Brusilov – Commander of the South-West Front, then provisional Commander-in-Chief after the Tsar's abdication (February 1917 – August 1917)
- Lavr Georgievich Kornilov – Commander of the South-West Front, then Commander-in-Chief (August 1917)
- Aleksey Kuropatkin – Commander of the Northern Front (October 1915 – 1917)
- Nikolai Yudenich – Commander of the Caucasus (January 1915 – May 1917)
- Andrei Eberhardt – Commander of Black Sea Fleet (1914–16)
- Alexander Kolchak – Commander of Black Sea Fleet (1916–17)
- Nikolai Essen – Commander of Baltic Fleet (1913 – May 1915)
- Peter I – King of Serbia
- Crown Prince Alexander – Regent, Commander-in-Chief
- Nikola Pašić – Prime Minister
- Radomir Putnik – Field Marshal, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army (1914–1915)
- Živojin Mišić – General / Field Marshal, Commander of First Army (1914–1915) (1917), later Chief of General Staff (1918)
- Petar Bojović – General / Field Marshal, Commander of First Army (1914), Deputy Chief of General Staff (1915–1916), Chief of General Staff (1916–1917) later Commander of First Army (1918)
- Stepa Stepanović – General / Field Marshal, Commander of Second Army (1914–1918)
- Pavle Jurišić Šturm – General, Commander of Third Army (1914–1916)
- Nicholas I – King of Montenegro
- Serdar Janko Vukotić – Prime Minister, Commander of 1st Montenegrin Army
Božidar Janković – Chief of the General Staff of the Montenegrin Army (1914–1915)
Petar Pešić – Chief of the General Staff of the Montenegrin Army (1915–1916)
- Crown Prince Danilo II Petrović-Njegoš – In the staff of the 1st Montenegrin Army
- Brigadier General Krsto Popović – In the staff of the 1st Montenegrin Army, Aide-de-camp to Serdar Janko Vukotić
- General Anto Gvozdenović – King's Aide-de-camp
- Divisional General Mitar Martinović – Commander of several detachments in the Montenegrin army ( Drina and Herzegovina detachments together in 1914–1915, Kotor detachment in 1916 )
- Eleftherios Venizelos: Prime minister of Greece after 13 June 1917.
- Constantin I: King of Greece, he retired from the throne, without formally resigned.
- Alexander: King of Greece, he became King of Greece after his father retired from the throne.
- Panagiotis Danglis: Greek general in the Hellenic Army.
- Albert I of Belgium – King of the Belgians (23 December 1909 – 17 February 1934) and Commander-in-chief of the Belgian army
- Charles de Broqueville – Prime Minister (1912–1918); replaced by Gérard Cooreman in June 1918 shortly before the end of the war.
- Félix Wielemans – Chief of Staff of the Belgian Army
- Gérard Leman – general commanding the defense of Liège
- Théophile Figeys – general in the Hundred Days' Offensive
- Charles Tombeur – commander of the colonial Force Publique in the East African theater
- Victor Emmanuel III – King of Italy
- Antonio Salandra – Prime Minister (until 18 June 1916)
- Paolo Boselli – Prime Minister (18 June 1916 – 29 October 1917)
- Vittorio Emanuele Orlando – Prime Minister (from 29 October 1917)
- Luigi Cadorna – Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Italian Army
- Armando Diaz – Chief of General Staff of the Royal Italian army
- Luigi, Duke of Abruzzi – Commander-in-Chief of the Adriatic Fleet of Italy (1914–17)
- Paolo Thaon di Revel – Admiral of the Royal Italian Navy
- Ferdinand I – King of Romania
- Constantin Prezan – Chief of the General Staff of Romania
- Vintilă Brătianu – Secretary of War
- Alexandru Averescu – Commander of the 2nd Army, 3rd Army, then Army Group South
- Eremia Grigorescu – Commander of the 1st Army
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Embarked_for_France._Western_Newspaper_Union_-_NARA_-_533685.tif/lossy-page1-250px-Embarked_for_France._Western_Newspaper_Union_-_NARA_-_533685.tif.jpg)
- Woodrow Wilson – President of the United States/Commander-In-Chief of the U.S. armed forces
- Newton D. Baker – U.S. Secretary of War
- Josephus Daniels – United States Secretary of the Navy
- John J. Pershing – Commander of the American Expeditionary Force
- William Sims – Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in European Waters
- Mason Patrick – Commander of the United States Army Air Service
- Emperor Taishō – Emperor of Japan
- Ōkuma Shigenobu – Prime Minister of Japan (16 April 1914 – 9 October 1916)
- Terauchi Masatake – Prime minister of Japan (9 October 1916 – 29 September 1918)
- Hara Takashi – Prime minister of Japan (29 September 1918 – 4 November 1921)
- Kōzō Satō – Commander of the Second Special Task Fleet
- Kamio Mitsuomi – Commander of Allied land forces at Tsingtao
- Bernardino Machado – President of Portugal (until 12 December 1917)
- Afonso Costa – Prime Minister of Portugal (until 15 March 1916; then again 25 April 1917 – 10 December 1917)
- António José de Almeida – Prime Minister of Portugal (15 March 1916 – 25 April 1917)
- Sidónio Pais – Prime Minister of Portugal and War Minister (11 December 1917 – 9 May 1918) and President of Portugal (from 9 May 1918)
- José Norton de Matos – War Minister (until 10 December 1917)
- João Tamagnini Barbosa – Interim War Minister (9 May 1918 – 15 May 1918)
- Amílcar Mota – Secretary of State for War (15 May 1918 – 8 October 1918)
- Álvaro de Mendonça – Secretary of State for War (from 8 October 1918)
- Fernando Tamagnini de Abreu – Commander of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps (CEP)
- José Augusto Alves Roçadas – Commander of the Portuguese Forces in Southern Angola
- José Luís de Moura Mendes – Commander of the Portuguese Forces in Eastern Africa (until June 1916)
- José César Ferreira Gil – Commander of the Portuguese Forces in Eastern Africa (from June 1916)
- Sousa Rosa – Commander of the Portuguese Forces in Eastern Africa (from 1917)
See main Article: Siam in World War I
- Vajiravudh – King of Siam
- Chakrabongse Bhuvanadh – Commander of Siamese Expeditionary Forces in Western Front.
- General Phya Pijaijarnrit – Supreme Commander Siamese Force in World War I
See main Article: Brazil during World War I
- Venceslau Brás – President of Brazil
- Admiral Pedro Frontin, Chief of DNOG (Brazilian Expeditionary Fleet)
- General Napoleão Felipe Aché, Chief of Brazilian Military Mission in France (1918–1919)
- M.D. Nabuco Gouveia – Chief of Brazilian Military Medical Commission
Personnel and casualties
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/WorldWarI-MilitaryDeaths-EntentePowers-Piechart.svg/220px-WorldWarI-MilitaryDeaths-EntentePowers-Piechart.svg.png)
These are estimates of the cumulative number of different personnel in uniform 1914–1918, including army, navy and auxiliary forces. At any one time, the various forces were much smaller. Only a fraction of them were frontline combat troops. The numbers do not reflect the length of time each country was involved. (See also: World War I casualties.)
Allied power | Mobilized personnel | Killed in action | Wounded in action | Total casualties | Casualties as % of total mobilized |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 412,9531 | 61,928[19] | 152,171 | 214,099 | 52% |
Belgium | 267,0003 | 38,172[20] | 44,686 | 82,858 | 31% |
Canada | 628,9641 | 64,944[21] | 149,732 | 214,676 | 34% |
France | 8,410,0003 | 1,397,800[22] | 4,266,000 | 5,663,800 | 67% |
Greece | 230,0003 | 26,000[23] | 21,000 | 47,000 | 20% |
India | 1,440,4371 | 74,187[24] | 69,214 | 143,401 | 10% |
Italy | 5,615,0003 | 651,010[25] | 953,886 | 1,604,896 | 29% |
Japan | 800,0003 | 415[26] | 907 | 1,322 | <1% |
Monaco | 80[27] | 8[27] | 0 | 8[27] | 10% |
Montenegro | 50,0003 | 3,000 | 10,000 | 13,000 | 26% |
Nepal | 200,000[28] | 30,670 | 21,009 | 49,823 | 25% |
New Zealand | 128,5251 | 18,050[29] | 41,317 | 59,367 | 46% |
Portugal | 100,0003 | 7,222[30] | 13,751 | 20,973 | 21% |
Romania | 750,0003 | 250,000[31] | 120,000 | 370,000 | 49% |
Russia | 12,000,0003 | 1,811,000[32] | 4,950,000 | 6,761,000 | 56% |
Serbia | 707,3433 | 275,000[33] | 133,148 | 408,148 | 58% |
Siam | 1,2842 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 2% |
South Africa | 136,0701 | 9,463[34] | 12,029 | 21,492 | 16% |
United Kingdom | 6,211,9222 | 886,342[35] | 1,665,749 | 2,552,091 | 41% |
United States | 4,355,0003 | 116,708[36] | 205,690 | 322,398 | 7% |
Total | 42,244,409 | 5,741,389 | 12,925,833 | 18,744,547 | 49% |
Summary of Declarations of War
The following table shows the timeline of the several declarations of war among the belligerent powers. Entries on a yellow background show severed diplomatic relations only, not actual declarations of war. Unless stated otherwise, declarations of war by and on the United Kingdom include de facto declarations by and on other members of the British Empire.
Date | Declarer | On |
---|---|---|
1914 | ||
28 July | ![]() |
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30 July | ![]() |
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1 August | ![]() |
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1 August | ![]() |
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3 August | ![]() |
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4 August | ![]() |
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5 August | ![]() |
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6 August | ![]() |
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See also
- Triple Entente
- Participants in World War I
- Central Powers
- Allied leaders of World War I
- Allies of World War II
Footnotes
- ^ Karel Schelle, The First World War and the Paris Peace Agreement, GRIN Verlag, 2009, p. 24
- ^ First World War.com – Feature Articles – The Causes of World War One
- ^ a b US Declaration of War
- ^ a b Tucker&Roberts pp. 1232, 1264
- ^ a b Tucker&Roberts p. 1559
- ^ Perry (2004), p.xiii
- ^ S.N. Broadberry, Mark Harrison. The Economics of World War I. illustrated ed. Cambridge University Press, 2005, pgs. 7–8.
- ^ As Hawaii and Alaska were not yet U.S. states, they are included in the parenthetical figures.
- ^ Tucker, Spencer C. A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. ABC-CLIO. 2009. P1562.
- ^ a b c Jelavich, Barbara. Russia's Balkan Entanglements, 1806–1914. P262
- ^ Afflerbach, Holger; David Stevenson, David. An Improbable War: The Outbreak of World War 1 and European Political Culture. Berghan Books. 2012. P. 293.
- ^ Tucker, Spencer C. A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. ABC-CLIO. 2009. P1556.
- ^ http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Tema-nedelje/125-godina-sa-Amerikom/t31701.lt.html
- ^ a b c Hamilton, Richard F; Herwig, Holger H. Decisions for War, 1914–1917. P155.
- ^ a b c d e Hamilton, Richard F; Herwig, Holger H. Decisions for War, 1914–1917. P194.
- ^ a b Hamilton, Richard F; Herwig, Holger H. Decisions for War, 1914–1917. P194-198.
- ^ http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Tema-nedelje/125-godina-sa-Amerikom/t31701.lt.html
- ^ first Canadian to attain the rank of full general
- ^ Australia casualties
Included in total are 55,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85-.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Annual Report 2005-2006 is the source of total military dead.4-
Totals include 2,005 military deaths during 1919–215-. The 1922 War Office report listed 59,330 Army war dead1,237. - ^ Belgium casualties
Included in total are 35,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85 Figures include 13,716 killed and 24,456 missing up until Nov.11, 1918. "These figures are approximate only, the records being incomplete." 1,352. - ^ Canada casualties
Included in total are 53,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds.6,85
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Annual Report 2005-2006 is the source of total military dead.4
Totals include 3,789 military deaths during 1919–21 and 150 Merchant Navy deaths5-. The losses of Newfoundland are listed separately on this table. The 1922 War Office report listed 56,639 Army war dead1,237. - ^ France casualties
Included in total are 1,186,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85. Totals include the deaths of 71,100 French colonial troops. 7,414-Figures include war related military deaths of 28,600 from 11/11/1918 to 6/1/1919.7,414 - ^ Greece casualties
Jean Bujac in a campaign history of the Greek Army in World War One listed 8,365 combat related deaths and 3,255 missing8,339, The Soviet researcher Boris Urlanis estimated total dead of 26,000 including 15,000 military deaths due disease6,160 - ^ India casualties
British India included present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Included in total are 27,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Annual Report 2005-2006 is the source of total military dead.4
Totals include 15,069 military deaths during 1919–21 and 1,841 Canadian Merchant Navy dead5. The 1922 War Office report listed 64,454 Army war dead1,237 - ^ Italy casualties
Included in total are 433,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85
Figures of total military dead are from a 1925 Italian report using official data9. - ^ War dead figure is from a 1991 history of the Japanese Army10,111.
- ^ a b c Monaco 11-Novembre : ces Monégasques morts au champ d'honneur | Nice-Matin
- ^ Jain, G (1954) India Meets China in Nepal, Asia Publishing House, Bombay P92
- ^ New Zealand casualties
Included in total are 14,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Annual Report 2005-2006 is the source of total military dead.4
Totals include 702 military deaths during 1919–215. The 1922 War Office report listed 16,711 Army war dead1,237. - ^ Portugal casualties
Figures include the following killed and died of other causes up until Jan.1, 1920; 1,689 in France and 5,332 in Africa. Figures do not include an additional 12,318 listed as missing and POW1,354. - ^ Romania casualties
Military dead is "The figure reported by the Rumanian Government in reply to a questionnaire from the International Labour Office"6,64. Included in total are 177,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85. - ^ Russia casualties
Included in total are 1,451,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85. The estimate of total Russian military losses was made by the Soviet researcher Boris Urlanis.6,46–57 - ^ Serbia casualties
Included in total are 165,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85.The estimate of total combined Serbian and Montenegrin military losses of 278,000 was made by the Soviet researcher Boris Urlanis6,62–64
- ^ South Africa casualties
Included in total are 5,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Annual Report 2005-2006 is the source of total military dead.4
Totals include 380 military deaths during 1919–2115. The 1922 War Office report listed 7,121 Army war dead1,237. - ^ UK and Crown Colonies casualties
Included in total are 624,000 killed or missing in action and died of wounds6,85.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Annual Report 2005-2006 is the source of total military dead.4
Military dead total includes 34,663 deaths during 1919–21 and 13,632 British Merchant Navy deaths5. The 1922 War Office report listed 702,410 war dead for the UK1,237, 507 from "Other colonies"1,237 and the Royal Navy (32,287)1,339.
The British Merchant Navy losses of 14,661 were listed separately 1,339; The 1922 War Office report detailed the deaths of 310 military personnel due to air and sea bombardment of the UK1,674–678. - ^ United States casualties
Official military war deaths listed by the US Dept. of Defense for the period ending Dec. 31, 1918 are 116,516; which includes 53,402 battle deaths and 63,114 other deaths.[1], The US Coast Guard lost an additional 192 dead 11,481. - ^ Declarations of War, 1914–1918
References
- ^1 The War Office (2006) [1922]. Statistics of the military effort of the British Empire during the Great War 1914—1920. Uckfield, East Sussex: Military and Naval Press. ISBN 1-84734-681-2. OCLC 137236769.
- ^2 Gilbert Martin (1994). Atlas of World War I. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-521077-8. OCLC 233987354.
- ^3 Tucker Spencer C (1999). The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland. ISBN 0-8153-3351-X.
- ^4 The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. "Annual Report 2005-2006" (PDF).
- ^5 The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. "Debt of Honour Register".
- ^6 Urlanis Boris (2003) [1971, Moscow]. Wars and Population. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. OCLC 123124938.
- ^7 Huber Michel (1931). La population de la France pendant la guerre, avec un appendice sur Les revenus avant et après la guerre (in French). Paris. OCLC 4226464.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^8 Bujac Jean Léopold Emile (1930). Les campagnes de l'armèe Hellènique 1918–1922 (in French). Paris: Charles-Lavauzelle. OCLC 10808602.
- ^9 Mortara Giorgio (1925). La Salute pubblica in Italia durante e dopo la Guerra (in Italian). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. OCLC 2099099.
- ^10 Harries Merion, Harries Susie (1991). Soldiers of the Sun – The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House. ISBN 0-679-75303-6. OCLC 32615324.
- ^11 Clodfelter Michael (2002). Warfare and Armed Conflicts : A Statistical Reference to Casualty and Other Figures, 1500–2000 (2nd ed.). London: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1204-6. OCLC 48066096.
Sources
- Ellis, John and Mike Cox. The World War I Databook: The Essential Facts and Figures for All the Combatants (2002)
- Esposito, Vincent J. The West Point Atlas of American Wars: 1900–1918 (1997) despite the title covers entire war; online maps from this atlas
- Falls, Cyril. The Great War (1960), general military history
- Higham, Robin and Dennis E. Showalter, eds. Researching World War I: A Handbook (2003), historiography, stressing military themes
- Pope, Stephen and Wheal, Elizabeth-Anne, eds. The Macmillan Dictionary of the First World War (1995)
- Strachan, Hew. The First World War: Volume I: To Arms (2004)
- Trask, David F. The United States in the Supreme War Council: American War Aims and Inter-Allied Strategy, 1917–1918 (1961)
- Tucker, Spencer, ed. The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History (5 volumes) (2005), online at eBook.com
- Tucker, Spencer, ed. European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia (1999)