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Great War events that took place on 20 August.
1914 (Thursday)
| Western Front | ▶ Brussels evacuated by the Belgians and occupied by the Germans. Namur bombarded. | ▶ Lorraine: Powerful German counter-attack near Saarburg and Morhange drives French back. | ▶ British concentration Avesnes-Le Cateau completed. |
| Eastern Front | East Prussia: Battle of Gumbinnen. Russian victory followed by occupation of the town, Goldap and Lyck. | ||
| Southern Front | Serbia: Disorderly flight of Austrians towards the frontier. | ||
| Naval and Overseas Operations | East Africa: Taveta occupied by the Germans: Uganda Railway attacked. | ||
| Political | Rome: Death of Pope Pius X. |
1915 (Friday)
| Eastern Front | Russians evacuate Byelostok; enemy occupies Byelsk (north of Brest). | |
| Southern Front | Topkaneh (Arsenal at Constantinople) bombed by Russian aviators. | |
| Naval and Overseas Operations | Naval battle of Riga continues. German Fleet penetrates Gulf. | |
| Political | ▶ Italy declares war on Turkey. | ▶ Second reading of War Loan Bill in Reichstag. 1,000,000,000 marks voted. |
Sources: Various material contemporary with the war have been used to compile The Great War On This Day and its associated Index.
Text has been transcribed from two out-of-copyright sources: Chronology of the War (1918-1920), and History of the Great War – Principle Events 1914-1918 (1922). Spelling of place names are original to British use at the time. Some typos have been altered or corrected for consistency. Duplicate or identical events between these sources have been amalgamated; as a result the date and wording may differ to the original texts.
Images come from scans or photographs of original sources, Wikimedia Commons, and the Imperial War Museum's online collections under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence. Attribution is given separately to the latter and do not come under the general licence of this site.
Advisory note: The information in these sources may not accurately represent up-to-date histories, present-day spelling of place names, or geographical boundaries. In some instances the language used may appear sexist or derogatory to the modern reader, and in rare cases, images may depict distressing scenes.
For further details and a full list of sources, click here.
Images come from scans or photographs of original sources, Wikimedia Commons, and the Imperial War Museum's online collections under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence. Attribution is given separately to the latter and do not come under the general licence of this site.
Advisory note: The information in these sources may not accurately represent up-to-date histories, present-day spelling of place names, or geographical boundaries. In some instances the language used may appear sexist or derogatory to the modern reader, and in rare cases, images may depict distressing scenes.
For further details and a full list of sources, click here.