7 August

Great War events that took place on 7 August.

1914 (Friday)

Western Front	▶ Liège: German infantry penetrate the city.	▶ Alsace invaded by the French.	▶ British Expeditionary Force begins to land in France.
Eastern Front	East Prussia: First Russian Army, under General Rennenkampf, crosses the frontier in force.^[a]
Southern Front	Bosnia is entered by the Serbians.
Political	▶ Germany: Kaiser issues proclamation to his people.^[b]	▶ Great Britain: Prince of Wales inaugurates National Relief Fund.

1915 (Saturday)

Western Front	German attacks in Argonne and Vosges repulsed with heavy losses (estimated 4,000).
Eastern Front	▶ Russians repulse Germans near Riga.	▶ Enemy attacks Kovna; Russian retreat behind Jara.	▶ Enemy attacks with gas near Osovyets.	▶ Sierok (northern Georgievsk) occupied.	▶ Enemy reaches Vistula near Pienkow.
Southern Front	▶ Gallipoli: Very heavy fighting and losses; little progress; frightfully hot.	▶ Italian artillery reaches Ercavallo Peak (Trentino).
Political	▶ Rumania mobilises 10 classes reservists.	▶ National Relief Fund total £5,431,671 in one year.

Notes

↑ General Rennenkampf's main army crosses the frontier at Suwalki, and commences the invasion of East Prussia.
↑ The Kaiser issues proclamation to the German people stating that since the foundation of the Empire he and his ancestors had laboured for peace, but "in the midst or perfect peace, enemies surprise us. We shall resist to the last breath of man and horse."

Sources: Various material contemporary with the war have been used to compile The Great War On This Day and its associated Compendium.

On This Day pages are styled as timelines and have 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). The spelling of place-names is a particularly convoluted subject. Some names were spelt differently depending on source, others have changed over time for various political or geographical reasons. In general, spelling of place names are original to British use at the time of, and shortly after, the war. Some typos have been altered or corrected for consistency. Similar events between these sources have been amalgamated; as a result the date and wording may differ to their original texts.

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.

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[1] General Rennenkampf's main army crosses the frontier at Suwalki, and commences the invasion of East Prussia.

[2] The Kaiser issues proclamation to the German people stating that since the foundation of the Empire he and his ancestors had laboured for peace, but "in the midst or perfect peace, enemies surprise us. We shall resist to the last breath of man and horse."

[a]

[b]