First shots of World War 1
July 29, 1914 · 20th Century
On July 29, 1914, Austro-Hungarian river monitors opened fire on Belgrade, Serbia, one month after Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination in Sarajevo. Austria-Hungary had declared war on Serbia the previous day following Serbia's rejection of key ultimatum terms. The bombardment of Belgrade, situated directly across the Danube from Austro-Hungarian territory, triggered the cascade of alliance obligations that drew Europe's powers into conflict within days. Russia mobilized to defend Serbia, prompting Germany to declare war on Russia on August 1 and on France on August 3.
Key Figures
Friedrich GrundPaul Ekl
Locations
BelgradeZemunSava RiverKalemegdan Fortress
Topics
serbianWWIRussiaGermanysarajevoaustria
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Assassination in Sarajevo created the crisis that Austria-Hungary used to justify its ultimatum to Serbia, leading through diplomatic escalation to the bombardment of Belgrade that began the war Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Declaration of war issued at 11:00 AM on July 28th directly triggered the first military action when Austrian monitor SMS Bodrog opened fire on Belgrade at 1:00 AM the following day Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
Serbian rejection of the ultimatum's terms provided Austria-Hungary the diplomatic pretext for war declaration, which directly led to the bombardment of Belgrade six days later Austria-Hungary presents ultimatum to Serbia
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