Assassination in Sarajevo

101 years ago today, on June 28th, 1914, in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated by a Bosnian Serb Nationalist named Gavrilo Princip and his 6 other accomplices all trained by and associated with Austria-Hungary's rival, Serbia. This event triggered a series of treaties and ultimatums that eventually led to a 4 year bloody conflict in 1914 to 1918 we now call World War One.

Recent interest: The Ottoman Wars.

I recently have gained an interest in the Ottoman wars of the Medieval times. Wars fought between knight alliances in Europe, and the powerful Ottoman Empire. It ranged from the Middle East to and the Mediterranean, to the Balkans and Russia. Very cool, yet very unknown. As my study progresses, posts may appear on the topic. Look for them if you are into the Medieval times and Crusades.

Casualties

Remember when I post about war, casualties mean more than just dead. It means anyone put out of fighting condition. So it can be wounded, captured, or dead. This will help understand the numbers and facts of battles more. I was confused for a long time, and thought casualties was just dead.

The Fall of France

Today, June 14th, is the day Paris fell to the Germans.
Here are the facts and numbers...

The Goal: The Germans planned to catch the French by surprise by bypassing the Maginot Line they had built with a Blitzkrieg maneuver from the north through the Ardennes Forest, believed too thick to let an attacking army through, and by attacking neutral countries like Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. Then to swing south destroying the French army and British Expeditionary Force (BEF) along the way before taking Paris and ultimately all of France.

Those Involved: On one side, the Allies, was the French army and the small, yet highly trained BEF. On this other was the German military, or Wehrmacht.

The Commanders: The French Army was led by Maxime Weygand. The Dutch by Henri Winkelman. The Belgians by their king, Leopold III. The Wehrmacht by Gerd von Rundstedt, Heinz Guderian, and Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. The BEF by General Lord Gort.

The Date(s): May 10th, 1940 - June 25th, 1940.

The Result: The German plan succeeded amazingly. The Allies were completely caught off guard by the attack through the Ardennes and the Low Countries. Almost all the Allied offensives helped the German advance in the end. The Low Countries were beaten, the BEF evacuated, France surrendered, and overall the Allies mainland strong point fell, despite the French military's high reputation and the Allied courageous defense. The superior German tactics could not be stopped, and the Blitzkrieg proved effective once again.

The Casualties:
French dead: 90,000
French wounded: 200,000
French captured: 1,800,000
British overall: 68,111
Dutch overall: 9,779
Belgian overall: 23,350
German dead: 27,074
German wounded: 129,000

Battle of Midway

Here are the facts...

The Goal: The Japanese Admiral Yamamoto attempted to draw out the American fleet (specifically the aircraft carriers) and destroy them in a crushing battle. Since they had failed to destroy so said aircraft carriers when they attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, the year before.

Those Involved: Japanese on one side, the Americans on the other.

The Commanders: Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto led the Japanese forces, Admiral Chester Nimitz led led the American forces.

Date(s): June 4th, 1942 - June 7th, 1942.

The Result: Americans come out victorious over Japan, and the Japanese fleet is left in ruins, while the American is much intact.

Casualties: Americans had 340 killed, lost 2 aircraft carriers, and 145 aircraft. On the other side, the Japanese had 3,057 killed, lost 4 aircraft carriers, a heavy cruiser, and 228 aircraft.