- Having failed to convince the British to relieve IX Corps in the Ypres salient, Joffre today decides to cancel the offensive planned in Artois that would have been conducted by 10th Army.
- In the Champagne the French launch a major attack near Souain, though after initial advances they are repulsed by the Germans. Writing to his corps commanders today, General de Langle, 4th Army Commander, calls on his forces to 'flee forward'; namely, that once a unit has seized terrain, it will sustain fewer casualties holding the newly-won ground as opposed to retreating back to the start line.
- After their victory at Prasnysz, Russian forces had advanced northwards towards East Prussia, but in heavy fighting over the past few days have been held at the line Mlawa-Chorshele, and today the Russians abandon further attacks.
- The offensive of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army, forced on its reluctant commander by Conrad, is launched this evening after sundown. The southern wing of 4th Army is able to gain some ground - 8th Division takes Sekowa and 12th Division advances some way to Gorlice. However, once again the Austro-Hungarians are fighting the weather as much as the Russians, and frostbite is a constant companion for the infantry. Further east, Sudarmee undertakes an offensive of its own, but the advance of XXIV Reserve Corps is stopped cold, literally and figuratively.
- The German mission to Afghanistan has been slowly making its way across the Ottoman Empire, with its members bickering about who exactly was in overall command, and the Ottomans themselves suspicious of German intentions (they do not wish their imperial interests to be negated by Germany's). After arriving in Baghdad in January, Wilhelm Wassmuss, a Persian speaker experienced with tribes in the region, split off from the mission to become German consul in the south Persian city of Shiraz. The remainder of the mission, now led by army officer Oskar von Niedermayer, has crossed into Persia in an effort to cross the country and reach Afghanistan.
Wassmuss, for his part, had served as a German consul in southern Persia prior to the war as well, and has used these contacts to win allies among the various tribes of the region. Given the weakness of the Persian government, Wassmuss is able to operate largely unhindered by central authorities, but the same conditions that allow Wassmuss to operate also encourage Entente intervention regardless of the formal 'neutrality' of Persia. Today, Wassmuss' caravan is ambushed by British Indian troops and pro-British tribesmen near Bandar Rig, on the Persian Gulf coast about a hundred miles southeast from the Shatt al-Arab. Wassmuss loses his maps and codebooks, but manages to escape himself. He had thought that the British would respect Persian neutrality; realizing his mistake, he now resolves to leverage his relationship with Persian tribes in the region to drive out British enclaves and threaten British interests in the region.
Saturday, March 07, 2015
Friday, March 06, 2015
March 6th, 1915
- In the central Carpathians, Conrad has thrown two addition divisions into the fighting near Baligrod, but the Austro-Hungarian forces have been unable to make any progress. Further, a break in the weather causes additional complications - though the skies are clear today, the midday sun melts snow on the slopes, which then freezes into ice after dusk, as the temperature plunges to -20. The resulting sheets of ice do nothing to improve the mobility of the Austro-Hungarian infantry. Despite this, Conrad remains determined to continue the offensive, this evening ordering 3rd Army to continue to attack, despite its shattering defeat yesterday.
- Queen Elizabeth returns to the coast of Gallipoli today to resume its bombardment of the Ottoman forts inside the straits. This time, however, the Ottomans are prepared, and have deployed a mobile 6-inch howitzer to fire on the dreadnought. The hull of Queen Elizabeth is struck three times, and though the shells do not penetrate its armour, the hits reinforce concerns over the effectiveness of these mobile batteries. On the other hand, the dreadnought again fails to hit anything of significance resulting from the inability to spot the fall of shot, and it becomes clear that it will have to enter the straits to be effective.
- In Greece there has been an ongoing political struggle between King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos. The former's sympathies lay with Germany, given that the Kaiser is his brother-in-law, and very much opposes the pro-Entente policy of Venizelos. The recent offer of Greek troops to support the Dardanelles operation brings the struggle to a crisis, and today Constantine forces the resignation of Venizelos.
- Queen Elizabeth returns to the coast of Gallipoli today to resume its bombardment of the Ottoman forts inside the straits. This time, however, the Ottomans are prepared, and have deployed a mobile 6-inch howitzer to fire on the dreadnought. The hull of Queen Elizabeth is struck three times, and though the shells do not penetrate its armour, the hits reinforce concerns over the effectiveness of these mobile batteries. On the other hand, the dreadnought again fails to hit anything of significance resulting from the inability to spot the fall of shot, and it becomes clear that it will have to enter the straits to be effective.
- In Greece there has been an ongoing political struggle between King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos. The former's sympathies lay with Germany, given that the Kaiser is his brother-in-law, and very much opposes the pro-Entente policy of Venizelos. The recent offer of Greek troops to support the Dardanelles operation brings the struggle to a crisis, and today Constantine forces the resignation of Venizelos.
Thursday, March 05, 2015
March 5th, 1915
- As the major combatants seek to increase the production of war material, one means that comes to the fore is 'dilution', whereby skilled labourers are replaced by unskilled labourers working on industrial machinery. The advantage of dilution is that it allows for the expansion of the industrial workforce without significant training or prior experience. For the workers, however, dilution is seen as a means by which employers can replace higher-wage jobs with lower-wage jobs, and those many trade union leaders are extremely reluctant to agree to dilution on any terms. In Britain today, though the Engineering Employers' Federation and the Amalgamated Society of Engineers agree to accept the principle of dilution, it is only for the duration of the war and only in factories producing munitions. Moreover, it is an agreement that is not matched in other industries.
- After two days of attack and counterattack, the French have regained the ground on the Lorette Spur lost to the Germans on the 3rd, while the latter have suffered 1800 casualties.
- A French assault at Hartsmannswillerkopf seize a portion of the enemy's first trench line, though the Germans remain in control of the summit of the peak.
- In the Carpathians, VII Corps and the left wing of X Corps of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army attacks the Russian lines opposite, but suffering a shattering defeat. The capability of 3rd Army to undertake offensive operations has been crushed; VII Corps alone has lost 60% of its strength over the past five days. The commander of 3rd Army thus orders his formations to go over on to the defensive, though this calls into question the viability of 2nd Army's offensive and indeed the entire concept of a continued Austro-Hungarian effort to relieve Przemysl.
- Though the Admiralty sent the new dreadnought Queen Elizabeth to the Dardanelles to participate in the operation, they have forbidden it from sailing into the straits themselves, lest it strike a mine and sink. Instead, Queen Elizabeth today anchors off the Aegean coast of Gallipoli and fires 15-inch shells over the peninsula at the Ottoman forts in the straits. Though the sudden bombardment from an unexpected direction and from an unseen foe confuses the Ottomans, without accurate spotting the shells fail to hit anything of significance.
- While the Entente focus is on the Dardanelles operation, other operations in the region are also the subject of attention. One such attack begins today when the pre-dreadnoughts Triumph and Swiftsure and the armoured cruiser Euryalus, accompanied by minesweepers and smaller craft, commence a bombardment of the port of Smyrna, the largest Ottoman port on the Mediterranean. There were concerns that Smyrna might be used as a base by German or Austro-Hungarian submarines, so its neutralization was seen as desirable. The task force is to destroy the forts protecting the harbour to facilitate a close blockade and leave the port itself open to attack at any time. In many respects, it is a miniature version of the Dardanelles operation, and also shares its problems; the pre-dreadnoughts cannot close to destroy the forts until protective minefields have been cleared, but these are protected by mobile guns. One difference, however, is an attempt to negotiate with the Ottoman governor of Smyrna, who is believed to be synmpathetic to the Entente and potentially willing to surrender his small craft to the British and allow them to sweep the minefields. Thus the operation beginning today is two-pronged: a military attack on the harbour defences and a diplomatic approach to render such an attack unnecessary.
- Admiral Anton Haus, commander of the Austro-Hungarian navy, writes today to Admiral Souchon at Constantinople, responding to the German desire for naval support for the Ottomans at the Dardanelles. Haus states that only two Austro-Hungarian submarines have even the potential range to reach the Dardanelles in ideal conditions, while they are required instead to defend the key naval base at Cattaro and remain available should the Italians come into the war on the side of the Entente. He also pours cold water on the idea of sending a fast light cruiser to the Ottomans to deliver munitions. Why should his navy, he wonders, sacrifice a valuable warship to deliver, at most, three hundred tons of ammunition. The letter shows that the Ottomans will not be able to rely on any Austro-Hungarian support against the Entente naval assault on the Dardanelles.
- After two days of attack and counterattack, the French have regained the ground on the Lorette Spur lost to the Germans on the 3rd, while the latter have suffered 1800 casualties.
- A French assault at Hartsmannswillerkopf seize a portion of the enemy's first trench line, though the Germans remain in control of the summit of the peak.
- In the Carpathians, VII Corps and the left wing of X Corps of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army attacks the Russian lines opposite, but suffering a shattering defeat. The capability of 3rd Army to undertake offensive operations has been crushed; VII Corps alone has lost 60% of its strength over the past five days. The commander of 3rd Army thus orders his formations to go over on to the defensive, though this calls into question the viability of 2nd Army's offensive and indeed the entire concept of a continued Austro-Hungarian effort to relieve Przemysl.
- Though the Admiralty sent the new dreadnought Queen Elizabeth to the Dardanelles to participate in the operation, they have forbidden it from sailing into the straits themselves, lest it strike a mine and sink. Instead, Queen Elizabeth today anchors off the Aegean coast of Gallipoli and fires 15-inch shells over the peninsula at the Ottoman forts in the straits. Though the sudden bombardment from an unexpected direction and from an unseen foe confuses the Ottomans, without accurate spotting the shells fail to hit anything of significance.
- While the Entente focus is on the Dardanelles operation, other operations in the region are also the subject of attention. One such attack begins today when the pre-dreadnoughts Triumph and Swiftsure and the armoured cruiser Euryalus, accompanied by minesweepers and smaller craft, commence a bombardment of the port of Smyrna, the largest Ottoman port on the Mediterranean. There were concerns that Smyrna might be used as a base by German or Austro-Hungarian submarines, so its neutralization was seen as desirable. The task force is to destroy the forts protecting the harbour to facilitate a close blockade and leave the port itself open to attack at any time. In many respects, it is a miniature version of the Dardanelles operation, and also shares its problems; the pre-dreadnoughts cannot close to destroy the forts until protective minefields have been cleared, but these are protected by mobile guns. One difference, however, is an attempt to negotiate with the Ottoman governor of Smyrna, who is believed to be synmpathetic to the Entente and potentially willing to surrender his small craft to the British and allow them to sweep the minefields. Thus the operation beginning today is two-pronged: a military attack on the harbour defences and a diplomatic approach to render such an attack unnecessary.
- Admiral Anton Haus, commander of the Austro-Hungarian navy, writes today to Admiral Souchon at Constantinople, responding to the German desire for naval support for the Ottomans at the Dardanelles. Haus states that only two Austro-Hungarian submarines have even the potential range to reach the Dardanelles in ideal conditions, while they are required instead to defend the key naval base at Cattaro and remain available should the Italians come into the war on the side of the Entente. He also pours cold water on the idea of sending a fast light cruiser to the Ottomans to deliver munitions. Why should his navy, he wonders, sacrifice a valuable warship to deliver, at most, three hundred tons of ammunition. The letter shows that the Ottomans will not be able to rely on any Austro-Hungarian support against the Entente naval assault on the Dardanelles.
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
March 4th, 1915
- Today the commander of the German 6th Army submits to Falkenhayn a plan for a major offensive operation in northern France, drawn up by the army's chief of staff. It called for a breakthrough on both sides of Arras, followed by an advance to the northwest towards the Channel coast between Calais and Boulogne. To the north, a secondary attack around Mount Kemmel would pin the Entente forces north of the breakthrough, while the southern flank would be protected by forces taking up defensive positions along the line Albert-Doullens-Authis.
Particular focus in the plan is placed on the initial breakthrough, working out in detail how such a success could be achieved given the stalemate on the Western Front. It argued that the initial attack should be undertaken by six corps along a twenty-six kilometre front, supported by 160 heavy and 374 field batteries. A further seven corps, plus two cavalry corps, would then follow to exploit the breakthrough. Special emphasis is placed on the plentiful provisin of artillery ammunition - 6th Army's operations around Ypres in October and November of last year had been hindered by shortages, which could not be repeated if the proposed operation were to be launched.
- This evening the Zeppelin L 8 is ordered to depart the airship base at Gontrode, near Ghent, and return to Düsseldorf. The commander of L 8 decides to interpret his orders liberally, and departs Gontrode with seventy incendiary bombs, intending to take a circuitous route to Düsseldorf and dropping his payload on the Essex coast. L 8 flies westward through thick clouds, occasionally descending below the cloud cover to ensure it is following the Channel coast. At 9pm, it descends to under a thousand feet at Nieuport, firing off recognition signals. Unfortunately for the Zeppelin, the Belgian trenches extend right to the Channel's edge, and they respond to the sudden appearance of the German airship by riddling it with rifle and machine-gun fire. L 8 dropped all of its bombs, ballast, and water to rise above the intense fire, and limps back eastward, hydrogen leaking from its air cells. Just after midnight, it will come down eighty-five miles short of Düsseldorf.
- In the Dover Straits, the British have erected nets with 'indicator' nets in an effort to prevent the movement of German submarines through the English Channel. Today these nets claim their first victim, U-9, when it becomes entangled and is sunk by gunfire from the destroyer Gurkha.
- Today the growing number of Ottoman soldiers on the Gallipoli peninsula leads to the withdrawal of the last of the Royal Marine landing parties set ashore on the 26th. Nevertheless, they have accomplished their objective of destroying the remainder of the Ottoman guns at the entrance to the Dardanelles.
Back in London, doubts over the Dardanelles operation continue to gnaw at Admiral Fisher, as he writes to Churchill today: 'The more I consider the Dardanelles the less I like it.'
Particular focus in the plan is placed on the initial breakthrough, working out in detail how such a success could be achieved given the stalemate on the Western Front. It argued that the initial attack should be undertaken by six corps along a twenty-six kilometre front, supported by 160 heavy and 374 field batteries. A further seven corps, plus two cavalry corps, would then follow to exploit the breakthrough. Special emphasis is placed on the plentiful provisin of artillery ammunition - 6th Army's operations around Ypres in October and November of last year had been hindered by shortages, which could not be repeated if the proposed operation were to be launched.
- This evening the Zeppelin L 8 is ordered to depart the airship base at Gontrode, near Ghent, and return to Düsseldorf. The commander of L 8 decides to interpret his orders liberally, and departs Gontrode with seventy incendiary bombs, intending to take a circuitous route to Düsseldorf and dropping his payload on the Essex coast. L 8 flies westward through thick clouds, occasionally descending below the cloud cover to ensure it is following the Channel coast. At 9pm, it descends to under a thousand feet at Nieuport, firing off recognition signals. Unfortunately for the Zeppelin, the Belgian trenches extend right to the Channel's edge, and they respond to the sudden appearance of the German airship by riddling it with rifle and machine-gun fire. L 8 dropped all of its bombs, ballast, and water to rise above the intense fire, and limps back eastward, hydrogen leaking from its air cells. Just after midnight, it will come down eighty-five miles short of Düsseldorf.
- In the Dover Straits, the British have erected nets with 'indicator' nets in an effort to prevent the movement of German submarines through the English Channel. Today these nets claim their first victim, U-9, when it becomes entangled and is sunk by gunfire from the destroyer Gurkha.
- Today the growing number of Ottoman soldiers on the Gallipoli peninsula leads to the withdrawal of the last of the Royal Marine landing parties set ashore on the 26th. Nevertheless, they have accomplished their objective of destroying the remainder of the Ottoman guns at the entrance to the Dardanelles.
Back in London, doubts over the Dardanelles operation continue to gnaw at Admiral Fisher, as he writes to Churchill today: 'The more I consider the Dardanelles the less I like it.'
Tuesday, March 03, 2015
March 3rd, 1915
- Despite agreeing to the deployment of the January reserves to the Eastern Front, Falkenhayn remains convinced that victory can only be achieved through a successful and decisive offensive on the Western Front. To date, the issue for Falkenhayn has been finding the forces to undertake such an operation - the portion of the German army currently in the West is sufficient only to defend the current line, while Hindenburg and Ludendorff jealously guard their units on the Eastern Front. However, on February 22nd Major-General Ernst von Wrisberg, director of the General War Department, had submitted a proposal to Falkenhayn that offered the prospect of creating a new reserve force that could be utilized in major offensives. While sufficent new recruits have now been trained to form several new reserve corps, as had been done in October 1914 and January 1915, Wrisberg's proposal was to instead to assign approximately 2400 recruits to each existing division while simultaneously detaching one regiment from each division. The detached regiments, meanwhile, would be combined into new reserve divisions. Thus unlike prior occasions, these new reserve divisions would be comprised of experienced soldiers capable of undertaking complex operations. Wrisberg expected that this reorganization would allow for the creation of twenty-four reserves, and Falkenhayn has eagerly embraced the proposal, seeing in it the means by which his desired offensive in the West could be undertaken.
Orders have already been issued for the formation of the first six of the new divisions, and today Falkenhayn orders the formation of a new 11th Army, which he intends to use as the core of his offensive on the Western Front. Its commander will be General Fabeck, who brings to the position his experience in the fighting around Ypres in October and November, while as Chief of Staff Falkenhayn appoints Colonel Hans von Seeckt, an experienced and successful staff officer on the Western Front.
- Meanwhile, this evening Falkenhayn arrives at the headquarters of 3rd Army in the Champagne to discuss the ongoing French offensive. He emphasizes the importance of not yielding an inch of ground, which corresponds with the opinion of General Einem, 3rd Army's commander.
- In northern Poland the German 8th Army has failed to make any progress in its siege of the Russian fortress at Osowiec. The land around the fortress is marshy and criss-crossed with streams, slowing the movement and deployment of German heavy artillery, while Russian maneouvers outside Osowiec have kept the Germans off-guard. Thus the Germans have been unable to bring their full firepower to bear on the Russian defences, in contrast to sieges at Liège and Antwerp earlier in the war. Frustrated, and challenged by the strength of the Russian 12th Army to the west, 8th Army abandons the siege and withdraws to the northwest.
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| A siege gun deployed by the Germans at Osowiec. |
- Over the past two days the Russian VII and XII Corps have undertaken fierce counterattacks against the left flank of 2nd Army and the right flank of 3rd Army opposite, but the Austro-Hungarian defenders have managed to hold their positions. From Conrad at AOK comes renewed exortations, urging all armies to advance in Galicia and relieve Przemysl. To the German command staff of Südarmee, given the heavy casualties and terrible weather, such pleas appear little more than delusional.
- Another attempt to sweep the Ottoman minefields in the Dardanelles fails tonight when the minesweepers yet again retreat under heavy fire. Significantly, Admiral de Robeck, commanding the forward assault forces of the Entente fleet, concludes today that the straits cannot be forced until the shore batteries are silenced by the occupation of one shore or the other.
- After four weeks in Sanaa, the sailors of Emden's landing party have sufficiently recovered from their various ailments to allow for the column to depart today. Their destination is once again Hodeida, from which they had left on January 27th; with a march overland ruled out by the climate, First Officer Mücke has resolved to attempt to continue their journey by sea.
- The detachment of Indian Expeditionary Force D sent to Ahwaz on February 11th is encamped across the Karun river from the town. The scratch force has arrived too late to prevent hostile Arabs from cutting the vital oil pipeline to Abadan in several places, ostensibly the detachment's original mission. Moreover, a large number of Ottoman soldiers and Arab irregulars have gathered to the north at Ghadir, and the commander of the detachment has decided to attack the enemy encampment at dawn. His plan is to bring his artillery pieces within range of the enemy, at which point their high rate of fire would induce the Ottomans and Arabs to retreat or disperse. When the shelling begins, however, the enemy came 'buzzing out like a disturbed wasps nest' and, instead of retreating, attacked the British column. The latter was then forced to undertake a fighting retreat, only escaping destruction due to the unwillingness of the Arab cavalry to close up to the British lines and the steadfastness of the Dorsets infantry.
- The captain of the German light cruiser Königsberg receives a wireless signal, via the transmission tower at Windhoek in German South-West Africa, that he should communicate with the disguised merchant ship Rubens on April 1st.
Monday, March 02, 2015
March 2nd, 1915
- Today the German General Staff instructs VIII Corps to form a special Assault Detachment, or Sturmabteilung, of soldiers drawn from engineer battalions. The detachment is also assigned twenty experimental cannons from Krupp, designed to be sufficiently lightweight as to allow infantry to bring them along as they crossed No Man's Land. For the next several months, the detachment is develop tactics on the use of these 'assault cannons' at the Wahn artillery range near Cologne.
- The commander of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army expresses his extreme reluctance to attack, as requested by Conrad, based on insufficient forces, difficult terrain, and low morale. Conrad's reply today is to simply wave away the concerns; the relief of Przemysl is paramount, and thus all problems in the way of this objective are dismissed because they need to be if it to be achieved. Conrad threatens to take 8th Division away from 4th Army if it does not attack, and, faced with a diminuation of his commander, 4th Army commander relents and begins preparations.
Further east, Russian attacks break through the lines of 42nd Honved Division, belonging to XIII Corps of General Pflanzer-Baltin's force. His left wing now faced with envelopment, he has no choice but to pull XIII Corps back to the Bystrzyca Solotwinska River. Though the retreat, undertaken after nightfall, is successful, it ends any hope of Pflanzer-Baltin's forces cutting behind the Russian forces holding Südarmee and forcing a general Russian retreat. General Brusilov's rapid concentration of reinforcements in the eastern Carpathians has thus turned back the one successful Austro-Hungarian advance of the winter months.
- Today a redesign of the standard hand grenade used in the Austro-Hungarian army is ordered, as inexperienced soldiers who attempt to use the current model have a tendency to blow themselves up.
- Writing to the Admiralty today, Admiral Carden reports that he expects to break through the Dardanelles and reach the Sea of Marmara in two weeks, provided that the weather cooperates. Tonight, however, a second effort by the converted trawlers to sweep the mines in the straits fails when they once again flee in the face of heavy fire from shore batteries.
- The commander of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army expresses his extreme reluctance to attack, as requested by Conrad, based on insufficient forces, difficult terrain, and low morale. Conrad's reply today is to simply wave away the concerns; the relief of Przemysl is paramount, and thus all problems in the way of this objective are dismissed because they need to be if it to be achieved. Conrad threatens to take 8th Division away from 4th Army if it does not attack, and, faced with a diminuation of his commander, 4th Army commander relents and begins preparations.
Further east, Russian attacks break through the lines of 42nd Honved Division, belonging to XIII Corps of General Pflanzer-Baltin's force. His left wing now faced with envelopment, he has no choice but to pull XIII Corps back to the Bystrzyca Solotwinska River. Though the retreat, undertaken after nightfall, is successful, it ends any hope of Pflanzer-Baltin's forces cutting behind the Russian forces holding Südarmee and forcing a general Russian retreat. General Brusilov's rapid concentration of reinforcements in the eastern Carpathians has thus turned back the one successful Austro-Hungarian advance of the winter months.
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| The position of Südarmee and Planzer-Baltin's army group in the eastern Carpathians, March 2nd, 1915, illustrating the retreat of the latter's left flank in the face of Russian pressure. |
- Today a redesign of the standard hand grenade used in the Austro-Hungarian army is ordered, as inexperienced soldiers who attempt to use the current model have a tendency to blow themselves up.
- Writing to the Admiralty today, Admiral Carden reports that he expects to break through the Dardanelles and reach the Sea of Marmara in two weeks, provided that the weather cooperates. Tonight, however, a second effort by the converted trawlers to sweep the mines in the straits fails when they once again flee in the face of heavy fire from shore batteries.
Sunday, March 01, 2015
March 1st, 1915
- Having failed to make any headway with Sir John French regarding the relief of the French corps in the Ypres salient, Joffre writes to the minister of war today, asking him to appeal directly to Kitchener. As Joffre explains, if IX Corps is not relieved by the British, 10th Army will be unable to launch an offensive in Artois in conjunction with the BEF.
- It is only the third day of the renewed Austro-Hungarian offensive in the Carpathians, but already Conrad is faced with the spectre of almost complete failure. After heavy fighting the left wing of 2nd Army is stalled along the road to Baligrod, and has failed to reach its initial objectives. To the east, V Corps of 2nd Army is stalled along along the San River at Chmiel, while to the west X Corps of 3rd Army has been unable to seize the heights fiercely defended by the Russians. To make matters worse, the Russians have widened the breach gained yesterday in the Austro-Hungarian lines northwest of Stanislau to eight kilometres, and threaten to unhinge the entire front held by General Pflanzer-Baltin's forces. Finally, Südarmee has failed to make any substantial progress towards Wyszkow Pass in the face of the bitter winter conditions. In reaction to the setbacks, Conrad considers throwing 4th Army into the attack, disregarding the strong Russian defensive positions it faces.
- At the Dardanelles the British begin to confront the problem of the Ottoman minefields within the straits. Clearing the mines is essential to the success of the operation, but the British only have makeshift minesweepers available to them in the eastern Mediterranean. The Admiralty has provided the expedition with twenty-one converted North Sea fishing trawlers, newly-equipped with minesweeping gear but still manned by their regular peacetime crews, now designated as naval reserve sailors. Crucially, these crews had no experience whatsoever of working under fire, but that was precisely the situation they faced in the Dardanelles due to the difficulties of destroying in particular the mobile howitzer batteries by naval bombardment.
To deal with this problem, Admiral Carden decides to send in the minesweepers at night to hopefully avoid detection. After dusk this evening seven trawlers, escorted by the light cruiser Amethyst and four destroyers, enter the straits and begin to work. The Germans and Ottomans, however, had already considered the possibility of night operations, and had five large searchlight batteries along the shore. When the minesweepers are a mile and a half from the first minefield, they are suddenly illuminated by four searchlights and quickly subjected to fire from ten gun batteries. Though none are hit, the trawlers rapidly retreat, while their escorts discover that it is nearly impossible to hit enemy artillery while practically blinded by powerful searchlights at night. After forty-five minutes, the five warships also retreat.
- The success of the British and French to date at the Dardanelles, and in particular the destruction of the forts protecting the entrance to the straits, is having the desired effect on the opinion of the neutral Balkan states: today the pro-Entente Greek Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos offers three Greek divisions for an attack on the Gallipoli peninsula.
- For their part the Germans are concerned about the prospects of a successful defense of the Dardanelles by the Ottomans, and desire to disturb the complacency of the British and French warships anchoring as they undertake bombardments. To this end, the Austrian naval attaché is asked today to request to his government to send at least one of their submarines to the Dardanelles as early as possible.
- The British formally announce a complete naval blockade of German East Africa.
- It is only the third day of the renewed Austro-Hungarian offensive in the Carpathians, but already Conrad is faced with the spectre of almost complete failure. After heavy fighting the left wing of 2nd Army is stalled along the road to Baligrod, and has failed to reach its initial objectives. To the east, V Corps of 2nd Army is stalled along along the San River at Chmiel, while to the west X Corps of 3rd Army has been unable to seize the heights fiercely defended by the Russians. To make matters worse, the Russians have widened the breach gained yesterday in the Austro-Hungarian lines northwest of Stanislau to eight kilometres, and threaten to unhinge the entire front held by General Pflanzer-Baltin's forces. Finally, Südarmee has failed to make any substantial progress towards Wyszkow Pass in the face of the bitter winter conditions. In reaction to the setbacks, Conrad considers throwing 4th Army into the attack, disregarding the strong Russian defensive positions it faces.
- At the Dardanelles the British begin to confront the problem of the Ottoman minefields within the straits. Clearing the mines is essential to the success of the operation, but the British only have makeshift minesweepers available to them in the eastern Mediterranean. The Admiralty has provided the expedition with twenty-one converted North Sea fishing trawlers, newly-equipped with minesweeping gear but still manned by their regular peacetime crews, now designated as naval reserve sailors. Crucially, these crews had no experience whatsoever of working under fire, but that was precisely the situation they faced in the Dardanelles due to the difficulties of destroying in particular the mobile howitzer batteries by naval bombardment.
To deal with this problem, Admiral Carden decides to send in the minesweepers at night to hopefully avoid detection. After dusk this evening seven trawlers, escorted by the light cruiser Amethyst and four destroyers, enter the straits and begin to work. The Germans and Ottomans, however, had already considered the possibility of night operations, and had five large searchlight batteries along the shore. When the minesweepers are a mile and a half from the first minefield, they are suddenly illuminated by four searchlights and quickly subjected to fire from ten gun batteries. Though none are hit, the trawlers rapidly retreat, while their escorts discover that it is nearly impossible to hit enemy artillery while practically blinded by powerful searchlights at night. After forty-five minutes, the five warships also retreat.
- The success of the British and French to date at the Dardanelles, and in particular the destruction of the forts protecting the entrance to the straits, is having the desired effect on the opinion of the neutral Balkan states: today the pro-Entente Greek Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos offers three Greek divisions for an attack on the Gallipoli peninsula.
- For their part the Germans are concerned about the prospects of a successful defense of the Dardanelles by the Ottomans, and desire to disturb the complacency of the British and French warships anchoring as they undertake bombardments. To this end, the Austrian naval attaché is asked today to request to his government to send at least one of their submarines to the Dardanelles as early as possible.
- The British formally announce a complete naval blockade of German East Africa.
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