November 3rd, 1914

- At Ypres General d'Urbal orders another French attack between Zonnebeke and Langemarck, to be undertaken by the 17th, 18th, and 31st Divisions.  Unfortunately for the French, the Germans opposite have been reinforced by units that formerly were along the Yser, but whose presence there is no longer required due to the flooding.  Not only is the French advance halted, but at Bixschoote they are actually forced backward, the village falling to German hands once more.

For the BEF there are no major enemy attacks today, though there is the usual sniping and shelling.  General Haig attempts to compose a corps reserve, but so thin is his line that only three hundred men can be found.  He also pulls some of his artillery back from the fighting, as there is no point in exposing them to shellfire when they lack sufficient ammunition to return fire.

On the German side Prince Rupprecht of 6th Army concludes that unless Army Group Fabeck is reinforced, no decisive success could be achieved at Ypres.  To this end, he transfers more heavy artillery to Army Group Fabeck and allots it all of the ammunition assigned to 6th Army as a whole.  He also issues orders for further reinforcements - 2nd and Bavarian Cavalry Divisions from 6th Army reserve are reassigned immediately to Army Group Fabeck, while several units elsewhere on the Western Front are instructed to redeploy to the Ypres battlefield.

- The Kaiser's edict that the High Seas Fleet is to remain on the defensive in the North Sea, issued in the aftermath of the Battle of the Heligoland Bight, does not extend to the battlecruisers, and thus an operation is ordered for four light cruisers to lay mines along the Norfolk coast, escorted by four battlecruisers under Admiral Franz von Hipper.  The warships departed yesterday afternoon, and by dawn are are off the port of Yarmouth.

Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast of Britain.

As the light cruiser Stralsund lays a line of mines, the German force stumbles upon the British minesweeping gunboat Halcyon, on patrol off Yarmouth.  The Germans immediately open fire, and indeed all four battlecruisers target Halcyon and the destroyer Lively that comes to her aid - this is the first time any have sighted an enemy ship in wartime, and are eager to get their shots in.  The problem is that with all of the shell splashes, it is impossible to tell which shells were fired from which ship, making accurate spotting impossible.  At 740am Hipper decides that he is wasting his time going after such small warships, and turns to disengage.  The battlecruisers fire a few shells in the direction of Yarmouth, but succeed only in rearranging sand on the beach.  The only achievement of the raid comes when a British submarine strikes one of the German mines and is lost.

The response of the Admiralty to the initial report from Halcyon is to do nothing - no one can believe that the battlecruisers of the High Seas Fleet would sail into danger just to lob a few shells onto an English beach.  The prevailing assumption is that it must be a diversion from another, more significant German operation.  Thus for several hours no warships are ordered to pursue the Germans as they wait for the other shoe to drop.  By the time they realize there is no other shoe, Hipper and his force have made their escape.  There is no small amount of public commentary on the apparent ability of the Germans to sail to the English coast and escape.  At the Admiralty it is decided to redeploy the Grand Fleet back to Scapa Flow - if it stays in its bases on the west coast of Scotland and the north coast of Ireland, it is simply too far away to respond to German action in the North Sea.

On the German side, the results were disappointing - when the Kaiser awards Hipper an Iron Cross for the operation, the latter declares, 'I won't wear it until I've done something.'  The apparent ability of the German force to escape without being intercepted, however, is encouraging should further such operations be undertaken in the future.

- At the Admiralty Fisher convenes a meeting of naval officials and private shipbuilders to launch an emergency shipbuilding effort.  Fisher's focus is on increasing the number of orders to the greatest amount possible, and in particular wants a significant expansion of the submarine force.  To the Director of Contracts he threatened 'to make his wife a widow and his house a dunghill if he brought paper work or red tape into the picture; he wanted submarines, not contracts . . . if he did not get them within eight months, he would commit hara-kiri.'  Commodore Roger Keyes, present at the meeting, laughs at Fisher's remark, at which point the latter turns on Keyes with a ferocious glare, saying 'If anyone thwarts me he had better commit hara-kiri too.'  Such are Fisher's management techniques.

- Ludendorff begins today to plan for the next phase of operations in Poland.  Falkenhayn believes that the chief of staff of Ober Ost is merely developing a local counter-attack, but such mundane operations are beneath Ludendorff, who only plans campaigns of sufficient breadth and audacity as suits his genius - at least, that's how Ludendorff sees it.  His plan is to shift the bulk of 9th Army from the Krakow area to between Posen and Thorn to the northwest of Russian Poland, and attack towards Lodz, taking in flank the anticipated Russian invasion of Germany.

- In an effort to dissuade the Ottomans from entering the war on the side of German, the British government decides on a display of naval power, to illustrate Ottoman vulnerability should they stand against the Entente.  Two British battlecruisers and two French battleships steam to the entrance to the Dardanelles and bombard the Ottoman fort protecting it, destroying its magazine.  The effort makes no difference, however, as the war party are now in control in Constantinople.

- At dawn Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Nürnberg of the German East Asiatic Squadron enter the harbour at Valparaíso, while Leipzig and Dresden remain at sea escorting colliers.  Admiral Spee and the men of his ship receive a rapturous welcome from the German community in the city, including from hundreds of German sailors on merchant ships who volunteer to join the squadron.  Spee, however, is aware that, despite the crushing victory two days ago, there are still obstacles before his squadron.  Both of his armoured cruisers used half of their ammo at Coronel, and there is no possibility of resupply short of returning home.  Moreover, there could be no doubt that the British would redouble their efforts to hunt down and destroy his squadron.

Meanwhile, today the telegram from the British consul at Valparaíso, reporting the presence of the German East Asiatic Squadron but not of the battle, arrives at the Admiralty.  Fisher urges reinforcements for Craddock's squadron, and a signal is sent to Craddock informing him that Defence was en route to join his warships.  It was the order Craddock had long waited to receive, but of course it was no use to him now.  As Churchill was later to write, 'we were already talking into the void.'

- Near Tanga the disorganized landing of Indian Expeditionary Force B continues this morning - the beach is a mass of confused and demoralized soldiers, battalions being hopelessly mixed up.  An attempt begins at 430am to advance on Tanga with the first units landed, but co-ordinated progress in the dense bush proves impossible, and they are back at the beachhead by 10am.

At the same time, inland Indian Expeditionary Force C attempts its advance on German positions at Longido just south of Mount Kilimanjaro.  After initial fighting checks IEF C short of its objective, it is forced to withdraw after its supply arrangements collapse and the soldiers are left without water.

The failure of IEF C allows Colonel Lettow-Vorbeck to deploy all but three of his companies of Schütztruppen to Tanga.  By this evening Lettow-Vorbeck has arrived himself at the port and undertakes a personal reconnaissance of the British beachhead by bicycle.  With seven companies now available, and a further two scheduled to arrive tomorrow, he decides to hold a line east of Tanga before the British while positioning his reserves on his right to take the enemy in their flank.

- For the past month, the Japanese force beseiging Tsingtao has been steadly advancing in the face of determined German resistance.  In conducting their offensive, they apply the lessons learned during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 - instead of throwing their men against the German defences, they have conducted a methodical artillery bombardment, digging trenches as close to the enemy lines as possible, and attacking at night.  The result is that the stout defences of Tsingtao are falling one by one.  After seizing Prince Heinrich Hill earlier in October, since the 31st the Japanese have been bombarding the inner defences and the port itself, and today an assault carries the Japanese forces into position to assault the inner line of trenches protecting the last German forts on three hills just northeast of Tsingtao itself.

The defenses of the German naval base at Tsingtao in China.  As of today the besieging Japanese are just before the
'Inner Line of Trenches' marked on the map.

- Today the 'Manifesto of French Universities' is published in the French press.  Endorsed by the faculty councils of all French public universities, the Manifesto is a line-by-line repudiation of the German appeal of October 4th, posing provocative questions including: Which nation had wanted war?  Which nation had violated Belgian neutrality?  Which nation had burned Louvain and bombarded Rheims cathedral?  It is another salvo in the dispute over the origins and conduct of the war, in which the academic and intellectual elite vie with the most strident nationalists in their condemnation of the enemy.

October 4th, 1914

- The German advance at Arras continues today.  North of the city the Bavarians push through Lens and, at 10pm, occupy the heights of Vimy Ridge.  The French 70th Division, on the line north of the city, is pushed back almost to the Scarpe River northwest of Arras.  To the south, the Prussian Guards Division shatters the 81th Territorial Division, killing its commander, and a gap begins to open between the territorial divisions and X Corps.  The French at Arras are threatened with encirclement, and General Maud-huy declares that his detachment is facing another 'Sedan', referencing the disastrous envelopment and surrender of a French army in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War.  The Kaiser, meanwhile, arrives at Rupprecht's headquarters at St. Quentin to observe the anticipated victory.

When Castlenau asks Joffre which direction Maud-huy should retreat in, the latter's response is swift.  He has become convinced that Castlenau is plagued by excessive pessimism, and decides on a reorganization.  First, Maud-huy's detachment is formed into a separate command as 10th Army.  Second, Ferdinand Foch is appointed Joffre's 'deputy' with responsibility to co-ordinate the 2nd and 10th armies and the territorial divisions in northern France.  Castlenau thus finds himself under the command of a former subordinate, but on balance is likely pleased to have retained his command at all.  With Foch moving to northern France, his 9th Army along the Aisne is suppressed, its corps being absorbed by the neighbouring 4th and 5th armies.  Joffre also informs Castlenau that under no circumstances is he to retreat, as the reinforcements en route to the north will allow the Entente line to hold.

The German advance at Arras, October 1914.

- The British Royal Marine Brigade arrives in Antwerp at 1am, having landed at Dunkirk yesterday and traveled to the city by train, and later this morning takes up position along the front line to the southeast of Antwerp.  At the same time, the British Cabinet approves the dispatch of the two naval brigades to augment the British contribution to the defense of Antwerp.  The Cabinet also receives a remarkable request from Churchill.  He has remained in Antwerp, and for the past twenty-four hours has taken to directing the defense of the city, touring the trenches, repositioning units, etc..  He has displayed an almost boyish enthusiasm for war - sitting in the open watching the action as artillery shells fall around him.  He feels to be in his element, and at this moment wants nothing more than to continue to have a direct hand in the ongoing struggle for Antwerp.  His request to the Cabinet is that he resign his position as First Lord of the Admiralty and instead be appointed commander of the forces at Antwerp, with the full authority of a general in the field.  The reaction of the Cabinet can be best described as nervous laughter - Churchill has already gained a reputation as a figure whose enthusiasm often outruns his judgement, and the idea that the head of the most important military office in the country should race off to command forces in the field is incomprehensible.  Churchill’s request is politely denied, and he is informed that General Henry Rawlinson will be arriving shortly to assume command of the British contingent.  For now, though, Churchill remains at Antwerp, play-acting the role of general.

Meanwhile, the continuing bombardment of Fort Kessel finally forces the evacuation of its Belgian garrison today.  The Germans also begin to bombard the north bank of the Nethe River, in preparation for an attempt to force a crossing and pierce the line of defense established along the river after the first forts had fallen.

- West of Verdun, General Mudra's XVI Corps launches another offensive against the French lines in the Argonne.  The German attackers make widespread use of Minenwerfers, or trench mortars, for the first time.  Such small mortars, firing a small projectile in a high arc, are well-suited for use against trenches, as the trajectory allows the shell to plunge into trenches before detonation.  The Germans have also prioritized Minenwerfers as they use less powder, an important consideration given the economic blockade of the country.  Despite the use of such weapons, the Germans make little progress, facing fierce French resistance.

- The past few days have seen desperate fighting near Augustow just east of the German-Russian frontier as the Russians attempt to push into the rear of the German 8th Army retreating from the Niemen River.  While the Germans opposing the Russian advance suffer grievous losses, they succeed in slowing the Russians sufficiently to allow the remainder of 8th Army to evacuate Suwalki and withdraw to the border.

- As the German 9th Army continues its movement northeastwards from Krakow, the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army takes up position on the southern flank of 9th Army and joins the advance, with the Austro-Hungarian 4th and 3rd armies to the south moving westward towards the San River.  Despite bad weather and roads being reduced to mud, the Germans are able to maintain a marching rate of thirty miles a day, making using of requisitioned Polish carts better able to cope with the deep mud.  With the withdrawal of three Russian armies from Galicia to Poland to participate in the proposed offensive against German Silesia, the remaining Russian armies in Galicia fall back to avoid being outflanked to the north by the advance of the German 9th Army.

- General Potiorek officially calls off the second invasion of Serbia today.  Though the effort has at least secured a small bridgehead in northwestern Serbia, it has overall been another dismal failure.  Desperate to deflect blame from himself, he argues that a lack of shells has been to blame.

- Under the guise of reinforcing Maritz, Smuts dispatches new units to Upington under the command of Coen Brits, whose loyalty is unquestionable - the latter is said to have told Botha, 'My men are ready; who do we fight - the English or the Germans?'  Brits' force is positioned to fight Maritz if the latter rebels.

- As the German East Asiatic Squadron crosses the Pacific, it hears the signals of the German light cruiser Dresden, which has passed through the Straits of Magellan from the Atlantic and is now off the Chilean coast.  Admiral Spee today signals Dresden to meet his squadron at Easter Island.  This message, however, is intercepted by a British wireless station at Suva in the Fiji Islands, and when relayed to London gives the Admiralty concrete evidence that the German squadron is bound for South America.

- An appeal 'To the Civilized World' is published today in Germany.  Written by Ulrich von Wilamowitz, it contains the signatures of a hundred of Germany's leading artists, scholars, and intellectuals, including such world-renowned figures as the scientists Max Planck and Wilhelm Röntgen.  The document justifies German conduct in the war and seeks to counter the growing international perception of German cruelty, especially with respect to the occupation of Belgium.  In line with the general tone of German propaganda, it seeks to blame the victim:

It is not true that the life and property of a single Belgian citizen have been infringed upon by our soldiers, unless the most desperate self-defense made it necessary . . . the Belgian population shot at our troops from ambush, mutilated the wounded, and murdered doctors while they were performing their healing work.  One can falsify matters no more basely than to remain silent about the crimes of these assassins, to turn the punishments that they have justly suffered into crimes committed by Germans.

It is not true that our troops have wreaked brutal havoc in Louvain.  They were compelled reluctantly to bring a sector of the city under fire, in order to retaliate against raging inhabitants who had treacherously attacked them here. . . .

They also appeal to the sense of European racial superiority to denigrate the enemies of Germany:

Those who have allied themselves with Russians and Serbs, and who present the world with [the] shameful spectacle of inciting Mongolians and Negroes against the white race, have the very least right to portray themselves as the defenders of European civilization.

Finally, they ground the 'Appeal' on self-defense - that the most heinous and cruel of acts are justified in the name of German victory:

Were it not for German militarism, German culture would long ago have been eradicated.  For the protection of German culture, militarism arose in a land that had for centuries been plagued like no other by predation.  The German army and the German people are one and the same.

As much as the 'Appeal' was published to counter Entente propaganda, it was also aimed at the German public, seeking to justify not only the war itself but German conduct of it.  It reflects the widespread and almost universal enthusiasm for the war among intellectuals, common to all of the major combatants.

October 1st, 1914

- Three German corps - from south to north the Guard, IV, and I Bavarian Reserve - arrive east of Arras today, and encounter Maud-huy's forces still preparing for their own offensive.  Rupprecht's objective is to fix Maud-huy's forces in front of Arras while outflanking them to the north.

- Though his artillery is progressing as expected in the destruction of the Belgian forts south of Antwerp, General Bessler believes that the fall of Antwerp needs to be hastened - he does not want the British or French to either reinforce the city or, of greater concern, push forces from the west against his eastern flank.  Thus at 4pm today assaults are ordered by German infantry on the southern forts, and by nightfall the ruins of Fort Wavre are in German hands, though resistance continues elsewhere.  At midnight the British military representative at Antwerp sends a telegram to his government emphasizing the seriousness of the situation and stating that the arrival of even a small detachment of British forces would raise Belgian morale.

- The German 8th Army is attacked heavily by the pursuing Russian armies as it pulls back to the German border.  Rennenkampf's strategy is to pin the Germans with his centre and right, while attempting to outflank with his left.  The latter, having advanced through difficult woods for several days, seizes the town of Augustow today, which threatens to turn the southern flank of the German 8th Army.  For a brief moment, victory beckons for the Russians.

- As Germany becomes increasingly isolated from the world market by the British naval blockade, perhaps the most important industrial shortage was fixed nitrogen, produced from saltpetre, vital not only for the production of explosives but also for agricultural fertilizers key to the maintenance of Germany's domestic food supply.  Pre-war, saltpetre had been imported from Chile, but this supply was interrupted by the war, and there was no available alternative.  Thus, if Germany wanted to be able to fight a war of any significant duration, it was essential to develop processes to produce artificial fixed nitrogen.  Today, Emil Fischer, Germany's leading chemist, discusses the issue at the War Ministry, where he explains two recently developed methods for producing nitrogen - lime nitrogen, a byproduct of gasworks and coking plants, and synthesized ammonia.  Both methods had evolved out of Germany's chemical industry, which was the most advanced in the world, and Fischer's meeting will jump-start the production of artifical nitrogen, illustrative of the vital links between the academic community, industry, and the military in the conduct of modern war.  As a result of this relationship, Germany will produce two and a half times as much nitrogen in wartime as it had produced in peacetime - the war will not be lost for a lack of explosives.

September 7th, 1914

- Shortly after midnight, General Bülow orders X Reserve Corps on the western flank of his 2nd Army to retreat fifteen to twenty kilometres to take position behind the Petit Morin River.  He also gives the same orders to III and IX corps, located to the west of X Reserve Corps.  Though part of 1st Army, these two corps have been temporarily placed under his authority (as Kluck's attention is on the Ourcq and the French 6th Army).  This maneouvre is designed to protect the flank of 2nd Army after the heavy attack by the French 5th Army yesterday - Bülow's focus is on a pending offensive by his eastern corps, and wants to avoid a disruptive attack on his right.  In doing so, however, he has opened up a gap of thirty kilometres between the western flank of 2nd Army and the eastern flank of 1st Army.  Crucially, he does not bother to inform Kluck at 1st Army of his redeployment.

- The gap that Bülow has created between his 2nd Army and 1st Army to the west is now the vital pivot of the battle.  If Entente forces can occupy the gap, they can at minimum force the two German armies to retreat by threatening them with encirclement.  By another of war's coincidences, just as in late August the initial deployment of the BEF happened to place them directly in the line of advance of the strongest German army, now the advance of the BEF that began yesterday just so happens to be aimed directly at this gap.  The British march northeastwards thus is crucial to the entire success of the Entente forces in the Battle of the Marne.  As Joffre realizes the importance of the BEF advance, his focal point for the battle becomes ensuring the French armies hold off the Germans until the British can penetrate the gap.  This reliance on the speed of the British advance, of course, places Joffre in an awkward position.  He cannot issue orders to the BEF, and so can only encourage them to move faster.  On the other hand, given Sir John French's repeated pessimism, he is concerned that too strong words might cause him to overreact and try to take the BEF out of the battle entirely.  Today Joffre attempts positive encouragement - in a note to Kitchener his offers, with tongue undoubtedly in cheek, his 'warmest thanks' for French's 'energetic' advance, while he chides Gallieni to not badger the British commander too often with requests to move faster.  After another slow march today, advance guards of the BEF have crossed the Grand Morin.

- At 10am, 1st Army headquarters receives a reconnaissance report from an aviator that two columns of British soldiers have been spotted moving north from the Forest of Crécy towards the joint between 1st and 2nd armies.  Kluck understands that this has the potential for disaster, and makes a crucial decision - he will concentrate his entire army on defeating the attack of the French 6th Army before the British are in position to turn his flank.  He believes that 6th Army is the key piece of the French counteroffensive, while the BEF has been battered and is barely capable of effective action - better to destroy 6th Army first, in his mind, as the BEF is in no shape to do any immediate damage anyway.  Further, there are two German cavalry corps watching the line east of his battle with 6th Army.  To this end, he orders III and IX Corps to march immediately to the Ourcq to engage the French to join his other three corps.  Kluck's orders, meanwhile, widen the gap between 1st and 2nd armies to fifty kilometres - the two cavalry corps are weakened by constant movement and battle losses, and utterly lack the ability to stop any serious enemy advance.  The absence of communication between 1st and 2nd armies, and the inability of Moltke at OHL to co-ordinate their actions, has opened a major hole in the German line.

- Units continue to arrive in Paris from Lorraine, and General Gallieni moves them as quickly as possible to 6th Army fighting to the east.  Early this morning, soldiers of the 103rd and 104th regiments arrive at the front having taken a unique means of transportation: taxis.  Using his powers as Military Governor of Paris, Gallieni requisitioned 1200 taxis yesterday evening, and ordered them to take French soldiers to 6th Army.  Each taxi could carry five soldiers, including one in the trunk, and enter history as one of the most famous aspects of the Battle of the Marne.  Notwithstanding their patriotism, the taxi drivers still calculate the fare for each passenger, and send the bill to the French army, which will pay out 70 102 francs to the drivers.

The taxis of Paris conveying troops to the front, Sept. 7th, 1914.

- Just before the Ourcq River the French 6th Army and the German 1st Army continue to engage in a desperate struggle.  The arrival of the German IV Corps before dawn stabilizes the German line, and in fierce fighting several villages pass back and forth between the two sides.  One German attack at the village of Puisieux is repulsed only when Colonel Robert Nivelle, commander of the 5th Artillery Regiment, brings up five batteries and fires over open sights into the ranks of the advancing Germans from near-point blank range.  The episode wins Nivelle acclaim, which will be unfortunate for thousands of French soldiers later in the war.

- After yesterday's victory over the west flank of the German 2nd Army, the leftmost corps of the French 5th Army find the Germans have abandoned the field in front of them as they retreated to the Petit Morin.  Unlike yesterday, however, Franchet d'Espèrey does not drive his army forward, content instead with a methodical advance.

- On the east flank of the German 2nd Army, Bülow continues to push his corps against Foch's 9th Army, without success.  The German 3rd Army to the east also makes no progress - indeed, it spends most of the day being torn apart by fire from French 75 mm field guns, artillery pieces able to fire up to a thousand rounds a day.  Hausen is increasingly frustrated at his subordinate role to his neighbouring army commanders and inability to come to grips with the enemy.  Tonight, he decides to seize the initiative.  He believes the French cannot be strong everywhere, and given the pressure 1st and 2nd armies are under, concludes that the French opposite him must be weak.  In order to silence the dreaded French 75s, he orders a bayonet charge for the pre-dawn hours tomorrow.  No preliminary bombardment will be undertaken - the German soldiers are to approach the French lines in complete silence for maximum surprise.  He telegrams his plan to OHL, and receives Moltke's approval at midnight.

- The battle for Nancy reaches a climax today - three times the Bavarians of Rupprecht's 6th Army advance against the north front of the Grand Couronné, while murderous bayonet charges by the Germans continue into the night.  General Castlenau of the French 2nd Army is increasingly concerned at his position.  Furthermore, he is informed today that his son died in combat several days earlier.  In the shadow of personal loss Castlenau again telegrams Joffre that a withdrawal may be necessary.  This time, with the Battle of the Marne still in the balance, Joffre replies asking Castlenau to hang on for another twenty-four hours and suggesting that the Germans are likely no better off than his force.  2nd Army continues to cling to the Grand Couronné by its fingernails.

- At OHL Moltke has heard nothing from Kluck or Bülow since the French counteroffensive began early yesterday.  In the absence of information, Moltke's pessimism comes to the fore - has 1st Army already been encircled?  2nd Army forced back?  Writing to his wife today, he reflects on the death and destruction that has ensued from the invasion he is leading, and 'I often shudder when I think of this and feel as though I need to accept responsibility for this dreadfulness . . .'  Not exactly the desired mindset in the Chief of the General Staff at the supreme moment of crisis on the Western Front.

- In East Prussia, the first skirmishes occur in the Battle of the Masurian Lakes, as advance elements of the German 8th Army attack the defensive line of the Russian 1st Army.

The Battle of the Masurian Lakes, September 5th to 9th, 1914.

- On the home fronts of each of the major combatants, academics are among the most strident supporters of the war.  They take advantage of the public's belief in their intelligence and authority to defend the conduct of their own country and condemn that of their enemies.  In Germany today, a 'Declaration by German University Teachers' is published, in which hundreds of German academic renounce degrees they had received from British universities, on the basis that it was Britain that had started the war.

- In the Pacific, the German East Asiatic Squadron arrives today at Christmas Island.  Located on the equator, the island is a unoccupied British possession.  As Admiral Spee's ships arrive, they are rejoined by the light cruiser Nürnberg - as the squadron crossed the Pacific, Spee had ordered it to sail to Honolulu, in order to telegram Berlin as to his intentions to sail to the South American coast and learn the latest war news.  Nürnberg reports the capture of Samoa on August 30th by New Zealand troops, and Spee decides to launch a surprise attack on the island, hoping to catch British ships anchored in its port.