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Great War events that took place on 5 August.
1914 (Wednesday)
| Western Front | Liège: Fort Fléron silenced. | ||
| Naval and Overseas Operations | SS Königin Luise, German mine-layer, destroyed. SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau reach Messina.[a] | ||
| Political | ▶ Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. | ▶ Great Britain mobilises. | ▶ Lord Kitchener is made War Secretary. |
1915 (Thursday)
| Western Front | Heavy fighting in the Vosges and at Hill 213 (Argonne). | ||
| Eastern Front | Capture of Ivangorod by Austrians. Germans enter Warsaw. | ||
| Southern Front | ▶ Italian airship captured at Pola. Progress on the Carso by Italians. | ▶ General Sarrail succeeds General Gouraud as Commander in Chief in Near East. | |
| Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres | Russians capture Turkish positions near Olti and Sarikamish (Transcaucasia) and repel counter-attacks. | ||
| Political | ▶ Strike in Belgian coal district; Germans fire on strikers. | ▶ Russian Ministry of Munitions proposed. | ▶ Duma votes 35 million roubles for refugees. |
Notes
- ↑ The SMS Breslau is chased into Messina Harbour by British cruisers. Owing to misunderstanding she escapes with the SMS Goeben on 6 August.
Sources: Various material contemporary with the war have been used to compile The Great War On This Day and its associated Compendium.
Compendium entries form the central hub of (a) An index-like collection of places, people, ships, battles, political events, etc., and (b) Words and phrases of the Armed Forces of Great Britain during the Great War. The majority of these have been transcribed from Chronology of the War (1918-1920) and Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases (1925) respectively, the later which is reflected in the language used and some may seem derogatory by today's standards.
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 does not come under the general licence of this site. Please be aware that some images, although very few, may depict distressing scenes.
Advisory note: The information in these sources may not accurately represent updated histories, present-day spellings, or geographical borders. It is also written from a British perspective, and words such as "enemy" are used extensively. For further details and a full list of sources, click here.