In just a few short months, we will reach the 100th anniversary of the start of the world’s bloodiest war. It was a conflict that shaped the modern world, shook global economies and claimed millions of lives. The war forged two competing military alliances, the Allied Powers led by Britain and her Empire, France, Russia, and eventually the United States, against the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The war was fought along two main lines of attack – the Western Front stretching from Belgium to Switzerland and the Eastern Front running from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

The outbreak of world war was sparked by a series of events and a combination of national and imperial ambitions. Britain entered the conflict in response to concerns about Germany’s encirclement of its empire. Its entry was also a reaction to the violation of Belgian neutrality by Germany and its refusal to withdraw troops.

The war took place over four years and saw the world transformed. New weapons introduced a new dimension to fighting, with strategic bombing of civilian targets introducing the concept of “total war” for the first time. Long periods of combat, poor food and living conditions caused by rationing, and multiple military setbacks, including the disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Somme, caused thousands of soldiers to mutiny.

The American victory at Midway marked a turning point in the war. The United States joined the Allies and began to rapidly increase its military strength.