March 26th, 1915

- The Landships Committee has reported to Churchill the preliminary results of its investigations of possible vehicles that could be adapted to combat use, and has focussed on two potential designs: a six-wheeled vehicle and a tracked vehicle using Pedrails.  Today, Churchill authorizes the construction of prototypes of each for testing.

- Due to a lack of resources, Joffre cancels an attack planned in the Vosges, originally intended as a preliminary diversionary operation prior to the main offensive against the St.-Mihiel salient.

- Today the French 152nd Infantry Regiment, alongside 1st Chasseur Brigade, succeed in wresting control of the summit of Hartmannswillerkopf from the Germans.

- Admiral Robeck sends a further telegram to the Admiralty today, providing a more detailed justification of his decision to abandon the naval assault on the Dardanelles:

I do not hold the check on the 18th to be decisive, but having met General Hamilton . . . I consider a combined operation essential to obtain great results and object of campaign . . . To attack the Narrows now with fleet would be a mistake, as it would jeopardize the execution of a better and bigger scheme.

March 23rd, 1915

- In the Vosges the French 1st Chasseur Brigade attacks German positions on Hartmannswillerkopf, and are able to capture the first two enemy lines on the Siberloch flank of the mountain.

- In the aftermath of the fall of Przemysl, Falkenhayn had written to Conrad expressing his belief that the best chance for success in the east lay in an offensive against Serbia.  As this would necessitate Austria-Hungary standing on the defensive in the Carpathians, Conrad strongly objects in his reply of today.  He fears that any failure against Serbia would be the final nail in the coffin of the Dual Monarchy's prestige, while he believes that a resumption of the offensive in the Carpathians can still achieve success.  Conrad is not going to allow devastating failure to stop him from trying again.

- Admiral Robeck signals the Admiralty this morning of his intention to abandon a purely naval assault on the Dardanelles.  Instead, he proposes to launch a combined naval and army attack on the straits and Gallipoli peninsula on or after April 14th, when General Hamilton has stated his forces will be prepared to land.

The news from Robeck comes as a surprise to Churchill, who had expected the attack of the 18th to be merely the first stage of an ongoing operation.  The losses incurred in that attack, while unfortunate, are acceptable given the ability to dispatch reinforcements and the significance of the objective.  The First Lord intends to overrule Robeck and order an immediate resumption of a naval-only operation, and summons a meeting of the senior leadership of the Royal Navy, including Admiral Fisher.  The collected admirals, however, insist that Robeck, as the senior commander on the spot, is best-suited to judge the proper course of action, and if he advises that a landing is necessary, then the Admiralty should agree.  For Fisher in particular, who has long loathed the Dardanelles operation and feared the consequences of heavy losses, Robeck's message is a godsend, providing the justification needed to abandon the naval assault and shift to an operation on which the major burden will fall on the army.  All morning Churchill argues with Fisher and the admirals, and as a last resort the First Lord appeals to Asquith.  The Prime Minister responds, however, that while he may personally sympathize with Churchill's position, he does not feel it proper to overrule the professional advice of the admirals.

At a Cabinet meeting this afternoon, Churchill mournfully announces that the naval operation against the Dardanelles is to be abandoned, replaced by a joint operation in which the focus shall be on an amphibious operation by forces under General Hamilton's command.  Kitchener declares that the army will see the operation through to a successful conclusion, and the matter is settled.  Afterwards Churchill informs Robeck that his plan has been approved.  Entente operations at the Dardanelles will henceforth be directed by Hamilton and the army leadership, with the navy relegated to the role of providing fire support.

- Over the past few months the relationship between the Senussi in the Sahara and the Ottoman Empire has improved, given that the former has enthusiastically answered the call to jihad issued by the latter.  Money and equipment has been smuggled in on Greek merchant ships, while today Nuri Efendi, younger brother of Enver Pasha and a veteran of the 1912 fighting in Libya against Italy, lands at Sollum near the Libyan-Egyptian frontier with fifty Ottoman officers to aid the Senussi.

March 8th, 1915

- Though no substantial success has been achieved in the fighting in Champagne, Joffre believes that the Germans are wearing down and that a breakthrough remains possible.  To this end, he orders XVI Corps, reinforced by 48th Division, to undertake a massive attack in four days time, in which as many soldiers as possible would be concentrated against the enemy line and maintain pressure with fresh infantry.

- Two days ago a French surprise attack against the German line west of Munster in Alsace succeeded in pushing back the defending Bavarian 6th Landwehr Division, seizing the Reichsackerkopf and Mönchberg.  In response 8th Bavarian Reserve Division was brought up, and a counterattack today regains the lost positions, with the exception of the summit of the Reichsackerkopf.

- Reinforcements having arrived from 10th Army to the north, General Gallwitz orders his forces to go back over on to the attack, advancing on both banks of the Orshitz River towards Prasnysz and Krasnosielce in Russian Poland.

- In the Carpathians the left wing of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army is finally able to gain ground today, as 41st Honved Division seizes the Maguryczne Heights.  This tactical success, however, does not lead to any wider advance, as the Russian lines remain unbroken and the weather continues to be miserable.

- Commodore Roger Keyes, previously commander of the submarines at Harwich, is currently serving as Chief of Staff to Admiral Carden at the Dardanelles.  Keyes was intimately familiar with the Ottoman defenses along the straits, having studied them while serving as naval attaché at Constantinople in 1906 and 1907.  Keyes is a strong advocate of the Dardanelles operation, believing seapower alone can force the straits.  However, as he writes to his wife today, he is concerned that the Admiralty is underestimating the challenges faced by the British and French warships, and has been insisting that Carden fully explain to his superiors the difficulties remaining to be surmounted.

- Shortly after 8am, three prisoners are shot by firing squad at the Criminal Prison in Singapore.  The executed were members of the 5th Light Infantry battalion, and their courts-martial had determined that they had played a leading role in instigating the mutiny of February 15th.  Over the next several weeks, of the one hundred and twenty-six captured mutineers, forty-seven will be executed, forty-seven will be executed, sixty-one transported for life, and the remainder will receive prison terms of various lengths.

The execution of mutineers at Singapore, March 1915.

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March 5th, 1915

- As the major combatants seek to increase the production of war material, one means that comes to the fore is 'dilution', whereby skilled labourers are replaced by unskilled labourers working on industrial machinery.  The advantage of dilution is that it allows for the expansion of the industrial workforce without significant training or prior experience.  For the workers, however, dilution is seen as a means by which employers can replace higher-wage jobs with lower-wage jobs, and those many trade union leaders are extremely reluctant to agree to dilution on any terms.  In Britain today, though the Engineering Employers' Federation and the Amalgamated Society of Engineers agree to accept the principle of dilution, it is only for the duration of the war and only in factories producing munitions.  Moreover, it is an agreement that is not matched in other industries.

- After two days of attack and counterattack, the French have regained the ground on the Lorette Spur lost to the Germans on the 3rd, while the latter have suffered 1800 casualties.

- A French assault at Hartsmannswillerkopf seize a portion of the enemy's first trench line, though the Germans remain in control of the summit of the peak.

- In the Carpathians, VII Corps and the left wing of X Corps of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army attacks the Russian lines opposite, but suffering a shattering defeat.  The capability of 3rd Army to undertake offensive operations has been crushed; VII Corps alone has lost 60% of its strength over the past five days.  The commander of 3rd Army thus orders his formations to go over on to the defensive, though this calls into question the viability of 2nd Army's offensive and indeed the entire concept of a continued Austro-Hungarian effort to relieve Przemysl.

- Though the Admiralty sent the new dreadnought Queen Elizabeth to the Dardanelles to participate in the operation, they have forbidden it from sailing into the straits themselves, lest it strike a mine and sink.  Instead, Queen Elizabeth today anchors off the Aegean coast of Gallipoli and fires 15-inch shells over the peninsula at the Ottoman forts in the straits.  Though the sudden bombardment from an unexpected direction and from an unseen foe confuses the Ottomans, without accurate spotting the shells fail to hit anything of significance.

- While the Entente focus is on the Dardanelles operation, other operations in the region are also the subject of attention.  One such attack begins today when the pre-dreadnoughts Triumph and Swiftsure and the armoured cruiser Euryalus, accompanied by minesweepers and smaller craft, commence a bombardment of the port of Smyrna, the largest Ottoman port on the Mediterranean.  There were concerns that Smyrna might be used as a base by German or Austro-Hungarian submarines, so its neutralization was seen as desirable.  The task force is to destroy the forts protecting the harbour to facilitate a close blockade and leave the port itself open to attack at any time.  In many respects, it is a miniature version of the Dardanelles operation, and also shares its problems; the pre-dreadnoughts cannot close to destroy the forts until protective minefields have been cleared, but these are protected by mobile guns.  One difference, however, is an attempt to negotiate with the Ottoman governor of Smyrna, who is believed to be synmpathetic to the Entente and potentially willing to surrender his small craft to the British and allow them to sweep the minefields.  Thus the operation beginning today is two-pronged: a military attack on the harbour defences and a diplomatic approach to render such an attack unnecessary.

- Admiral Anton Haus, commander of the Austro-Hungarian navy, writes today to Admiral Souchon at Constantinople, responding to the German desire for naval support for the Ottomans at the Dardanelles.  Haus states that only two Austro-Hungarian submarines have even the potential range to reach the Dardanelles in ideal conditions, while they are required instead to defend the key naval base at Cattaro and remain available should the Italians come into the war on the side of the Entente.  He also pours cold water on the idea of sending a fast light cruiser to the Ottomans to deliver munitions.  Why should his navy, he wonders, sacrifice a valuable warship to deliver, at most, three hundred tons of ammunition.  The letter shows that the Ottomans will not be able to rely on any Austro-Hungarian support against the Entente naval assault on the Dardanelles.

January 27th, 1915

- Churchill responds to Fisher's memorandum of the 25th, arguing that while maintaining superiority in the North Sea is the most important mission of the Royal Navy, there is nothing that pre-dreadnoughts can contribute to, given how hopelessly outdated they would be in combat against dreadnoughts.  As such, rather than simply sitting in port, it is better to utilize the pre-dreadnoughts in operations elsewhere where there is no risk of confronting more modern warships, such as the bombardment of the Ottoman forts at the Dardanelles.

- The capture of Hartmannswillerkopf on the 22nd has prompted an immediate response; fearing its capture to be the opening phase to roll up the French line in Alsace from the south, a counterattack has been organized by 47th and 66th Divisions.  Attacking through heavy snow, the French suffer heavy casualties and are repulsed.

- The Ottoman VIII Corps continues its advance westward across the Sinai Peninsula towards the Suez Canal.  Though they have avoided marching during daylight hours, the British have been able to use aerial reconnaissance, primarily by French sea-planes, to monitor the Ottoman movement.  By today the intelligence department in Cairo has concluded, correctly, that the main enemy force is advancing across the centre of the Sinai.

- At 5pm Emden's landing party departs Hodeida for Sanaa after a ceremony given on their behalf by the Ottoman garrison.  During the two weeks spent in Hodeida a number of German sailors have come down with dysentry and malaria, despite taking quinine daily, and First Office Mücke looks forward to arriving at Sanaa, where, he has been informed, the climate is very similar to Europe's.

January 22nd, 1915

- After the German advance towards Le Four de Paris in the Argonne on the 11th, today elements of 34th Division expand the German salient by seizing ground to the northwest of the town.

- The struggle for the summit of Hartmannswillerkopf in the Vosges comes to a close.  Following two days of heavy artillery bombardment and repeated German attacks, the French infantry holding the mountain have been reduced to almost nothing.  The last surviving French infantry, numbering about forty, strap on their skis today and set off down the slopes in an attempt to break out of the German encirclement.  The effort fails, however, as the French are wiped out to a man by small-arms fire.  The Germans now begin to fortify the summit in the expectation of French counterattacks to regain Hartmannswillerkopf.

- Today Conrad issues final orders to the Austro-Hungarian Army for the offensive to be undertaken in the Carpathian Mountains.  This operation is one of the two planned for the Eastern Front, the other being the German offensive out of East Prussia.  The main burden of the attack, with the recapture of the Uszok Pass as a core objective, is to fall on 3rd Army, the east wing especially, and Südarmee, the latter comprised of both German and Austro-Hungarian units.  As these two armies advance through Zmigrod and Dukla they will be joined progressively by the corps of 4th Army to the west, and ultimately push the Germans out of the Carpathians and relieve the beleagured fortress of Przemysl.

The preparation of 3rd Army for the operation has been limited by the poor weather and scarcity of rail lines running up to the front.  This has reduced the amount of reinforcements sent to 3rd Army, leaving the responsibility for the attack primarily on formations already exhausted after months of fighting in the brutal terrain and climate of the Carpathians.

The Austro-Hungarian plan for the January offensive in the Carpathians.

January 20th, 1915

- As the Zeppelins L 3 and L 4 return to their airbase of Fuhlsbüttel at 940am and 947am, the news of the first bombs dropped on Britain by airships is published in the German press to widespread acclaim.  The reaction in government circles is somewhat more guarded; Wilhelm II praises the conduct of the raid, but is disturbed by the apparent bombing of the royal palace at Sandringham, raising fears among the military leadership that the temperamental Kaiser may yet rescind permission to bomb Britain.  Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg, meanwhile, is concerned at the impact on opinion in the neutral states, especially in the United States, over the apparent bombing of undefended cities for no great military gain.  In Britain, meanwhile, satisfaction with the negligible damage is mixed with concern at the inability to prevent such raids - while anti-aircraft guns have been deployed around London and a small number of military targets, the two German Zeppelins had attacked elsewhere and thus flew with relative impunity.

- On the Eastern Front General Ivanov of South-West Front believes the decision by Grand Duke Nicholas to focus on an invasion of East Prussia, as prompted by General Ruszkii, fails to take account of the apparent Russian superiority in Galicia.  Instead, as he informs his subordinates today, Ivanov intends to push into and through the Carpathian Mountains into the Hungary plain, possibly knocking Austria-Hungary out of the war entirely.  Regardless of the merit in Ivanov's plan, it means that once again North-West and South-West Front are working at cross-purposes, pursuing their own plans instead of coordinating their efforts.

- Over the past two days the Mecklenburg 14th Jäger Battalion and the 11th and 15th Ulan Regiments have attacked in the Vosges, working their way around the southern flank of Hartmannswillerkopf, isolating the French defenders on the summit.  In preparation for a final assault on the mountain, it is targeted by a heavy artillery bombardment.

January 4th, 1915

- After closing on the outbreak of war in August, the London Stock Exchange reopens today.

- The ability of the French army to increase its stock of artillery shells is hampered by the necessity of supplying ammunition to its allies in order to enhance their fighting ability.  As the French minister of war reports today, at a time when Joffre is demanding the production of 60 000 rounds per day, France is exporting 12 000 per day to Russia, 3000 to Romania, 2000 to Serbia, and between 1000 and 2000 to Belgium.

- At the far southern end of the Western Front, the line runs just inside the German province of Alsace until it reaches the Swiss border.  Here the French have entrenched themselves on the eastern ridges of the Vosges Mountains, giving them observation of the upper Rhine River and allowing bombardment of the German-held plains to the east.  The Vosges are rocky and forested, preventing the construction of continuous trench lines.  Instead, each side entrenches on available high ground and emphasizes strong points.  Nevertheless, the stalemate to the north has replicated itself in the Vosges - indeed, advancing exposed up hillsides, where artillery shells create lethal airborne rock splinters, advances are particularly arduous.

The Western Front in the Vosges.

Winter in the Vosges, 1915.

For the past month, French infantry have been attacking at several points in order to push the line eastward and bring more of the German rear under artillery fire.  In order to bring a halt to the enemy attacks, Army Detachment Gaede, responsible for defending German Alsace, has been reinforced by six battalions and three batteries of artillery and ordered to seize Hartmannswillerkopf (known to the French as Vieil Armand), at 3136 feet one of the highest points in the Vosges and one from which the French have been able to direct artillery fire on the vital railway linking Mulhouse and Colmar.  Today three German regiments of light infantry, grenadiers, and dismounted light cavalry attack Hartmannswillerkopf, but are repulsed by the entrenched French defenders.

- For several months the vital Austro-Hungarian fortress of Przemysl has been besieged by the Russians, who are content to simply starve out the defenders.  Indeed, the food stocks, never high, are continuing to dwindle.  Today, the commander at Przemysl radios Conrad to inquire whether the garrison should attempt to break out around February 1st, or simply hold out until March 7th, the date on which it is expected food supplies (including the slaughter of horses) will run out.  Conrad views the fall of Przemysl not only as a military but also a political catastrophe, as its loss would further undermine the prestige of Austria-Hungary among neutral states, and thus views an early offensive in Galicia to relieve Przemysl to be of vital importance.

- At Sarikamish the shattered remnants of the Ottoman IX Corps, surrounded and attack from Bardiz to the rear, surrender today.  Enver Pasha, who had been with IX Corps, manages to escape through Russian lines to reach XI Corps, which is still attacking in a vain effort to recover the situation.