In May, 1915, ItalyThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer enters the war on the AlliesIn general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. In general English usage, those who share a common goal and whose work toward that goal is complementary may be viewed as allies side and BulgariaThe Republic of Bulgaria is a republic in the southeast of Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north along the river Danube. signs military alliances with Turkey and Germany in September. Other countries would follow during the next years, like RomaniaRomania (formerly spelled Rumania or Roumania is a country in southeastern Europe. Romania is bordered by Ukraine and Moldova in the northeast, Hungary and Serbia in the west and Bulgaria to the south. Romania also has a small sea coast on the Black Sea., the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in and ChinaThis article is on the geographic and cultural entity. For other meanings, see China (disambiguation). China ( Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , Hanyu Pinyin: Zhongguo, Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo) is a country in continental East Asia with some oute.
Despite its old alliance with Britain, Portugal was not part of the systems of alliances which became enemies in World War I and thus kept its neutrality during the first years of war. Portugal suffered from the German U-Boat warfare which sought to blockade the United Kingdom; at the time the most important market for Portuguese products. There were also clashes with German troops in the south of the Portuguese colony of AngolaThis article is about the nation, for the prison see Angola Prison Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville and Zambia and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. A former Portuguese colony, it ha, but both the Portuguese and the German governments formally stuck to Portuguese neutrality.
When Portugal complied to the British demand to confiscate the German ships interned in Portuguese ports, Germany reacted by declaring war on Portugal, thus forcing the Portuguese into the war.
2 1916/1918 Portugal in the war
2.1 19161916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. Impressionist Monet paints Water Lilies'. January 8 Allied forces withdraw from
February, 23 Following a British request, Portugal arrests German ships anchored in Portuguese ports.
June, 9 Afonso Costa , Finances Minister and Augusto Soares participate in the Allies Economical Conference where it is decided that as condition for peace, Germany would have to return the territories of Alsace and Lorraine to France (occupied since 1871) and Quionga in Mozambique to Portugal (occupied since 1894).
July, 15 The British government formally invites Portugal to take active part in the military actions of the Allies.
July, 22 The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps (Corpo Expedicionário Português – CEP), with 30.000 soldiers, is created in Tancos, Portugal, under the command of General Norton de Matos .
August, 7 Portuguese parliament accepts the participation of Portugal in the war, following the invitation of the British government. The Portuguese effort of war would reach 55.000 infantry soldiers, plus 1.000 artillery men, to be sent to France, 4.000 soldiers per month, in order to keep 12 Km of battle front. In fact, only the first two Divisions were sent to France, as the arrival of the American troops would drastically reduce the Allies transportation capacity. At the same time Portugal fielded forces in its African colonies, in Mozambique, to defend the colony from German colonial forces, and in the south of Angola, against native tribes instigated by the Germans.
December, 26 The French government asks Portugal to send artillery crews to France to operate 20 to 30 heavy artillery batteries.
