- Today reports finally reach the headquarters of the German 6th Army that confirm that the French have not broken through at Givenchy. Moreover, though elements of the French III Corps on Hill 140 repulse several German counterattacks, they also find themselves exposed to intense German artillery fire, and today they are compelled to abandon the summit, taking up position a hundred yards to the west. The immediate crisis having past, Rupprecht concentrates on relieving the German infantry who have been battered by the prior four days of fighting. Overnight, 2nd Guards Division takes over the line between Giesler Hill and Givenchy held by 123rd Saxon Division, while 1st Guards Division is deployed to the heights of Vimy Ridge. Bit by bit, VI Corps, which has borne the burden of the fighting in Artois and suffered over seven thousand casualties, is pulled out of the line and reassembles at Cambrai. Falkenhayn also assigns XI Corps, returning from the Eastern Front, to 6th Army, though after its exertions in Russia it needs rest before being committed to battle again.
On the Entente side, General Foch and Field Marshall French meet to discuss another major push in Artois and Flanders, hoping to take advantage of the ground won near Vimy Ridge yesterday. They agree that the British 1st Army and the French 10th Army will attack together on October 2nd; when Foch appraises Joffre of the plan, the latter agrees to release additional artillery munitions to support the offensive. To meet the timetable, however, the French 10th Army will need to relieve the southern wing of the British 1st Army as agreed upon yesterday. This redeployment, intended to be completed today, is delayed by poor weather and deteriorating roads; General d'Urbal reports that it will not be completed until tomorrow.
- In the Champagne, French forces have rushed to exploit the phantom 'breach' in the German second line supposedly won yesterday by 14th Division. Before dawn VII Corps attacks towards the supposed breakthrough, while VI Corps also advances on its right, but both assaults fail with heavy casualties. Later today three infantry brigades attempt to pass through the breach, only to encounter German defenders and suffer heavy losses. Despite the growing debacle, subsequent messages that reached Castlenau reported that the breach had actually been enlarged. Thinking his armies on the verge of victory, Castlenau informs Joffre that three entire divisions have now passed through the opening.
Only later this afternoon does accurate information actually reach Castlenau's headquarters, which reveal not only that the German second trench line remains unbroken but that the forces that attempted to pass through the 'breach' have suffered horrendous losses and have become thoroughly disorganized. At midnight Castlenau reluctantly orders de Lange of 4th Army to halt the attack, and devote tomorrow to untangling the divisions that had rushed towards the breach and becoming hopelessly entangled. Castlenau also instructs Pétain to cancel an attack by 2nd Army scheduled to be launched tomorrow at 930am.
- By today the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army has reached the Putilowka River, across which the Russian 8th Army has halted its retreat, and efforts to cross to the east bank are easily repulsed. The only success occurs to the north, where the German XXIV Reserve Corps pushes the Russians over the Kormin River and take three thousand prisoners.
Given the utter exhaustion of his armies, combined with the end of OberOst's offensive at Vilna, convince Conrad that further offensive operations would be futile, and orders are issued to 4th and 1st Armies to go over to the defensive. Conrad's fall offensive against the Russians has been yet another dismal failure; initially referred to as the Black-Yellow Offensive, the operation has been known as the Herbstsau among Conrad's staff, which translates literally as 'autumn swinery' but more loosely, and more accurately, as 'fall fuck-up'.
In the course of the month's fighting, the Austro-Hungarian armies on the Eastern Front have lost over 230 000 men, which comprises almost half of their strength at the start of September. Included amongst this number were 100 000 soldiers taken prisoner by the Russians, and the poor quality of the Austro-Hungarian units is further evidenced by Austro-Hungarian officers reporting sick at twice the rate of those wounded, an opposite ratio as that found in the German army. Further, Austria-Hungary simply lacked the means to fully replace casualties - only 120 000 new men had arrived at the front, barely half the number of those lost. The failure of the 'Herbstsau' offensive has also further damaged the reputation of the Austro-Hungarian army amongst its allies - not only did the offensive on the Eastern Front fail, but the four divisions Conrad had to pull away from the Serbian campaign to reinforce the armies battered by the Russian counteroffensive served to enlighten the new Bulgarian ally of where the real power and influence lay within the Central Powers.
- As of this morning the Ottomans have abandoned their defence positions east of Kut-al-Amara, and aerial reconnaissance informs General Townshend of 6th Indian Division that the Ottomans have abandoned Kut-al-Amara and retreated further upriver. There is no vigorous pursuit of the defeated Ottomans, however - 6th Indian Division is exhausted, and low water on the Tigris limits the operations of British gunboats.
Showing posts with label Herbstsau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Herbstsau. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Sunday, September 27, 2015
September 27th, 1915
- Despite the failure of 21st and 24th Divisions yesterday, Haig has decided to continue the offensive and a further attack today is to be undertaken by the Guards Division, which relieved the former two overnight east of Loos. At 150pm orders go out to the three brigades of the Guards Division, which are to attack the German line from the Chalk Pits and Puit 14 (a factory building) in the north to Hill 70 in the south, with the attack on the former two going first to prevent the German defenders there firing into the flank of 3rd Guards Brigade as it advances up Hill 70. The Guards Division is almost a complete opposite to the 'New Army' divisions who they have replaced and who were decimated yesterday - the Guards are the elite of the British army, with the highest standards of professionalism and training. Weighing against them, however, is a wholly inadequate artillery bombardment of the German line beforehand, the result of a lack of ammunition at the front. Moreover, to the north of the Guards elements of the German 14th Division launch a counterattack which seizes Fosse 8 southwest of Haisnes from the British 9th Division in an action in which the latter's commanding officer is killed. Given the setback, Haig cancels the Guards' attack, but the usual communication delays prevent the orders from reaching the brigades by 345pm, when the infantry move forward.
In the first phase of the advance, undertaken by 2nd Guards Brigade, 2/Irish Guards successfully captures the Chalk Pit, but much heavier resistance is encountered at Puit 14. In desperate fighting over open ground swept by machine-gun fire, only a small detachment of 1/Scots Guards and a platoon of 3/Grenadiers are able to reach the factory building, which they find provides insufficient cover. It soon becomes clear that Puit 14 cannot be held, and the survivors pull back. As a result, when 3rd Brigade attacks Hill 70 at 530pm, they take murderous fire from the direction of Puit 14 on their northern flank, and are unable to seize the German defences on the crest. After several hours of fighting 2/Scot Guards and the Welsh Guards entrench about a hundred yards down the western slope of Hill 70. Though the attack of the Guards has largely failed to achieve its objectives, the presence of the veteran soldiers at the front has at least solidified the British gains around the village of Loos.
Among the British casualties today is Lieutenant John Kipling, only son of the famed British poet Rudyard Kipling. The younger Kipling had attempted to enlist as a reserve officer in the 'New Armies' in August 1914, but had been rejected due to poor eyesight. However, the older Kipling, one of the leading imperialists of pre-war Britain, called in a favour from Lord Roberts, one of the foremost Victorian military heroes, who was also Colonel of the Irish Guards. Though largely a ceremonial role without combat responsibilities, the post does allow its holder the right to intervene on personnel decisions, and through Roberts' intervention John Kipling is gazetted as an ensign (later promoted to Lieutenant) in the Irish Guards. By September 1915, though just a month past his 18th birthday, Lieutenant Kipling commands 5 Platoon of 2/Irish Guards in its attack on the Chalk Pit and Puit 14, and in the course of the fighting reaches the far side of the ruined factory building. He is seen to fall wounded, and when the British survivors pull back from Puit 14, Kipling is not amongst them. He is reported as Missing in Action, and within a month it becomes clear that he was not taken prisoner by the Germans today. The death of his only son hits Rudyard Kipling hard, given his personal responsibility for John's acceptance into the army - his perspective on the First World War will never be the same.
To the south of the British at Loos, the southern corps of the French 10th Army reorganize to release forces to move northwards, while the northernmost launch attacks at Angres, Giesler Hill, and Neuville-St. Vaast, largely to show the British that they are not attacking alone. The French attacks, however, get nowhere.
In Champagne, General Castlenau believes that the German defenders have been 'severely shaken' by the prior two days of fighting, and believes another attack will push through the enemy reserve line. To support the advance, the French have moved forward some of their heavy artillery batteries, and Joffre has placed three reserve divisions at Castlenau's disposal. The Germans, however, have recovered from their shock on the 25th, and the reinforcements sent forward by Falkenhayn have now reinforced the front. As a result, when the main French attack goes in at 400pm after an all-day artillery bombardment, the French are only able to secure a few hundred yards of ground south of Ste. Marie à Py, which does not break the stalemate that has reasserted itself on the battlefield. Afterwards, Pétain reports to Castlenau that the reserve German line is sufficiently strong that it can only be penetrated in strength 'only by a meticulously detailed preparation like that executed on the first [German] position.' Moreover, the divisions that have been involved in the first three days of the offensive will need to be replaced by fresh forces, as 'their losses have been considerable, their leaders have for the most part disappeared, and their offensive value is greatly reduced.'
- As the pursuit of the Russian 8th Army continues, General Linsingen realizes today that the speed of the Russian withdrawal, coupled with the inability of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army to fix the Russians in place, will prevent his forces coming southeast from the Army of the Bug from enveloping the northern flank of 8th Army. Instead, he issues orders for the German XXIV Corps to adjust the line of its advance to the east and northeast, to prevent Russian cavalry from getting around their northern flank.
- This morning the old Italian pre-dreadnought Benedetto Brin explodes and sinks while at anchor in Brindisi harbour, killing most of its crew, including Rear-Admiral Rubin de Cervin. To prevent harming public morale news of the warship's destruction is kept from the Italian public while the explosion is ascribed to unstable ammunition.
- On the Tigris River west of Kut-al-Amara, 16th and 17th Indian Brigades demonstrate against the Ottoman positions opposite for the second day, attempting to convince the enemy that the main British assault will fall here. After nightfall, however, the two brigades prepare to cross to the north bank of the Tigris and execute General Townshend's planned envelopment of the Ottoman line from the north.
In the first phase of the advance, undertaken by 2nd Guards Brigade, 2/Irish Guards successfully captures the Chalk Pit, but much heavier resistance is encountered at Puit 14. In desperate fighting over open ground swept by machine-gun fire, only a small detachment of 1/Scots Guards and a platoon of 3/Grenadiers are able to reach the factory building, which they find provides insufficient cover. It soon becomes clear that Puit 14 cannot be held, and the survivors pull back. As a result, when 3rd Brigade attacks Hill 70 at 530pm, they take murderous fire from the direction of Puit 14 on their northern flank, and are unable to seize the German defences on the crest. After several hours of fighting 2/Scot Guards and the Welsh Guards entrench about a hundred yards down the western slope of Hill 70. Though the attack of the Guards has largely failed to achieve its objectives, the presence of the veteran soldiers at the front has at least solidified the British gains around the village of Loos.
Among the British casualties today is Lieutenant John Kipling, only son of the famed British poet Rudyard Kipling. The younger Kipling had attempted to enlist as a reserve officer in the 'New Armies' in August 1914, but had been rejected due to poor eyesight. However, the older Kipling, one of the leading imperialists of pre-war Britain, called in a favour from Lord Roberts, one of the foremost Victorian military heroes, who was also Colonel of the Irish Guards. Though largely a ceremonial role without combat responsibilities, the post does allow its holder the right to intervene on personnel decisions, and through Roberts' intervention John Kipling is gazetted as an ensign (later promoted to Lieutenant) in the Irish Guards. By September 1915, though just a month past his 18th birthday, Lieutenant Kipling commands 5 Platoon of 2/Irish Guards in its attack on the Chalk Pit and Puit 14, and in the course of the fighting reaches the far side of the ruined factory building. He is seen to fall wounded, and when the British survivors pull back from Puit 14, Kipling is not amongst them. He is reported as Missing in Action, and within a month it becomes clear that he was not taken prisoner by the Germans today. The death of his only son hits Rudyard Kipling hard, given his personal responsibility for John's acceptance into the army - his perspective on the First World War will never be the same.
To the south of the British at Loos, the southern corps of the French 10th Army reorganize to release forces to move northwards, while the northernmost launch attacks at Angres, Giesler Hill, and Neuville-St. Vaast, largely to show the British that they are not attacking alone. The French attacks, however, get nowhere.
In Champagne, General Castlenau believes that the German defenders have been 'severely shaken' by the prior two days of fighting, and believes another attack will push through the enemy reserve line. To support the advance, the French have moved forward some of their heavy artillery batteries, and Joffre has placed three reserve divisions at Castlenau's disposal. The Germans, however, have recovered from their shock on the 25th, and the reinforcements sent forward by Falkenhayn have now reinforced the front. As a result, when the main French attack goes in at 400pm after an all-day artillery bombardment, the French are only able to secure a few hundred yards of ground south of Ste. Marie à Py, which does not break the stalemate that has reasserted itself on the battlefield. Afterwards, Pétain reports to Castlenau that the reserve German line is sufficiently strong that it can only be penetrated in strength 'only by a meticulously detailed preparation like that executed on the first [German] position.' Moreover, the divisions that have been involved in the first three days of the offensive will need to be replaced by fresh forces, as 'their losses have been considerable, their leaders have for the most part disappeared, and their offensive value is greatly reduced.'
- As the pursuit of the Russian 8th Army continues, General Linsingen realizes today that the speed of the Russian withdrawal, coupled with the inability of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army to fix the Russians in place, will prevent his forces coming southeast from the Army of the Bug from enveloping the northern flank of 8th Army. Instead, he issues orders for the German XXIV Corps to adjust the line of its advance to the east and northeast, to prevent Russian cavalry from getting around their northern flank.
- This morning the old Italian pre-dreadnought Benedetto Brin explodes and sinks while at anchor in Brindisi harbour, killing most of its crew, including Rear-Admiral Rubin de Cervin. To prevent harming public morale news of the warship's destruction is kept from the Italian public while the explosion is ascribed to unstable ammunition.
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| The Italian pre-dreadnought Benedetto Brin, sunk by internal explosion at Brindisi, Sept. 27th, 1915. |
- On the Tigris River west of Kut-al-Amara, 16th and 17th Indian Brigades demonstrate against the Ottoman positions opposite for the second day, attempting to convince the enemy that the main British assault will fall here. After nightfall, however, the two brigades prepare to cross to the north bank of the Tigris and execute General Townshend's planned envelopment of the Ottoman line from the north.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
September 26th, 1915
- At 1am, the German counterattack around Loos is undertaken by the reserve forces of 6th Army, newly-arrived at the front. Though 8th Infantry Division, attacking from the direction of Lens, is unable to gain any significant ground, 26th Brigade attacking from the northeast has more success; their advance happens to be directed at a weak point in the new British line where reinforcements are in the process of arriving, and they manage to push the British back five hundred yards and recapture the Quarries northwest of Hulluch. The Germans also score a coup when they capture the commander of the British 27th Brigade.
Meanwhile, the British 21st and 24th Divisions continue to struggle across the broken terrain of the old No Man's Land towards the new front line. Due to the communication delays endemic to the modern battlefield, Haig's order of 827pm for the two divisions to take up position between Hulluch and Hill 70 does not even arrive at the headquarters of the latter until 2am this morning, and the former receives the directive even later. By the time they reach the new position and sort out the confusion caused by the march, it is already dawn. Haig has assumed that the two divisions would reach the line Hulluch-Hill 70 much earlier overnight and would have had time to rest before they attack this morning. In reality, the men are already exhausted without a shot having been fired in anger.
Haig's plan for the second day of the British offensive is to attack what is perceived to be the weakest point of the German line, that stretching from Hill 70 to just north of Hulluch, where the British had secured the greatest gains yesterday. On the northern end, I Corps is instructed to capture the village of St Elie, while IV Corps is ordered to seize Hulluch as well as recapture the high ground of Hill 70. In between these two points, 21st and 24th Divisions of XI Corps are to drive over the second German trench line, advancing three miles to the Haute Deule Canal. The most important advance is thus of the 'fresh' 21st and 24th Divisions. Both formations are part of Kitchener's 'New Armies', composed of men who volunteered for military service in the first months of the war. This is not the first time divisions of the 'New Armies' will enter combat - two of the six divisions that had attacked yesterday were from the 'New Armies'. However, those formations had been given substantial time to prepare an attack against defences that had been subject to a four-day bombardment. Today's attack by 21st and 24th Divisions, however, are to be undertaken by already-exhausted formations against German defences that will have been bombarded for only a couple of hours. Such circumstances are hardly ideal, but Haig believes the Germans remain weak, and regardless the two divisions are the only reserves immediately at hand: if the offensive is to be continued, they need to be committed to the attack.
The orders for the preliminary attack on Hill 70 only reach the involved battalions at 7am, leaving little time for preparations for the attack scheduled for 9am. More seriously, the artillery bombardment is hindered by a lack of ammunition: batteries that had moved forward to Loos overnight cannot be resupplied over roads that are clogged with the debris of battle and under constant German artillery fire, and thus can contribute only the shells they brought with them. Confusion over where exactly the front line was, combined with the delay in communication orders, also means that a few of the British shells fall short among their own infantry. When the infantry attack Hill 70 at 9am, a morning mist that had impeded the artillery bombardment lifts just in time for the German machine gunners to take a terrible toll on the advancing infantry. Some manage to get into the redoubt on the top of Hill 70, but in bitter close-quarters fighting are unable to push the Germans back, and the survivors soon retreat westwards. Attempts by the British to attack again are futile - four senior officers, starting with the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding 10/Green Howards, climb out of the trenches to encourage the infantry to advance once more. Each of the four is killed in turn, and the soldiers prefer to take what cover is possible from the growing tide of German fire.
Despite the failure to take Hill 70, the commander of XI Corps orders the main attack by 21st and 24th Divisions to go ahead as planned. Here too the preliminary bombardment is ineffective - in the chaoes of the battlefield the artillery of the two divisions had struggled to get forward, and when the morning mist clears at 9am they find that they have positioned themselves in full view of the German lines. The result is that the Germans pour artillery fire of their own on the British guns, and the latter are understandibly unable to provide much of a preliminary bombardment of their own. At exactly 11am the infantry of the two divisions leave the trenches hastily-constructed early this morning and begin to cross the thousand yards that separate them from the second German trench line. This position is not nearly as elaborate as the old first German line - it lacks the usual support or communication trenches - but otherwise the Germans are in a favourable position. Though the counterattack overnight largely failed, 8th Division is now available to aid 117th Division in repelling the British attack. Artillery of both divisions, supported by fire from Hill 70, tear great holes in the ranks of the advancing infantry, and German machine guns sweep back and forth, felling hundreds at a time. Despite the horrendous losses and the horrific baptism of fire, the British infantry continue to advance eastward. The German trench is protected by great belts of barbed wire, which the preliminary bombardment has done nothing to disperse. The survivors who reach the barbed wire can find no way through, and while their search for a way forward losses continue to mount. Officers capable of coordinating attacks fall - five of the eight battalion commanders of 24th Division that went over the top are killed or wounded - and communications to the rear were nonexistant. No formal order is given for the divisions to retire - there hardly remains anyone alive to even give such an order - but slowly the survivors begin to pull back from the German wire and return to the trenches from which they had departed. The German defenders are impressed by the determination and bravery of the British infantry in making it as far as they did in the face of murderous fire, and so great has been the slaughter that out of compassion for a thoroughly beaten foe the German machine guns fall silent as the British withdraw. German medics even move into No Man's Land to minister to those British wounded not yet beyond aid, and allow them to return to their lines unmolested. The Germans refer to the battle as der Leichenfel von Loos - the Field of Corpses of Loos. Of the 15 000 men of 21st and 24th Divisions, over 8000 have been killed or wounded in just four hours of fighting - for all intents and purposes, the two divisions have been destroyed.
When the first news of the attack reach Lieutenant General R. C. B. Haking of XI Corps, he simply cannot believe that it has been such an abject and thorough failure. Neither can Haig, present at Haking's headquarters, and a staff officer is sent forward to ascertain the actual state of affairs. When he returns shortly after 4pm, the report he provides extinguishes hope that any success has been accomplished by the attack. The most significant reserve force available to Haig has thus failed to maintain the momentum of yesterday. The only other reserve that remains is the Guards Division, which remained under Field Marshal French's control when 21st and 24th Divisions had been ordered forward on the 25th. Now orders go out to the Guards to advance to the new British line from which the two 'New Army' divisions had attacked this morning. They are to prevent a German counterattack against the shattered divisions from retaking the ground gained yesterday while also placing them in position to resume the offensive. Again, orders are delayed and movement across the battlefield is painfully slow: it is not until 6pm that the Guards reach the old British front line trench from which the offensive had begun yesterday, and only reach the new front line after dusk, where they being to relieve the shattered remnants of 21st and 24th Divisions.
- To the south of the British 1st Army, the two northernmost corps of the French 10th Army attack at 110pm this afternoon after an artillery bombardment this morning, and though they are able to capture the pulverized ruins of Souchez, they are unable to advance further. The attacks south of Arras yesterday, however, are not renewed, General d'Urbal having concluded, with Foch's agreement, that the offensive should only be continued where there was reasonable prospects of success, which existed only where 10th Army had gained ground the prior day. Future operations of 10th Army are further limited as a result of a meeting of Joffre and Foch south of Amiens at 3pm, where the former remarkably instructs the latter to 'stop the attacks of 10th Army but avoid giving the British the impression that we are leaving them to attack alone, or the Germans that our offensive is slackening off.' Believing that the operation in Champagne has the greatest chance of succeeding, Joffre wants to concentrate all resources there and draw down the commitment to Artois. The meeting is also a telling reflection of Joffre's opinion of his British ally.
For their part, while Foch and d'Urbal narrow the scope of 10th Army's activities, they do not completely abandon offensive operations, if only to show the British that they are doing something. There is a momentary surge of optimism late today when a message reaches 10th Army headquarters that XII Corps has broken through near Neuville. The report, however, is mistaken, and such misinformation is another consequence of the chaos and interruption of communication on the modern battlefield - in such conditions, reports from subordinate formations of minor advances can become exaggerated and reflect instead the hopes of recipients. Before the report can be corrected, orders are issued to two corps in the centre of 10th Army to attack, and though the orders are cancelled before they can be carried out, the corps are left sufficiently disordered to be unable to participate in other operations tomorrow.
- In Champagne, Falkenhayn believes that the German 5th Army under Crown Prince Wilhelm reacted better to the French offensive than 3rd Army, and that the command staff of the latter largely lost control of the battle and had made no attempt to inform itself of the state of VIII Reserve Corps. The German chief of staff thus decides to place 3rd Army under the direction of Crown Prince Wilhelm, so that the efforts of the two armies could be better coordinated. When news of the change in the command structure is telephoned to 3rd Army headquarters, the chief of staff of 3rd Army objects to serving under 5th Army's chief of staff, who by rank is his junior. Falkenhayn's reply is to fire 3rd Army's chief of staff and replace him with Colonel Fritz von Lossberg, deputy chief of the Operations Section at OHL. Arriving at 3rd Army headquarters at 330pm, he receives a call from General Fleck of VIII Reserve Corps, asking whether the withdrawal he proposed yesterday is to be carried out. Keeping in mind his instructions from Falkenhayn to hold the line, Lossberg instead replies that 'VIII Reserve Corps must stand and die in its current position.' A later tour of VIII Reserve Corps' line convinces Lossberg that it can hold on with reinforcements now arriving at the front, though he also orders the construction of a new reserve line several kilometres to the north. He also instructs that the primary responsibility for halting French attacks is to fall on the artillery, which is to cut down the attacking infantry before they reached the German line. This reflects not only the superiority of artillery on the modern battlefield but also acknowledges the heavy losses VIII Reserve Corps has already suffered.
On the French side, after their gains yesterday the inner wings of 2nd and 4th Armies resume their attacks this morning, focusing on the reserve defensive line of the battered VIII Reserve Corps north of Souain and Perthes. Though this position is not nearly as fortified as the primary line the French overran yesterday morning, the one advantage it does have is that it is on the reverse slope of the Py Valley, which prevents French observation. As a result, artillery bombardment early this morning is less effective, and most of the belts of barbed wire remain in place. The French XIV Corps of 2nd Army attacks twice this morning, but is halted both times just north of Tahure. Another attempt is made this afternoon, and in bitter fighting a brigade manages to work its way through the second line of trenches. By this time, however, reinforcements ordered to the front yesterday by Falkenhayn are reaching the scene, and elements of the newly-arrived German 56th Division drives the French brigade back. To the west, the French VI Corps, ordered into the line yesterday, attacks at 230pm, but barbed wire belts up to sixty meters deep prevent the infantry from reaching the German trenches. Some success is achieved further to the west, where the French VII Corps, which had not gained ground yesterday, pushes through the first German trench line and reaches the second line, bringing it level with II Colonial Corps. Though its efforts to fight through the reserve line are also frustrated, its advance raises hopes that another push tomorrow will finally break the German lines.
- Given Falkenhayn's instructions of yesterday and the inability of the German 10th Army to advance further past Vilna, Ludendorff acknowledges the inevitable and calls his September, or Sventsiany, offensive to an end. Instead the armies of OberOst are instructed to establish a permanent line of trenches on which they will stand for the foreseeable future.
Ludendorff's decision to call off the offensive of the German 10th Army effectively brings an end to German operations on the Eastern Front, which had originated in the attack of Mackensen's 11th Army at Gorlice-Tarnow at the beginning of May. In the months since, the Russian army has been forced to evacuate Poland while the Russian pressure on Austria-Hungary has been relieved. Though the Russian army escaped the massive envelopment envisioned by Ludendorff, they have still suffered crushing losses: since the spring, the Russian army has lost over two million men, including a million prisoners of war. Of almost equal significance, the fighting since May has reinforced the belief among Russian generals that the German soldier is inherently superior to his Russian counterpart, which has left them extremely reluctant to undertake offensive operations against the Germans. Thus, despite the fact that the Russians still have a marked numerical superiority over the Germans - the former has seventy-five divisions arrayed against the forty-five divisions under Ludendorff - Falkenhayn has accomplished his objective of destroying the offensive capability of the Russian army, a victory as psychological as material. This is the necessary prerequisite for offensive operations planned by Falkenhayn in other theatres - even if the Russians have not been knocked out of the war, they have been sufficiently damaged to allow for a significant redeployment of German divisions elsewhere. It is also a vindication of Falkenhayn's operational approach of eschewing grand envelopments in favour of concentrating firepower to crush the enemy line and grinding the enemy down.
- This morning the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army discovers the Russians on the opposite bank of the Styr River have retreated overnight, but their own pursuit is delayed by a lack of bridges and boats, and it is not until evening that significant elements of the army have crossed to the east bank. As a result, though Lutsk is recaptured, 4th Army has completely lost touch with the withdrawing Russian 8th Army. Meanwhile, to the north the German XXIV Reserve Corps, the core of a group under General Friedrich Gerok sent from the Army of the Bug, crosses the Styr River at Kolki.
- With the imminent Anglo-French expedition to Salonika, Italian Prime Minister Sydney Sonnino asks his military advisors whether Italian forces can be commited to the operation. Given that Italian governments have traditionally seen the southwestern Balkans as properly within their sphere of influence, an Entente deployment to the region without Italian participation may be detrimental to Italy's long-term interests. Lieutenant-General Vittorio Zupelli, the war minister, argues that nothing can be spared from the Italian Front and that supplies to support such an expedition do not exist and are beyond the capability of Italian industry to produce. Lieutenant-General Luigi Cadorna, the Italian chief of staff, takes the opposite view, believing that Austro-Hungarian forces tied down fighting in the Balkans means fewer defenders along the Isonzo River. Though he is planning a major offensive for October, Cadorna states that afterwards he will be able to spare 20 000 men for the Balkans.
- West of Kut-al-Amara the British 6th Indian Division approaches the Ottoman defences, with 16th and 17th Brigades on the south bank and only 18th Brigade on the north bank. Opposing them are two Ottoman divisions, one on either bank, with further battalions in reserve. The British force, however, outnumbers the Ottomans almost two to one, at eleven thousand men to six thousand. The two British brigades on the south bank establish a very conspicuous deception camp, and successfully convince the Ottomans that the main British attack will come south of the Tigris River, Ottoman artillery firing shells into the 'camp'. The British had also hoped to encourage Ottoman guns north of the Tigris to fire, since it is here that the main British effort will actually be made and it is desirable to know the location of enemy guns so they can be knocked out when the main attack goes in on the 28th. However, the British deception has been too effective; thinking there are no valuable targets north of the Tigris, the Ottoman artillery here remains silent. The British here resort to any number of ruses to get the Ottomans to fire, including one captain who walks out into the open and, in full view of the Ottomans, sits on the desert ground and proceeds to read The Times. Even the captain, though, was not tempting enough for the Ottoman gunners.
Meanwhile, the British 21st and 24th Divisions continue to struggle across the broken terrain of the old No Man's Land towards the new front line. Due to the communication delays endemic to the modern battlefield, Haig's order of 827pm for the two divisions to take up position between Hulluch and Hill 70 does not even arrive at the headquarters of the latter until 2am this morning, and the former receives the directive even later. By the time they reach the new position and sort out the confusion caused by the march, it is already dawn. Haig has assumed that the two divisions would reach the line Hulluch-Hill 70 much earlier overnight and would have had time to rest before they attack this morning. In reality, the men are already exhausted without a shot having been fired in anger.
Haig's plan for the second day of the British offensive is to attack what is perceived to be the weakest point of the German line, that stretching from Hill 70 to just north of Hulluch, where the British had secured the greatest gains yesterday. On the northern end, I Corps is instructed to capture the village of St Elie, while IV Corps is ordered to seize Hulluch as well as recapture the high ground of Hill 70. In between these two points, 21st and 24th Divisions of XI Corps are to drive over the second German trench line, advancing three miles to the Haute Deule Canal. The most important advance is thus of the 'fresh' 21st and 24th Divisions. Both formations are part of Kitchener's 'New Armies', composed of men who volunteered for military service in the first months of the war. This is not the first time divisions of the 'New Armies' will enter combat - two of the six divisions that had attacked yesterday were from the 'New Armies'. However, those formations had been given substantial time to prepare an attack against defences that had been subject to a four-day bombardment. Today's attack by 21st and 24th Divisions, however, are to be undertaken by already-exhausted formations against German defences that will have been bombarded for only a couple of hours. Such circumstances are hardly ideal, but Haig believes the Germans remain weak, and regardless the two divisions are the only reserves immediately at hand: if the offensive is to be continued, they need to be committed to the attack.
The orders for the preliminary attack on Hill 70 only reach the involved battalions at 7am, leaving little time for preparations for the attack scheduled for 9am. More seriously, the artillery bombardment is hindered by a lack of ammunition: batteries that had moved forward to Loos overnight cannot be resupplied over roads that are clogged with the debris of battle and under constant German artillery fire, and thus can contribute only the shells they brought with them. Confusion over where exactly the front line was, combined with the delay in communication orders, also means that a few of the British shells fall short among their own infantry. When the infantry attack Hill 70 at 9am, a morning mist that had impeded the artillery bombardment lifts just in time for the German machine gunners to take a terrible toll on the advancing infantry. Some manage to get into the redoubt on the top of Hill 70, but in bitter close-quarters fighting are unable to push the Germans back, and the survivors soon retreat westwards. Attempts by the British to attack again are futile - four senior officers, starting with the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding 10/Green Howards, climb out of the trenches to encourage the infantry to advance once more. Each of the four is killed in turn, and the soldiers prefer to take what cover is possible from the growing tide of German fire.
Despite the failure to take Hill 70, the commander of XI Corps orders the main attack by 21st and 24th Divisions to go ahead as planned. Here too the preliminary bombardment is ineffective - in the chaoes of the battlefield the artillery of the two divisions had struggled to get forward, and when the morning mist clears at 9am they find that they have positioned themselves in full view of the German lines. The result is that the Germans pour artillery fire of their own on the British guns, and the latter are understandibly unable to provide much of a preliminary bombardment of their own. At exactly 11am the infantry of the two divisions leave the trenches hastily-constructed early this morning and begin to cross the thousand yards that separate them from the second German trench line. This position is not nearly as elaborate as the old first German line - it lacks the usual support or communication trenches - but otherwise the Germans are in a favourable position. Though the counterattack overnight largely failed, 8th Division is now available to aid 117th Division in repelling the British attack. Artillery of both divisions, supported by fire from Hill 70, tear great holes in the ranks of the advancing infantry, and German machine guns sweep back and forth, felling hundreds at a time. Despite the horrendous losses and the horrific baptism of fire, the British infantry continue to advance eastward. The German trench is protected by great belts of barbed wire, which the preliminary bombardment has done nothing to disperse. The survivors who reach the barbed wire can find no way through, and while their search for a way forward losses continue to mount. Officers capable of coordinating attacks fall - five of the eight battalion commanders of 24th Division that went over the top are killed or wounded - and communications to the rear were nonexistant. No formal order is given for the divisions to retire - there hardly remains anyone alive to even give such an order - but slowly the survivors begin to pull back from the German wire and return to the trenches from which they had departed. The German defenders are impressed by the determination and bravery of the British infantry in making it as far as they did in the face of murderous fire, and so great has been the slaughter that out of compassion for a thoroughly beaten foe the German machine guns fall silent as the British withdraw. German medics even move into No Man's Land to minister to those British wounded not yet beyond aid, and allow them to return to their lines unmolested. The Germans refer to the battle as der Leichenfel von Loos - the Field of Corpses of Loos. Of the 15 000 men of 21st and 24th Divisions, over 8000 have been killed or wounded in just four hours of fighting - for all intents and purposes, the two divisions have been destroyed.
When the first news of the attack reach Lieutenant General R. C. B. Haking of XI Corps, he simply cannot believe that it has been such an abject and thorough failure. Neither can Haig, present at Haking's headquarters, and a staff officer is sent forward to ascertain the actual state of affairs. When he returns shortly after 4pm, the report he provides extinguishes hope that any success has been accomplished by the attack. The most significant reserve force available to Haig has thus failed to maintain the momentum of yesterday. The only other reserve that remains is the Guards Division, which remained under Field Marshal French's control when 21st and 24th Divisions had been ordered forward on the 25th. Now orders go out to the Guards to advance to the new British line from which the two 'New Army' divisions had attacked this morning. They are to prevent a German counterattack against the shattered divisions from retaking the ground gained yesterday while also placing them in position to resume the offensive. Again, orders are delayed and movement across the battlefield is painfully slow: it is not until 6pm that the Guards reach the old British front line trench from which the offensive had begun yesterday, and only reach the new front line after dusk, where they being to relieve the shattered remnants of 21st and 24th Divisions.
- To the south of the British 1st Army, the two northernmost corps of the French 10th Army attack at 110pm this afternoon after an artillery bombardment this morning, and though they are able to capture the pulverized ruins of Souchez, they are unable to advance further. The attacks south of Arras yesterday, however, are not renewed, General d'Urbal having concluded, with Foch's agreement, that the offensive should only be continued where there was reasonable prospects of success, which existed only where 10th Army had gained ground the prior day. Future operations of 10th Army are further limited as a result of a meeting of Joffre and Foch south of Amiens at 3pm, where the former remarkably instructs the latter to 'stop the attacks of 10th Army but avoid giving the British the impression that we are leaving them to attack alone, or the Germans that our offensive is slackening off.' Believing that the operation in Champagne has the greatest chance of succeeding, Joffre wants to concentrate all resources there and draw down the commitment to Artois. The meeting is also a telling reflection of Joffre's opinion of his British ally.
For their part, while Foch and d'Urbal narrow the scope of 10th Army's activities, they do not completely abandon offensive operations, if only to show the British that they are doing something. There is a momentary surge of optimism late today when a message reaches 10th Army headquarters that XII Corps has broken through near Neuville. The report, however, is mistaken, and such misinformation is another consequence of the chaos and interruption of communication on the modern battlefield - in such conditions, reports from subordinate formations of minor advances can become exaggerated and reflect instead the hopes of recipients. Before the report can be corrected, orders are issued to two corps in the centre of 10th Army to attack, and though the orders are cancelled before they can be carried out, the corps are left sufficiently disordered to be unable to participate in other operations tomorrow.
- In Champagne, Falkenhayn believes that the German 5th Army under Crown Prince Wilhelm reacted better to the French offensive than 3rd Army, and that the command staff of the latter largely lost control of the battle and had made no attempt to inform itself of the state of VIII Reserve Corps. The German chief of staff thus decides to place 3rd Army under the direction of Crown Prince Wilhelm, so that the efforts of the two armies could be better coordinated. When news of the change in the command structure is telephoned to 3rd Army headquarters, the chief of staff of 3rd Army objects to serving under 5th Army's chief of staff, who by rank is his junior. Falkenhayn's reply is to fire 3rd Army's chief of staff and replace him with Colonel Fritz von Lossberg, deputy chief of the Operations Section at OHL. Arriving at 3rd Army headquarters at 330pm, he receives a call from General Fleck of VIII Reserve Corps, asking whether the withdrawal he proposed yesterday is to be carried out. Keeping in mind his instructions from Falkenhayn to hold the line, Lossberg instead replies that 'VIII Reserve Corps must stand and die in its current position.' A later tour of VIII Reserve Corps' line convinces Lossberg that it can hold on with reinforcements now arriving at the front, though he also orders the construction of a new reserve line several kilometres to the north. He also instructs that the primary responsibility for halting French attacks is to fall on the artillery, which is to cut down the attacking infantry before they reached the German line. This reflects not only the superiority of artillery on the modern battlefield but also acknowledges the heavy losses VIII Reserve Corps has already suffered.
On the French side, after their gains yesterday the inner wings of 2nd and 4th Armies resume their attacks this morning, focusing on the reserve defensive line of the battered VIII Reserve Corps north of Souain and Perthes. Though this position is not nearly as fortified as the primary line the French overran yesterday morning, the one advantage it does have is that it is on the reverse slope of the Py Valley, which prevents French observation. As a result, artillery bombardment early this morning is less effective, and most of the belts of barbed wire remain in place. The French XIV Corps of 2nd Army attacks twice this morning, but is halted both times just north of Tahure. Another attempt is made this afternoon, and in bitter fighting a brigade manages to work its way through the second line of trenches. By this time, however, reinforcements ordered to the front yesterday by Falkenhayn are reaching the scene, and elements of the newly-arrived German 56th Division drives the French brigade back. To the west, the French VI Corps, ordered into the line yesterday, attacks at 230pm, but barbed wire belts up to sixty meters deep prevent the infantry from reaching the German trenches. Some success is achieved further to the west, where the French VII Corps, which had not gained ground yesterday, pushes through the first German trench line and reaches the second line, bringing it level with II Colonial Corps. Though its efforts to fight through the reserve line are also frustrated, its advance raises hopes that another push tomorrow will finally break the German lines.
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| French artillery firing during the 2nd Battle of Champagne, Sept. 26th, 1915. |
- Given Falkenhayn's instructions of yesterday and the inability of the German 10th Army to advance further past Vilna, Ludendorff acknowledges the inevitable and calls his September, or Sventsiany, offensive to an end. Instead the armies of OberOst are instructed to establish a permanent line of trenches on which they will stand for the foreseeable future.
Ludendorff's decision to call off the offensive of the German 10th Army effectively brings an end to German operations on the Eastern Front, which had originated in the attack of Mackensen's 11th Army at Gorlice-Tarnow at the beginning of May. In the months since, the Russian army has been forced to evacuate Poland while the Russian pressure on Austria-Hungary has been relieved. Though the Russian army escaped the massive envelopment envisioned by Ludendorff, they have still suffered crushing losses: since the spring, the Russian army has lost over two million men, including a million prisoners of war. Of almost equal significance, the fighting since May has reinforced the belief among Russian generals that the German soldier is inherently superior to his Russian counterpart, which has left them extremely reluctant to undertake offensive operations against the Germans. Thus, despite the fact that the Russians still have a marked numerical superiority over the Germans - the former has seventy-five divisions arrayed against the forty-five divisions under Ludendorff - Falkenhayn has accomplished his objective of destroying the offensive capability of the Russian army, a victory as psychological as material. This is the necessary prerequisite for offensive operations planned by Falkenhayn in other theatres - even if the Russians have not been knocked out of the war, they have been sufficiently damaged to allow for a significant redeployment of German divisions elsewhere. It is also a vindication of Falkenhayn's operational approach of eschewing grand envelopments in favour of concentrating firepower to crush the enemy line and grinding the enemy down.
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| The Eastern Front at the end of the German offensives of 1915. |
- This morning the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army discovers the Russians on the opposite bank of the Styr River have retreated overnight, but their own pursuit is delayed by a lack of bridges and boats, and it is not until evening that significant elements of the army have crossed to the east bank. As a result, though Lutsk is recaptured, 4th Army has completely lost touch with the withdrawing Russian 8th Army. Meanwhile, to the north the German XXIV Reserve Corps, the core of a group under General Friedrich Gerok sent from the Army of the Bug, crosses the Styr River at Kolki.
- With the imminent Anglo-French expedition to Salonika, Italian Prime Minister Sydney Sonnino asks his military advisors whether Italian forces can be commited to the operation. Given that Italian governments have traditionally seen the southwestern Balkans as properly within their sphere of influence, an Entente deployment to the region without Italian participation may be detrimental to Italy's long-term interests. Lieutenant-General Vittorio Zupelli, the war minister, argues that nothing can be spared from the Italian Front and that supplies to support such an expedition do not exist and are beyond the capability of Italian industry to produce. Lieutenant-General Luigi Cadorna, the Italian chief of staff, takes the opposite view, believing that Austro-Hungarian forces tied down fighting in the Balkans means fewer defenders along the Isonzo River. Though he is planning a major offensive for October, Cadorna states that afterwards he will be able to spare 20 000 men for the Balkans.
- West of Kut-al-Amara the British 6th Indian Division approaches the Ottoman defences, with 16th and 17th Brigades on the south bank and only 18th Brigade on the north bank. Opposing them are two Ottoman divisions, one on either bank, with further battalions in reserve. The British force, however, outnumbers the Ottomans almost two to one, at eleven thousand men to six thousand. The two British brigades on the south bank establish a very conspicuous deception camp, and successfully convince the Ottomans that the main British attack will come south of the Tigris River, Ottoman artillery firing shells into the 'camp'. The British had also hoped to encourage Ottoman guns north of the Tigris to fire, since it is here that the main British effort will actually be made and it is desirable to know the location of enemy guns so they can be knocked out when the main attack goes in on the 28th. However, the British deception has been too effective; thinking there are no valuable targets north of the Tigris, the Ottoman artillery here remains silent. The British here resort to any number of ruses to get the Ottomans to fire, including one captain who walks out into the open and, in full view of the Ottomans, sits on the desert ground and proceeds to read The Times. Even the captain, though, was not tempting enough for the Ottoman gunners.
Friday, September 25, 2015
September 25th, 1915
- At 3am General Haig and his chief of staff meet once more with Captain Gold, and the latter informs the commander of 1st Army that the wind would be most favourable at dawn. Haig then issues orders for the chlorine gas cylinders to be opened right at dawn at 550am, with the infantry assault beginning at 630am.
The first British use of gas, however, is not without difficulties. At 440am, a German shell strikes one of the cylinders in the sector of 3rd London Regiment of the Indian Corps, and some of the infantry are impacted by the gas before enough dirt can be shoveled onto the burst cylinder. Elsewhere shifts in the wind affect the direction of the gas clouds. In some sectors the gas settles into No Man's Land, and in a few places actually blows back on the British infantry; on the northern flank of I Corps, a gas cloud blows back on two platoons and the battalion machine gun section of 1/9th Highlanders of 2nd Division before they had their gas masks in place, and within a minute only sixteen of eighty men remain capable of action. Though two reserve platoons are called up to take their place, given that the Germans opposite are now fully awake the British attack here is abandoned. The employment of gas is of greater help on the front of IV Corps, the southern wing of 1st Army. In some places the gas clouds at least mix with smoke to obscure the advance of British infantry (equipped with effective gas masks) until they are almost on top of the first German trench line. In front of 15th Division (opposite the village of Loos) and 47th Division to the south, the gas works as intended, the clouds slowly rolling over the German trenches, with the attacking infantry following immediately behind.
North of La Bassée Canal, the diversionary attacks of 8th Division at III Corps and the Meerut Division of the Indian Corps capture several stretches of the first German trench line. However, those elements that push forward successfully find themselves under attack on their flanks from those portions of the first German trench lines that remain in enemy hands, and by nightfall the Germans have recaptured their lost positions. British casualties here are heavy - the Meerut Division alone loses four thousand men - but the attacks at least serve to pin the German forces opposite and prevent them from moving south against the main British attack.
South of La Bassée Canal, 2nd Division, attacking over broken terrain of brick heaps and shell craters, gets nowhere while suffering heavy casualties. On its right 9th (Scottish) Division has more success: while its 28th Brigade to the north never reaches the first German trench line, 26th Brigade on the right, covered effectively by smoke and gas, breaks into and clears a German strongpoint known as the Hohenzollern Redoubt, passes through the second trench line, and reaches its objectives for the first day, all in the first hour. 26th Brigade, however, has suffered terrible losses for its success; of eight hundred men who attacked at 630am, only one hundred remain in action an hour later. On 9th (Scottish) Division's right, 7th Division also achieves notable success: by 730am both of its brigades have pushed through both the first and support German trench lines, and by 930 have captured an old chalk mining area known as the Quarries in addition to capturing a German battery of eight artillery guns. As of 11am they have reached the second German line opposite the villages of St. Elie and Hulluch, but as with the Scots to the north, the two attacking brigades of 7th Division have paid a high price to secure their gains.
Most of General Rawlinson's IV Corps also achieves significant gains in the first hours of the offensive. On the corps' northern wing, though 1st Brigade of 1st Division is initially held up at the German wire, 2nd Brigade passes through the German lines and by late morning is also approaching the village of Hulluch. In the corps' centre, 15th (Scottish) Division advances the furthest this morning: by 705am most of the first German line has been captured, and shortly thereafter British infantry pass through the ruined village of Loos itself, where the British artillery has been particularly thorough in wrecking the German communication trenches. By 800am men of 44th Brigade reach Hill 70, the 'tallest' feature on the Loos battlefield and soon sweep over the crest, capturing the partially-completed redoubt the Germans were still in the process of constructing on the summit. On the corps' southern wing, 47th Division pushes forward and has captured all of its objectives for the day by 9am.
Despite the failure of the use of chlorine gas to have a decisive effect, by late morning the bulk of the British 1st Army has pushed through the first German trench line and has reached the second trench line, in some cases advancing over three thousand yards. On the German side, 117th Division of IV Corps, responsible for the stretch of the front from south of Haines to south of Hill 70, has suffered the worst, with fifteen companies destroyed and twenty-two guns lost. It no longer has the strength to garrison the entire length of the second trench line it has been pushed into, and has lost touch with 7th Division on its southern flank. When reports of the crisis reach the headquarters of the German 6th Army, Rupprecht immediately orders his entire army reserve - 8th Division, 26th Brigade, and three battalions drawn from II Bavarian Corps - to reinforce the battered IV Corps. It will be late afternoon at the earliest before these forces can reach the battlefield, however; further British attacks in the hours ahead will have to be held by the battered remnants of 117th Division.
On either side of Arras, the assault infantry of the French 10th Army are in their forward trenches by 430am, and the artillery bombardment reaches its crescendo at 9am. However, Foch's plan does not have them attack until 1225pm, the delay hopefully giving time for the British attack to the north to draw German attention and reserves. Shortly before noon, however, rain begins to fall, and the resulting mud makes movement difficult. It is too late to abandon the attack, however, given that the coordination of the overall Entente offensive depends on each main assault occurring on schedule. Thus the French infantry go over the top at the scheduled hour. Unlike the British, the French do not mass-release chlorine gas; instead, French artillery fires gas and smoke shells on rear areas and specified targets.
Overall, the assault of the French 10th Army has mixed results. The attack of the French 43rd Division, located on the northern wing of 10th Army adjacent to the British, is repulsed by the German 7th Division opposite. To the south, however, the weather works to the advantage of the French 13th and 70th Divisions northwest of Souchez - the trenches of the German 123rd Saxon Division of VI Corps have become waterlogged, and when the French infantry emerge from the smoke they overrun the German defenders and are able to push forward two kilometres to the base of Giesler Hill. Further south, at Neuville St. Vaast, French infantry push through the German lines at several points, with some reaching the forward slope of Vimy Ridge itself. On the other hand, the southern wing of 10th Army is unable to make any progress opposite and south of Arras against the German 1st Bavarian Corps.
For the Germans opposite the French 10th Army, the multiple enemy advances between Souchez and Neuville St. Vaast pose the greatest danger, where VI Corps struggles to hold the line. However, the ability of either General Kurt von Pritzelwitz of VI Corps or Crown Prince Rupprecht of 6th Army to direct the defence of the threatened sectors has been impaired by the destruction of telephone lines by artillery fire and aerial bombardment, leaving the German commanders in the dark about the specific circumstances at the front. Moreover, Rupprecht has already had to dispatch all of his army's reserves to contain the British assault at Loos, and thus has nothing left to send VI Corps; the forces already in the line will have to fight and contain the French on their own.
In the Champagne, at 9am the French artillery shift their fire to concentrate on the first German trench line, and add gas and smoke shells into the mix to reduce the visibility of the enemy defenders. Fifteen minutes later, infantry from eighteen divisions go over the top, and the heaviest attack is undertaken on the inner wings of the French 4th and 2nd Armies, with II Colonial Corps of the former on the left and XIV Corps of the latter on the right. Here the French artillery bombardment has been particularly effective - many of the German defensive positions have been completely destroyed, while many of the German survivors are too stunned to offer serious resistance. So thick is the smoke and gas clouds laid down by the artillery that in some cases the French infantry reach the German trenches before the German soldiers can even emerge from their dugouts, and the latter are captured or killed before they are ready to even fight back. The French bombardment has also cut most of the German telephone lines, cutting off communications and preventing frontline commanders from calling for reserves or counterartillery fire. The result is that XIV and II Colonial Corps simply roll over the first trench line of the German VIII Reserve Corps. By noon, both French corps have advanced three to four kilometres and are assaulting the final German reserve line just south of Somme Py. The advancing French also turn east and west, and begin to roll up the flanks of the German forces on either side of the breakthrough. In response, the German divisions on either side of VIII Reserve Corps, though more successful in repelling the French attacks, have to pull back several kilometres to avoid having their inner flanks turned. Several German artillery batteries are overrun and captured by the French, and each of VIII Reserve Corps' three divisions suffer five thousand casualties.
One of the defining characteristics of the Western Front in the First World War is the length of time it takes information and orders to pass up and down the chain of command. In an era before portable wireless radio, reports are either relayed by telephone or send by messenger; the former are extremely vulnerable to artillery fire, while the latter, making their way from newly-won or heavily attacked positions, must navigate both enemy fire and the broken terrain of the battlefield. Delays in communication will be central to the outcome of the fall offensive of the Entente, but one of its first manifestations is seen on the German side. Continuing his inspection tour of the army headquarters on the Western Front, this morning Falkenhayn arrives at Montmédy, and even though British and French forces have been attacking (and advancing) for several hours, now significantly out-of-date reports from 3rd and 6th Army headquarters are sanguine, indicating nothing more than the continuation of artillery bombardments that have been ongoing now for several days. Believing that nothing in particular is amiss, Falkenhayn issues no new instructions and departs shortly thereafter for Stenay, headquarters of 5th Army. While enroute, 3rd Army headquarters finally learns of the plight of VIII Corps, and sends an urgent plea for reinforcements to its neighbour 5th Army, saying that the 'enemy has broken through in the area of Souain-Somme Py. Having also been attacked this morning, 5th Army is in no position to send aid, and its commander, Crown Prince Wilhelm, refuses. With Falkenhayn having recently arrived at 5th Army headquarters, the request by 3rd Army is submitted directly to the German chief of staff. Almost simultaneously, at 1230pm 6th Army headquarters in Artois sends an equally urgent message to Falkenhayn: 'Aided by gas the enemy has broken into the positions of IV Corps at Haisnes and Loos . . . The entire Army Reserve and the 8th Division had to be put at the disposal of IV Corps. Further reinforcements for the army are urgently required.' A telephone conversation with 3rd Army commander General Einem and his chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Ritter von Höhn, further brings home to Falkenhayn the perilous state of affairs, and the German chief of staff feels compelled to remind the badly-shaken Einem and Höhn that the Kaiser expects 'every man to do his duty.'
In an instant, Falkenhayn's understanding of the situation was transformed. Not only were the British and French undertaking significant operations, but they appeared to be on the verge of achieving breakthroughs in both Artois and Champagne - Falkenhayn's strategy of standing on the defensive in the west to permit offensives in the east and the Balkans now appears to hover on the brink of disaster. It was essential now to rapidly move all available reserves to 3rd and 6th Armies to allow them to hold their present lines. Falkenhayn immediately orders 192nd Brigade transferred from 7th Army's reserve to 6th Army and 56th Division from Lorraine to 3rd Army. Shortly after 1pm he departs Stenay for Mézières, OHL's headquarters on the Western Front, to better coordinate the response to the Entente offensive. Here he instructs the Guard and X Corps, currently in Belgium resting and recovering after lengthy service on the Eastern Front, to move to reinforce 6th Army and 3rd Army respectively. It would take hours for these reinforcements to arrive, however, and in the meantime 6th and 3rd Armies will have to hang on with what they have in hand. Falkenhayn's entire strategy for 1915 hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile in Flanders the focus of British commanders this afternoon is pushing up reinforcements to continue the advance. In each division, two brigades had led the attack this morning, while the third brigade was held in reserve, and the struggle now is to get these brigades forward to exploit the gains already won. Now the British experience the difficulties in communicating on the modern battlefield. At 910am, the commander of 1st Division, whose 1st Brigade has advanced almost to the village of Hulluch, issues orders for a two-battalion detachment under Lieutenant-Colonel E. W. B. Green (imaginatively named Green Force). Several messengers are dispatched from 1st Division headquarters with the instructions, but several are struck by German artillery fire or get lost in a landscape where almost every identifying feature has literally been blown away. As a result, the order to advance does not reach Lt-Col Green until 1055am, even though the latter's headquarters was only 2500 yards from the former. It then takes another hour for the order to pass down through battalion and company commanders, so it is not until after midday that Green Force actually begins to move forward. Similarly, to the north 27th Brigade, the reserve of 9th Division, is ordered forward towards Haisnes. Prior to the battle, two communication trenches had been assigned to 27th Brigade to facilitate their movement to the front, but as the infantry attempt to pass through them they find the trenches blocked with wounded coming back to medical stations. When they attempt to move around the blockages they find themselves under German artillery fire, so the brigade has suffered significant casualties before even reaching the front. By the time they approach Haisnes, the German line has been reinforced, and the exhausted infantry instead concentrate on improving the defences of the ground seized. The experience of 21st Brigade, the reserve of 7th Division, is similar - ordered forward to push through the German line north of Hulluch, as they approach the front line just west of St Elie German shrapnel shells cut great swathes through their ranks, and to the survivors who reach the front line it is clear no further advance is possible without more extensive artillery support.
With the delays and difficulties encountered by the divisional reserves, it will take the commitment of further reserve forces to maintain the momentum of the British attack. However, neither I or IV Corps has any reserve, nor does 1st Army. Instead, XI Corps, consisting of 21st and 24th Divisions, the Guards Division, and the Cavalry Corps were under the direct command of Field Marshal French. The commander of the British Expeditionary Force has never been enthusiastic about the offensive at Loos, and it is possible that he retained direct control over these forces to prevent their commitment to a losing cause - the BEF still numbers only thirty-seven divisions, six of which are Territorial divisions with little experience and six of which are 'New Army' divisions with none at all, and given that Britain does not yet have conscription, the destruction of the six divisions of the BEF reserve would have been a serious setback. The practical implication, however, is that after the success of the morning attack, another layer of command is added to the communication delays intrinsic to the First World War battlefield, and will become a major point of contention among the senior leadership of the BEF after the battle.
When the infantry attacked at dawn this morning, the lead columns of 21st and 24th Divisions were about four and a half miles behind the British front line, but the infantry are exhausted after marching all night from their prior concentration areas to the west. At 7am, Haig sends a staff officer by car to French's headquarters, informing the latter that the attack is progressing satisfactorily and requesting the release of XI Corps. Though it ought to have taken only forty-five minutes to cover the ground between the two locations by car, at 845am no response has been received and Haig dispatches another officer. This message reaches French, who in turn at 930am orders the commander of XI Corps to begin moving his two divisions to the front. It is another hour before the order reaches the divisional headquarters, and another forty-five minutes before the lead elements actually begin to move - by this time, the British advance means that they are now seven miles behind the current front line. The exhausted infantry do their best to push forward, but the few roads are already clogged with military traffic and their progress is painstakingly slow. Impatient, at 235pm Haig orders the commander of XI Corps to detach one brigade from each division and prioritize getting those forces to the front as quickly as possible, hoping they can launch an attack today towards the Haute Deule Canal, several kilometres past Hulluch. It is not until 6pm that the first infantry of 62nd Brigade of 21st Division actually arrive at the front, and Haig realizes that it will be impossible to to attack this evening. Instead, just after 8pm he orders XI Corps to take up position between Hulluch and Hill 70, in anticipation of an advance by the full corps early tomorrow morning.
On the German side, the hours of the afternoon pass without the expected resumption of the British advance. Though fierce fighting continues, there is no concerted push against the reserve German trenches. As the first reinforcements arrive later in the day, IV Corps uses them to reestablish a continuous front. To the north, elements of 2nd Guard Division, transferred from VII Corps, reestablish contact with the northern flank of 117th Division between Auchy and Haisnes, while to the south, elements of 7th and 123rd Saxon Divisions, sent from VI Corps, advance to Hill 70 and make contact with the southern wing of 117th Division. Though the Germans have suffered heavily, by evening they have recreated a cohesive front line, without gaps that could be exploited by the British. Limited counterattacks have also been undertaken, and though little ground is retaken they have the virtue of at least keeping the British forces off guard, and help convince the lead British brigades that, after the morning battles, they need to wait for reserves before the advance can be resumed. On the southern wing of the British gains, however, the infantry of 44th Brigade that captured the summit of Hill 70 and pushed down the eastern slope come under increasingly heavy German fire from the ruins of workers' cottages to the east. Moreover, their very success means they are now confronted with German defenses that had not been given the same attention from British artillery as the first German trench line. Taking losses, the men of 44th Brigade pull back from the eastern slope of Hill 70, and, given that the summit is now being swept by enemy machine gun fire, they retreat to the western slope and entrench.
As the situation stabilizes through the afternoon, the commander of the German IV Corps decides that the primary reserves dispatched from 6th Army headquarters - 8th Division and 26th Brigade - should be used to counterattack the salient around Loos carved out by the British. Initially hoping to attack this evening, delays are experienced in getting the reserves to the front: 26th Brigade is attempting to deploy into trenches still contested by British infantry, while the soldiers of 8th Division have to move through the maze of ruined houses in the town of Lens. Postponed several times, the counterattack is finally scheduled to go in at midnight.
The first day of the Battle of Loos has seen several British divisions advance several thousand yards, sweeping over the first German trench positions, seizing the village of Loos itself, and pushing up to the German reserve lines. Having achieved this notable success, the pace of the advance faltered, as the forces of the initial attack have suffered losses and reserves have been delayed in getting to the front. Nevertheless, Haig believes that the planned attack of 21st and 24th Divisions at dawn tomorrow will complete the breaking of the German lines.
After its progress in the morning, the situation of the French 10th Army deteriorates in the afternoon. Three regiments of the German 123rd Division, supported by the southern flank of the German 7th Division, attack after dark the French infantry that had pushed to Giesler Hill, and the exhausted French yield some of the ground won earlier today. Opposite Neuville St. Vaast, further French assaults are unable to break through the reserve German trench lines, and though the Germans are unable to recover the forward trench lost this morning, they are able to reestablish a solid defensive line.
In Champagne, the German VIII Reserve Corps fights desperately throughout the afternoon to hold on to its reserve trench line. To stem the French tide, the corps commander orders his recruiting depot (consisting of new recruits from the home front and returning wounded veterans) into the line at Somme Py. In addition, most of 5th Division, located in 3rd Army's rear area and whose orders to transfer to the Balkans had been cancelled just yesterday, is fed into the battle over the afternoon and evening. On the French side, the experience in the aftermath of initial success is similar to that of the British in Flanders: the lead infantry are exhausted and have taken significant losses. Further, in the chaos of battle battalions have been hopelessly mixed up and lines of command confused, while the very extent of the French advance has caused its own problems, as isolated groups of German infantry, bypassed by the initial attack, now emerge to fight in ground the French believe they have already captured. The result is that bitter fighting through the afternoon is not nearly as successful at that of the morning, and the Germans are just barely able to hang on. Nevertheless, General Friedrich Fleck, commanding VIII Reserve Corps, and General Einem of 3rd Army believe the crisis is far from having past, and as the breakdown of communications prevents accurate news from reaching headquartesr to the rear, in the vacuum of news pessimism reigns. Indeed Fleck, believing his command is on the verge of disintegration, requests permission this evening to withdraw from the reserve defensive position northwards past Somme Py and out of the trenches. This retreat, if implemented, would give the French precisely the breakthrough in Champagne they are so desperate to achieve.
On the French side, as reports filter back to the headquarters of the French 2nd and 4th Armies of the successful advance of II Colonial and XIV Corps, General Castlenau of the Army Group of the Centre at 415pm orders the two divisions of VI Corps to enter the line and follow up the attack of and expand the ground seized by II Colonial Corps. Again, however, it takes time for orders to make their way down the chain of command, and for the infantry to make their way across the shattered landscape, and it is midnight before VI Corps is in the front line. Optimism remains high, however, that further attacks tomorrow will shatter the weakened Germans and push on to the north.
- South of Vilna, the withdrawal of Russian forces to counter the German offensive at and north of the city has allowed the German 12th Army to reach the Berezina River east of Lida while the army group under Prince Leopold has arrived at the Szczara River. To the east of Vilna itself, the German 10th Army has ground its way towards Smorgon, but against increasing resistance has been unable to advance further.
To Falkenhayn, Ludendorff's September offensive at Vilna and Sventsiany has achieved exactly what the German chief of staff expected - namely, a minor advance of no great strategic consequence. Considering both the impending invasion of Serbia and the Entente offensive on the Western Front, Falkenhayn believes it is both necessary and desirable to end operations on the Eastern Front. Though the great German victories achieved since the attack at Gorlice-Tarnow in May have not convinced the Tsar to agree to a negotiated peace, they have sharply reduced the strength of the Russian army and it will likely be many months until the Russians are again capable of major offensive actions. As such, Falkenhayn today issues orders for German forces on the Eastern Front to hold their present positions and construct a strong defensive line that can be held with a reduced commitment of forces. At the northern end of the line, the armies under OberOst are to entrench on a line running from west of Riga through Mitau and west of Dvinsk to Lake Narotch and the mouth of the Bierieza River. From here, the army group under Prince Leopold and the Army of the Bug will hold on a line running from the Bierieza River through Baranowicze to Pinsk.
- Russian cavalry and aircraft have reported the movement of the German XXIV Reserve Corps and other formations southeastward toward the northern flank of the Russian 8th Army. Though General Brusilov wishes to stand on the Styr while redeploying the Russian XXX Corps towards Kolki to block the German advance. His superior, the more cautious General Ivanov, disagrees and, seeking to avoid a potential envelopment, orders Brusilov's 8th Army to retreat eastward towards the Putilowka and Kormin Rivers.
- As plans are finalized for the Serbian campaign, preliminary operations are deemed necessary to seize several large islands in the Danube River east of Belgrade - in German or Austro-Hungarian hands, the islands shorten the distance needed by the main crossings, and can serve as platforms to position light artillery closer to the front. The most substantial island is Temesziget, over twelve miles long and up to three miles wide, and its capture has been assigned to 11th Bavarian Division of IV Reserve Corps. Overnight elements of the division crossed to the north shore of the island, and the small Serbian detachments are quickly overwhelmed.
- After several days of debate, the French Council of Ministers decides to go to the aid of the Serbs, and authorizes the dispatch of an expedition to the Balkans. A telegraph is sent to the Greek government informing it that the Entente will provide the 150 000 troops required by Greek Prime Minister Venizelos to activate the convention with Serbia and bring Greece into the war. The British government also agrees to commit forces to the Balkans, though with considerably more disagreement: while David Lloyd George is in favour of contributing to the expedition, Lord Kitchener argues that redeploying forces from Gallipoli to the Balkans is 'jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.' In order to maintain the aura of neutrality, Prime Minister Venizelos requests twenty-four hours notice of the landing of the first Entente forces in Greece, so his government can lodge a diplomatic (though meaningless) protest. The Entente plan is to land at the port city of Salonika in northern Greece, using it as a base of operations for forces moving north to Serbia's aid.
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| The divisions of the British I and IV Corps prior to the attack at Loos, Sept. 25th, 1915. |
The first British use of gas, however, is not without difficulties. At 440am, a German shell strikes one of the cylinders in the sector of 3rd London Regiment of the Indian Corps, and some of the infantry are impacted by the gas before enough dirt can be shoveled onto the burst cylinder. Elsewhere shifts in the wind affect the direction of the gas clouds. In some sectors the gas settles into No Man's Land, and in a few places actually blows back on the British infantry; on the northern flank of I Corps, a gas cloud blows back on two platoons and the battalion machine gun section of 1/9th Highlanders of 2nd Division before they had their gas masks in place, and within a minute only sixteen of eighty men remain capable of action. Though two reserve platoons are called up to take their place, given that the Germans opposite are now fully awake the British attack here is abandoned. The employment of gas is of greater help on the front of IV Corps, the southern wing of 1st Army. In some places the gas clouds at least mix with smoke to obscure the advance of British infantry (equipped with effective gas masks) until they are almost on top of the first German trench line. In front of 15th Division (opposite the village of Loos) and 47th Division to the south, the gas works as intended, the clouds slowly rolling over the German trenches, with the attacking infantry following immediately behind.
North of La Bassée Canal, the diversionary attacks of 8th Division at III Corps and the Meerut Division of the Indian Corps capture several stretches of the first German trench line. However, those elements that push forward successfully find themselves under attack on their flanks from those portions of the first German trench lines that remain in enemy hands, and by nightfall the Germans have recaptured their lost positions. British casualties here are heavy - the Meerut Division alone loses four thousand men - but the attacks at least serve to pin the German forces opposite and prevent them from moving south against the main British attack.
Most of General Rawlinson's IV Corps also achieves significant gains in the first hours of the offensive. On the corps' northern wing, though 1st Brigade of 1st Division is initially held up at the German wire, 2nd Brigade passes through the German lines and by late morning is also approaching the village of Hulluch. In the corps' centre, 15th (Scottish) Division advances the furthest this morning: by 705am most of the first German line has been captured, and shortly thereafter British infantry pass through the ruined village of Loos itself, where the British artillery has been particularly thorough in wrecking the German communication trenches. By 800am men of 44th Brigade reach Hill 70, the 'tallest' feature on the Loos battlefield and soon sweep over the crest, capturing the partially-completed redoubt the Germans were still in the process of constructing on the summit. On the corps' southern wing, 47th Division pushes forward and has captured all of its objectives for the day by 9am.
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| Infantry of the British 47th Division advance into the clouds of chlorine gas released just prior to their attack, Sept. 25th, 1915. The photograph is taken from the forward British trenches looking towards the German lines. |
Despite the failure of the use of chlorine gas to have a decisive effect, by late morning the bulk of the British 1st Army has pushed through the first German trench line and has reached the second trench line, in some cases advancing over three thousand yards. On the German side, 117th Division of IV Corps, responsible for the stretch of the front from south of Haines to south of Hill 70, has suffered the worst, with fifteen companies destroyed and twenty-two guns lost. It no longer has the strength to garrison the entire length of the second trench line it has been pushed into, and has lost touch with 7th Division on its southern flank. When reports of the crisis reach the headquarters of the German 6th Army, Rupprecht immediately orders his entire army reserve - 8th Division, 26th Brigade, and three battalions drawn from II Bavarian Corps - to reinforce the battered IV Corps. It will be late afternoon at the earliest before these forces can reach the battlefield, however; further British attacks in the hours ahead will have to be held by the battered remnants of 117th Division.
On either side of Arras, the assault infantry of the French 10th Army are in their forward trenches by 430am, and the artillery bombardment reaches its crescendo at 9am. However, Foch's plan does not have them attack until 1225pm, the delay hopefully giving time for the British attack to the north to draw German attention and reserves. Shortly before noon, however, rain begins to fall, and the resulting mud makes movement difficult. It is too late to abandon the attack, however, given that the coordination of the overall Entente offensive depends on each main assault occurring on schedule. Thus the French infantry go over the top at the scheduled hour. Unlike the British, the French do not mass-release chlorine gas; instead, French artillery fires gas and smoke shells on rear areas and specified targets.
Overall, the assault of the French 10th Army has mixed results. The attack of the French 43rd Division, located on the northern wing of 10th Army adjacent to the British, is repulsed by the German 7th Division opposite. To the south, however, the weather works to the advantage of the French 13th and 70th Divisions northwest of Souchez - the trenches of the German 123rd Saxon Division of VI Corps have become waterlogged, and when the French infantry emerge from the smoke they overrun the German defenders and are able to push forward two kilometres to the base of Giesler Hill. Further south, at Neuville St. Vaast, French infantry push through the German lines at several points, with some reaching the forward slope of Vimy Ridge itself. On the other hand, the southern wing of 10th Army is unable to make any progress opposite and south of Arras against the German 1st Bavarian Corps.
For the Germans opposite the French 10th Army, the multiple enemy advances between Souchez and Neuville St. Vaast pose the greatest danger, where VI Corps struggles to hold the line. However, the ability of either General Kurt von Pritzelwitz of VI Corps or Crown Prince Rupprecht of 6th Army to direct the defence of the threatened sectors has been impaired by the destruction of telephone lines by artillery fire and aerial bombardment, leaving the German commanders in the dark about the specific circumstances at the front. Moreover, Rupprecht has already had to dispatch all of his army's reserves to contain the British assault at Loos, and thus has nothing left to send VI Corps; the forces already in the line will have to fight and contain the French on their own.
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| The ground seized by the French 10th Army north of Arras, Sept. 25th, 1915. |
In the Champagne, at 9am the French artillery shift their fire to concentrate on the first German trench line, and add gas and smoke shells into the mix to reduce the visibility of the enemy defenders. Fifteen minutes later, infantry from eighteen divisions go over the top, and the heaviest attack is undertaken on the inner wings of the French 4th and 2nd Armies, with II Colonial Corps of the former on the left and XIV Corps of the latter on the right. Here the French artillery bombardment has been particularly effective - many of the German defensive positions have been completely destroyed, while many of the German survivors are too stunned to offer serious resistance. So thick is the smoke and gas clouds laid down by the artillery that in some cases the French infantry reach the German trenches before the German soldiers can even emerge from their dugouts, and the latter are captured or killed before they are ready to even fight back. The French bombardment has also cut most of the German telephone lines, cutting off communications and preventing frontline commanders from calling for reserves or counterartillery fire. The result is that XIV and II Colonial Corps simply roll over the first trench line of the German VIII Reserve Corps. By noon, both French corps have advanced three to four kilometres and are assaulting the final German reserve line just south of Somme Py. The advancing French also turn east and west, and begin to roll up the flanks of the German forces on either side of the breakthrough. In response, the German divisions on either side of VIII Reserve Corps, though more successful in repelling the French attacks, have to pull back several kilometres to avoid having their inner flanks turned. Several German artillery batteries are overrun and captured by the French, and each of VIII Reserve Corps' three divisions suffer five thousand casualties.
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| The gains of the French offensive in Champagne, Sept. 1915. |
One of the defining characteristics of the Western Front in the First World War is the length of time it takes information and orders to pass up and down the chain of command. In an era before portable wireless radio, reports are either relayed by telephone or send by messenger; the former are extremely vulnerable to artillery fire, while the latter, making their way from newly-won or heavily attacked positions, must navigate both enemy fire and the broken terrain of the battlefield. Delays in communication will be central to the outcome of the fall offensive of the Entente, but one of its first manifestations is seen on the German side. Continuing his inspection tour of the army headquarters on the Western Front, this morning Falkenhayn arrives at Montmédy, and even though British and French forces have been attacking (and advancing) for several hours, now significantly out-of-date reports from 3rd and 6th Army headquarters are sanguine, indicating nothing more than the continuation of artillery bombardments that have been ongoing now for several days. Believing that nothing in particular is amiss, Falkenhayn issues no new instructions and departs shortly thereafter for Stenay, headquarters of 5th Army. While enroute, 3rd Army headquarters finally learns of the plight of VIII Corps, and sends an urgent plea for reinforcements to its neighbour 5th Army, saying that the 'enemy has broken through in the area of Souain-Somme Py. Having also been attacked this morning, 5th Army is in no position to send aid, and its commander, Crown Prince Wilhelm, refuses. With Falkenhayn having recently arrived at 5th Army headquarters, the request by 3rd Army is submitted directly to the German chief of staff. Almost simultaneously, at 1230pm 6th Army headquarters in Artois sends an equally urgent message to Falkenhayn: 'Aided by gas the enemy has broken into the positions of IV Corps at Haisnes and Loos . . . The entire Army Reserve and the 8th Division had to be put at the disposal of IV Corps. Further reinforcements for the army are urgently required.' A telephone conversation with 3rd Army commander General Einem and his chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Ritter von Höhn, further brings home to Falkenhayn the perilous state of affairs, and the German chief of staff feels compelled to remind the badly-shaken Einem and Höhn that the Kaiser expects 'every man to do his duty.'
In an instant, Falkenhayn's understanding of the situation was transformed. Not only were the British and French undertaking significant operations, but they appeared to be on the verge of achieving breakthroughs in both Artois and Champagne - Falkenhayn's strategy of standing on the defensive in the west to permit offensives in the east and the Balkans now appears to hover on the brink of disaster. It was essential now to rapidly move all available reserves to 3rd and 6th Armies to allow them to hold their present lines. Falkenhayn immediately orders 192nd Brigade transferred from 7th Army's reserve to 6th Army and 56th Division from Lorraine to 3rd Army. Shortly after 1pm he departs Stenay for Mézières, OHL's headquarters on the Western Front, to better coordinate the response to the Entente offensive. Here he instructs the Guard and X Corps, currently in Belgium resting and recovering after lengthy service on the Eastern Front, to move to reinforce 6th Army and 3rd Army respectively. It would take hours for these reinforcements to arrive, however, and in the meantime 6th and 3rd Armies will have to hang on with what they have in hand. Falkenhayn's entire strategy for 1915 hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile in Flanders the focus of British commanders this afternoon is pushing up reinforcements to continue the advance. In each division, two brigades had led the attack this morning, while the third brigade was held in reserve, and the struggle now is to get these brigades forward to exploit the gains already won. Now the British experience the difficulties in communicating on the modern battlefield. At 910am, the commander of 1st Division, whose 1st Brigade has advanced almost to the village of Hulluch, issues orders for a two-battalion detachment under Lieutenant-Colonel E. W. B. Green (imaginatively named Green Force). Several messengers are dispatched from 1st Division headquarters with the instructions, but several are struck by German artillery fire or get lost in a landscape where almost every identifying feature has literally been blown away. As a result, the order to advance does not reach Lt-Col Green until 1055am, even though the latter's headquarters was only 2500 yards from the former. It then takes another hour for the order to pass down through battalion and company commanders, so it is not until after midday that Green Force actually begins to move forward. Similarly, to the north 27th Brigade, the reserve of 9th Division, is ordered forward towards Haisnes. Prior to the battle, two communication trenches had been assigned to 27th Brigade to facilitate their movement to the front, but as the infantry attempt to pass through them they find the trenches blocked with wounded coming back to medical stations. When they attempt to move around the blockages they find themselves under German artillery fire, so the brigade has suffered significant casualties before even reaching the front. By the time they approach Haisnes, the German line has been reinforced, and the exhausted infantry instead concentrate on improving the defences of the ground seized. The experience of 21st Brigade, the reserve of 7th Division, is similar - ordered forward to push through the German line north of Hulluch, as they approach the front line just west of St Elie German shrapnel shells cut great swathes through their ranks, and to the survivors who reach the front line it is clear no further advance is possible without more extensive artillery support.
With the delays and difficulties encountered by the divisional reserves, it will take the commitment of further reserve forces to maintain the momentum of the British attack. However, neither I or IV Corps has any reserve, nor does 1st Army. Instead, XI Corps, consisting of 21st and 24th Divisions, the Guards Division, and the Cavalry Corps were under the direct command of Field Marshal French. The commander of the British Expeditionary Force has never been enthusiastic about the offensive at Loos, and it is possible that he retained direct control over these forces to prevent their commitment to a losing cause - the BEF still numbers only thirty-seven divisions, six of which are Territorial divisions with little experience and six of which are 'New Army' divisions with none at all, and given that Britain does not yet have conscription, the destruction of the six divisions of the BEF reserve would have been a serious setback. The practical implication, however, is that after the success of the morning attack, another layer of command is added to the communication delays intrinsic to the First World War battlefield, and will become a major point of contention among the senior leadership of the BEF after the battle.
When the infantry attacked at dawn this morning, the lead columns of 21st and 24th Divisions were about four and a half miles behind the British front line, but the infantry are exhausted after marching all night from their prior concentration areas to the west. At 7am, Haig sends a staff officer by car to French's headquarters, informing the latter that the attack is progressing satisfactorily and requesting the release of XI Corps. Though it ought to have taken only forty-five minutes to cover the ground between the two locations by car, at 845am no response has been received and Haig dispatches another officer. This message reaches French, who in turn at 930am orders the commander of XI Corps to begin moving his two divisions to the front. It is another hour before the order reaches the divisional headquarters, and another forty-five minutes before the lead elements actually begin to move - by this time, the British advance means that they are now seven miles behind the current front line. The exhausted infantry do their best to push forward, but the few roads are already clogged with military traffic and their progress is painstakingly slow. Impatient, at 235pm Haig orders the commander of XI Corps to detach one brigade from each division and prioritize getting those forces to the front as quickly as possible, hoping they can launch an attack today towards the Haute Deule Canal, several kilometres past Hulluch. It is not until 6pm that the first infantry of 62nd Brigade of 21st Division actually arrive at the front, and Haig realizes that it will be impossible to to attack this evening. Instead, just after 8pm he orders XI Corps to take up position between Hulluch and Hill 70, in anticipation of an advance by the full corps early tomorrow morning.
On the German side, the hours of the afternoon pass without the expected resumption of the British advance. Though fierce fighting continues, there is no concerted push against the reserve German trenches. As the first reinforcements arrive later in the day, IV Corps uses them to reestablish a continuous front. To the north, elements of 2nd Guard Division, transferred from VII Corps, reestablish contact with the northern flank of 117th Division between Auchy and Haisnes, while to the south, elements of 7th and 123rd Saxon Divisions, sent from VI Corps, advance to Hill 70 and make contact with the southern wing of 117th Division. Though the Germans have suffered heavily, by evening they have recreated a cohesive front line, without gaps that could be exploited by the British. Limited counterattacks have also been undertaken, and though little ground is retaken they have the virtue of at least keeping the British forces off guard, and help convince the lead British brigades that, after the morning battles, they need to wait for reserves before the advance can be resumed. On the southern wing of the British gains, however, the infantry of 44th Brigade that captured the summit of Hill 70 and pushed down the eastern slope come under increasingly heavy German fire from the ruins of workers' cottages to the east. Moreover, their very success means they are now confronted with German defenses that had not been given the same attention from British artillery as the first German trench line. Taking losses, the men of 44th Brigade pull back from the eastern slope of Hill 70, and, given that the summit is now being swept by enemy machine gun fire, they retreat to the western slope and entrench.
As the situation stabilizes through the afternoon, the commander of the German IV Corps decides that the primary reserves dispatched from 6th Army headquarters - 8th Division and 26th Brigade - should be used to counterattack the salient around Loos carved out by the British. Initially hoping to attack this evening, delays are experienced in getting the reserves to the front: 26th Brigade is attempting to deploy into trenches still contested by British infantry, while the soldiers of 8th Division have to move through the maze of ruined houses in the town of Lens. Postponed several times, the counterattack is finally scheduled to go in at midnight.
The first day of the Battle of Loos has seen several British divisions advance several thousand yards, sweeping over the first German trench positions, seizing the village of Loos itself, and pushing up to the German reserve lines. Having achieved this notable success, the pace of the advance faltered, as the forces of the initial attack have suffered losses and reserves have been delayed in getting to the front. Nevertheless, Haig believes that the planned attack of 21st and 24th Divisions at dawn tomorrow will complete the breaking of the German lines.
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| The gains of the British 1st Army at Loos, Sept. 25th, 1915. |
After its progress in the morning, the situation of the French 10th Army deteriorates in the afternoon. Three regiments of the German 123rd Division, supported by the southern flank of the German 7th Division, attack after dark the French infantry that had pushed to Giesler Hill, and the exhausted French yield some of the ground won earlier today. Opposite Neuville St. Vaast, further French assaults are unable to break through the reserve German trench lines, and though the Germans are unable to recover the forward trench lost this morning, they are able to reestablish a solid defensive line.
In Champagne, the German VIII Reserve Corps fights desperately throughout the afternoon to hold on to its reserve trench line. To stem the French tide, the corps commander orders his recruiting depot (consisting of new recruits from the home front and returning wounded veterans) into the line at Somme Py. In addition, most of 5th Division, located in 3rd Army's rear area and whose orders to transfer to the Balkans had been cancelled just yesterday, is fed into the battle over the afternoon and evening. On the French side, the experience in the aftermath of initial success is similar to that of the British in Flanders: the lead infantry are exhausted and have taken significant losses. Further, in the chaos of battle battalions have been hopelessly mixed up and lines of command confused, while the very extent of the French advance has caused its own problems, as isolated groups of German infantry, bypassed by the initial attack, now emerge to fight in ground the French believe they have already captured. The result is that bitter fighting through the afternoon is not nearly as successful at that of the morning, and the Germans are just barely able to hang on. Nevertheless, General Friedrich Fleck, commanding VIII Reserve Corps, and General Einem of 3rd Army believe the crisis is far from having past, and as the breakdown of communications prevents accurate news from reaching headquartesr to the rear, in the vacuum of news pessimism reigns. Indeed Fleck, believing his command is on the verge of disintegration, requests permission this evening to withdraw from the reserve defensive position northwards past Somme Py and out of the trenches. This retreat, if implemented, would give the French precisely the breakthrough in Champagne they are so desperate to achieve.
On the French side, as reports filter back to the headquarters of the French 2nd and 4th Armies of the successful advance of II Colonial and XIV Corps, General Castlenau of the Army Group of the Centre at 415pm orders the two divisions of VI Corps to enter the line and follow up the attack of and expand the ground seized by II Colonial Corps. Again, however, it takes time for orders to make their way down the chain of command, and for the infantry to make their way across the shattered landscape, and it is midnight before VI Corps is in the front line. Optimism remains high, however, that further attacks tomorrow will shatter the weakened Germans and push on to the north.
- South of Vilna, the withdrawal of Russian forces to counter the German offensive at and north of the city has allowed the German 12th Army to reach the Berezina River east of Lida while the army group under Prince Leopold has arrived at the Szczara River. To the east of Vilna itself, the German 10th Army has ground its way towards Smorgon, but against increasing resistance has been unable to advance further.
To Falkenhayn, Ludendorff's September offensive at Vilna and Sventsiany has achieved exactly what the German chief of staff expected - namely, a minor advance of no great strategic consequence. Considering both the impending invasion of Serbia and the Entente offensive on the Western Front, Falkenhayn believes it is both necessary and desirable to end operations on the Eastern Front. Though the great German victories achieved since the attack at Gorlice-Tarnow in May have not convinced the Tsar to agree to a negotiated peace, they have sharply reduced the strength of the Russian army and it will likely be many months until the Russians are again capable of major offensive actions. As such, Falkenhayn today issues orders for German forces on the Eastern Front to hold their present positions and construct a strong defensive line that can be held with a reduced commitment of forces. At the northern end of the line, the armies under OberOst are to entrench on a line running from west of Riga through Mitau and west of Dvinsk to Lake Narotch and the mouth of the Bierieza River. From here, the army group under Prince Leopold and the Army of the Bug will hold on a line running from the Bierieza River through Baranowicze to Pinsk.
- Russian cavalry and aircraft have reported the movement of the German XXIV Reserve Corps and other formations southeastward toward the northern flank of the Russian 8th Army. Though General Brusilov wishes to stand on the Styr while redeploying the Russian XXX Corps towards Kolki to block the German advance. His superior, the more cautious General Ivanov, disagrees and, seeking to avoid a potential envelopment, orders Brusilov's 8th Army to retreat eastward towards the Putilowka and Kormin Rivers.
- As plans are finalized for the Serbian campaign, preliminary operations are deemed necessary to seize several large islands in the Danube River east of Belgrade - in German or Austro-Hungarian hands, the islands shorten the distance needed by the main crossings, and can serve as platforms to position light artillery closer to the front. The most substantial island is Temesziget, over twelve miles long and up to three miles wide, and its capture has been assigned to 11th Bavarian Division of IV Reserve Corps. Overnight elements of the division crossed to the north shore of the island, and the small Serbian detachments are quickly overwhelmed.
- After several days of debate, the French Council of Ministers decides to go to the aid of the Serbs, and authorizes the dispatch of an expedition to the Balkans. A telegraph is sent to the Greek government informing it that the Entente will provide the 150 000 troops required by Greek Prime Minister Venizelos to activate the convention with Serbia and bring Greece into the war. The British government also agrees to commit forces to the Balkans, though with considerably more disagreement: while David Lloyd George is in favour of contributing to the expedition, Lord Kitchener argues that redeploying forces from Gallipoli to the Balkans is 'jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.' In order to maintain the aura of neutrality, Prime Minister Venizelos requests twenty-four hours notice of the landing of the first Entente forces in Greece, so his government can lodge a diplomatic (though meaningless) protest. The Entente plan is to land at the port city of Salonika in northern Greece, using it as a base of operations for forces moving north to Serbia's aid.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
September 24th, 1915
- Overnight violent thunderstorms strike Flanders, and heavy rains turn the trench floors into mud, slowly the final movement of supplies up to the front for the British offensive scheduled for tomorrow. At dawn visibility is reduced by low clouds and ground fog, preventing aerial bombing or reconnaissance, though artillery firing on pre-selected and pre-sighted targets. The British bombardment of identified German artillery batteries is believed to be particularly successful, given that many of the positions targeted have ceased firing. In practice, however, the Germans silenced their batteries voluntarily to give the impression that they have been knocked out. They only await the main British attack before they resume firing. Meanwhile, on the British side two field batteries per division are attached to their horses this evening, in expectation of immediately following the infantry as they advance tomorrow.
Meanwhile at the headquarters of the British 1st Army, Haig waits with his corps commanders Rawlinson and Gough for the latest weather updates, to see if conditions at dawn tomorrow will allow for the use of chlorine gas. This afternoon Captain Gold reports that based on the morning's observations, there was a possibility only of a fair wind tomorrow morning. As the hours passed and more recent observations could be added to his report, Gold become confident that the weather would cooperate for tomorrow - at 9pm he informed Haig that there was a favourable chance of a wind blowing west at ten miles per hour at ground level tomorrow morning. With this assurance, Haig issues orders for chlorine gas to be used prior to the main infantry assault.
- In Artois the Entente artillery bombardment reaches a crescendo today, with the greatest volume directed against the German VI Corps in the Loos sector. Further confirmation of the imminent enemy offensive comes via a French deserter, who is captured west of Vimy Ridge and reports that the French will attack at 5am tomorrow.
- In Champagne, French patrols enter No Man's Land to clear French wire, inspect and clear the remaining German wire, and observe the state of the enemy line. Though they frequently come under fire from German defenders, it allows the French call down artillery fire on these surviving positions. To this point most of the assault infantry have been kept several kilometres behind the front, to avoid casualties from German artillery fire, but after sundown they move up to their jumping-off points and prepare for the attack, scheduled for 915am tomorrow morning
- At Metz today, Falkenhayn receives reports during the day of continued heavy bombardments of the German 6th Army in Artois and the 3rd and 5th Armies in Champagne. In response, the German chief of staff transfers several heavy artillery batteries to 3rd Army, and further agrees that 5th Division, scheduled to depart for the Balkans for the Serbian campaign, will instead be kept behind 3rd Army. Nevertheless, Falkenhayn continues to have doubts that the Entente actually intend to launch an major offensive - in a telephone conversation with General Karl von Einem, commander of 3rd Army, that the French 'did not have the willpower' to attack. Falkenhayn has allowed what he wants the French to do to cloud his judgement of what the French will actually do - his campaigns in the East and the Balkans are based on the premise that the forces left on the Western Front are sufficient to hold the line, and thus does not want to see an Entente offensive that could upset the delicate balance.
- On the northern flank of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army, elements of the Austro-Hungarian 1st, 2nd, and 9th Cavalry Divisions clear Russian forces out of the Okonsk-Jablonka area as well as Borowicy and Kopyli on the Styr River, opening the path for the German XXIV Reserve Corps advancing rapidly from the north.
- At the request of Franz Joseph, Mackensen journeys to Vienna today to meet the aged Austro-Hungarian emperor, where he is awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephan and the two have a thirty-minute private audience after dinner. Both Franz Joseph and his military retinue are won over by Mackensen's natural charm and character, as well as his reputation for success on the Eastern Front. Mackensen is practically alone among his fellow German officers in being viewed positively by the Austro-Hungarian leadership (neither Falkenhayn nor Ludendorff can hide their oft-justified contempt), ensuring a degree of co-operation, even at times harmony, in the forthcoming Serbian campaign that is unimaginable had any other German general been in command.
- As the French Council of Ministers debates a French expedition to the Balkans to aid Serbia, Minister of War Alexandre Millerand sends a note to the French commander at Gallipoli, informing him that a division may be shortly ordered to cover the railway from the Greek port of Salonika to the de facto Serbian capital at Niš. Meanwhile, Joffre advises the government that while he recognizes the desirability of propping up their Serbian allies, an expedition should be composed of four divisions - two French and two British - drawn from Gallipoli. From his perspective, it is simply a case of redeploying the force already in the Near East from one theatre (the Dardanelles) to another (the Balkans). This also has the advantage, from his perspective, of not requiring the withdrawal of forces from the Western Front to make up the expedition.
- The hesitant performance of the Italian navy to date has come in for criticism in the Italian press, and the unease claims a victim today as Vice-Admiral Leone Viale, the minister of marine, resigns today. Ostensibly stepping aside for health reasons, having just undergone minor surgery, in practice he had quarrelled with Vice-Admiral Paolo Count Thaon di Revel and was increasingly left out of the loop regarding operational decisions.
- The British 6th Indian Division has completed its assembly at Sannaiyat on the Tigris River, and begins today the advance towards the Ottoman defensive line east of Kut-al-Amara. Given the overall strength of the Ottoman position, General Townshend has decided on deception: the bulk of the division today moves slowly westward on the southern bank of the Euphrates River, giving the impression that it is here that the British intend to concentrate their attack. On the north bank only 18th Brigade remains, which is deployed between the Tigris and Suwada Marsh. North of Suwada Marsh sits another Ottoman defensive position, three redoubts supported by a trench system leading up to another marsh - Ataba - to the north. This is the northernmost section of the Ottoman line, but reconnaissance has informed Townshend that Ataba Marsh is rapidly drying out, and that a gap of three hundred yards has emerged between the end of the Ottoman trenches and the start of the swamp. It is this gap that has caught Townshend's attention and is to be the key point of the assault. After the force on the southern bank makes a suitable demonstration of British intent to convince the Ottomans to keep significant strength here, this force is to cross over to the north bank at night and pass behind both 18th Brigade and Suwada Marsh where it will split into two forces: the first to assault the three Ottoman redoubts, and the second to pass through the gap to the north. This force is intended to roll up the Ottoman line from the north, resulting in the capture of the Ottoman 35th Division deployed on the north bank. It is a plan that would be inconceivable on the Western Front, but the conditions of the war in the Middle East - fewer soldiers and greater supply difficulties - means that flanks exist and can be turned.
Meanwhile at the headquarters of the British 1st Army, Haig waits with his corps commanders Rawlinson and Gough for the latest weather updates, to see if conditions at dawn tomorrow will allow for the use of chlorine gas. This afternoon Captain Gold reports that based on the morning's observations, there was a possibility only of a fair wind tomorrow morning. As the hours passed and more recent observations could be added to his report, Gold become confident that the weather would cooperate for tomorrow - at 9pm he informed Haig that there was a favourable chance of a wind blowing west at ten miles per hour at ground level tomorrow morning. With this assurance, Haig issues orders for chlorine gas to be used prior to the main infantry assault.
- In Artois the Entente artillery bombardment reaches a crescendo today, with the greatest volume directed against the German VI Corps in the Loos sector. Further confirmation of the imminent enemy offensive comes via a French deserter, who is captured west of Vimy Ridge and reports that the French will attack at 5am tomorrow.
- In Champagne, French patrols enter No Man's Land to clear French wire, inspect and clear the remaining German wire, and observe the state of the enemy line. Though they frequently come under fire from German defenders, it allows the French call down artillery fire on these surviving positions. To this point most of the assault infantry have been kept several kilometres behind the front, to avoid casualties from German artillery fire, but after sundown they move up to their jumping-off points and prepare for the attack, scheduled for 915am tomorrow morning
- At Metz today, Falkenhayn receives reports during the day of continued heavy bombardments of the German 6th Army in Artois and the 3rd and 5th Armies in Champagne. In response, the German chief of staff transfers several heavy artillery batteries to 3rd Army, and further agrees that 5th Division, scheduled to depart for the Balkans for the Serbian campaign, will instead be kept behind 3rd Army. Nevertheless, Falkenhayn continues to have doubts that the Entente actually intend to launch an major offensive - in a telephone conversation with General Karl von Einem, commander of 3rd Army, that the French 'did not have the willpower' to attack. Falkenhayn has allowed what he wants the French to do to cloud his judgement of what the French will actually do - his campaigns in the East and the Balkans are based on the premise that the forces left on the Western Front are sufficient to hold the line, and thus does not want to see an Entente offensive that could upset the delicate balance.
- On the northern flank of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army, elements of the Austro-Hungarian 1st, 2nd, and 9th Cavalry Divisions clear Russian forces out of the Okonsk-Jablonka area as well as Borowicy and Kopyli on the Styr River, opening the path for the German XXIV Reserve Corps advancing rapidly from the north.
- At the request of Franz Joseph, Mackensen journeys to Vienna today to meet the aged Austro-Hungarian emperor, where he is awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephan and the two have a thirty-minute private audience after dinner. Both Franz Joseph and his military retinue are won over by Mackensen's natural charm and character, as well as his reputation for success on the Eastern Front. Mackensen is practically alone among his fellow German officers in being viewed positively by the Austro-Hungarian leadership (neither Falkenhayn nor Ludendorff can hide their oft-justified contempt), ensuring a degree of co-operation, even at times harmony, in the forthcoming Serbian campaign that is unimaginable had any other German general been in command.
- As the French Council of Ministers debates a French expedition to the Balkans to aid Serbia, Minister of War Alexandre Millerand sends a note to the French commander at Gallipoli, informing him that a division may be shortly ordered to cover the railway from the Greek port of Salonika to the de facto Serbian capital at Niš. Meanwhile, Joffre advises the government that while he recognizes the desirability of propping up their Serbian allies, an expedition should be composed of four divisions - two French and two British - drawn from Gallipoli. From his perspective, it is simply a case of redeploying the force already in the Near East from one theatre (the Dardanelles) to another (the Balkans). This also has the advantage, from his perspective, of not requiring the withdrawal of forces from the Western Front to make up the expedition.
- The hesitant performance of the Italian navy to date has come in for criticism in the Italian press, and the unease claims a victim today as Vice-Admiral Leone Viale, the minister of marine, resigns today. Ostensibly stepping aside for health reasons, having just undergone minor surgery, in practice he had quarrelled with Vice-Admiral Paolo Count Thaon di Revel and was increasingly left out of the loop regarding operational decisions.
- The British 6th Indian Division has completed its assembly at Sannaiyat on the Tigris River, and begins today the advance towards the Ottoman defensive line east of Kut-al-Amara. Given the overall strength of the Ottoman position, General Townshend has decided on deception: the bulk of the division today moves slowly westward on the southern bank of the Euphrates River, giving the impression that it is here that the British intend to concentrate their attack. On the north bank only 18th Brigade remains, which is deployed between the Tigris and Suwada Marsh. North of Suwada Marsh sits another Ottoman defensive position, three redoubts supported by a trench system leading up to another marsh - Ataba - to the north. This is the northernmost section of the Ottoman line, but reconnaissance has informed Townshend that Ataba Marsh is rapidly drying out, and that a gap of three hundred yards has emerged between the end of the Ottoman trenches and the start of the swamp. It is this gap that has caught Townshend's attention and is to be the key point of the assault. After the force on the southern bank makes a suitable demonstration of British intent to convince the Ottomans to keep significant strength here, this force is to cross over to the north bank at night and pass behind both 18th Brigade and Suwada Marsh where it will split into two forces: the first to assault the three Ottoman redoubts, and the second to pass through the gap to the north. This force is intended to roll up the Ottoman line from the north, resulting in the capture of the Ottoman 35th Division deployed on the north bank. It is a plan that would be inconceivable on the Western Front, but the conditions of the war in the Middle East - fewer soldiers and greater supply difficulties - means that flanks exist and can be turned.
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| The First Battle of Kut-al-Amara, September 24th to 29th, 1915. |
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
September 23rd, 1915
- In Artois French aircraft bomb railways running between Lille, Valenciennes, Douai, and Cambrai in an effort to disrupt the movement of German supplies and reinforcements once the offensive begins in two days' time.
- The aviation subcommittee of the French Chamber of Deputies issues a scathing report condemning the state of French military aviation. Describing the situation as 'grave,' the report highlights what its authors perceive to be the lack of close cooperation between the French army at the government's aviation directorate, and the inability of the latter to coordinate the expansion of the aviation industry and the deployment of labour. Deputy Pierre Etienne Flandin in particular calls for massive production program of bombers and bomber escorts equipped with new, powerful engines to strike German industrial production.
- The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian 24th Division north of Lutsk yesterday evening forces the evacuation of Lutsk itself, which the Russians occupy this morning. The remnants of the Austro-Hungarian XIV Corps pull back from the west bank of the Styr to the line Zaborol-Polonnaja Gorka, which permits the Russians to establish a bridgehead over the river.
The collapse and retreat of XIV Corps threatens the northern flank of the Austro-Hungarian forces to the south holding along the Ikwa River. However, General Linsingen, commanding both the reinforcements moving south from the Army of the Bug as well as the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army itself, believes that the situation can be rescued not by a direct counterattack against the Russians at Lutsk, but rather by having the relief force, centred on the German XXIV Reserve Corps, drive southeast against the northern flank of the advancing Russian 8th Army, and the enemy to retreat to avoid envelopment.
- Over the past two weeks German units assigned to the Serbian campaign have been arriving in Hungary; the German 105th Division, for example, completes its transfer to the Balkans today. To preserve secrecy, the seventy trains needed to transport each division have been forbidden from moving south of Budapest in daylight. After arrival near the Serbian frontier, the movement to staging areas is also conducted at night, German soldiers moving through unfamiliar terrain and surrounded by a civilian population that did not speak any German whatsoever if they got lost.
- In Paris the Council of Ministers convenes to debate the deployment of a French expedition to Greece to aid the Serbs, and the broader implications such an operation would have on grand strategy and the overall direction of the war effort. Preserving Serbian independence, it is felt, is essential to the Entente war effort, in order to tie down significant enemy forces in the Balkans and prevent the opening of an overland route for German munitions and supplies to the Ottoman Empire. However, a significant commitment of force to the Balkans potentially implies a lessening of emphasis on the Western Front, problematic due to the ongoing German occupation of French soil and the opposition of Joffre to any diminuation of forces under his command.
- Despite his pro-German sympathies, Greek King Constantine succumbs to his Prime Minister's arguments regarding the provision of 150 000 soldiers by the French and British instead of the Serbs, and agrees to issue a decree for mobilization. Nevertheless, Constantine remains deeply uneasy about the course of events.
- The aviation subcommittee of the French Chamber of Deputies issues a scathing report condemning the state of French military aviation. Describing the situation as 'grave,' the report highlights what its authors perceive to be the lack of close cooperation between the French army at the government's aviation directorate, and the inability of the latter to coordinate the expansion of the aviation industry and the deployment of labour. Deputy Pierre Etienne Flandin in particular calls for massive production program of bombers and bomber escorts equipped with new, powerful engines to strike German industrial production.
- The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian 24th Division north of Lutsk yesterday evening forces the evacuation of Lutsk itself, which the Russians occupy this morning. The remnants of the Austro-Hungarian XIV Corps pull back from the west bank of the Styr to the line Zaborol-Polonnaja Gorka, which permits the Russians to establish a bridgehead over the river.
The collapse and retreat of XIV Corps threatens the northern flank of the Austro-Hungarian forces to the south holding along the Ikwa River. However, General Linsingen, commanding both the reinforcements moving south from the Army of the Bug as well as the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army itself, believes that the situation can be rescued not by a direct counterattack against the Russians at Lutsk, but rather by having the relief force, centred on the German XXIV Reserve Corps, drive southeast against the northern flank of the advancing Russian 8th Army, and the enemy to retreat to avoid envelopment.
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| The intervention of German forces under General Linsingen to rescue the faltering Austro-Hungarian 4th Army, Sept. 23rd to 30th, 1915. |
- In Paris the Council of Ministers convenes to debate the deployment of a French expedition to Greece to aid the Serbs, and the broader implications such an operation would have on grand strategy and the overall direction of the war effort. Preserving Serbian independence, it is felt, is essential to the Entente war effort, in order to tie down significant enemy forces in the Balkans and prevent the opening of an overland route for German munitions and supplies to the Ottoman Empire. However, a significant commitment of force to the Balkans potentially implies a lessening of emphasis on the Western Front, problematic due to the ongoing German occupation of French soil and the opposition of Joffre to any diminuation of forces under his command.
- Despite his pro-German sympathies, Greek King Constantine succumbs to his Prime Minister's arguments regarding the provision of 150 000 soldiers by the French and British instead of the Serbs, and agrees to issue a decree for mobilization. Nevertheless, Constantine remains deeply uneasy about the course of events.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
September 22nd, 1915
- Three wings of the Royal Flying Corps, comprising twelve squadrons, begins an aerial bombing campaign today in support of the forthcoming British offensive at Loos. The first large-scale air offensive undertaken by the RFC, its aircraft target German transport infrastructure, including railway lines and stations, sidings, and bridges, up to thirty-six kilometres behind the front lines. To counter the bombing threat, the Germans camouflage trains and site anti-aircraft guns and machine guns along railway lines. For the first time the British aircraft also encounter the Eindecker monoplane fighter with its forward-firing machine gun; though superior to anything the British have, the Eindecker is present in too few numbers to yet have a decisive impact. Over the next six days, the RFC will drop 5.5 tons of bombs on German targets.
- The entirety of the artillery assigned to the French 10th Army has now joined in the preliminary bombardment of the enemy lines, and the German 6th Army opposite now finds itself under a heavy barrage from La Bassée in the north through Arras in the south. The commander of 6th Army requests reinforcements from OHL, and is assigned today four howitzer and one mortar battery, while 4th Army to the north makes available a battery of 13cm guns.
- In Champagne, the French 2nd and 4th Armies commence their preliminary bombardment today. Directed by a number of aircraft, the French artillery blanket the defensives of the centre and eastern wings of the German 3rd Army and the western wing of the German 5th Army. Over the next three days the French will fire 3.4 million shells, including 600 000 heavy shells, on the German defenders, and the intensity of the bombardment will have a significant impact. Many German defensive positions are destroyed, with stretches of trench become little more than indentations in the ground, and much of the German wire is also destroyed. Though German infantry were protected by shelters dug deep underground, their entrances remain exposed, and when hit by shells trap the soldiers underground. The French bombardment also ranges beyond the German first trench line, hitting communication trenches and reserve positions both to inhibit the arrival of German reinforcements and to help maintain the momentum of attacks that capture the first trench line. For the next three days, the bombardment shall be so intense that dust kicked up by French shells will block out the sun over the positions of the German 3rd Army.
Given the intensity of the bombardment, OHL assigns the Saxon 183rd Brigade, currently north of Rethel, to 3rd Army in the event of a French assault.
- As the retreating Austro-Hungarian 4th Army reaches the Styr River, the pursuing Russians offer them no respite. At 930pm a Russian attack overwhelms the Austro-Hungarian XIV Corps just north of Lutsk, and 24th Division, which has yet to recover from its defeat on the Stubiel River, is shattered. To make matters worse, infantry of the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division had prematurely destroyed the bridge across the river at Zydyczyn, trapping part of 24th Division on the east bank, and after a short resistance is overwhelmed by the Russians. Conversely, the rest of 24th Division crosses the bridge at Wyszkow in such haste that they fail to destroy the bridge, leaving it available to be used by the pursuing Russians.
- The entirety of the artillery assigned to the French 10th Army has now joined in the preliminary bombardment of the enemy lines, and the German 6th Army opposite now finds itself under a heavy barrage from La Bassée in the north through Arras in the south. The commander of 6th Army requests reinforcements from OHL, and is assigned today four howitzer and one mortar battery, while 4th Army to the north makes available a battery of 13cm guns.
- In Champagne, the French 2nd and 4th Armies commence their preliminary bombardment today. Directed by a number of aircraft, the French artillery blanket the defensives of the centre and eastern wings of the German 3rd Army and the western wing of the German 5th Army. Over the next three days the French will fire 3.4 million shells, including 600 000 heavy shells, on the German defenders, and the intensity of the bombardment will have a significant impact. Many German defensive positions are destroyed, with stretches of trench become little more than indentations in the ground, and much of the German wire is also destroyed. Though German infantry were protected by shelters dug deep underground, their entrances remain exposed, and when hit by shells trap the soldiers underground. The French bombardment also ranges beyond the German first trench line, hitting communication trenches and reserve positions both to inhibit the arrival of German reinforcements and to help maintain the momentum of attacks that capture the first trench line. For the next three days, the bombardment shall be so intense that dust kicked up by French shells will block out the sun over the positions of the German 3rd Army.
Given the intensity of the bombardment, OHL assigns the Saxon 183rd Brigade, currently north of Rethel, to 3rd Army in the event of a French assault.
- As the retreating Austro-Hungarian 4th Army reaches the Styr River, the pursuing Russians offer them no respite. At 930pm a Russian attack overwhelms the Austro-Hungarian XIV Corps just north of Lutsk, and 24th Division, which has yet to recover from its defeat on the Stubiel River, is shattered. To make matters worse, infantry of the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division had prematurely destroyed the bridge across the river at Zydyczyn, trapping part of 24th Division on the east bank, and after a short resistance is overwhelmed by the Russians. Conversely, the rest of 24th Division crosses the bridge at Wyszkow in such haste that they fail to destroy the bridge, leaving it available to be used by the pursuing Russians.
Friday, September 18, 2015
September 18th, 1915
- Captain Heinrich Mathy, who had commanded the Zeppelin L13 in its raid on London on September 9th, is summoned to Berlin today to report directly to the chief of the Kaiser's Naval Cabinet. The success has been widely celebrated in Germany as a great blow against the British, hitherto beyond reach, but it is entirely in character for the Kaiser to be primarily concerned with whether any damage had been done to Buckingham Place. In his interview Mathy provides assurances that all bombs were aimed accurately and that no royal target was struck.
- In Artois, artillery of the French III Corps, facing stronger defences than the other corps of 10th Army, begins its preliminary bombardment today for the offensive to be launched in one week.
- The German 10th Army occupies Vilna today, the city having been vacated by the Russians. Ludendorff still hopes to win a great victory by turning the Russian flank to the east, despite the arrival of Russian reinforcements putting the German cavalry under increasing pressure. He thus objects to the orders from Falkenhayn yesterday to divert part of the Army of the Bug southeast to rescue the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army. The German chief of staff, however, ignores Ludendorff's objection, remaining firm in his belief that Ludendorff's grander plans for an envelopment of the Russian 10th Army are impractical, and that a further Austro-Hungarian collapse could undermine the entire southern half of the Eastern Front.
- In Artois, artillery of the French III Corps, facing stronger defences than the other corps of 10th Army, begins its preliminary bombardment today for the offensive to be launched in one week.
- The German 10th Army occupies Vilna today, the city having been vacated by the Russians. Ludendorff still hopes to win a great victory by turning the Russian flank to the east, despite the arrival of Russian reinforcements putting the German cavalry under increasing pressure. He thus objects to the orders from Falkenhayn yesterday to divert part of the Army of the Bug southeast to rescue the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army. The German chief of staff, however, ignores Ludendorff's objection, remaining firm in his belief that Ludendorff's grander plans for an envelopment of the Russian 10th Army are impractical, and that a further Austro-Hungarian collapse could undermine the entire southern half of the Eastern Front.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
September 17th, 1915
- General Alexeiev of West Front concludes today that even with the formation of 2nd Army east of the Sventsiany gap, Vilna can no longer be held in the face of the threat of the German offensive cutting the line of retreat of the city's defenders. Orders are thus issued for 10th Army to withdraw from the city eastwards.
- At dawn elements of the Russian XXXIX Corps, advancing from the confluence of the Putilowka and Stubiel Rivers, crash into the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division. Already battered after severals days of combat, and with its southern flank uncovered by the retreat of 24th Division, 62nd Division quickly breaks, and its shattered remnants can only retreat westward as fast as possible. Further north, Russian cavalry break through the Austro-Hungarian cavalry corps under General Berndt at Zurawicze and Karpilowka while the Russian IV Cavalry Corps pushes back the Austro-Hungarian 1st Cavalry Division. By late morning the retreat of the Austro-Hungarian cavalry has uncovered the northern flank of 4th Army, and there are no more reserves immediately available to restore the situation. The commander of 4th Army concludes that there is no alternative to a large-scale retreat to put space between his forces and the Russians and give time for his infantry to rest and recover - 4th Army has suffered 50 000 casualties since the beginning of the offensive towards Rovno a month ago. Conrad reluctantly agrees with this assessment, and orders are issued for 4th Army to retreat all the way to the Sytr River, which also compels the northern wing of 1st Army to fall back on the Ikwa River. After dark the exhausted Austro-Hungarian forces disengage from the Russians and begin their retreat, and the retreat begins after dark.
The collapse of 4th Army also compels Conrad to once again ask Falkenhayn for aid. To the north of 4th Army, the German Army of the Bug has continued its successful advance, capturing Pinsk yesterday. Conrad proposes that a significant portion of the Army of the Bug be diverted to the southeast to fall upon the northern flank of the now-advancing Russian 8th Army. Falkenhayn agrees, but insists that the operation be placed under a German commander. In no place to resist the suggestion, Conrad concurs, and General Linsingen, commander of the Army of the Bug, is made head of an army group that is to consist of the German XXIV Reserve Corps and the German 5th Cavalry Division from the Army of the Bug as well as the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army and the two Austro-Hungarian cavalry corps operating between the two armies.
- In Bulgaria opposition leaders secure an audience with King Ferdinand where they demand the recall of the Bulgarian parliament to debate entry into the war and warn the monarch that the Bulgarian people will not tolerate going to war with Russia. Ferdinand, however, is not to be dissuaded from his chosen course of action, and merely promises to relay their concerns to Prime Minister Vasil Radoslavov.
- At dawn elements of the Russian XXXIX Corps, advancing from the confluence of the Putilowka and Stubiel Rivers, crash into the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division. Already battered after severals days of combat, and with its southern flank uncovered by the retreat of 24th Division, 62nd Division quickly breaks, and its shattered remnants can only retreat westward as fast as possible. Further north, Russian cavalry break through the Austro-Hungarian cavalry corps under General Berndt at Zurawicze and Karpilowka while the Russian IV Cavalry Corps pushes back the Austro-Hungarian 1st Cavalry Division. By late morning the retreat of the Austro-Hungarian cavalry has uncovered the northern flank of 4th Army, and there are no more reserves immediately available to restore the situation. The commander of 4th Army concludes that there is no alternative to a large-scale retreat to put space between his forces and the Russians and give time for his infantry to rest and recover - 4th Army has suffered 50 000 casualties since the beginning of the offensive towards Rovno a month ago. Conrad reluctantly agrees with this assessment, and orders are issued for 4th Army to retreat all the way to the Sytr River, which also compels the northern wing of 1st Army to fall back on the Ikwa River. After dark the exhausted Austro-Hungarian forces disengage from the Russians and begin their retreat, and the retreat begins after dark.
The collapse of 4th Army also compels Conrad to once again ask Falkenhayn for aid. To the north of 4th Army, the German Army of the Bug has continued its successful advance, capturing Pinsk yesterday. Conrad proposes that a significant portion of the Army of the Bug be diverted to the southeast to fall upon the northern flank of the now-advancing Russian 8th Army. Falkenhayn agrees, but insists that the operation be placed under a German commander. In no place to resist the suggestion, Conrad concurs, and General Linsingen, commander of the Army of the Bug, is made head of an army group that is to consist of the German XXIV Reserve Corps and the German 5th Cavalry Division from the Army of the Bug as well as the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army and the two Austro-Hungarian cavalry corps operating between the two armies.
- In Bulgaria opposition leaders secure an audience with King Ferdinand where they demand the recall of the Bulgarian parliament to debate entry into the war and warn the monarch that the Bulgarian people will not tolerate going to war with Russia. Ferdinand, however, is not to be dissuaded from his chosen course of action, and merely promises to relay their concerns to Prime Minister Vasil Radoslavov.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
September 16th, 1915
- Though he has been slow to react to the German flank attack through Sventsiany, General Alexeiev of West Front now recognizes the threat that the enemy offensive poses: if the Germans cannot be halted, they can envelop the northern wing of 10th Army and win yet another great victory. To counter the threat, Alexeiev has ordered Russian withdrawals to the south of Vilna to free up forces to redeploy to counter the German attack and cover the gap between 10th and 5th Armies. Though the retreats ordered by Alexeiv allow the German 8th and 12th Armies, as well as the army group under Prince Leopold, to gain further ground and reach Baranovitchi and Lida, it has freed six corps, which are formed into a new 2nd Army east of Sventsiany to link 10th and 5th Armies.
Ludendorff, meanwhile, works to feed more divisions into the gap north of Vilna, but the the infantry cannot advance at the same pace as the cavalry. Further, Eichhorn's 10th Army has suffered fifty thousand casualties, mainly in frontal attacks on Vilna, over the past two weeks.
- On the Eastern Front, the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army is under increasing pressure from the Russian 8th Army, and its reserves are issued contradictory orders in rapid succession in efforts to counter the latest enemy advance. The Austro-Hungarian 2nd Division, for instance, which had been ordered south to reinforce 2nd Army after the collapse of its V Corps on the 13th, is today directed to retrace its steps back north towards the threatened northern wing of 4th Army. Exhausted, some of the infantry collapse by the roadside, and its arrival will be delayed by several days. In the meantime, Russian forces on the lower Stubiel River attack the Austro-Hungarian 24th Division, and break through its left wing. Without reserves available, a counterattack can not be organized in time, and the Russians are able to consolidate their gains, which threaten the southern flank of the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division near Cuman.
To the south, General Ivanov of Southwest Front orders the 9th and 11th Armies to halt their advance against the Austro-Hungarian armies opposite. Their attacks had been initially undertaken to take pressure off of the Russian 8th Army to the north, and with the latter now undertaking its own counteroffensive, their operations are no longer deemed necessary.
- After a week's leave, his first of the war, General Mackensen reports to OHL headquarters on the Eastern Front at Allenstein, East Prussia, where he formally receives his orders for the forthcoming Serbian campaign: 'to defeat the Serbian army wherever he finds it and to open and secure land communications between Hungary and Bulgaria as quickly as possible.'
- Lead elements of the British 6th Indian Division reach Sannaiyat on the Tigris River today, though the arrival of the remainder, and in particular the division's artillery, has been delayed by the low water level of the Tigris and a lack of overland transport. For the first time in the Mesopotamian campaign, however, General Townshend has aircraft available to conduct reconnaissance of enemy positions, the first three Martinsyde aircraft having arrived at Basra on August 28th. Their reports inform Townshend that the Ottomans have established a strong defensive position just east of Kut-al-Amara at al-Sinn, where trench systems are interspersed with impassable marshes. Townshend decides to await the concentration of his division before ordering an assault. Though invaluable, the reconnaissance missions of his aircraft are not without risk - today one is forced to land behind enemy lines, and the Australian pilot and the British observer are taken prisoner.
Ludendorff, meanwhile, works to feed more divisions into the gap north of Vilna, but the the infantry cannot advance at the same pace as the cavalry. Further, Eichhorn's 10th Army has suffered fifty thousand casualties, mainly in frontal attacks on Vilna, over the past two weeks.
- On the Eastern Front, the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army is under increasing pressure from the Russian 8th Army, and its reserves are issued contradictory orders in rapid succession in efforts to counter the latest enemy advance. The Austro-Hungarian 2nd Division, for instance, which had been ordered south to reinforce 2nd Army after the collapse of its V Corps on the 13th, is today directed to retrace its steps back north towards the threatened northern wing of 4th Army. Exhausted, some of the infantry collapse by the roadside, and its arrival will be delayed by several days. In the meantime, Russian forces on the lower Stubiel River attack the Austro-Hungarian 24th Division, and break through its left wing. Without reserves available, a counterattack can not be organized in time, and the Russians are able to consolidate their gains, which threaten the southern flank of the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division near Cuman.
To the south, General Ivanov of Southwest Front orders the 9th and 11th Armies to halt their advance against the Austro-Hungarian armies opposite. Their attacks had been initially undertaken to take pressure off of the Russian 8th Army to the north, and with the latter now undertaking its own counteroffensive, their operations are no longer deemed necessary.
- After a week's leave, his first of the war, General Mackensen reports to OHL headquarters on the Eastern Front at Allenstein, East Prussia, where he formally receives his orders for the forthcoming Serbian campaign: 'to defeat the Serbian army wherever he finds it and to open and secure land communications between Hungary and Bulgaria as quickly as possible.'
- Lead elements of the British 6th Indian Division reach Sannaiyat on the Tigris River today, though the arrival of the remainder, and in particular the division's artillery, has been delayed by the low water level of the Tigris and a lack of overland transport. For the first time in the Mesopotamian campaign, however, General Townshend has aircraft available to conduct reconnaissance of enemy positions, the first three Martinsyde aircraft having arrived at Basra on August 28th. Their reports inform Townshend that the Ottomans have established a strong defensive position just east of Kut-al-Amara at al-Sinn, where trench systems are interspersed with impassable marshes. Townshend decides to await the concentration of his division before ordering an assault. Though invaluable, the reconnaissance missions of his aircraft are not without risk - today one is forced to land behind enemy lines, and the Australian pilot and the British observer are taken prisoner.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
September 15th, 1915
- On the Western Front the autumn French offensive, originally scheduled for September 8th, has been postponed to the 25th to allow more time to constitute the new 2nd Army under General Pétain on the Champagne front. Joffre had originally intended for the attack in Artois to be undertaken first, but with the delay, and in accordance with a report by Lieutenant Colonel Maurice Gamelin, head of the Operations Bureau, the French commander-in-chief has decided that the main operation in Champagne and the secondary operation in Artois will be undertaken simultaneously. Joffre also remains confident in the outcome of the offensive, writing to his army-group commanders today: 'The Germans have only a very few reserves behind their thin line of entrenchments. The simultaneity of the attacks, their strength, their width, will prevent the enemy from massing his infantry and artillery reserves on a point as he was able to do north of Arras [in the Spring during the 2nd Battle of Artois].'
- The attack of the Russian XXXIX Corps along the Stubiel River on the 13th had been the first phase of Brusilov's offensive, and while its advance had been contained it has succeeded in drawing in the reserves of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army. The newly-arrived Russian XXX Corps, meanwhile, has moved north of the Horyn River, and launches the second phase of Brusilov's plan when it descends on the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division near Derazno this morning. The Russian 80th Division pushes its swamp through swamp into the gap between 62nd Division and the Austro-Hungarian 4th Cavalry Division to the north. Despite fierce counterattacks the Russians hold, and by nightfall 62nd Division is forced to fall back to the southwest. As a result, the Austro-Hungarian X Corps is ordered to pull back to a new defensive line along the Klewan-Karpilowka road, while the cavalry corps under General Otto Berndt to the north also pulls back to remain in touch. The commander of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army hopes that X Corps, in its new positions, will be able to hold the army's northern flank and avoid further withdrawals.
- The attack of the Russian XXXIX Corps along the Stubiel River on the 13th had been the first phase of Brusilov's offensive, and while its advance had been contained it has succeeded in drawing in the reserves of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army. The newly-arrived Russian XXX Corps, meanwhile, has moved north of the Horyn River, and launches the second phase of Brusilov's plan when it descends on the Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division near Derazno this morning. The Russian 80th Division pushes its swamp through swamp into the gap between 62nd Division and the Austro-Hungarian 4th Cavalry Division to the north. Despite fierce counterattacks the Russians hold, and by nightfall 62nd Division is forced to fall back to the southwest. As a result, the Austro-Hungarian X Corps is ordered to pull back to a new defensive line along the Klewan-Karpilowka road, while the cavalry corps under General Otto Berndt to the north also pulls back to remain in touch. The commander of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army hopes that X Corps, in its new positions, will be able to hold the army's northern flank and avoid further withdrawals.
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| The counteroffensive of the Russian 8th Army, Sept. 15th to 18th, 1915. |
Monday, September 14, 2015
September 14th, 1915
- In the gap between the northern wing of the Russian 10th Army at Vilna and the southern wing of the Russian 5th Army at Dvinsk, German cavalry have found the space to make use of their mobility. Surging southeast from Sventsiany, they reach the railway running east from Vilna near Smorgon and Vileika. The German advance here seriously threatens the northern wing of the Russian 10th Army, which as of yet is still defending Vilna against frontal attacks by the bulk of the German 10th Army.
- This morning Falkenhayn arrives at Conrad's headquarters for discussions regarding the Eastern Front, where the German chief of staff suggests that the battered Austro-Hungarian armies should fall back to the line of the Zlota Lipa River to rest and recover. This Conrad rejects out of hand as having a devastating impact on the morale of Austro-Hungarian soldiers (not that they haven't already had plenty of defeats to be demoralized over) and potentially sour diplomatic relations with Romania. Instead, he intends to make a stand along the Ikwa and Strypa Rivers, and decides that the Austro-Hungarian XVII Corps, instead of being deployed to the Serbian Front, would instead be sent to eastern Galicia. Conrad further implores Falkenhayn to ensure that the offensive of OberOst against Vilna continue, in the hope that it will divert Russian forces from the southern end of the Eastern Front. Falkenhayn himself has little faith in Ludendorff's offensive, believing its more grandeois objective of massive envelopment of the Russian armies in the north is utterly impossible, but agrees that the Austro-Hungarian armies ought to try to hold on where they - if nothing else, if they are to be defeated, it is better that it not be preceded by a demoralizing retreat.
- At the front, the Russian XI Corps attacks the line held by an Austro-Hungarian corps commanded by General Peter Hofmann on the southern wing of Südarmee, and breaks through the Austro-Hungarian 55th Division at Burkanow to reach the Strypa River. The Russian advance threatens the rear of the rest of Hofmann's corps, which is forced to retreat west across the Strypa. General Felix Bothmer, the German commander of Südarmee, despairs at the quality of his Austro-Hungarian infantry. Not only have they suffered horrendous losses - 75th Honved Brigade is down to a mere four hundred riflemen - but there are growing signs of disaffection; as Bothmer reports to Conrad today, a large number of Czech officers and soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian 19th Division had simply surrendered rather than fight the Russians.
- This morning Falkenhayn arrives at Conrad's headquarters for discussions regarding the Eastern Front, where the German chief of staff suggests that the battered Austro-Hungarian armies should fall back to the line of the Zlota Lipa River to rest and recover. This Conrad rejects out of hand as having a devastating impact on the morale of Austro-Hungarian soldiers (not that they haven't already had plenty of defeats to be demoralized over) and potentially sour diplomatic relations with Romania. Instead, he intends to make a stand along the Ikwa and Strypa Rivers, and decides that the Austro-Hungarian XVII Corps, instead of being deployed to the Serbian Front, would instead be sent to eastern Galicia. Conrad further implores Falkenhayn to ensure that the offensive of OberOst against Vilna continue, in the hope that it will divert Russian forces from the southern end of the Eastern Front. Falkenhayn himself has little faith in Ludendorff's offensive, believing its more grandeois objective of massive envelopment of the Russian armies in the north is utterly impossible, but agrees that the Austro-Hungarian armies ought to try to hold on where they - if nothing else, if they are to be defeated, it is better that it not be preceded by a demoralizing retreat.
- At the front, the Russian XI Corps attacks the line held by an Austro-Hungarian corps commanded by General Peter Hofmann on the southern wing of Südarmee, and breaks through the Austro-Hungarian 55th Division at Burkanow to reach the Strypa River. The Russian advance threatens the rear of the rest of Hofmann's corps, which is forced to retreat west across the Strypa. General Felix Bothmer, the German commander of Südarmee, despairs at the quality of his Austro-Hungarian infantry. Not only have they suffered horrendous losses - 75th Honved Brigade is down to a mere four hundred riflemen - but there are growing signs of disaffection; as Bothmer reports to Conrad today, a large number of Czech officers and soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian 19th Division had simply surrendered rather than fight the Russians.
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