- Though Prime Minister Salandra has long desired Italian entry into the war on the side of the Entente, he has kept knowledge of the timing of a declaration of war a closely guarded secret; notably, the armed forces have not been informed when war is to commence. Indeed, for several weeks the heads of the army and navy have been pleading with Salandra for information on when war is expected to begin, but to no avail. Only at noon today does the naval general staff learn that hostilities will commence at midnight, and only through an informal telephone call from an official at the foreign ministry. Meanwhile, at 430pm Salandra officially notifies the minister of war that the declaration of war is about to be handed to the Austro-Hungarian government. Salandra's reasoning has been to avoid any preparatory measure that might allow Austria-Hungary to argue that Italy had committed an act of aggression prior to a declaration of war. In practice, however, it leads to the astonishing situation where the Italian government has known for four weeks that Italy is going to enter the war, but the armed forces are actually unprepared to commence hostilities when the day comes.
Meanwhile, this morning Foreign Minister Sonnino learns that the Italian ambassador in Vienna never received yesterday's telegram containing the declaration of war, and confesses to his fellow ministers that it all likelihood it was intercepted and deciphered by the Austro-Hungarians. A second telegram is thus dispatched at 2pm, and two hours later the ambassador formally presents it to the Austro-Hungarian government, informing it that hostilities will commence as of midnight.
Crucially, the Italian government very deliberately decides not to declare war on Germany today, in part at least to avoid Germany sending significant forces to fight on the Italian frontier. Nor does Italy declare war on the Ottoman Empire; indeed, diplomatic relations remain intact and the Ottoman embassy in Rome remains open, providing a perfect base for espionage against Italy. This means that Italy does not actually fulfill the requirement of the Treaty of London to go to war against all enemies of the Entente, a very great irony considering how much bluster will issue forth from Italian representatives later in the war and afterwards regarding faithful adherence to the agreement.
Notably, Germany does not declare war on Italy either. It prefers to leave open the possibility of Italian goods entering Germany through neutral Switzerland, as occurred during the period of Italian neutrality, and thus leave open a path around the British naval blockade. The Germans also feared that a declaration of war against Italy might trigger Romania to enter the war on the side of the Entente. Unsurprisingly this decision is unpopular in Vienna, but it is equally unsurprising that Austro-Hungarian displeasure is of no great concern to the Germans.
- Enver Pasha dispatches a message to the German government today, requesting the arrival of German submarines in the eastern Mediterranean to attack the Entente fleet off the Dardanelles. The appeal is unnecessary - German submarines are about to make their presence felt it dramatic fashion.
- For the past two weeks, the landing party of the German light cruiser Emden have been travelling along the Hedjaz railway. At numerous stops they have been met by German and Ottoman officials, as well as cheering crowds. They have obtained new clothing for the first time in six months, and during a stop at Aleppo received mail from home. This afternoon their train pulls into the station at Haider Pasha, the Asiatic terminus of the Hedjaz railway across from Constantinople. Now attired in dress uniforms, the sailors disembark and stand in formation before Admiral Souchon and his staff. Their journey is complete when First Officer Mücke lowers his sword before Souchon and states: 'I report the landing squad from the Emden, five officers, seven petty officers, and thirty men strong.'
After a six month journey that has taken them from the Dutch East Indies through Arabia, punctuated by a series of adventures and near-mishaps that could hardly have been invented if they had not actually happened, the landing party has managed against all odds to evade capture and return to the fight. Moreover, the saga of the landing party has captured the attention of the world: in the midst of the hellish stalemate and impersonal slaughter of the Western Front, their voyage has shown that scope for heroism and adventure remain even in the darkest war in human history. Even beyond Germany, Mücke's leadership is celebrated, and the British press, ever willing to celebrate the underdog, applauds the exploits of the landing party.
Showing posts with label Emden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emden. Show all posts
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
May 6th, 1915
- As the campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare continues, Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg remains concerned at its impact on neutral opinion. Recalling the torpedoing of the liner Falaba in March and the tanker Gulflight in April, he writes to the Chief of the Naval Staff today, demanding the safety of neutral merchant shipping. Otherwise, 'the growing number of neutral ships falling victim to submarine warfare [may] drive the neutral powers into the camp of our enemies.' He has no idea just how prescient he is: out in the Atlantic, the passenger liner Lusitania is approaching the Irish coast and destiny.
- In west Galicia, detachments from the Austro-Hungarian 8th Division, as well as several Landsturm brigades, occupy the badly-damaged city of Tarnow, already evacuated by the retreating Russian IX Corps. Other elements of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army reach the west bank of the Wisloka River this evening, but due to exhaustion a crossing is postponed until tomorrow.
To the south, the main advance of the German 11th Army continues apace; Guard Corps captures Jaslo, while XLI Reserve Corps, advancing towards Rymanow, reaches the town of Zrecyn. X Corps, meanwhile, reorientates itself to face south at Dukla, attempting to capture those Russian forces still south of the pass. Of the latter, XII Corps, after hard fighting with the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army, is able to withdraw to the northeast. The two divisions of the Russian XXIV Corps, however, endure a greater trial: 49th Division is badly decimated before it can reach safety south of Kosno, and 48th Division, commanded by General Lavr Kornilov, is repulsed by 11th Bavarian Division and falls back to Mszana, where it is attacked by the Austro-Hungarian 4th Landwehr Division, and begins to break up. General Dimitriev, meanwhile, informs General Ivanov that a further retreat of his 3rd Army will almost certainly be necessary.
- Off Cephalonia on the Greek west coast the Austro-Hungarian light cruiser Novara, commanded by Captian Miklós Horthy is intercepted by French warships, but is able to use its superior speed to escape back into the Adriatic. Novara had been towing the German submarine UB8 for deployment in the Aegean, and had cast off the submarine unseen by the French. Now on its own, UB8 makes its way eastward.
- As soon as the first Entente push to Krithia had failed on April 28th, General Hamilton began planning for another attack, as without occupying Krithia and the high ground to the immediate north the Ottomans would remain in firm control of both Gallipoli and the Dardanelles. Additional reinforcements have now arrived, with 125th Brigade of 42nd Division, having just landed yesterday, taking up position along the west coast. In addition, 2nd Australian and the New Zealand Brigades, on loan from ANZAC, were deployed between 87th and 88th Brigades and the French to the east.
Despite the reinforcements, however, the attack is no more successful than the first attempt. Again and again Entente infantry find their advance held up by well-concealed machine gun nests and the rugged terrain, and at no point are they able to advance more than four hundred metres or gain anything of significance. Notwithstanding today's failure, Hamilton orders a resumption of the attack tomorrow morning.
- Just before noon today Emden's landing party arrives at El Ula, after a four days' journey from the coast. After the bitter fight in the desert the caravan entrenched each night, but did not encounter any resistance. On arrival in the village they are met with a warm reception, as they had been expected by the local Ottoman garrison. In addition to delicacies of all kind from peaches to Rhenish wine, most importantly of all they find a steam train specially chartered to take them north. After an abundant meal and the first bath in months, the men of the landing party board the train and begin the rail journey northwards at thirty kilometres an hour.
- In west Galicia, detachments from the Austro-Hungarian 8th Division, as well as several Landsturm brigades, occupy the badly-damaged city of Tarnow, already evacuated by the retreating Russian IX Corps. Other elements of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army reach the west bank of the Wisloka River this evening, but due to exhaustion a crossing is postponed until tomorrow.
To the south, the main advance of the German 11th Army continues apace; Guard Corps captures Jaslo, while XLI Reserve Corps, advancing towards Rymanow, reaches the town of Zrecyn. X Corps, meanwhile, reorientates itself to face south at Dukla, attempting to capture those Russian forces still south of the pass. Of the latter, XII Corps, after hard fighting with the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army, is able to withdraw to the northeast. The two divisions of the Russian XXIV Corps, however, endure a greater trial: 49th Division is badly decimated before it can reach safety south of Kosno, and 48th Division, commanded by General Lavr Kornilov, is repulsed by 11th Bavarian Division and falls back to Mszana, where it is attacked by the Austro-Hungarian 4th Landwehr Division, and begins to break up. General Dimitriev, meanwhile, informs General Ivanov that a further retreat of his 3rd Army will almost certainly be necessary.
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| The German offensive at Gorlice-Tarnow, May 6th to 9th, 1915. |
- Off Cephalonia on the Greek west coast the Austro-Hungarian light cruiser Novara, commanded by Captian Miklós Horthy is intercepted by French warships, but is able to use its superior speed to escape back into the Adriatic. Novara had been towing the German submarine UB8 for deployment in the Aegean, and had cast off the submarine unseen by the French. Now on its own, UB8 makes its way eastward.
- As soon as the first Entente push to Krithia had failed on April 28th, General Hamilton began planning for another attack, as without occupying Krithia and the high ground to the immediate north the Ottomans would remain in firm control of both Gallipoli and the Dardanelles. Additional reinforcements have now arrived, with 125th Brigade of 42nd Division, having just landed yesterday, taking up position along the west coast. In addition, 2nd Australian and the New Zealand Brigades, on loan from ANZAC, were deployed between 87th and 88th Brigades and the French to the east.
Despite the reinforcements, however, the attack is no more successful than the first attempt. Again and again Entente infantry find their advance held up by well-concealed machine gun nests and the rugged terrain, and at no point are they able to advance more than four hundred metres or gain anything of significance. Notwithstanding today's failure, Hamilton orders a resumption of the attack tomorrow morning.
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| Emden's landing party arriving at El Ula, May 6th, 1915. |
Saturday, May 02, 2015
May 2nd, 1915
- At 6am this morning the artillery bombardment of the Russian line between Tarnow and Gorlice intensifies, with 370 light and 144 medium and heavy artillery batteries raining fire on the enemy. At 9am they are joined by almost a hundred trench mortars, their plunging fire ideal for landing shells in trenches and penetrating bunkers for maximum damage. Finally, at 10am infantry from ten divisions of the German 11th Army, as well as eight divisions of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army to the north, begin their advance.
The Russian line they assault, despite ample warning, is almost comically unprepared to defend itself. As General Ivanov of South-West Front has decreed an imminent revival of the Carpathian offensive, the focus of Russian commanders in the region is to the south, not the west from which the Germans are attacking. Indeed, to help facilitate the Carpathian offensive 3rd Army has taken over responsibility for the western end of the Russian line in the mountains, and the attention of its commander is firmly fixed there. Thus 3rd Army has assigned only two corps - IX and X - to defend the western face of the Russian line while the rest of the army is deployed south and east of the Wistoka River. Most of the army's reserves are also to the south and are poorly-positioned to respond to an attack from the west. The line held by IX and X Corps has also been quiet since the end of December, and thus there is little expectation that any significant fighting might occur here. As such, the Russian trenches are extremely primitive, even by the standards of the Eastern Front - perhaps one or two thin strands of barbed wire in front of one thin trench that is little more than a ditch. No provision had been made for reserve positions - indeed, when the commander of X Corps requested permission to build a reserve position, he was told that if he has the manpower to spare for trench-digging he must have more manpower than he needs, and one regiment was withdrawn from each of X Corps' divisions. Most of the formations in these two corps were also second-rate, with infantry often armed with antiquated rifles they did not know how to use. Russian tactics were also disastrous - in both corps their available infantry were concentrated in the front-line, making the men vulnerable to bombardment as well as leaving few reserves in case of emergencies. All told, for all the skill the Germans show and will show in preparing and executing offensive operations at Gorlice-Tarnow, it was also the case that the region was perhaps the most vulnerable to precisely the sort of overwhelming attack that descends on them this morning.
The preliminary bombardment largely obliterates the primitive Russian defences and a third of the Russian defenders are killed by artillery fire in the hours before the attack. Most of the rest are reduced to a state of shock, such that the attacking German infantry encounter only sporadic resistance - one German corps manages to take four thousand prisoners in the first hour of combat. When the Russian survivors attempt to retreat, they have to escape over open ground, where they are vulnerable to further artillery bombardment. Further, because there are no reserve defensive positions, once pushed into the open the Russians are unable to halt the momentum of the retreat and rally in new trenches. By late afternoon the ruins of the town of Gorlice are in German hands and a gap has opened between the retreating remnants of IX and X Corps while the German 11th and Austro-Hungarian 4th Armies continue to surge forward. The Russian response, delayed by the temporary absence of 3rd Army commander, is sluggish, and the only substantial measure is convincing General Ivanov to release III Caucasian Corps to 3rd Army. The advance elements of the corps, however, are only as far west as Jaslo this evening, which is still twenty kilometres behind the front - though granted, the front line is rapidly moving in their direction.
- This evening the Ottomans attempt another attack on the British and French lines on Cape Helles. This time the Entente are waiting for them, and when the Ottomans move into the open to attack they are cut down by rapid fire from French 75mm guns.
Meanwhile, the heavy resistance at Cape Helles, combined with a slackening of Ottoman artillery fire, convinces the commander of ANZAC forces to the north that the Ottomans have thinned their lines to hold the British and French before Krithia. To take advantage of this perceived weakness a night attack is ordered. An artillery bombardment commences at 7pm, and shortly thereafter Australian and New Zealand battalions are ordered to advance, hoping to secure the high ground beyond Monash Gully relieve the Ottoman pressure on the Nek. However, the attack miscarries almost immediately - some of the battalions are not in position to attack when the advance begins, and the Ottomans have effectively entrenched to take advantage of the rough terrain.
- At 8am Emden's landing party departs El Wegh on the Red Sea, travelling inland towards the village of El Ula on the Hedjaz railway. As they leave the coast and enter mountains, they are escorded by Suleiman, Sheikh of El Wegh.
The Russian line they assault, despite ample warning, is almost comically unprepared to defend itself. As General Ivanov of South-West Front has decreed an imminent revival of the Carpathian offensive, the focus of Russian commanders in the region is to the south, not the west from which the Germans are attacking. Indeed, to help facilitate the Carpathian offensive 3rd Army has taken over responsibility for the western end of the Russian line in the mountains, and the attention of its commander is firmly fixed there. Thus 3rd Army has assigned only two corps - IX and X - to defend the western face of the Russian line while the rest of the army is deployed south and east of the Wistoka River. Most of the army's reserves are also to the south and are poorly-positioned to respond to an attack from the west. The line held by IX and X Corps has also been quiet since the end of December, and thus there is little expectation that any significant fighting might occur here. As such, the Russian trenches are extremely primitive, even by the standards of the Eastern Front - perhaps one or two thin strands of barbed wire in front of one thin trench that is little more than a ditch. No provision had been made for reserve positions - indeed, when the commander of X Corps requested permission to build a reserve position, he was told that if he has the manpower to spare for trench-digging he must have more manpower than he needs, and one regiment was withdrawn from each of X Corps' divisions. Most of the formations in these two corps were also second-rate, with infantry often armed with antiquated rifles they did not know how to use. Russian tactics were also disastrous - in both corps their available infantry were concentrated in the front-line, making the men vulnerable to bombardment as well as leaving few reserves in case of emergencies. All told, for all the skill the Germans show and will show in preparing and executing offensive operations at Gorlice-Tarnow, it was also the case that the region was perhaps the most vulnerable to precisely the sort of overwhelming attack that descends on them this morning.
The preliminary bombardment largely obliterates the primitive Russian defences and a third of the Russian defenders are killed by artillery fire in the hours before the attack. Most of the rest are reduced to a state of shock, such that the attacking German infantry encounter only sporadic resistance - one German corps manages to take four thousand prisoners in the first hour of combat. When the Russian survivors attempt to retreat, they have to escape over open ground, where they are vulnerable to further artillery bombardment. Further, because there are no reserve defensive positions, once pushed into the open the Russians are unable to halt the momentum of the retreat and rally in new trenches. By late afternoon the ruins of the town of Gorlice are in German hands and a gap has opened between the retreating remnants of IX and X Corps while the German 11th and Austro-Hungarian 4th Armies continue to surge forward. The Russian response, delayed by the temporary absence of 3rd Army commander, is sluggish, and the only substantial measure is convincing General Ivanov to release III Caucasian Corps to 3rd Army. The advance elements of the corps, however, are only as far west as Jaslo this evening, which is still twenty kilometres behind the front - though granted, the front line is rapidly moving in their direction.
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| The German offensive at Gorlice-Tarnow, May 2nd to 6th, 1915. |
- This evening the Ottomans attempt another attack on the British and French lines on Cape Helles. This time the Entente are waiting for them, and when the Ottomans move into the open to attack they are cut down by rapid fire from French 75mm guns.
Meanwhile, the heavy resistance at Cape Helles, combined with a slackening of Ottoman artillery fire, convinces the commander of ANZAC forces to the north that the Ottomans have thinned their lines to hold the British and French before Krithia. To take advantage of this perceived weakness a night attack is ordered. An artillery bombardment commences at 7pm, and shortly thereafter Australian and New Zealand battalions are ordered to advance, hoping to secure the high ground beyond Monash Gully relieve the Ottoman pressure on the Nek. However, the attack miscarries almost immediately - some of the battalions are not in position to attack when the advance begins, and the Ottomans have effectively entrenched to take advantage of the rough terrain.
- At 8am Emden's landing party departs El Wegh on the Red Sea, travelling inland towards the village of El Ula on the Hedjaz railway. As they leave the coast and enter mountains, they are escorded by Suleiman, Sheikh of El Wegh.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
April 29th, 1915
- Today the German 11th Army completes its deployment near Gorlice, with the German Guards, VI, XXXXI Reserve, and X Corps arranged north to south from Ciezkowice to Ropica Ruska. To the north, the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army west of Tarnow deploys a further six infantry divisions and is to be under the operational command of General Mackensen. Elaborate measures have been taken to maintain secrecy about the German deployment. The trains carrying the corps eastward were routed through rail lines in northern Germany, to give the appearance they were destined for East Prussia. Further, German formations took over their parts of the line only at night, to avoid Russian observation, and German staff officers surveying the front even wore Austro-Hungarian uniforms, lest the Russians notice and become suspicious.
The final attack orders are issued today by Mackensen to his corps commanders, with the attack scheduled to begin May 2nd. While giving each corps freedom of action regarding particular targets, Mackensen stipulates the number of batteries each corps is to assign to the front, and emphasizes the importance of close infantry-artillery co-operation. The artillery is to keep up with the pace of the infantry advance, and artillery observers are to be with the infantry to co-ordinate fire on enemy strongpoints. Mackensen also issues a separate order for the artillery directly under army control, which is to be commanded by one officer only. The army-level artillery was tasked with the preliminary bombardment the night before the attack, and is to prevent the arrival of Russian reserves and keep those at the front off-balance. Further, the preliminary bombardment will briefly cease at two points overnight to allow pioneer patrols to make their way into No Man's Land to cut wire and observe the extent of the damage. Once the initial infantry attack has been launched, continual pressure is to be maintained, the infantry advancing in deep columns protected by friendly artillery fire. Crucially, if a unit finds itself ahead of their neighbours, instead of halting and waiting they are to keep advancing, keeping the Russians off balance. These orders incorporate the lessons learned by Chief of Staff Seeckt and others on the Western Front over the past five months.
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| German soldiers arriving at a Carpathian railway station, April 1915. |
- This evening Emden's landing party arrives at El Wegh after an uneventful overland journey from Sherm Munnaiburra. Here they are able to bathe and wash clothing as they assemble the camels necessary for the next phase of their journey.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
April 28th, 1915
- In Courland the German 3rd and Bavarian Cavalry Divisions have covered seventy-five kilometres in the past forty-eight hours and reached the town of Kielmy. With German forces streaming through the porous front, the main body of the Russian army in Courland withdraws past Kielmy.
- On Cape Helles the Entente forces launch their first major push northwards today. Given the exhaustion of his forces after three days of constant combat, General Hunter-Weston of 29th Division has ordered a limited advance designed to seize Krithia and secure positions from which the high ground at Achi Baba can be seized in a subsequent attack. After a preliminary bombardment undertaken by two artillery batteries and warships offshore, the British 87th and 88th Brigades, as well as the French 175th Regiment, climb out of their trenches and begin their advance. They encounter heavy Ottoman resistance, and further the rough and unfamiliar terrain serves to disorientate and split adjacent battalions from each other. The result is command chaos, with no one on the Entente side having any real idea what was happening. This included Hunter-Weston himself, who finally landed his headquarters this morning but lacked radio or telephone communications with his forward units. Units of the 87th Brigade manage to reach within a kilometre of Krithia, but unsupported on either flank (the adjacent units had gotten lost or repulsed), were forced to retire. At the end of the day, all the attack accomplishes is to straighten out the Entente line - Krithia remains firmly in Ottoman hands - while the British and French suffer 2000 and 1200 casualties respectively. Thus ends the First Battle of Krithia; it will not be the last.
- Twenty days after departing Djidda by sea aboard a zambuk, Emden's landing party arrives at Sherm Munnaiburra, a sheltered bay approximately ten miles south of El Wegh, their intended destination. These last ten miles, however are over open seas, and they will be beyond the protection of the reefs which have kept larger enemy warships at bay. Unwilling to risk capture, the Germans disembark and prepare to journey overland to El Wegh.
- On Cape Helles the Entente forces launch their first major push northwards today. Given the exhaustion of his forces after three days of constant combat, General Hunter-Weston of 29th Division has ordered a limited advance designed to seize Krithia and secure positions from which the high ground at Achi Baba can be seized in a subsequent attack. After a preliminary bombardment undertaken by two artillery batteries and warships offshore, the British 87th and 88th Brigades, as well as the French 175th Regiment, climb out of their trenches and begin their advance. They encounter heavy Ottoman resistance, and further the rough and unfamiliar terrain serves to disorientate and split adjacent battalions from each other. The result is command chaos, with no one on the Entente side having any real idea what was happening. This included Hunter-Weston himself, who finally landed his headquarters this morning but lacked radio or telephone communications with his forward units. Units of the 87th Brigade manage to reach within a kilometre of Krithia, but unsupported on either flank (the adjacent units had gotten lost or repulsed), were forced to retire. At the end of the day, all the attack accomplishes is to straighten out the Entente line - Krithia remains firmly in Ottoman hands - while the British and French suffer 2000 and 1200 casualties respectively. Thus ends the First Battle of Krithia; it will not be the last.
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| The Entente advance up Cape Helles from late April to early May 1915. |
- Twenty days after departing Djidda by sea aboard a zambuk, Emden's landing party arrives at Sherm Munnaiburra, a sheltered bay approximately ten miles south of El Wegh, their intended destination. These last ten miles, however are over open seas, and they will be beyond the protection of the reefs which have kept larger enemy warships at bay. Unwilling to risk capture, the Germans disembark and prepare to journey overland to El Wegh.
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
April 8th, 1915
- In Britain Prime Minister Asquith announces the formation of yet another committee: the Treasury Munitions of War Committee. This new body is chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George, who sees the committee's work as being an extension of his own and the means by which to wrestle control over the financing of munitions production from Lord Kitchener and the War Office. The ongoing internecine battle between the two, combined with Asquith's penchant to delay decisions through endless debate, can hardly be expected to increase munitions output.
- With the attacks against the St.-Mihiel salient going nowhere, Joffre orders a shift in tactics today, ordering General Dubail of the Provisional Group of the East to shift to methodical attacks designed to overwhelm the enemy. Dubail halts the broad-front attacks currently underway and prepares to concentrate his forces for a small number of hopefully-irresistible assaults.
- Emden's landing party successfully reached the town of Djidda several days ago without further incident, where the injured are treated in hospital and supplies restocked. Given the recent Arab attack, First Officer Mücke has decided to continue the journey northwards by sea, chartering a large zambuk. In light of the British blockade offshore, Mücke also spread the rumour that his expedition intended to continue by land. Remarkably, once again the British fall for disinformation from the German officer, and when the zambuk departs Djidda this evening there are no British warships in sight.
- With the attacks against the St.-Mihiel salient going nowhere, Joffre orders a shift in tactics today, ordering General Dubail of the Provisional Group of the East to shift to methodical attacks designed to overwhelm the enemy. Dubail halts the broad-front attacks currently underway and prepares to concentrate his forces for a small number of hopefully-irresistible assaults.
- Emden's landing party successfully reached the town of Djidda several days ago without further incident, where the injured are treated in hospital and supplies restocked. Given the recent Arab attack, First Officer Mücke has decided to continue the journey northwards by sea, chartering a large zambuk. In light of the British blockade offshore, Mücke also spread the rumour that his expedition intended to continue by land. Remarkably, once again the British fall for disinformation from the German officer, and when the zambuk departs Djidda this evening there are no British warships in sight.
Friday, April 03, 2015
April 3rd, 1915
- On the southern face of the St.-Mihiel salient, the French XII Corps, on the left of 73rd Division, joins the attack of the latter on the German lines.
- For the past several months. the elderly German General Colmar Freiheer von der Goltz has been serving in Constantinople as a senior military advisor to the Ottoman sultan, but for the past several days has been meeting with Falkenhayn in Germany regarding the strategic situation in the Balkans. Goltz is an advocate of an operation to crush Serbia and open a land link to the Ottoman Empire, a proposition that Falkenhayn is generally supportive of - indeed, Falkenhayn prefers a Serbian campaign to the commitment of further German forces in the Carpathians. However, assembling the forces necessary for such an attack is impossible at present, given the Austro-Hungarian emergency on the Eastern Front and the continued neutrality of Bulgaria, whose armies and geographical position are seen as critical to success. Nevertheless, when Goltz departs German army headquarters today, he carries with him a letter from the Kaiser to the Sultan promising that an offensive against Serbia will be launched 'in the near future.'
- Since striking a mine in late December, the Ottoman/German battlecruiser Goeben has been out of service as repairs were undertaken. Despite there being no drydock in Constantinople large enough to accomodate the damaged vessel, engineers sent from Germany have managed to complete repairs via the construction of two large cofferdams and sealing the leaks with concrete. These repairs have sufficiently progressed to allow Goeben to participate in an Ottoman naval operation in the Black Sea today, the objective of which is the destruction of a number of Russian transports assembled at Odessa, lest they be used to land a Russian force near Constantinople. The attack on Odessa is tasked to the elderly Ottoman protected cruisers Medjidieh and Hamidieh, supported by four torpedo-boats, while Goeben and Breslau are to be off Sevastopol to cover the operation.
The operation comes apart, however, when Medjidieh strikes a mine off Odessa this morning and sinks in shallow water. Though the torpedo boats are able to rescue the crew, they are unable to destroy the wreck, which falls into the hands of the Russians. As for Goeben and Breslau, they sink two Russian merchant vessels before the Russian Black Sea Fleet appears. The latter gives chase throughout the day, but Goeben and Breslau are able to use their superior speed to escape.
- For the past two days Emden's landing party have been besieged by a large Arab force in the desert near Djidda, the latter evidently encouraged by the English to do so. Though several Germans have been wounded, and one seaman has died, the greatest problem the party faces is the water supply, which is expected to run out within twenty-four hours. First Officer Mücke prepares orders for the party to break out and attempt to reach Djidda, leaving those who fall behind, but just before noon another emissary comes from the enemy force, and this time the demands have been reduced to only twenty-two thousand pounds in gold. Mücke deduces from this that an Ottoman relief force from Djidda must be en route, and thus replies that he has water for four weeks and would like nothing more than to continue fighting in the desert. After the emissary's departure Arab firing briefly resumes before halting entirely. Peering over their makeshift defenses, the Germans see an empty desert around them. An hour and a half later, a force of seventy led by Abdullah, second son of the Emir of Mecca, appears, offering water and escort to Djidda. Departing, the two forces make for a curious sight as they cross the desert, the Germans marching behind a giant red banner emblazened with verses from the Koran.
- For the past several months. the elderly German General Colmar Freiheer von der Goltz has been serving in Constantinople as a senior military advisor to the Ottoman sultan, but for the past several days has been meeting with Falkenhayn in Germany regarding the strategic situation in the Balkans. Goltz is an advocate of an operation to crush Serbia and open a land link to the Ottoman Empire, a proposition that Falkenhayn is generally supportive of - indeed, Falkenhayn prefers a Serbian campaign to the commitment of further German forces in the Carpathians. However, assembling the forces necessary for such an attack is impossible at present, given the Austro-Hungarian emergency on the Eastern Front and the continued neutrality of Bulgaria, whose armies and geographical position are seen as critical to success. Nevertheless, when Goltz departs German army headquarters today, he carries with him a letter from the Kaiser to the Sultan promising that an offensive against Serbia will be launched 'in the near future.'
- Since striking a mine in late December, the Ottoman/German battlecruiser Goeben has been out of service as repairs were undertaken. Despite there being no drydock in Constantinople large enough to accomodate the damaged vessel, engineers sent from Germany have managed to complete repairs via the construction of two large cofferdams and sealing the leaks with concrete. These repairs have sufficiently progressed to allow Goeben to participate in an Ottoman naval operation in the Black Sea today, the objective of which is the destruction of a number of Russian transports assembled at Odessa, lest they be used to land a Russian force near Constantinople. The attack on Odessa is tasked to the elderly Ottoman protected cruisers Medjidieh and Hamidieh, supported by four torpedo-boats, while Goeben and Breslau are to be off Sevastopol to cover the operation.
The operation comes apart, however, when Medjidieh strikes a mine off Odessa this morning and sinks in shallow water. Though the torpedo boats are able to rescue the crew, they are unable to destroy the wreck, which falls into the hands of the Russians. As for Goeben and Breslau, they sink two Russian merchant vessels before the Russian Black Sea Fleet appears. The latter gives chase throughout the day, but Goeben and Breslau are able to use their superior speed to escape.
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| The Ottoman protected cruisers Medjidieh and Hamidieh. |
- For the past two days Emden's landing party have been besieged by a large Arab force in the desert near Djidda, the latter evidently encouraged by the English to do so. Though several Germans have been wounded, and one seaman has died, the greatest problem the party faces is the water supply, which is expected to run out within twenty-four hours. First Officer Mücke prepares orders for the party to break out and attempt to reach Djidda, leaving those who fall behind, but just before noon another emissary comes from the enemy force, and this time the demands have been reduced to only twenty-two thousand pounds in gold. Mücke deduces from this that an Ottoman relief force from Djidda must be en route, and thus replies that he has water for four weeks and would like nothing more than to continue fighting in the desert. After the emissary's departure Arab firing briefly resumes before halting entirely. Peering over their makeshift defenses, the Germans see an empty desert around them. An hour and a half later, a force of seventy led by Abdullah, second son of the Emir of Mecca, appears, offering water and escort to Djidda. Departing, the two forces make for a curious sight as they cross the desert, the Germans marching behind a giant red banner emblazened with verses from the Koran.
Wednesday, April 01, 2015
April 1st, 1915
- The German industrialist Walther Rathenau resigns today as head of Kriegsrohstoffsamt (KRA), the government agency overseeing the allocation of raw materials in the German war economy. While the resignation is in part a reflection that the KRA is now fully functioning, and he is able to ensure the appointment of his hand-picked successor, Major Joseph Koeth, as his replacement, Rathenau has also been dogged by criticism of the KRA, both that he has utilized his position to benefit his own corporation (AEG) and more generally has prioritized large firms over small ones, while the KRA has been accused of facilitating profiteering. The range of criticisms reflects ongoing tensions within the German war economy, balanced between profits and patriotism.
- Over the first months of the war, the aerial combat that has occurred has been undertaken by pilots firing pistols or observers firing light guns. Such methods leave much to be desired, and make the shooting down of an aircraft a relatively rare event. Mounting machine guns facing forward would allow the pilot to aim and fire while still flying his aircraft, though at the expense of shooting off his own propeller. Both sides have been striving to develop a mechanism that would allow a machine-gun to fire through a propeller with no success.
One alternative, however, is to protect the propeller itself so that it is not damaged when hit by a bullet, and for several months French pilot Roland Garros, along with his mechanic Jules Hue, have been developing an armoured propeller that would allow a Hotchkiss machine gun to fire forward in his Morane-Saulnier Type L aircraft. He has been assigned to the squadron MS26 at Dunkirk, and today, flying his specially-modified Moraine, which includes channeled deflectors, Garros shoots down his first German aircraft using his forward-firing machine gun.
- In the Carpathians the situation continues to deteriorate for the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army; this morning the Russians force the right wing of XVIII Corps to fall back into the Wetlinka valley. At 2pm the commander of 2nd Army concludes that the only way to avoid disaster is to retreat behind the main crest of the mountains, yielding to the Russians the Uszok Pass but taking up new defensive positions to the south. Not surprisingly, both 3rd Army to the west and Conrad at army headquarters objects, but the reality on the ground is that 2nd Army cannot hold its current position, and further attempts to do so would court disaster.
- Meanwhile the Chiefs of Staff of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies are also concerned regarding the diplomatic situation with Italy. While Falkenhayn continues to urge his counterpart to pressure the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Ministry to offer concessions, Conrad rejects the suggestion. In his opinion, giving territory to Italy now will only whet Italy's appetite, and increase, not decrease, the likelihood of an Italian attack in the long run.
- As the small German caravan makes its way across the desert towards Djidda, the reassurances of the Ottoman escorts given the previous evening are shown to be false. Instead of a few dozen robbers, Emden's landing party is suddenly attacked just after dawn by several hundred Arabs, firing from all sides. The Germans shelter behind their camels, which become the primary target as several continue to stand, while most of their Ottoman escorts flee the battlefield. The machine guns they are able to employ, however, goes some way towards evening the odds. Under cover of machine gun fire, the Germans charge the Arabs, who initially scatter. Attempting to regroup, First Officer Mücke orders the caravan to reform and move towards the sea, where at least one flank would be covered. The Arabs, however, will not be so easily dissuaded from the attack, and as soon as the caravan moves again it comes under fire, and the rear guard has to frequently halt and set up their machine gun to disperse the attackers. When the Arabs briefly cease firing to parley, the Germans entrench, using everything from camel saddles to sacks of rice, and Mücke refuses the Arabs' demand to hand over all guns, ammunition, camels, food, and water in exchange for safe passage. Firing continues into the evening, and by nightfall Seaman Rademacher and Lieutenant Schmidt have been killed, and another seaman wounded.
- Over the first months of the war, the aerial combat that has occurred has been undertaken by pilots firing pistols or observers firing light guns. Such methods leave much to be desired, and make the shooting down of an aircraft a relatively rare event. Mounting machine guns facing forward would allow the pilot to aim and fire while still flying his aircraft, though at the expense of shooting off his own propeller. Both sides have been striving to develop a mechanism that would allow a machine-gun to fire through a propeller with no success.
One alternative, however, is to protect the propeller itself so that it is not damaged when hit by a bullet, and for several months French pilot Roland Garros, along with his mechanic Jules Hue, have been developing an armoured propeller that would allow a Hotchkiss machine gun to fire forward in his Morane-Saulnier Type L aircraft. He has been assigned to the squadron MS26 at Dunkirk, and today, flying his specially-modified Moraine, which includes channeled deflectors, Garros shoots down his first German aircraft using his forward-firing machine gun.
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| The French Morane-Saulnier Type L aircraft. |
- In the Carpathians the situation continues to deteriorate for the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army; this morning the Russians force the right wing of XVIII Corps to fall back into the Wetlinka valley. At 2pm the commander of 2nd Army concludes that the only way to avoid disaster is to retreat behind the main crest of the mountains, yielding to the Russians the Uszok Pass but taking up new defensive positions to the south. Not surprisingly, both 3rd Army to the west and Conrad at army headquarters objects, but the reality on the ground is that 2nd Army cannot hold its current position, and further attempts to do so would court disaster.
- Meanwhile the Chiefs of Staff of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies are also concerned regarding the diplomatic situation with Italy. While Falkenhayn continues to urge his counterpart to pressure the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Ministry to offer concessions, Conrad rejects the suggestion. In his opinion, giving territory to Italy now will only whet Italy's appetite, and increase, not decrease, the likelihood of an Italian attack in the long run.
- As the small German caravan makes its way across the desert towards Djidda, the reassurances of the Ottoman escorts given the previous evening are shown to be false. Instead of a few dozen robbers, Emden's landing party is suddenly attacked just after dawn by several hundred Arabs, firing from all sides. The Germans shelter behind their camels, which become the primary target as several continue to stand, while most of their Ottoman escorts flee the battlefield. The machine guns they are able to employ, however, goes some way towards evening the odds. Under cover of machine gun fire, the Germans charge the Arabs, who initially scatter. Attempting to regroup, First Officer Mücke orders the caravan to reform and move towards the sea, where at least one flank would be covered. The Arabs, however, will not be so easily dissuaded from the attack, and as soon as the caravan moves again it comes under fire, and the rear guard has to frequently halt and set up their machine gun to disperse the attackers. When the Arabs briefly cease firing to parley, the Germans entrench, using everything from camel saddles to sacks of rice, and Mücke refuses the Arabs' demand to hand over all guns, ammunition, camels, food, and water in exchange for safe passage. Firing continues into the evening, and by nightfall Seaman Rademacher and Lieutenant Schmidt have been killed, and another seaman wounded.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
March 31st, 1915
- After the directive of the 29th regarding the defensive of current positions, today OHL issues a second directive regarding the training of reserves which emphasizes the importance of offensive training. To do so, successful operations, such as the Battle of Soissons, are to be studied in detail, while training camps are to be established which include mock fortified positions on which units can practice assaults. The directive also states that the mission of the first line in an attack is to break through the enemy line; it will be the responsibility of subsequent waves of infantry to exploit the breakthrough.
- The Russian air force has lagged behind its opponents in innovation, with one very notable exception: the Il'ia Muromets bomber, a creation of the young and very talented designer Igor Sikorskii. This massive aircraft was an unparalleled marvel of technical engineering; propelled by four engines, it is capable of carrying a crew of three for a five-hour flight with two machine-guns and a half-ton of bombs. In a reconnaissance flight conducted today, one Muromets flies 533 kilometres at between 3200 and 3600 metres altitude.
Perhaps not surprising given the Russian war performance to date, the Muromets has been criminally underappreciated by army headquarters, including a ban on further production issued in October 1914. Only by circumventing the army was Sikorskii able to have a squadron of Muromets formed under the patronage of the owner of the Russko-Baltiiskii aircraft company, allowing for the true value of the Muromets to be demonstrated.
- In the Carpathians, the main Russian attack over the past two days has fallen on the centre and right of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army. Crucially, they have broken through the front of XIX Corps, forcing 41st and 37th Honved Divisions to fall back (the former having suffered 60% casualties, the latter reduced to two thousand riflemen). The situation of 2nd Army is perilous - only fifteen hundred reserves remain available to plug holes in the line - and its commander orders preliminary planning for a withdrawal southwards out of the Carpathians if necessary.
- When Emden's landing party stops at a watering hole at 11am this morning, they are met by an Ottoman patrol of eighteen sent from Djidda to escort them the remaining distance to the town. At 4pm they depart, the path carrying them away from the sea and through numberless flat sand drifts topped with grass. After nightfall, a group of Bedouins, numbering about twelve or fifteen, are sighted in the distance before disappearing, which the Ottoman escort takes for robbers. This causes little concern to the Germans, given that their party numbers fifty and carries with them four machine guns.
- Munitions production in Canada has been hindered by the lack of a pre-war armaments industry which could have been expanded once hostilities began. To circumvent this limitation, a shell committee has been established by Sam Hughes, the minister of militia, to place orders not for complete shells, but rather individual components, allowing manufacturers to focus on those components which they already have some skill in producing. The result is that by today 155 factories employing 25 000 are engaged in shell production in Canada.
- The Russian air force has lagged behind its opponents in innovation, with one very notable exception: the Il'ia Muromets bomber, a creation of the young and very talented designer Igor Sikorskii. This massive aircraft was an unparalleled marvel of technical engineering; propelled by four engines, it is capable of carrying a crew of three for a five-hour flight with two machine-guns and a half-ton of bombs. In a reconnaissance flight conducted today, one Muromets flies 533 kilometres at between 3200 and 3600 metres altitude.
Perhaps not surprising given the Russian war performance to date, the Muromets has been criminally underappreciated by army headquarters, including a ban on further production issued in October 1914. Only by circumventing the army was Sikorskii able to have a squadron of Muromets formed under the patronage of the owner of the Russko-Baltiiskii aircraft company, allowing for the true value of the Muromets to be demonstrated.
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| The Russian Il'ya Muromets bomber. |
- In the Carpathians, the main Russian attack over the past two days has fallen on the centre and right of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army. Crucially, they have broken through the front of XIX Corps, forcing 41st and 37th Honved Divisions to fall back (the former having suffered 60% casualties, the latter reduced to two thousand riflemen). The situation of 2nd Army is perilous - only fifteen hundred reserves remain available to plug holes in the line - and its commander orders preliminary planning for a withdrawal southwards out of the Carpathians if necessary.
- When Emden's landing party stops at a watering hole at 11am this morning, they are met by an Ottoman patrol of eighteen sent from Djidda to escort them the remaining distance to the town. At 4pm they depart, the path carrying them away from the sea and through numberless flat sand drifts topped with grass. After nightfall, a group of Bedouins, numbering about twelve or fifteen, are sighted in the distance before disappearing, which the Ottoman escort takes for robbers. This causes little concern to the Germans, given that their party numbers fifty and carries with them four machine guns.
- Munitions production in Canada has been hindered by the lack of a pre-war armaments industry which could have been expanded once hostilities began. To circumvent this limitation, a shell committee has been established by Sam Hughes, the minister of militia, to place orders not for complete shells, but rather individual components, allowing manufacturers to focus on those components which they already have some skill in producing. The result is that by today 155 factories employing 25 000 are engaged in shell production in Canada.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
March 28th, 1915
- In the first month of the German campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, twenty-five merchant ships have been sunk, sixteen of which had been torpedoed without warning. These numbers, however, have to be placed in the context of the overall flow of merchant traffic - over the same month over four thousand vessels had sailed into and out of British ports.
Today a twenty-sixth vessel is sunk, the 5000-ton British cargo and passenger liner Falaba. In the St. George's Channel off the Irish coast, it is halted by U-28, and its captain is given ten minutes to abandon ship. During this period, extended on request to twenty-three minutes, Falaba's wireless continued to broadcast signals requesting assistance. When an armed British trawler appears, U-28 puts a torpedo into Falaba, which rapidly sinks. One hundred and four lives are lost, including an American passenger, who becomes the first American citizen to die at sea as the result of the attack of a German submarine. The response of the American government is to ask the German ambassador for clarification regarding details of the sinking; a muted reaction reflecting that only a single American life was lost. The Germans, however, can hardly count on such forbearance in the future.
- The situation of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army continues to deteriorate in the Carpathians, as on its left wing 32nd and 13th Landwehr Division are forced to retreat when the Russians seize the Manilow Heights.
- Today the Russian Black Sea Squadron, consisting of five pre-dreadnoughts, two cruisers, and ten destroyers, appears off the mouth of the Bosphorus and ineffectively bombards the Ottoman forts guarding the strait. The attack is little more than a token gesture, and naturally comes too late for the British and French on the other side of the Dardanelles, who have already decided to abandon a purely naval operation in favour of a combined assault.
- After a visit to the Sheikh of Leet, First Officer Mücke has been able to collect ninety camels for his party, and this evening depart Leet for Djidda. The camels are used mainly to carry supplies, especially water, given the desert through which they will travel.
Today a twenty-sixth vessel is sunk, the 5000-ton British cargo and passenger liner Falaba. In the St. George's Channel off the Irish coast, it is halted by U-28, and its captain is given ten minutes to abandon ship. During this period, extended on request to twenty-three minutes, Falaba's wireless continued to broadcast signals requesting assistance. When an armed British trawler appears, U-28 puts a torpedo into Falaba, which rapidly sinks. One hundred and four lives are lost, including an American passenger, who becomes the first American citizen to die at sea as the result of the attack of a German submarine. The response of the American government is to ask the German ambassador for clarification regarding details of the sinking; a muted reaction reflecting that only a single American life was lost. The Germans, however, can hardly count on such forbearance in the future.
- The situation of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army continues to deteriorate in the Carpathians, as on its left wing 32nd and 13th Landwehr Division are forced to retreat when the Russians seize the Manilow Heights.
- Today the Russian Black Sea Squadron, consisting of five pre-dreadnoughts, two cruisers, and ten destroyers, appears off the mouth of the Bosphorus and ineffectively bombards the Ottoman forts guarding the strait. The attack is little more than a token gesture, and naturally comes too late for the British and French on the other side of the Dardanelles, who have already decided to abandon a purely naval operation in favour of a combined assault.
- After a visit to the Sheikh of Leet, First Officer Mücke has been able to collect ninety camels for his party, and this evening depart Leet for Djidda. The camels are used mainly to carry supplies, especially water, given the desert through which they will travel.
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| Emden's landing party moving through the Arabian desert. |
Friday, March 27, 2015
March 27th, 1915
- The continuing deterioration of the Austro-Hungarian position in the Carpathians in the face of the Russian offensive prompts an agreement between the Austro-Hungarians and Germans to form a new German corps for insertion into the line. Beskid Corps, as it is to be named, is to consist of 35th Reserve Division from central Poland, 4th Division from Südarmee, and 25th Reserve Division from 9th Army, and the latter, entraining today, is the first to begin its transfer to the Carpathians.
- General Sanders has begun work on reorganizing the defence of Gallipoli, pulling two Ottoman divisions away from the beaches to form a reserve which can respond to enemy landings at various points. He also orders the construction of roads to facilitate the movement of his reserves and the improvement of defensive positions along the beaches, including trenches and barbed wire. Sanders, however, is painfully aware that this work will take time, and fears an Entente attack before his force is ready; as he writes today, 'If the English will only leave me alone for eight days.' He has no idea just how obliging the British intend to be.
- This morning the landing party of the German light cruiser Emden suffers its first casualty since it began its journey in November. Seaman Keil had contracted a severe case of typhus at Hodeida, and his condition deteriorated after the sinking of one of the zambuks and the loss of the party's medical supplies. He dies at 3am in Leet, and is given a burial at sea with full naval honours.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
March 18th, 1915
- As the offensive in Champagne prepares to wind down, Joffre still sees much to be praised about the fighting, though it has not resulted in the desired breakthrough. Writing to General de Langle of 4th Army today, the French commander in chief praises the 'offensive capacity, warrior spirit, spirit of sacrifice, and devotion to country' shown by the soldiers of 4th Army - undoubtedly small comfort to the thousands who have lost their lives here over the past two months.
- After a twenty-four hours' delay, the offensive by the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army begins, attacking towards Gorlice, Sekowa, and Staszkowka. Predictably, the Austro-Hungarian infantry gets nowhere. Further east Südarmee has been attacking since the 7th, but, having secured only minimal gains, abandons the offensive today. Finally, even further east the Russians abandon their attacks against Pflanzer-Baltin's force, giving the latter a momentary respite to reorganize.
- The morning dawns clear and bright at the Dardanelles, ideal weather for the Entente naval attack. The British and French warships, led into battle for the first time by Admiral Robeck, left their anchorage at Mudros Bay on Lemnos overnight, and this morning the dreadnought Queen Elizabeth, the battlecruiser Invincible, and sixteen pre-dreadnoughts sail in formation towards the entrance to the straits. Robeck's plan (which is for all intents and purposes Carden's plan) is to bombard the Ottoman forts protecting the Narrows from long-range, following by moving up the straits to destroy the mobile batteries. Once those are suppressed, the minesweepers will go to work, clearing a path nine hundred yards across, allowing the warships to close up to and finish the destruction of the forts at the Narrows. If all goes according to plan, the British and French expect to be in the Sea of Marmara by tomorrow. Of course, the war to date is hardly known for operations going according to plan . . .
At 11am, Queen Elizabeth, Invincible, and the pre-dreadnoughts Agamemnon and Lord Nelson arrive in position fourteen thousand yards downstream from the Narrows, and twenty-five minutes later they open fire, Queen Elizabeth bombarding the Chanak forts on the Asiatic shore and the other three firing upon the forts at Kilid Bahr on the opposite shore. By 1150am the forts have been struck repeatedly, and a large explosion is seen at Chanak. Robeck judges the time right for the next phase of his plan, and orders the French pre-dreadnoughts Gaulois, Charlemagne, Bouvet, and Suffren to pass through the lead ships and close to within ten thousand yards. For the next two hours a fierce artillery duel rages in the straits. One lucky Ottoman 14-inch shell strikes Gaulois at the waterline, forcing it to retreat as it takes on water. Generally, however, the Ottomans are taking the brunt of the punishment - some guns are buried, - telephone lines to spotters have been destroyed, etc. - and the result is rate of fire from the remaining guns is declining. Other than Gaulois, meanwhile, the British and French warships, protected by thick armour, have taken only superficial damage.
- At 154pm Robeck orders the French warships to withdraw, intending to replace them with four British pre-dreadnoughts held in reserve, and Suffren leads the other two French ships in a turn to starboard, taking them out of action through a bay on the Asian shore. Just as they pass abreast of Queen Elizabeth, Bouvet is rocked by a major explosion. Still moving forward, it rolls over, capsizes, and sinks, all within sixty seconds. Six hundred and forty sailors are lost, and only sixty-six rescued. The sudden disappearance of Bouvet shocks everyone, and no one understands how it could have been sunk so quickly. At first, both sides believe its magazine had detonated, which encourages the Ottomans to continue their bombardment. In reality, Bouvet struck a mine, one of twenty laid at night on March 8th, a minefield completely unknown to the Entente commanders, and into which Bouvet had stumbled.
The loss of Bouvet does not deter Robeck, and the bombardment continues for another two hours. At 4pm Keyes calls for the minesweepers. Four pass upstream of Queen Elizabeth, but after sweeping three mines they are driven away by Ottoman gunfire.
The situation quickly worsened for the Entente. At 411pm Inflexible wanders into the same unknown minefield that sank Bouvet, and a mine blows a hole in its bow and drowns twenty-nine sailors. Badly damaged, Inflexible limps away, its forward deck almost level with the sea. Fifteen minutes later the pre-dreadnought Irresistible strikes a mine, flooding both engine rooms and leaving it dead in the water. Not realizing what had happened, its captain signals that it has struck a mine. As it drifts slowly towards the Asian shore, the destroyer Wear comes alongside and takes off its crew.
At this point Robeck calls off the day's fighting. The losses are bad enough, but worse is that neither Robeck nor anyone else in the fleet knows what sunk the warships. In such circumstances it was felt only prudent to withdraw and regroup. Moreover, when the pre-dreadnought Ocean attempts to salvage Irresistible by taking it in tow, it too strikes a mine. Despite the best efforts of Keyes to organize their rescue, both ships sink after sundown.
By this evening a day that had started with such promise has ended in sudden and inexplicable disaster. Robeck is greatly depressed by the day's results - not only has he lost three pre-dreadnoughts, but Inflexible, counted on to fight Goeben should the later sortie, will need to go to Malta for repairs, and Gaulois ended up having to beach itself to avoid sinking. The Admiral is convinced that once news reached London, he shall be immediately relieved of command. Keyes, who has a better understanding of Churchill's mind, recognizes that the most likely response of the First Lord is to send reinforcements and encourage further attacks, and does what he can to reassure Robeck.
On the Ottoman side, only eight large guns had been put out of action, and only 118 soldiers had been killed or wounded. Of far greater importance, however, was that the Ottomans had fired off half of their supply of ammunition - there was great concern that if the British and French came again, it would be only a matter of time until the ammunition supply was exhausted, at which point the mines could be swept and the straits cleared into the Sea of Marmara. Overnight the Ottomans prepare for what they believe to be a certain resumption of the Entente attack.
- This morning the surviving zambuk carrying Emden's landing party returns to the wreck of the other zambuk. Fortunately, though submerged it is resting on the coral reef, and the German sailors are able to dive and recover two machine guns, a few pistols, and some of the ammunition. The rest of the supplies on the zambuk - including their only medical supplies - are lost.
A stiff breeze during the day allows the remaining zambuk, despite being overloaded, to reach the town of Coonfidah by evening. Here they find a larger zambuk, which they are able to charter for the next stage of their journey.
- In Mesopotamia Indian Expeditionary Force has been reinforced by 30th Brigade, and as such it is decided to reorganize the force as an army corps, under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir John Nixon.
- After a twenty-four hours' delay, the offensive by the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army begins, attacking towards Gorlice, Sekowa, and Staszkowka. Predictably, the Austro-Hungarian infantry gets nowhere. Further east Südarmee has been attacking since the 7th, but, having secured only minimal gains, abandons the offensive today. Finally, even further east the Russians abandon their attacks against Pflanzer-Baltin's force, giving the latter a momentary respite to reorganize.
- The morning dawns clear and bright at the Dardanelles, ideal weather for the Entente naval attack. The British and French warships, led into battle for the first time by Admiral Robeck, left their anchorage at Mudros Bay on Lemnos overnight, and this morning the dreadnought Queen Elizabeth, the battlecruiser Invincible, and sixteen pre-dreadnoughts sail in formation towards the entrance to the straits. Robeck's plan (which is for all intents and purposes Carden's plan) is to bombard the Ottoman forts protecting the Narrows from long-range, following by moving up the straits to destroy the mobile batteries. Once those are suppressed, the minesweepers will go to work, clearing a path nine hundred yards across, allowing the warships to close up to and finish the destruction of the forts at the Narrows. If all goes according to plan, the British and French expect to be in the Sea of Marmara by tomorrow. Of course, the war to date is hardly known for operations going according to plan . . .
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| The naval attack on the Dardanelles, March 18th, 1915. |
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| British pre-dreadnoughts approaching the Dardanelles, as seen from Agamemnon, March 18th, 1915. |
At 11am, Queen Elizabeth, Invincible, and the pre-dreadnoughts Agamemnon and Lord Nelson arrive in position fourteen thousand yards downstream from the Narrows, and twenty-five minutes later they open fire, Queen Elizabeth bombarding the Chanak forts on the Asiatic shore and the other three firing upon the forts at Kilid Bahr on the opposite shore. By 1150am the forts have been struck repeatedly, and a large explosion is seen at Chanak. Robeck judges the time right for the next phase of his plan, and orders the French pre-dreadnoughts Gaulois, Charlemagne, Bouvet, and Suffren to pass through the lead ships and close to within ten thousand yards. For the next two hours a fierce artillery duel rages in the straits. One lucky Ottoman 14-inch shell strikes Gaulois at the waterline, forcing it to retreat as it takes on water. Generally, however, the Ottomans are taking the brunt of the punishment - some guns are buried, - telephone lines to spotters have been destroyed, etc. - and the result is rate of fire from the remaining guns is declining. Other than Gaulois, meanwhile, the British and French warships, protected by thick armour, have taken only superficial damage.
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| The British pre-dreadnought Prince George is targeted by a salvo of three Ottoman shells, one of which strikes home, March 18th, 1915. |
- At 154pm Robeck orders the French warships to withdraw, intending to replace them with four British pre-dreadnoughts held in reserve, and Suffren leads the other two French ships in a turn to starboard, taking them out of action through a bay on the Asian shore. Just as they pass abreast of Queen Elizabeth, Bouvet is rocked by a major explosion. Still moving forward, it rolls over, capsizes, and sinks, all within sixty seconds. Six hundred and forty sailors are lost, and only sixty-six rescued. The sudden disappearance of Bouvet shocks everyone, and no one understands how it could have been sunk so quickly. At first, both sides believe its magazine had detonated, which encourages the Ottomans to continue their bombardment. In reality, Bouvet struck a mine, one of twenty laid at night on March 8th, a minefield completely unknown to the Entente commanders, and into which Bouvet had stumbled.
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| Above, the French pre-dreadnought Bouvet immediately after it strikes a mine. Below, moments later, Bouvet capsizes and is keel-up as it sinks, March 18th, 1915. |
The situation quickly worsened for the Entente. At 411pm Inflexible wanders into the same unknown minefield that sank Bouvet, and a mine blows a hole in its bow and drowns twenty-nine sailors. Badly damaged, Inflexible limps away, its forward deck almost level with the sea. Fifteen minutes later the pre-dreadnought Irresistible strikes a mine, flooding both engine rooms and leaving it dead in the water. Not realizing what had happened, its captain signals that it has struck a mine. As it drifts slowly towards the Asian shore, the destroyer Wear comes alongside and takes off its crew.
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| The British pre-dreadnought floundering after striking a mine, March 18th, 1915. |
At this point Robeck calls off the day's fighting. The losses are bad enough, but worse is that neither Robeck nor anyone else in the fleet knows what sunk the warships. In such circumstances it was felt only prudent to withdraw and regroup. Moreover, when the pre-dreadnought Ocean attempts to salvage Irresistible by taking it in tow, it too strikes a mine. Despite the best efforts of Keyes to organize their rescue, both ships sink after sundown.
By this evening a day that had started with such promise has ended in sudden and inexplicable disaster. Robeck is greatly depressed by the day's results - not only has he lost three pre-dreadnoughts, but Inflexible, counted on to fight Goeben should the later sortie, will need to go to Malta for repairs, and Gaulois ended up having to beach itself to avoid sinking. The Admiral is convinced that once news reached London, he shall be immediately relieved of command. Keyes, who has a better understanding of Churchill's mind, recognizes that the most likely response of the First Lord is to send reinforcements and encourage further attacks, and does what he can to reassure Robeck.
On the Ottoman side, only eight large guns had been put out of action, and only 118 soldiers had been killed or wounded. Of far greater importance, however, was that the Ottomans had fired off half of their supply of ammunition - there was great concern that if the British and French came again, it would be only a matter of time until the ammunition supply was exhausted, at which point the mines could be swept and the straits cleared into the Sea of Marmara. Overnight the Ottomans prepare for what they believe to be a certain resumption of the Entente attack.
- This morning the surviving zambuk carrying Emden's landing party returns to the wreck of the other zambuk. Fortunately, though submerged it is resting on the coral reef, and the German sailors are able to dive and recover two machine guns, a few pistols, and some of the ammunition. The rest of the supplies on the zambuk - including their only medical supplies - are lost.
A stiff breeze during the day allows the remaining zambuk, despite being overloaded, to reach the town of Coonfidah by evening. Here they find a larger zambuk, which they are able to charter for the next stage of their journey.
- In Mesopotamia Indian Expeditionary Force has been reinforced by 30th Brigade, and as such it is decided to reorganize the force as an army corps, under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir John Nixon.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
March 17th, 1915
- German Army Zeppelins attempt today to bombard London, but not only are they unable to find their target in a heavy fog, they cannot even find England itself. Instead, Z XII drops bombs on Calais, only to damage itself during landing.
- In Champagne there is heavy fighting for the heights north of Le Mesnil, where a German attack by 16th Reserve Division at 445am is turned back after an inadequate preliminary bombardment. This evening the commander of 3rd Army orders more through preparations for an assault to retake Hill 196, taken yesterday by the French.
- Joffre today writes to the Minister of War, informing him of the situation on the Western Front. He states that the fighting in Champagne since January has demonstrated that the commitment of considerable reserves and significant amounts of material were necessary to achieve decisive success in a major operation. It would take time for such reserves to be formed, but in the interim Joffre intends to conduct offensives of a smaller scale, aiming to maintain morale about the soldiers and keep pressure on the Germans.
- The attack planned for today by the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army between the Vistula River and the western Carpathians, but poor weather has forced its postponement for twenty-four hours.
- With Admiral Robeck having resigned yesterday due to illness, he is replaced as commander of the Dardanelles expedition by Rear Admiral John de Robeck, formerly the second-in-command. Churchill immediately encourages de Robeck to energetically attack the straits, and the later, accepting Carden's plan, states that with good weather the operation will begin tomorrow.
- As the naval campaign at the Dardanelles reaches its climax, a bizarre sideshow has been ongoing at the nearby Bulgarian port of Degeagatch on the Aegean coast. For several days two Britons - Griffin Eady, a civil engineer, and Edwin Whittall, a businessman - who had been longtime residents of the Ottoman Empire have been in secret negotiations with a representative of the Ottoman government. The negotiations had been initiated by Rear-Admiral William R. 'Blinker' Hall, the shadowy Director of Naval Intelligence and head of Room 40, and he had authorized Eady and Whittall to offer a £4 million bribe in exchange for the Ottomans withdrawing from the war. Whether the Ottoman representative had any actual authority to negotiate, given Enver Pasha's grip on the government, is unknown, and moreover Hall has authorized the negotiations and the bribe entirely on his own initiative, without reference to the Admiralty, Cabinet, or the Foreign Office. When the First Lord uncovered Hall's plot, he ordered the negotiations terminated, given the apparently imminent victory at the Dardanelles, and Eady and Whittall depart Degeagatch today.
- For the past three days Emden's landing party has been aboard two zambuks, sailing north along the east coast of the Red Sea. Each of the two ships carries thirty-five men in a space measuring only fourteen metres by four. Even beyond overcrowding the past few days have been uncomfortable for the Germans: both zambuks are infested with cockroaches, bedbugs, lice, and other insects. In the words of First Officer Mücke, all clothing not in use had to be tied down, lest it run away, and in the daily 'louse hunts' the record for one shirt was seventy-four lice.
To keep Entente blockade ships at bay, the zambuks have been sailing within the coral reefs of the Farsan Bank. While the reefs are dangerous for large ships, smaller ones such as the zambuks are still at risk. Just after 6pm this evening the lead zambuk strikes a coral reef, and only after several efforts is able to reach deeper waters. The second zambuk, following two hundred yards behind, is not so lucky - in trying to avoid one reef, it strikes another and sinks. The able-bodied sailors from the stricken zambuk are able to swim to the other, while two dugouts from the surviving zambuk are able to bring back the sick. In order to fit all aboard without floundering, however, most of the provisions had to be thrown overboard, leaving the Germans with food and water for only three days, in addition to their weapons and ammunition.
- In Champagne there is heavy fighting for the heights north of Le Mesnil, where a German attack by 16th Reserve Division at 445am is turned back after an inadequate preliminary bombardment. This evening the commander of 3rd Army orders more through preparations for an assault to retake Hill 196, taken yesterday by the French.
- Joffre today writes to the Minister of War, informing him of the situation on the Western Front. He states that the fighting in Champagne since January has demonstrated that the commitment of considerable reserves and significant amounts of material were necessary to achieve decisive success in a major operation. It would take time for such reserves to be formed, but in the interim Joffre intends to conduct offensives of a smaller scale, aiming to maintain morale about the soldiers and keep pressure on the Germans.
- The attack planned for today by the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army between the Vistula River and the western Carpathians, but poor weather has forced its postponement for twenty-four hours.
- With Admiral Robeck having resigned yesterday due to illness, he is replaced as commander of the Dardanelles expedition by Rear Admiral John de Robeck, formerly the second-in-command. Churchill immediately encourages de Robeck to energetically attack the straits, and the later, accepting Carden's plan, states that with good weather the operation will begin tomorrow.
- As the naval campaign at the Dardanelles reaches its climax, a bizarre sideshow has been ongoing at the nearby Bulgarian port of Degeagatch on the Aegean coast. For several days two Britons - Griffin Eady, a civil engineer, and Edwin Whittall, a businessman - who had been longtime residents of the Ottoman Empire have been in secret negotiations with a representative of the Ottoman government. The negotiations had been initiated by Rear-Admiral William R. 'Blinker' Hall, the shadowy Director of Naval Intelligence and head of Room 40, and he had authorized Eady and Whittall to offer a £4 million bribe in exchange for the Ottomans withdrawing from the war. Whether the Ottoman representative had any actual authority to negotiate, given Enver Pasha's grip on the government, is unknown, and moreover Hall has authorized the negotiations and the bribe entirely on his own initiative, without reference to the Admiralty, Cabinet, or the Foreign Office. When the First Lord uncovered Hall's plot, he ordered the negotiations terminated, given the apparently imminent victory at the Dardanelles, and Eady and Whittall depart Degeagatch today.
- For the past three days Emden's landing party has been aboard two zambuks, sailing north along the east coast of the Red Sea. Each of the two ships carries thirty-five men in a space measuring only fourteen metres by four. Even beyond overcrowding the past few days have been uncomfortable for the Germans: both zambuks are infested with cockroaches, bedbugs, lice, and other insects. In the words of First Officer Mücke, all clothing not in use had to be tied down, lest it run away, and in the daily 'louse hunts' the record for one shirt was seventy-four lice.
To keep Entente blockade ships at bay, the zambuks have been sailing within the coral reefs of the Farsan Bank. While the reefs are dangerous for large ships, smaller ones such as the zambuks are still at risk. Just after 6pm this evening the lead zambuk strikes a coral reef, and only after several efforts is able to reach deeper waters. The second zambuk, following two hundred yards behind, is not so lucky - in trying to avoid one reef, it strikes another and sinks. The able-bodied sailors from the stricken zambuk are able to swim to the other, while two dugouts from the surviving zambuk are able to bring back the sick. In order to fit all aboard without floundering, however, most of the provisions had to be thrown overboard, leaving the Germans with food and water for only three days, in addition to their weapons and ammunition.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
March 15th, 1915
- In addition to yesterday's attacks in the Argonne, French infantry attack Vauquois. However, they are unable to achieve anything of note.
- The British operation against the port of Smyrna is abandoned today, after negotations with the local governor bear no fruit while mobile artillery batteries have prevented the minefields from being swept. The attempt has not been without loss: the seaplane carrier Anne Rickmers has been severely damaged by the Ottoman torpedo-boat Demir Hissar. On the other hand, the Ottomans have sunk five steamers in the channels leading to the port, which ironically accomplishes the British objective of preventing the use of Smyrna as a submarine base. Moreover, the pre-dreadnoughts Triumph and Swiftsure are needed back at the Dardanelles for the daylight attack scheduled for the 18th.
- At dawn breaks over the Red Sea, the zambuk under the direct command of First Officer Mücke finds that overnight it has drifted into the middle of the English blockade line, with no wind available to allow for their escape. However, though the mast-head of an English ship appears over the horizon, the zambuk is left unmolested; Mücke attributes this to the disinclination of the English to work on weekends. When a breeze rises in the afternoon, they are able to resume its progress northwards.
- The British operation against the port of Smyrna is abandoned today, after negotations with the local governor bear no fruit while mobile artillery batteries have prevented the minefields from being swept. The attempt has not been without loss: the seaplane carrier Anne Rickmers has been severely damaged by the Ottoman torpedo-boat Demir Hissar. On the other hand, the Ottomans have sunk five steamers in the channels leading to the port, which ironically accomplishes the British objective of preventing the use of Smyrna as a submarine base. Moreover, the pre-dreadnoughts Triumph and Swiftsure are needed back at the Dardanelles for the daylight attack scheduled for the 18th.
- At dawn breaks over the Red Sea, the zambuk under the direct command of First Officer Mücke finds that overnight it has drifted into the middle of the English blockade line, with no wind available to allow for their escape. However, though the mast-head of an English ship appears over the horizon, the zambuk is left unmolested; Mücke attributes this to the disinclination of the English to work on weekends. When a breeze rises in the afternoon, they are able to resume its progress northwards.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
March 14th, 1915
- In Champagne the commander of the French XVI Corps reports to General de Langle that his force has made a small 'crack' in the German line, but that efforts to enlarge the breach have been thwarted by murderous flanking fire. De Langle's response is to alter the direction of the assaults and order their continuation.
- After several hours of artillery preparation and the detonation of several mines, French infantry assault German positions held by XVI Corps today on the Bolante Plateau and west of Boureuilles in the Argonne.
- Though the fighting continues in Champagne, Joffre is already looking forward to future operations. Near the German border is the French Provisional Army of the East, which includes 1st and 3rd Armys and Army Detachments Vosges and Lorraine, and is commanded by General Auguste Dubail. Today Joffre instructs Dubail to commence preparations for an offensive against both flanks of the St. Mihiel salient, for which he will provide three corps and a cavalry division as reinforcements.
- In the central Carpathians all available reserves of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army are rushed to prop up the reeling XIX Corps and prevent a Russian breakthrough. With nothing left to send to the aid of the corps advancing on Baligrod, 2nd Army commander calls off the offensive. Over the past fourteen days, 2nd Army has lost 33% of its strength, numbering 51 086 men. Even Conrad now acknowledges that his winter offensives to relieve Przemysl have failed, and that the garrison cannot be relieved before it is starved into surrender. This, of course, does not deter Conrad from planning further offensives in the Carpathians, as he informs Falkenhayn today.
- In the early morning hours a determined effort is made to sweep the minefields in the Dardanelles. First the pre-dreadnought Cornwallis enters the straits and bombards the searchlights and mobile batteries, followed by the light cruiser Amethyst and four destroyers at 2am. An hour later, seven trawlers, with crews that now included naval volunteers, enter the Dardanelles, intending to sail in, turn, and sweep on their way out. Despite the ongoing shore bombardment, they are quickly illuminated by Ottoman searchlights, and by the time they reach the point to turn and begin sweeping, they are under intense fire. Two trawlers had their sweeping gear blown away, a third had its captain and deck crew all killed, and two more collided and drifted down the straits, entangled and seemingly the target of every Ottoman gun in range. The two remaining trawlers manage to sweep several mines, but it is a meagre return, especially considering that Amethyst takes a large shell to its mess deck, killing twenty-four and injuring thirty-six.
Assessing the results in the daylight hours, Admiral Carden concludes that the only way for the minesweeping operation to succeed is if a smothering naval bombardment can first obliterate the Ottoman guns. To do this requires the fleet to sail into the Dardanelles in daylight, and planning begins for such an attack in four days' time.
- At 5pm the two zambuks carrying Emden's landing party departs from Yabana, just north of Hodeida, with both ships flying the German naval pennant. Aware that a blockade line to the north is maintained by several English gunboats, First Officer Mücke orders the zambuks to part ways, to avoid both being captured together.
- At dawn this morning, the armoured cruiser Kent and the light cruiser Glasgow round Cumberland Point on Más á Tierra. Before them is the German light cruiser Dresden, at anchor and still waiting for its collier. When Dresden trains its guns on the British warships, Glasgow opens fire. Within four minutes, having already been struck at its waterline, the Germans raise the white flag. A steam launch departs Dresden carrying Lieutenant William Canaris (yes, that Canaris) to register a complaint to the captain of Glasgow that the German warship was in Chilean waters and thus under Chilean protection. The response of Glasgow's captain is, in the finest traditions of the service, that unless Dresden surrenders immediately, he will blow it out of the water, neutrality be damned. The German response is to scuttle their ship and escape to shore, singing the German anthem as Dresden keels over. Thus sinks the last survivor of the German East Asiatic Squadron, and it is fitting that Glasgow, who escaped from the squadron's greatest triumph, is present at its final demise.
- After several hours of artillery preparation and the detonation of several mines, French infantry assault German positions held by XVI Corps today on the Bolante Plateau and west of Boureuilles in the Argonne.
- Though the fighting continues in Champagne, Joffre is already looking forward to future operations. Near the German border is the French Provisional Army of the East, which includes 1st and 3rd Armys and Army Detachments Vosges and Lorraine, and is commanded by General Auguste Dubail. Today Joffre instructs Dubail to commence preparations for an offensive against both flanks of the St. Mihiel salient, for which he will provide three corps and a cavalry division as reinforcements.
- In the central Carpathians all available reserves of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army are rushed to prop up the reeling XIX Corps and prevent a Russian breakthrough. With nothing left to send to the aid of the corps advancing on Baligrod, 2nd Army commander calls off the offensive. Over the past fourteen days, 2nd Army has lost 33% of its strength, numbering 51 086 men. Even Conrad now acknowledges that his winter offensives to relieve Przemysl have failed, and that the garrison cannot be relieved before it is starved into surrender. This, of course, does not deter Conrad from planning further offensives in the Carpathians, as he informs Falkenhayn today.
- In the early morning hours a determined effort is made to sweep the minefields in the Dardanelles. First the pre-dreadnought Cornwallis enters the straits and bombards the searchlights and mobile batteries, followed by the light cruiser Amethyst and four destroyers at 2am. An hour later, seven trawlers, with crews that now included naval volunteers, enter the Dardanelles, intending to sail in, turn, and sweep on their way out. Despite the ongoing shore bombardment, they are quickly illuminated by Ottoman searchlights, and by the time they reach the point to turn and begin sweeping, they are under intense fire. Two trawlers had their sweeping gear blown away, a third had its captain and deck crew all killed, and two more collided and drifted down the straits, entangled and seemingly the target of every Ottoman gun in range. The two remaining trawlers manage to sweep several mines, but it is a meagre return, especially considering that Amethyst takes a large shell to its mess deck, killing twenty-four and injuring thirty-six.
Assessing the results in the daylight hours, Admiral Carden concludes that the only way for the minesweeping operation to succeed is if a smothering naval bombardment can first obliterate the Ottoman guns. To do this requires the fleet to sail into the Dardanelles in daylight, and planning begins for such an attack in four days' time.
- At 5pm the two zambuks carrying Emden's landing party departs from Yabana, just north of Hodeida, with both ships flying the German naval pennant. Aware that a blockade line to the north is maintained by several English gunboats, First Officer Mücke orders the zambuks to part ways, to avoid both being captured together.
- At dawn this morning, the armoured cruiser Kent and the light cruiser Glasgow round Cumberland Point on Más á Tierra. Before them is the German light cruiser Dresden, at anchor and still waiting for its collier. When Dresden trains its guns on the British warships, Glasgow opens fire. Within four minutes, having already been struck at its waterline, the Germans raise the white flag. A steam launch departs Dresden carrying Lieutenant William Canaris (yes, that Canaris) to register a complaint to the captain of Glasgow that the German warship was in Chilean waters and thus under Chilean protection. The response of Glasgow's captain is, in the finest traditions of the service, that unless Dresden surrenders immediately, he will blow it out of the water, neutrality be damned. The German response is to scuttle their ship and escape to shore, singing the German anthem as Dresden keels over. Thus sinks the last survivor of the German East Asiatic Squadron, and it is fitting that Glasgow, who escaped from the squadron's greatest triumph, is present at its final demise.
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| The German light cruiser Dresden, scuttled today at Más á Tierra. |
Thursday, March 12, 2015
March 12th, 1915
- At 6am, a major German counterattack is launched against the British line at Neuve Chapelle which is able to retake a portion of the trenches northeast of the village that was lost in the initial British attack two days ago. However, a lack of artillery impairs the German ability to hold the new line, and an attack by the British 7th and 8th Divisions at noon manage to regain the lost ground. By 8pm, the headquarters of the German 6th Army concludes that further attacks to recover Neuve Chapelle will be fruitless, and decides to entrench on the present line. For the British, the German counterattacks are sufficiently disruptive and damaging that, despite being able to retake the lost ground, they are unable to push further towards Aubers Ridge.
- Today the French XVI Corps begins its assault in the Champagne, joined by other elements of 4th Army. Despite the concentration of infantry and the focus on a maximum effort, the attack is little more successful than those earlier in the battle.
- The second advance towards Prasnysz by the German forces under General Gallwitz is called off today north of the town, as Russian counterattacks have checked German momentum.
- In the central Carpathians, General Brusilov continues the counterattack against the left wing of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army, and today 34th Division is forced back. The commander of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army, meanwhile, is concerned about a Russian breakthrough that would undue what little has been accomplished to date, and rushes his reserves to XIX Corps in front of Lupkow. Further east, the grinding Austro-Hungarian advance towards Baligrod continues - the village of Rabe and the Manilowa Heights are seized today.
- This afternoon a small English gunboat thoroughly searches Isa Bay, from which Emden's landing party is rumoured to be sailing from tomorrow. In truth, Mücke's deception has worked, as his party prepares to sail on the fourteenth.
- The British and French commanders of Entente forces invading German Kamerun agree to a plan of campaign, in which their forces are expected to reach the line Dume-Lomie-Akoafim-Ntem River by the end of March. The plan, however, bears little resemblance to the actual position of French columns in the south and west, and assumes a level of co-ordination utterly impossible given the terrain of the colony.
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| British dead at Neuve Chapelle, March 12th, 1915. |
- The second advance towards Prasnysz by the German forces under General Gallwitz is called off today north of the town, as Russian counterattacks have checked German momentum.
- In the central Carpathians, General Brusilov continues the counterattack against the left wing of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army, and today 34th Division is forced back. The commander of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army, meanwhile, is concerned about a Russian breakthrough that would undue what little has been accomplished to date, and rushes his reserves to XIX Corps in front of Lupkow. Further east, the grinding Austro-Hungarian advance towards Baligrod continues - the village of Rabe and the Manilowa Heights are seized today.
- This afternoon a small English gunboat thoroughly searches Isa Bay, from which Emden's landing party is rumoured to be sailing from tomorrow. In truth, Mücke's deception has worked, as his party prepares to sail on the fourteenth.
- The British and French commanders of Entente forces invading German Kamerun agree to a plan of campaign, in which their forces are expected to reach the line Dume-Lomie-Akoafim-Ntem River by the end of March. The plan, however, bears little resemblance to the actual position of French columns in the south and west, and assumes a level of co-ordination utterly impossible given the terrain of the colony.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
March 11th, 1915
- In direct response to the German declaration of a war zone around Britain and the commencement of unrestricted submarine warfare, the British declare a total blockade of Germany today. Henceforth, Entente navies would prevent all cargoes, not just contraband, from reaching German ports.
- The Zeppelins belonging to the German army are today authorized to conduct aerial bombardments of London.
- In Canada, recruiting for a second contingent began even while the first was still training on Salisbury Plain. Today, Lord Kitchener informs the Canadian government that the transportation of the first elements of the second contingent across the Atlantic will commence in late April.
- Overnight, German forces have constructed a new defensive line across the breach open yesterday at Neuve Chapelle, while also deploying additional artillery batteries. In the morning mist the new positions go unseen, such that when a British attack is launched at 7am, it runs into a hail of machine gun and artillery fire from elements of the German 14th Division. A second attack in the evening is similarly dispatched as further German reinforcements, this time from 6th Bavarian Division, arrive on the battlefield.
- In Champagne the major assault of the French XVI Corps is scheduled to begin tomorrow, and this evening its commander issues his final orders to his subordinates. He instructs that every soldier is to participate in the advance, with none left to occupy trenches, and that every piece of ground seized is to be immediately consolidated and used as a launching pad for further attacks.
- The results of the reorganization of the German army, to incorporate the newest cohort of recruits while creating a large reserve of experienced divisions, are not as promising as Falkenhayn had originally hoped. Instead of the anticipated twenty-four new divisions, it is now apparent that, due to losses and other requirements, only fourteen new divisions can be created. This is less than the force envisioned in 6th Army's proposed operation for an offensive north of the Somme. Despite this setback, Falkenhayn remains committed to undertaking an attack in the West - writing today to Colonel Seeckt, 11th Army's Chief of Staff, he emphasizes that he still plans to force a return to a war of movement on the Western Front through a major breakthrough that culminates in victory over the Entente.
- Since the beginning of March, the German 10th Army has been gradually falling back towards the line it held prior to the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes, as the position it had won in the battle had been rendered untenable due to Russian pressure on the flanks. It has been cautiously followed by the Russian 10th Army, but two days ago the Germans turned the tables on their pursuers, and after several furious days of fighting the Russians have been halted. The Germans are thus able to assume defensive positions and stalemate returns to the front. Despite the victory last month at Masurian Lakes, in terms of territory the Germans find themselves right back where they started.
- After four days of fighting the offensive of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army has stalled, unable to maintain the early momentum towards Gorlize and Staszkowka, at a cost of six thousand casualties.
Meanwhile, the garrison of the besieged fortress of Przemysl reports today that after the slaughter of all horses and a thorough search for all available food it will be able to hold out until March 24th, at which point surrender will be necessary to avoid starvation. The winter battles in the Carpathians are approaching their climax; the Austro-Hungarians must break through immediately if Przemysl is to be relieved before it falls.
The Russians, however, have other ideas. General Brusilov has been concerned that the advance of the left wing of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army, particularly near Lupkow, threatens the flank of the Russian forces facing 3rd Army to the west. To negate this possibility, Russian forces attack today near Lupkow, and the Austro-Hungarian 29th Division is forced to yield the ground it had conquered over the past few days.
- At the Dardanelles the minesweepers are sent into the straits unescorted tonight, hoping to catch the Ottomans by surprise. The result was about what one would expect, as Keyes related:
- The landing party of the German light cruiser Emden arrives today back at Hodeida, from which it had departed a month earlier. Intending to continue their journey by sea, they must secure new vessels, as Choising, the merchant ship upon which they had crossed the Indian Ocean, had been sent away upon their arrival at Hodeida. As there are no steamships to be had, First Officer Mücke acquires two zambuks, small sailboats fourteen meters long and four meters wide, used along the Arabian coast. The party intends to sail from Yabana, a small bay north of Hodeida, on the fourteenth, while to deflect unwanted attention Mücke spreads the rumour that they will instead sail from Isa Bay on the thirteenth.
- The Zeppelins belonging to the German army are today authorized to conduct aerial bombardments of London.
- In Canada, recruiting for a second contingent began even while the first was still training on Salisbury Plain. Today, Lord Kitchener informs the Canadian government that the transportation of the first elements of the second contingent across the Atlantic will commence in late April.
- Overnight, German forces have constructed a new defensive line across the breach open yesterday at Neuve Chapelle, while also deploying additional artillery batteries. In the morning mist the new positions go unseen, such that when a British attack is launched at 7am, it runs into a hail of machine gun and artillery fire from elements of the German 14th Division. A second attack in the evening is similarly dispatched as further German reinforcements, this time from 6th Bavarian Division, arrive on the battlefield.
- In Champagne the major assault of the French XVI Corps is scheduled to begin tomorrow, and this evening its commander issues his final orders to his subordinates. He instructs that every soldier is to participate in the advance, with none left to occupy trenches, and that every piece of ground seized is to be immediately consolidated and used as a launching pad for further attacks.
- The results of the reorganization of the German army, to incorporate the newest cohort of recruits while creating a large reserve of experienced divisions, are not as promising as Falkenhayn had originally hoped. Instead of the anticipated twenty-four new divisions, it is now apparent that, due to losses and other requirements, only fourteen new divisions can be created. This is less than the force envisioned in 6th Army's proposed operation for an offensive north of the Somme. Despite this setback, Falkenhayn remains committed to undertaking an attack in the West - writing today to Colonel Seeckt, 11th Army's Chief of Staff, he emphasizes that he still plans to force a return to a war of movement on the Western Front through a major breakthrough that culminates in victory over the Entente.
- Since the beginning of March, the German 10th Army has been gradually falling back towards the line it held prior to the Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes, as the position it had won in the battle had been rendered untenable due to Russian pressure on the flanks. It has been cautiously followed by the Russian 10th Army, but two days ago the Germans turned the tables on their pursuers, and after several furious days of fighting the Russians have been halted. The Germans are thus able to assume defensive positions and stalemate returns to the front. Despite the victory last month at Masurian Lakes, in terms of territory the Germans find themselves right back where they started.
- After four days of fighting the offensive of the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army has stalled, unable to maintain the early momentum towards Gorlize and Staszkowka, at a cost of six thousand casualties.
Meanwhile, the garrison of the besieged fortress of Przemysl reports today that after the slaughter of all horses and a thorough search for all available food it will be able to hold out until March 24th, at which point surrender will be necessary to avoid starvation. The winter battles in the Carpathians are approaching their climax; the Austro-Hungarians must break through immediately if Przemysl is to be relieved before it falls.
The Russians, however, have other ideas. General Brusilov has been concerned that the advance of the left wing of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army, particularly near Lupkow, threatens the flank of the Russian forces facing 3rd Army to the west. To negate this possibility, Russian forces attack today near Lupkow, and the Austro-Hungarian 29th Division is forced to yield the ground it had conquered over the past few days.
- At the Dardanelles the minesweepers are sent into the straits unescorted tonight, hoping to catch the Ottomans by surprise. The result was about what one would expect, as Keyes related:
The less said about that night the better. To put it briefly, the sweepers turned tail and fled as soon as they were fired upon. I was furious and told the officers . . . that it did not matter if we lost all seven sweepers, there were twenty-eight more, and the mines had got to be swept up. How could they talk about being stopped by heavy fire if they were not hit?- At the Admiralty, Churchill has received reports of Ottoman ammunition shortages at the Dardanelles, and sends orders to Carden to abandon his methodical attempts to bombardment the forts and sweep the minefields, and instead press forward with maximum force. In Churchill's views, any losses that may occur would be amply compensated by the strategic consequences of victory at the Dardanelles.
- The landing party of the German light cruiser Emden arrives today back at Hodeida, from which it had departed a month earlier. Intending to continue their journey by sea, they must secure new vessels, as Choising, the merchant ship upon which they had crossed the Indian Ocean, had been sent away upon their arrival at Hodeida. As there are no steamships to be had, First Officer Mücke acquires two zambuks, small sailboats fourteen meters long and four meters wide, used along the Arabian coast. The party intends to sail from Yabana, a small bay north of Hodeida, on the fourteenth, while to deflect unwanted attention Mücke spreads the rumour that they will instead sail from Isa Bay on the thirteenth.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
February 17th, 1915
- As the French 4th Army continues to struggle in Champagne, failing to achieve a breakthrough, its commander General de Langle asks Joffre for reinforcements. He wants to avoid repeated small-scale assaults and instead mass forces for one powerful attack that can overwhelm the Germans.
- The woods of the Argonne west of Verdun have been the scene of regular skirmishing between the Germans and French over the past several months, but today the French launch a major attack. Since the German successes of January in carving out a salient towards Four-de-Paris, General Sarrail of 3rd Army has been eager to go onto the offensive in order to restore the morale of his solders. The targeted sector is the western 'shoulder' of the German salient, between the ravines of Fontaine-aux-Charmes and Fontaine-de-Madame northeast of La Harazee. Here the attack is highlighted by the explosion of three mines dug underneath the German line. The detonation of the mines at 8am stuns the Germans, and the French are able to seize the first trench line. Over the rest of the day there is fierce fighting as both sides struggle for the ruins of the German trench. Gradually the French run out of ammunition, the intensity of the fire preventing resupply over the ruins of No Man's Land - indeed, for a period some French soldiers fight using captured German arms. By 430pm the position has been regained by the Germans, the French suffering 40% casualties.
- In the pre-dawn hours the German 8th Army occupies the town of Augustow, on the western edge of the forest which bears its name.
- In the eastern Carpathians Austro-Hungarian cavalry recaptures the city of Czernowitz, while the main body of Pflanzer-Baltin's army group is directed northwest towards Dolina. It is hoped that the latter drive into the flank of the Russians facing Südarmee, allowing the latter to advance.
- In Singapore the British authorities are gaining the upper hand on the Indian mutineers of the 5th Light Infantry. Warships from Russia, France, and Japan have docked at the naval base, and added several hundred sailors to the colony's defenders. Further, the mutiny is riven with internal tensions; only the Rajput half of the battalion rebelled, while the Pathans remained loyal.
- For the past two weeks the landing party of the Emden has been at the Yemenese city of Sanaa, where they have found the climate not as inviting as they had hoped. Because of the altitude the region is quite cold, and within several days of arrival 80% of the Germans had taken sick with fever. Moreover, First Officer Mücke learns today that the difficulties of continuing the journey northwards by land are much greater than he had originally been informed. Reluctantly, he concludes that they shall have to return to Hodeida and attempt to continue their voyage by sea, though this will need to wait until the sick are sufficiently recovered to travel again.
- The woods of the Argonne west of Verdun have been the scene of regular skirmishing between the Germans and French over the past several months, but today the French launch a major attack. Since the German successes of January in carving out a salient towards Four-de-Paris, General Sarrail of 3rd Army has been eager to go onto the offensive in order to restore the morale of his solders. The targeted sector is the western 'shoulder' of the German salient, between the ravines of Fontaine-aux-Charmes and Fontaine-de-Madame northeast of La Harazee. Here the attack is highlighted by the explosion of three mines dug underneath the German line. The detonation of the mines at 8am stuns the Germans, and the French are able to seize the first trench line. Over the rest of the day there is fierce fighting as both sides struggle for the ruins of the German trench. Gradually the French run out of ammunition, the intensity of the fire preventing resupply over the ruins of No Man's Land - indeed, for a period some French soldiers fight using captured German arms. By 430pm the position has been regained by the Germans, the French suffering 40% casualties.
- In the pre-dawn hours the German 8th Army occupies the town of Augustow, on the western edge of the forest which bears its name.
- In the eastern Carpathians Austro-Hungarian cavalry recaptures the city of Czernowitz, while the main body of Pflanzer-Baltin's army group is directed northwest towards Dolina. It is hoped that the latter drive into the flank of the Russians facing Südarmee, allowing the latter to advance.
- In Singapore the British authorities are gaining the upper hand on the Indian mutineers of the 5th Light Infantry. Warships from Russia, France, and Japan have docked at the naval base, and added several hundred sailors to the colony's defenders. Further, the mutiny is riven with internal tensions; only the Rajput half of the battalion rebelled, while the Pathans remained loyal.
- For the past two weeks the landing party of the Emden has been at the Yemenese city of Sanaa, where they have found the climate not as inviting as they had hoped. Because of the altitude the region is quite cold, and within several days of arrival 80% of the Germans had taken sick with fever. Moreover, First Officer Mücke learns today that the difficulties of continuing the journey northwards by land are much greater than he had originally been informed. Reluctantly, he concludes that they shall have to return to Hodeida and attempt to continue their voyage by sea, though this will need to wait until the sick are sufficiently recovered to travel again.
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
February 3rd, 1915
- In Champagne the left wing of the German 15th Reserve Division and the right wing of the German 21st Reserve Division launches an attack north of Massiges, on the eastern end of the Champagne battlefield. In addition to its immediate objectives, the Germans hope the attack will draw French reserves from elsewhere. After a morning of artillery fire, a number of mines under the French line are detonated at noon, followed by the advance of the infantry. By 1230pm the French position on Hill 191 north of Massiges is in German hands. In response the French bring up a division and prepare a counterattack.
- In the Carpathians elements of Südarmee have managed to seize the village of Tucholka today, but the situation of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army to the west continues to deteriorate. Not only is Szurmay's group falling back from the heights north of the Uszok Pass, but under Russian pressure a gap is opening between between III and VII Corps in the centre of 3rd Army's line. To reinforce 3rd Army VIII Corps begins to depart from the Balkans today, with its 21st Landwehr Division heading for the Mezolaborcz area and 9th Division bound for the Uszok Pass.
- For the past several months, the Bulgarian government has undertaken negotiations with the Great Powers on both sides of the war regarding the territorial concessions they would be willing to make. Bulgaria's primary aim is the recovery of the Macedonian territory lost to Serbia in the Second Balkan War, and Germany and Austria-Hungary are better-placed to offer such a bribe than Russia. Still, the pretence of talks with the Entente have made the Germans and Austro-Hungarians eager to win the friendship of the Bulgarians, and negotiations conclude today for a three million pound loan to the Bulgarian government at a very low interest rate, an agreement that the Bulgarian finance minister refers to as 'extortion.' In exchange, the Bulgarians only have to agree to remain neutral, which is hardly a concession at all considering that the humiliating failures of the Austro-Hungarian army to conquer Serbia in 1914 has left the Bulgarian government unwilling to countenance entry into the war at present. The successful Bulgarian diplomacy allows the government not only to pay for the deficits run up during the Balkan Wars but also to take its time to decide when and how to enter the war to Bulgaria's greatest advantage.
- The Ottoman attack on the Suez Canal is launched today. While diversionary attacks are to be made to the north, the main effort to cross the Canal is to occur in the centre, between Tussum and Serapeum. The operation was originally scheduled to have been undertaken yesterday, but a sandstorm has delayed the attempt until this morning. The main attack consists of eight separate columns approaching the canal in darkness, each several hundred metres apart and carrying three pontoons. As surprise is essential, there is to be no preliminary artillery bombardment nor rifle fire as the Ottomans make their crossing.
At 2am the Ottoman engineers on the east bank begin to maneouvre their pontoons into position. At first surprise is achieved - three pontoon bridges manage to reach the west bank and it is not until 325am that the British post at Tullum realizes that an attack is under way. From here, however, the operation falls apart. The diversionary attacks have failed to draw the defenders elsewhere, and with daylight the Indian soldiers on the west bank are able to fire into the pontoon bridges, while the remainder are sunk at 745am by a torpedo boat. With surprise now lost, the Ottomans begin to use their artillery, and score some hits on shipping in the Canal. However, with much of the bridging equipment now destroyed, the Ottoman commander calls off the attack.
- Since the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war, a significant effort has been made to appeal to Muslims to rise against the British, French, and Russian empires. Today Enver Pasha casts his eyes south, past Egypt to the sultanate of Darfur, west of Sudan. Though the sultanate is self-governing, it is also tied to the British colonial administration at Khartoum, as the sultan, Ali Dinar, is required to pay an annual tribute and acknowledge the suzerainty of the British. Writing to Ali Dinar, Enver calls on the sultan to renounce British hegemony and unite with his fellow Muslims in the war against the Entente: 'Now is the moment to renew and organize the religion and Islamic unity of purpose . . . rise up and fight the infidels.' Such rhetoric has an appeal to Ali Dinar, who increasingly resents British influence in his sultanate and yearns to assert his independence. Enver's letter, however, is subject to the near-absolute lack of communication between Darfur and the outside world - it will be a year before the letter arrives, by which time the situation will have already changed.
- After a week's journey Emden's landing party arrives at the city of Sanaa. The journey was uneventful, though initial progress had been slowed by the unfamiliarity of many of the sailors with riding the mounts provided to them by the Ottomans at Hodeida. Again and again, the column would have to stop when one of the donkeys or mules bucked off its rider, often to the sound of laughter from the rest of the party.
- In the Carpathians elements of Südarmee have managed to seize the village of Tucholka today, but the situation of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army to the west continues to deteriorate. Not only is Szurmay's group falling back from the heights north of the Uszok Pass, but under Russian pressure a gap is opening between between III and VII Corps in the centre of 3rd Army's line. To reinforce 3rd Army VIII Corps begins to depart from the Balkans today, with its 21st Landwehr Division heading for the Mezolaborcz area and 9th Division bound for the Uszok Pass.
- For the past several months, the Bulgarian government has undertaken negotiations with the Great Powers on both sides of the war regarding the territorial concessions they would be willing to make. Bulgaria's primary aim is the recovery of the Macedonian territory lost to Serbia in the Second Balkan War, and Germany and Austria-Hungary are better-placed to offer such a bribe than Russia. Still, the pretence of talks with the Entente have made the Germans and Austro-Hungarians eager to win the friendship of the Bulgarians, and negotiations conclude today for a three million pound loan to the Bulgarian government at a very low interest rate, an agreement that the Bulgarian finance minister refers to as 'extortion.' In exchange, the Bulgarians only have to agree to remain neutral, which is hardly a concession at all considering that the humiliating failures of the Austro-Hungarian army to conquer Serbia in 1914 has left the Bulgarian government unwilling to countenance entry into the war at present. The successful Bulgarian diplomacy allows the government not only to pay for the deficits run up during the Balkan Wars but also to take its time to decide when and how to enter the war to Bulgaria's greatest advantage.
- The Ottoman attack on the Suez Canal is launched today. While diversionary attacks are to be made to the north, the main effort to cross the Canal is to occur in the centre, between Tussum and Serapeum. The operation was originally scheduled to have been undertaken yesterday, but a sandstorm has delayed the attempt until this morning. The main attack consists of eight separate columns approaching the canal in darkness, each several hundred metres apart and carrying three pontoons. As surprise is essential, there is to be no preliminary artillery bombardment nor rifle fire as the Ottomans make their crossing.
At 2am the Ottoman engineers on the east bank begin to maneouvre their pontoons into position. At first surprise is achieved - three pontoon bridges manage to reach the west bank and it is not until 325am that the British post at Tullum realizes that an attack is under way. From here, however, the operation falls apart. The diversionary attacks have failed to draw the defenders elsewhere, and with daylight the Indian soldiers on the west bank are able to fire into the pontoon bridges, while the remainder are sunk at 745am by a torpedo boat. With surprise now lost, the Ottomans begin to use their artillery, and score some hits on shipping in the Canal. However, with much of the bridging equipment now destroyed, the Ottoman commander calls off the attack.
 |
| The Ottoman attack on the Suez Canal, February 3rd, 1915. |
- Since the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war, a significant effort has been made to appeal to Muslims to rise against the British, French, and Russian empires. Today Enver Pasha casts his eyes south, past Egypt to the sultanate of Darfur, west of Sudan. Though the sultanate is self-governing, it is also tied to the British colonial administration at Khartoum, as the sultan, Ali Dinar, is required to pay an annual tribute and acknowledge the suzerainty of the British. Writing to Ali Dinar, Enver calls on the sultan to renounce British hegemony and unite with his fellow Muslims in the war against the Entente: 'Now is the moment to renew and organize the religion and Islamic unity of purpose . . . rise up and fight the infidels.' Such rhetoric has an appeal to Ali Dinar, who increasingly resents British influence in his sultanate and yearns to assert his independence. Enver's letter, however, is subject to the near-absolute lack of communication between Darfur and the outside world - it will be a year before the letter arrives, by which time the situation will have already changed.
- After a week's journey Emden's landing party arrives at the city of Sanaa. The journey was uneventful, though initial progress had been slowed by the unfamiliarity of many of the sailors with riding the mounts provided to them by the Ottomans at Hodeida. Again and again, the column would have to stop when one of the donkeys or mules bucked off its rider, often to the sound of laughter from the rest of the party.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
January 27th, 1915
- Churchill responds to Fisher's memorandum of the 25th, arguing that while maintaining superiority in the North Sea is the most important mission of the Royal Navy, there is nothing that pre-dreadnoughts can contribute to, given how hopelessly outdated they would be in combat against dreadnoughts. As such, rather than simply sitting in port, it is better to utilize the pre-dreadnoughts in operations elsewhere where there is no risk of confronting more modern warships, such as the bombardment of the Ottoman forts at the Dardanelles.
- The capture of Hartmannswillerkopf on the 22nd has prompted an immediate response; fearing its capture to be the opening phase to roll up the French line in Alsace from the south, a counterattack has been organized by 47th and 66th Divisions. Attacking through heavy snow, the French suffer heavy casualties and are repulsed.
- The Ottoman VIII Corps continues its advance westward across the Sinai Peninsula towards the Suez Canal. Though they have avoided marching during daylight hours, the British have been able to use aerial reconnaissance, primarily by French sea-planes, to monitor the Ottoman movement. By today the intelligence department in Cairo has concluded, correctly, that the main enemy force is advancing across the centre of the Sinai.
- At 5pm Emden's landing party departs Hodeida for Sanaa after a ceremony given on their behalf by the Ottoman garrison. During the two weeks spent in Hodeida a number of German sailors have come down with dysentry and malaria, despite taking quinine daily, and First Office Mücke looks forward to arriving at Sanaa, where, he has been informed, the climate is very similar to Europe's.
- The capture of Hartmannswillerkopf on the 22nd has prompted an immediate response; fearing its capture to be the opening phase to roll up the French line in Alsace from the south, a counterattack has been organized by 47th and 66th Divisions. Attacking through heavy snow, the French suffer heavy casualties and are repulsed.
- The Ottoman VIII Corps continues its advance westward across the Sinai Peninsula towards the Suez Canal. Though they have avoided marching during daylight hours, the British have been able to use aerial reconnaissance, primarily by French sea-planes, to monitor the Ottoman movement. By today the intelligence department in Cairo has concluded, correctly, that the main enemy force is advancing across the centre of the Sinai.
- At 5pm Emden's landing party departs Hodeida for Sanaa after a ceremony given on their behalf by the Ottoman garrison. During the two weeks spent in Hodeida a number of German sailors have come down with dysentry and malaria, despite taking quinine daily, and First Office Mücke looks forward to arriving at Sanaa, where, he has been informed, the climate is very similar to Europe's.
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