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Description

**Note: This is not a fully historically accurate representation as it belongs to an alternate history timeline.**

The strategy of the Central Powers suffered from miscommunication. Germany had promised to support Austria-Hungary's invasion of Serbia, but interpretations of what this meant differed. Previously tested deployment plans had been replaced early in 1914, but those had never been tested in exercises. Austro-Hungarian leaders believed Germany would cover its northern flank against Russia. Germany, however, envisioned Austria-Hungary directing most of its troops against Russia, while Germany dealt with France. This confusion forced the Austro-Hungarian Army to divide its forces between the Russian and Serbian fronts.
            Austria invaded and fought the Serbian army at the Battle of Cer and Battle of Kolubara beginning on 12 August. Over the next two weeks, Austrian attacks were thrown back with heavy losses, which marked the first major Allied victories of the war and dashed Austro-Hungarian hopes of a swift victory. As a result, Austria had to keep sizeable forces on the Serbian front, weakening its efforts against Russia. Serbia's defeat of the Austro-Hungarian invasion of 1914 has been called one of the major upset victories of the twentieth century.
            The German offensive in the West was officially titled Aufmarsch I West, but is better known as the Schlieffen Plan, after its original creator. Schlieffen deliberately kept the left weak to lure the French into attacking across the Rhine, while the German right swept through Belgium, encircled Paris and trapped the French armies against the Swiss border; by charging into Alsace-Lorraine as envisaged by Plan XVII, the French were actually helping that. By the end of August, the Allied left, which included the British Expeditionary Force or BEF was in full retreat; French casualties in the first month exceeded 260,000, including 27,000 killed on 22 August during the Battle of the Frontiers. German planning provided broad strategic guidance, while allowing army commanders considerable freedom in carrying them out; this worked well in 1866 and 1870 but in 1914, von Kluck used this freedom to disobey orders, opening a gap between the German armies on the right. The French and British exploited this to halt the German advance east of Paris at the First Battle of the Marne from 5 to 12 September and push the German forces back some 50 km (31 mi). After the First Battle of the Marne (5–12 September 1914), Allied and German forces unsuccessfully tried to outflank each other, a series of manoeuvres later known as the "Race to the Sea". By the end of 1914, the opposing forces were left confronting each other along an uninterrupted line of entrenched positions from Lorraine to Belgium's coast. Since the Germans were able to choose where to stand, they normally had the advantage of the high ground; in addition, their trenches tended to be better built, since Anglo-French trenches were initially intended as "temporary," preparatory to breaking the German defences.
            New Zealand unsuccessfully tried to occupy German Samoa on 30 August 1914. On 11 September, the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed on the island of Neu Pommern (later New Britain), which formed part of German New Guinea. On 28 October, the German cruiser SMS Emden sank the Russian cruiser Zhemchug in the Battle of Penang. Japan seized Germany's Micronesian colonies and, after the Siege of Tsingtao, the German coaling port of Qingdao on the Chinese Shandong peninsula. As Vienna refused to withdraw the Austro-Hungarian cruiser SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth from Tsingtao, Japan declared war not only on Germany, but also on China for helping both of her allies and on Austria-Hungary; the ship participated in the defence of Tsingtao where it was sunk in November 1914. Within a few months, the Allied forces had seized all the German territories in the Pacific except for Samoa. Also, the Great Eastern theatre of war between China and Japan began. At the same time, the allies started to plan the takeover of the german Colonies in Africa, starting with Togoland.
The war in the east began with the Russian invasion of East Prussia on 17 August 1914 and the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The first effort quickly turned to a defeat following the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914. A second Russian incursion into Galicia was completely successful, with the Russians controlling almost all of that region by the end of 1914, routing four Austrian armies in the process. Under the command of Nikolai Ivanov and Aleksei Brusilov, the Russians won the Battle of Galicia in September and began the Siege of Przemyśl, the next fortress on the road towards Kraków.

August 1 Germany declares war on Russia and mobilizes. France mobilizes. Italy declares its neutrality. Scandinavia declares its independence Germany and the Ottoman Empire sign a secret alliance treaty.
August 2 Germany invades Luxembourg Skirmish at Joncherey, first military action on the Western Front.
August 2–26 Germany besieges and captures fortified Longwy "the iron gate to Paris" near the Luxembourg border, opening France to mass German invasion.
August 3 Germany declares war on France. The Netherlands denies permission for German forces to pass through to the French border. Switzerland declares its neutrality and mobilizes for purposes of defense.
August 4 Germany invades the Netherlands to outflank the French army. Britain protests the violation of Dutch neutrality, guaranteed by the Treaty of London, The German Chancellor replies that the treaty is just a chiffon de papier (a scrap of paper). The United Kingdom declares war on Germany. The United States declares neutrality.
August 4–16 The Germans besiege and then capture the fortresses of Liège. Finland declares war on Russia
August 6 Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. Serbia declares war on Germany.
August 7 The British Expeditionary Force arrives in France. Spain declares "the strictest neutrality."
August 7 – September 13 Battle of the Frontiers. The Germans obtain a victory against the British Expeditionary Force and France's Fifth Army.
August 8 Montenegro declares war on Germany.
August 9 The Togoland Campaign begins.
August 11 France declares war on Austria-Hungary and Finland
August 12 The United Kingdom declares war on Austria-Hungary and Finland. Battle of Halen, a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers.
August 16–20 The Serbs defeat the Austro-Hungarians at the Battle of Cer.
August 17 The Russian army enters East Prussia.
August 20 The Germans attack the Russians in East Prussia, the Battle of Gumbinnen. The attack is a failure in addition to being a deviation from the Schlieffen Plan. The Germans occupy Brussels.

August 23 Japan declares war on Germany. Japan begins the ''Great war for the Fatherland'' - the invasion of China. China announces its alliance with the Central Forces and declares war on the Allies.

August 23–30 Battle of Tannenberg: the Russian army undergoes a heavy defeat by the Germans.
August 23 – September 11 Battle of Lemberg. The Russians capture Lviv.
August 23–25 Battle of Kraśnik, a phase of the Battle of Lemberg. The Austro-Hungarian First Army defeats the Russian Fourth Army. The Russians open the three Karelian fronts against Finland
August 24 – September 28 The Allied Great Retreat to the River Marne.
August 25 Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary and Finland. Battle of Tepe: The Kamerun Campaign begins.
August 26 British and French forces conquer Togoland, a German protectorate in West Africa.
Battle of Le Grand Fayt.
August 26–27 Battle of Le Cateau. Allied retreat. Japanese advance into central China
August 27 – November 7 Battle of Tsingtao: British and Japanese forces capture the German-controlled port of Tsingtao in China. Japan advances inwards into mainland China.
August 28 The Royal Navy wins the First Battle of Heligoland Bight, North Sea. Austria-Hungary declares war on the Netherlands
September 5–12 First Battle of the Marne. The German advance on Paris is halted, marking the failure of the Schlieffen Plan.
September 7–14 First Battle of the Masurian Lakes: The Russian Army of the Neman withdraws from East Prussia with heavy casualties.
September 9 Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg lays out Germany's war aims.
September 11 Battle of Bita Paka.
September 13–28 The Race to the Sea begins.
September 14 Erich von Falkenhayn replaces Helmuth von Moltke the Younger as German Chief of Staff.
September 14-17 Siege of Toma. Most German forces in New Guinea surrender to the Australians then or over the following year.
September 24 The Siege of Przemyśl begins

September 29-30 Japan occupies the Marshall Islands.

Description

**Note: This is not a fully historically accurate representation as it belongs to an alternate history timeline.**

The strategy of the Central Powers suffered from miscommunication. Germany had promised to support Austria-Hungary's invasion of Serbia, but interpretations of what this meant differed. Previously tested deployment plans had been replaced early in 1914, but those had never been tested in exercises. Austro-Hungarian leaders believed Germany would cover its northern flank against Russia. Germany, however, envisioned Austria-Hungary directing most of its troops against Russia, while Germany dealt with France. This confusion forced the Austro-Hungarian Army to divide its forces between the Russian and Serbian fronts.
            Austria invaded and fought the Serbian army at the Battle of Cer and Battle of Kolubara beginning on 12 August. Over the next two weeks, Austrian attacks were thrown back with heavy losses, which marked the first major Allied victories of the war and dashed Austro-Hungarian hopes of a swift victory. As a result, Austria had to keep sizeable forces on the Serbian front, weakening its efforts against Russia. Serbia's defeat of the Austro-Hungarian invasion of 1914 has been called one of the major upset victories of the twentieth century.
            The German offensive in the West was officially titled Aufmarsch I West, but is better known as the Schlieffen Plan, after its original creator. Schlieffen deliberately kept the left weak to lure the French into attacking across the Rhine, while the German right swept through Belgium, encircled Paris and trapped the French armies against the Swiss border; by charging into Alsace-Lorraine as envisaged by Plan XVII, the French were actually helping that. By the end of August, the Allied left, which included the British Expeditionary Force or BEF was in full retreat; French casualties in the first month exceeded 260,000, including 27,000 killed on 22 August during the Battle of the Frontiers. German planning provided broad strategic guidance, while allowing army commanders considerable freedom in carrying them out; this worked well in 1866 and 1870 but in 1914, von Kluck used this freedom to disobey orders, opening a gap between the German armies on the right. The French and British exploited this to halt the German advance east of Paris at the First Battle of the Marne from 5 to 12 September and push the German forces back some 50 km (31 mi). After the First Battle of the Marne (5–12 September 1914), Allied and German forces unsuccessfully tried to outflank each other, a series of manoeuvres later known as the "Race to the Sea". By the end of 1914, the opposing forces were left confronting each other along an uninterrupted line of entrenched positions from Lorraine to Belgium's coast. Since the Germans were able to choose where to stand, they normally had the advantage of the high ground; in addition, their trenches tended to be better built, since Anglo-French trenches were initially intended as "temporary," preparatory to breaking the German defences.
            New Zealand unsuccessfully tried to occupy German Samoa on 30 August 1914. On 11 September, the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed on the island of Neu Pommern (later New Britain), which formed part of German New Guinea. On 28 October, the German cruiser SMS Emden sank the Russian cruiser Zhemchug in the Battle of Penang. Japan seized Germany's Micronesian colonies and, after the Siege of Tsingtao, the German coaling port of Qingdao on the Chinese Shandong peninsula. As Vienna refused to withdraw the Austro-Hungarian cruiser SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth from Tsingtao, Japan declared war not only on Germany, but also on China for helping both of her allies and on Austria-Hungary; the ship participated in the defence of Tsingtao where it was sunk in November 1914. Within a few months, the Allied forces had seized all the German territories in the Pacific except for Samoa. Also, the Great Eastern theatre of war between China and Japan began. At the same time, the allies started to plan the takeover of the german Colonies in Africa, starting with Togoland.
The war in the east began with the Russian invasion of East Prussia on 17 August 1914 and the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The first effort quickly turned to a defeat following the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914. A second Russian incursion into Galicia was completely successful, with the Russians controlling almost all of that region by the end of 1914, routing four Austrian armies in the process. Under the command of Nikolai Ivanov and Aleksei Brusilov, the Russians won the Battle of Galicia in September and began the Siege of Przemyśl, the next fortress on the road towards Kraków.

August 1 Germany declares war on Russia and mobilizes. France mobilizes. Italy declares its neutrality. Scandinavia declares its independence Germany and the Ottoman Empire sign a secret alliance treaty.
August 2 Germany invades Luxembourg Skirmish at Joncherey, first military action on the Western Front.
August 2–26 Germany besieges and captures fortified Longwy "the iron gate to Paris" near the Luxembourg border, opening France to mass German invasion.
August 3 Germany declares war on France. The Netherlands denies permission for German forces to pass through to the French border. Switzerland declares its neutrality and mobilizes for purposes of defense.
August 4 Germany invades the Netherlands to outflank the French army. Britain protests the violation of Dutch neutrality, guaranteed by the Treaty of London, The German Chancellor replies that the treaty is just a chiffon de papier (a scrap of paper). The United Kingdom declares war on Germany. The United States declares neutrality.
August 4–16 The Germans besiege and then capture the fortresses of Liège. Finland declares war on Russia
August 6 Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. Serbia declares war on Germany.
August 7 The British Expeditionary Force arrives in France. Spain declares "the strictest neutrality."
August 7 – September 13 Battle of the Frontiers. The Germans obtain a victory against the British Expeditionary Force and France's Fifth Army.
August 8 Montenegro declares war on Germany.
August 9 The Togoland Campaign begins.
August 11 France declares war on Austria-Hungary and Finland
August 12 The United Kingdom declares war on Austria-Hungary and Finland. Battle of Halen, a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers.
August 16–20 The Serbs defeat the Austro-Hungarians at the Battle of Cer.
August 17 The Russian army enters East Prussia.
August 20 The Germans attack the Russians in East Prussia, the Battle of Gumbinnen. The attack is a failure in addition to being a deviation from the Schlieffen Plan. The Germans occupy Brussels.

August 23 Japan declares war on Germany. Japan begins the ''Great war for the Fatherland'' - the invasion of China. China announces its alliance with the Central Forces and declares war on the Allies.

August 23–30 Battle of Tannenberg: the Russian army undergoes a heavy defeat by the Germans.
August 23 – September 11 Battle of Lemberg. The Russians capture Lviv.
August 23–25 Battle of Kraśnik, a phase of the Battle of Lemberg. The Austro-Hungarian First Army defeats the Russian Fourth Army. The Russians open the three Karelian fronts against Finland
August 24 – September 28 The Allied Great Retreat to the River Marne.
August 25 Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary and Finland. Battle of Tepe: The Kamerun Campaign begins.
August 26 British and French forces conquer Togoland, a German protectorate in West Africa.
Battle of Le Grand Fayt.
August 26–27 Battle of Le Cateau. Allied retreat. Japanese advance into central China
August 27 – November 7 Battle of Tsingtao: British and Japanese forces capture the German-controlled port of Tsingtao in China. Japan advances inwards into mainland China.
August 28 The Royal Navy wins the First Battle of Heligoland Bight, North Sea. Austria-Hungary declares war on the Netherlands
September 5–12 First Battle of the Marne. The German advance on Paris is halted, marking the failure of the Schlieffen Plan.
September 7–14 First Battle of the Masurian Lakes: The Russian Army of the Neman withdraws from East Prussia with heavy casualties.
September 9 Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg lays out Germany's war aims.
September 11 Battle of Bita Paka.
September 13–28 The Race to the Sea begins.
September 14 Erich von Falkenhayn replaces Helmuth von Moltke the Younger as German Chief of Staff.
September 14-17 Siege of Toma. Most German forces in New Guinea surrender to the Australians then or over the following year.
September 24 The Siege of Przemyśl begins

September 29-30 Japan occupies the Marshall Islands.