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Post by lordroel on May 30, 2023 2:47:28 GMT
Day 1392 of the Great War, May 30th 1918Western FrontFrench hold enemy up south of Soissons, preventing further advance. In centre Germans capture Fere-en-Tardenois and Vezilly, increase their pressure towards Ville-en-Tardenois, reach the Marne near Jaulgonne, and gain some forts north-west of Reims. Enemy claim capture of 35,000 prisoners and much war material. British bomb various towns on German front. Macedonian front: Greeks Capture the Skra di LegenAlthough the Allies had been fighting the Bulgarians on Greek territory in northern Greece for well over two years, actual Greek participation in the fighting had been minimal so far. Greece did not join the war until the summer of 1917, after the Allies forced King Constantine out at gunpoint, and the country was still deeply divided from the National Schism; anti-Venizelists had little or no attachment to the Allied cause. At the start of 1918, Greek forces in Macedonia were not considerably larger than they had been under Venizelos’ splinter Provisional Government of National Defense. In the final days of May 1918, Allied artillery began bombarding Bulgarian positions on both sides of the Vardar. The Allies certainly did not have enough resources for a general offensive, but the Bulgarians did not know where (or if) any more local attack would be coming. At 4:55 AM on May 30, Greek troops from Crete and the Aegean islands (Venizelos’ political base) scaled the Skra di Legen, which dominated the west side of the Vardar as the Grand Couronné did the east. They took the Bulgarians by surprise; many machine gun emplacements were found unmanned. By noon, the whole mountain had been seized, and the Greeks held off later Bulgarian counterattacks. The capture of the Skra di Legen was the largest Allied victory over the Bulgarians since the Greeks entered the war, removing a key obstacle to a further advance up the Vardar. It provided a great boost to Greek morale and support for the war; the Greeks were once again defeated the Bulgarians, as they had five years previously during the Second Balkan War. Map: Map of Battle of Skra Mesopotamian campaignBritish bomb Turks at Fatha (Tigris, above Tekrit) and at junction of Lesser Zab river. FrancePhoto: USS LEVIATHAN being used to transport American troops, Brest, France, May 30, 1918 Naval operations: ship lossesASIATIC PRINCE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 190 nautical miles (350 km) east by south of Malta by SM U-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. AUSONIA (United Kingdom) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 620 nautical miles (1,150 km) west south west of the Fastnet Rock (47°59′N 23°42′W) by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 44 crew. AYMERIC (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 145 nautical miles (269 km) south west by west of Cape Matapan, Greece (34°53′N 20°15′E) by SM U-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. CYPRUS (Isle of Man) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. GLAD TIDINGS (Isle of Man) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. HONEY BEE (United Kingdom) The fishing vessel was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 (Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. JANE GORDON (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. LIOYD (Isle of Man) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. MARIANNE MCRUM (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. NEVER CALL TELL (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. PIETRO MARONCELLI (Italy) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea west of Sardinia (40°48′N 8°00′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. SEABIRD (United Kingdom) The fishing vessel was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. SPARKLING WAVE (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. ST. MARY (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 26 nautical miles (48 km) west north west of the Calf of Man by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. WANETA (United Kingdom) The tanker was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 42 nautical miles (78 km) south south east of the Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork by SM U-101 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eight crew.
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Post by lordroel on May 31, 2023 2:49:33 GMT
Day 1393 of the Great War, May 31st 1918YouTube (50 Miles To Paris - Third Battle Of The Aisne)Western FrontGermans reach Marne river from Chateau Thierry to Dormans and advance on Compiegne. French retire from River Ailette, drive Germans east of Sempigny, and recover Thillois (west of Reims). British bomb Karlsruhe. Arab Revolt British bomb Turkish camps near Amman (Hejaz railway). Naval and Overseas Operations East Africa campaignFighting near Imagu Hills (160 miles north-east of Blantyre). Netherlands Dutch Government refuses to tolerate British examination of convoyed ships. Naval operations: merchant ship lossesBritish, Allied and Neutral ships lost to enemy submarines, mines and cruisers etc in the month - 147 ships of 306,000 tons gross. (Lloyd's War Losses) Naval operations: ship lossesALERT (United Kingdom) The sailing vessel was scuttled in the North Sea 6 nautical miles (11 km) north east of Boulmer, Northumberland by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). HMS Fairy (Royal Navy) The Gipsy-class destroyer foundered in the North Sea off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire after ramming and sinking SM UC-75 ( Kaiserliche Marine). USS PRESIDENT LINCOLN (United States Navy) The troopship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 600 nautical miles (1,100 km) off Brest, Finistère, France by SM U-90 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 26 of the 715 people on board. Survivors were rescued by USS SMITH and USS WARRINGTON (both United States Navy). Drawing: sinking of USS PRESIDENT LINCOLN PRETTY POLLY (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of County Galway, Ireland by SM U-101 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seven crew. SM UC-75 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UC II submarine was rammed and sunk in the North Sea off Flamborough Head by Blaydonian ( United Kingdom) and HMS Fairy ( Royal Navy).
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Post by lordroel on Jun 1, 2023 2:47:23 GMT
Day 1394 of the Great War, June 1st 1918
Western Front: Germans on the Marne
In the span of five days, the Germans had advanced up to thirty miles in some places, reaching the Marne for the first time since 1914. However, they soon encountered the usual curse of such long advances–the difficulty of moving supplies and reinforcements up to the new front. The German failure to take Reims exacerbated this problem, as the city controlled most of the roads and railroads into the area of the German advance. At the end of May, Ludendorff abandoned efforts to take the city, but was still considering a shift east towards Épernay to cut the city off from behind.
This was just one of many options open to the German high command, which on June 1 was at a loss as to how to proceed. The offensive had already far exceeded its territorial goals, and the Germans had begun moving troops south to exploit their gains. However, the true original goal of the offensive had been to draw French reserves south in advance of another German push in Flanders, and it was unclear whether this was succeeding. The French had been committing their reserves slowly–though whether this was a deliberate strategy to preserve manpower and let the Germans overextend themselves, or was a result of miscommunications, was unclear. Regardless, some of the reserves on the way were American, not French.
Some of the Germans wanted to continue the offensive on its current axis, pushing across the Marne; although this would extend their supply lines further, Allied lines were weakest here and this would require no delay in shifting reserves laterally. Others proposed another attack at Verdun, effectively a repeat of the 1916 strategy; the French would surely shift reserves to save that city. Ludendorff instead decided on what would be termed “Plan Gneisenau,” a push straight for Paris from Noyon, on the southern end of the salient created during Operation Michael. In the meantime, the Germans would try to secure bridgeheads across the Marne and draw French reserves as best they could.
Mesopotamian campaign
Withdrawal of British in Kirkuk area (east of Tigris, between Mosul and Baghdad).
East Africa campaign
Germans retreat in East Africa, crossing River Lurio (to east of southern end of Lake Nyassa).
Fighting near Imagu Hills (160 miles north-east of Blantyre, Nyassaland).
United States
At Pittsburgh, expatriate Czech and Slovak leaders sign an agreement to form a united, independent country after the end of the war.
Naval operations: ship losses
ANGELINA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea west of Cape Granitola (approximately 37°N 12°E) by SM UB-68 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
EGRET (United Kingdom) The trawler was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) east by north of the Humber Lightship by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine with the loss of eleven of her crew.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 2, 2023 4:07:44 GMT
Day 1395 of the Great War, June 2nd 1918Western FrontViolent battle on Ourcq; Germans take and lose Longpont, Corcy, Faverolles (again retaken) and Troesnes. German attack on Chateau-Thierry road, south-east of Bouresches (north-west of Chateau-Thierry), repulsed. French capture Champlat (12 miles south-west of Reims). Fierce fight at Choisy Hill, south of Noyon. End of Third Battle of the Aisne. Russian Civil WarDefeat of Bolsheviks by Semenov in east Siberia. SwedenPublication in Politiken (Swedish Socialist paper) of Secret Convention between Germany and Finland. Aerial operations: The US Gets Its First AceIn a war that was sheer misery on the ground, the exploits of daring pilots gave European readers a needed bit of excitement during the First World War. The American reading public got its first such “ace” at the end of May 1918. On June 2 the papers reported that Lieutenant Douglas Campbell of the 94th Aero Squadron had downed five German machines, which made him a fighter ace. He was the first American pilot to receive the accolade. A Californian and a Harvard athlete, Campbell served under Raoul Lufberry, the 94th’s commander. Technically Lufberry had beaten Douglas to the punch, however. Lufberry had served in the Lafeyette Escadrille, a squardon of American pilots which had fought for the French army for years. Lufberry had become an ace in 1916, but his victories belonged to the French. Campbell was America’s first domestic ace pilot, but his pilot career was short-lived. A week later he was seriously wounded and missed the rest of the war. Naval operations: United StatesU.S.A. have 150 vessels in European waters. Naval operations: U-Boat Campaign Crosses the AtlanticThe cruises of the “submarine merchant ship” Deutschland and her sister boats in 1916 had demonstrated that Germany had U-boats that could cross the Atlantic. They were converted to military purposes after America entered the war, but had not crossed the Atlantic since. In part, this was because the Germans did not want to overly antagonize the Americans, but also because such a voyage would be much more difficult as they could no longer refuel in American ports. U-151 was the first to make the journey, arriving off the eastern seaboard in late May, laying mines at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River, and attacking any American merchant ships she encountered. The United States did not have a significant anti-submarine effort off her own coast, as most of their effort had gone to the other side of the Atlantic. As a result, U-151 could safely follow prize rules: stopping ships on the surface, letting those on board evacuate, and then sinking the ships with charges. On June 2, U-151 sank five ships this way off the coast of New Jersey. A sixth, the passenger liner CAROLINA, en route from San Juan to New York, attempted to flee and the Germans fired shells in her direction. Her captain, fearing loss of life if the shells struck, stopped and evacuated the vessel, after which the Germans finished off the ship with more shells. During a storm that night, one of the Carolina’s lifeboats overturned and thirteen on board drowned. Photo: U-151 at sea Naval operations: ship lossesARGUS (Denmark) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 80 nautical miles (150 km) west by north of Loop Head, County Clare (52°27′N 11°29′W) by SM U-97 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. CAROLINA (United States) The passenger ship was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 65 nautical miles (120 km) east of Atlantic City, New Jersey by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of thirteen lives. Survivors were rescued by APPLEBY ( United Kingdom), Bryssel (Denmark) and EVA B. DOUGLAS ( United States) or reached the shore in their lifeboat. EDWARD H. COLE (United States) The sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 50 nautical miles (93 km) east by south of the Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. ISABEL B. wILLEY (United States) The three-masted schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean off the Barnegat Lighthouse by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. JACOB M. HASKELL (United States) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 50 nautical miles (93 km) east by south of the Barnegat Lighthouse by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. TEXEL (United States) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 60 nautical miles (110 km) south of New York (38°57′N 73°13′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. WINNECONNE (United States) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (39°26′N 72°50′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 3, 2023 6:02:21 GMT
Day 1396 of the Great War, June 3rd 1918
Western Front
Choisy Hill retaken by French.
Germans capture Pernant (west of Soissons).
French check German attempts to enter Forest of Villers-Cotterets, re-capture Faverolles.
French and Americans force Germans back over Marne at Jaulgonne (north-east of Chateau-Thierry).
Western Front: “Retreat? Hell, We Just Got Here!”
Although, at the highest levels, the French were probably unwilling to throw fresh reserves into the grist of the German advance, they ultimately had little choice; the German breakthrough needed to be stopped. Although Foch and Pétain still had the confidence of Clemenceau and the rest of the French government, it was unclear if this would last if the retreats continued. In the days leading up to June 3, the French committed 27 divisions to the battle, including two American divisions, the 2nd and 3rd, Pershing having realized that his hope for a unified American army in France would have to wait.
The 3rd Division made their way north by rail as long as they could, without their artillery, then walked the last 15 miles to the Marne. The first Americans reached Château-Thierry on May 31 and quickly joined a French colonial division already there. The Germans ultimately took the town after heavy fighting, but the Americans’ main concern was to prevent the Germans from crossing the Marne there, which they did. Other elements of the 3rd Division held the Marne over the ten miles to the east of Château-Thierry, and at Jaulgonne participated in a counterattack that destroyed a German bridgehead across the river.
The 2nd Division, comprised of one Army and one Marine brigade, had been preparing to relieve the 1st Division at Cantigny when they got their orders to move in the opposite direction, towards the new battlefield. Rail transport was unavailable except for their artillery, so the infantry had to walk the whole way, on roads clogged with refugees and retreating French soldiers. Upon reaching the zone of battle, the French wanted the Americans to immediately counterattack; the Americans, who did not yet have their supplies or artillery, disagreed and instead dug in along a twelve-mile line across the Paris-Reims road northwest of Château-Thierry behind the forward French positions.
On June 3, the Germans finally broke through the French lines. A French major advised a Marine, Captain Lloyd W. Williams, to retreat, to which he replied “Retreat? Hell, we just got here!” The American line ultimately held against the desperate German attack. Major Francis Evans recalled:
…When the Germans attacked at 5PM, we had a box seat….They came out, on a wonderfully clear day, in two columns across a wheat-field….The rifle and machine gun fire were incessant and overhead the shrapnel was bursting….It seemed for all the world that the green field had burst out in patches of white daisies where those columns were doggedly moving. And it did again and again, no barrage, but with the skill and accuracy of a cat playing with two brown mice that she could reach and mutilate at will and without any hurry….Under that deadly fire and the barrage of rifle and machine gun fire, the Boches stopped. It was too much for any men. They burrowed in or broke to the cover of the woods.
The situation was similar across the rest of the German line. The chief of staff of the attacking corps recalled:
Though we told ourselves and our men, “On to Paris,” we knew that this was no not to be….Our casualties were increasingly alarming; ammunition was running short and the problem of supply, in view of the large demands, became more and more difficult. It became all too clear that actions so stubbornly contested and involving us in such formidable losses would never enable us to capture Paris. In truth the brilliant offensive had petered out.
The Germans would go on the defensive the next day, while preparations were made for the launching of Plan Gneisenau, scheduled for within a week.
Russian civil War
Retreat of Semenov on Borsia (120 miles from Karimskaya on Siberian Railway).
Arab Revolt
British air-raid on Amman (on Hejaz railway, 25 miles north-east of Jericho).
East Africa campaign
German retreat in East Africa; Germans dislodged from crossings of Upper Lurio.
United Kingdom
King George V fires all men up the age of 35 in the service of the royal household so that they can serve in the military.
British Government admits recognition of Czecho-Slovak aims.
Declaration of Premiers of Great Britain, France and Italy at Versailles re: Poles, Czecho-Slovaks and Yugo-Slavs.
Proclamation of Lord French re: Irish recruiting.
Aerial operations: Corpus Christi air truce
Earlier in May 1918, the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal von Hartmann, made a request through the Vatican to the British and French Governments that no air raids take place on Cologne during the procession for the Feast of Corpus Christi (30 May 1918). On 29 May 1918, the British and French Governments announced that they had agreed to the request on “religious and humane grounds” and furthermore stated that there would be no air raids on cities outside the battlefront that day.
A message from Rome on 1 June 1918 stated that Cardinal Gasparri, the Papal Secretary of State, asked Count de Salis, the British Minister to the Vatican, to convey to the British Government the thanks of the Holy See for the willingness with which they accepted the Vatican’s proposal to spare Cologne from bombardment on the day of Corpus Christi.
The concession did not go down particularly well with some MPs, and a short debate took place on the issue during Question Time. MPs were incensed by the fact that the Germans had raided Paris on Good Friday and also shelled Paris on Corpus Christi – considered an act of bad faith. They were also concerned that the Government had not sought any concessions in return. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Bonar Law, stuck to the moral high ground stating:
“we were doing this because we thought it was right to do it”
Flight magazine opposed the concession stating:
“In a way a humane action, but by the subsequent behaviour of the Hun, a mistaken one. Huns will always remain Huns whatever cloak they may don to suit their immediate purpose.”
Naval operations: ship losses
GLAUCUS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) west of Cape Granitola, Italy (37°33′N 12°15′E) by SM UB-68 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
MECANICIEN DONZEL (France) The cargo ship, on her maiden voyage, was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 68 nautical miles (126 km) north west of Cape Argentira (40°45′N 6°59′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were rescued by MARQUERITE-MARIE ( French Navy).
NORA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 205 nautical miles (380 km) south east of Malta (33°38′N 17°42′E) by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
SaMUEL C. MENGEL (United States) The four-masted schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean (38°07′N 73°46′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SANT' ANTONIO (Italy) The brig was scuttled in the Mediterranean Sea 82 nautical miles (152 km) south of Santa Maria di Leuca, Lecce (37°55′N 19°00′E) by SM UB-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMT ST. JOHN'S (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 45 nautical miles (83 km) north of Tory Island, County Donegal (55°55′N 8°15′W) by SM U-101 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her crew. Three survivors were taken as prisoners of war.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 4, 2023 5:31:02 GMT
Day 1397 of the Great War, June 4th 1918
Western Front: Germans Capture Château-Thierry, Draw Closer to Paris
From his headquarters in the Belgian town of Spa, Ludendorff gleefully watched the results trickle in from Operation Blücher–Yorck, the German offensive along the Aisne river northeast of Paris. Reports showed that 50,000 Allied soldiers and 800 guns have been captured by his advancing troops. British and French prisoners streamed back to prison camps in the rear. On the first day of the battle the French had unwisely concentrated all their troops in the front-line trenches despite warning from the cautious General Petain not to do so; and when German storm-troopers came on after a furious artillery barrage, as they had done so two months earlier in March, they bagged thousands of Frenchmen sitting dumbfounded in the first trenches.
Ludendorff pushed his reserve divisions into the breach which had been opened in the Entente lines. The town of Château-Thierry fell into his hands, a bare fifty miles from Paris. Some pessimistic citizens of the French capital caught trains for safer provinces as they had done in August 1914. At the sharp end several Allied units disintegrated under pressure. Sixteen French divisions shattered; Pétain removed their commander and arraigned him for incompetence before a court. “This was the only time I saw a real rout,” wrote Lieutenant John Nettleton of the British 2nd Rifle Brigade. “…It was just panic flight; with each man, including me, thinking of nothing but saving his own skin.” But while Ludendorff had now put his entire force into play the Allies were still able to muster reinforcements, including two newly-arrived American divisions heading towards their first taste of combat: it would prove to be a bloody one.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
British air raid on Amman.
Ukraine
Ukraine Government recognised by Central Powers.
France
French Chamber of Deputies votes 577 to 110 in confidence in the government of Prime Minister Clemenceau despite recent territorial losses to the German offensives.
M. Clemenceau praises armies of French and Allies.
Belgium
M. Cooreman succeeds Baron de Brogneville as Belgian Prime Minister.
Germany
German article on main Continental idea.
United Kingdom/United States relations
Renewal of Anglo-American Arbitration Treaty.
Russia: Trotsky: “Long Live Civil War
The revolution in Russia has not brought an end to the country’s problems. The cities are now facing severe shortages of food, which have led to prices spiralling out of reach of ordinary people in the cities. With wages failing to keep pace, many are reduced to selling their possessions to raise money. Ever increasing numbers of women are finding themselves obliged to take up prostitution.
The food crisis has a number of causes. The Russian railways are in a state of collapse, while many trains arrive in the cities empty, their cargoes of grain pilfered en route. The peasants meanwhile are reluctant to sell food at the fixed prices being offered by the Bolsheviks, which have been rendered derisory by inflation.
An effect of the crisis is that Russia’s cities are emptying out as people head to the countryside to be closer to food sources. This exodus appears to affect all classes of society, particularly the labouring poor who have only arrived in the cities relatively recently and have closer links to the land. Meanwhile those who continue to live in the cities are nevertheless spending increasing amounts of time in the countryside, seeking to trade goods for food with farmers (a phenomenon seen also in Germany and Austria-Hungary).
The response of the Bolsheviks to this crisis is to institute a state grain monopoly. Armed cadres are being sent to the countryside to seize the peasants’ surplus in order to feed the cities. Today Trotsky addresses a Soviet assembly, defending the grain seizures as a necessary civil war. “Civil war has to be waged for grain […] Yes, long live civil war! […] Civil war in the name of direct and ruthless struggle against counter-revolution!”
Ottoman Empire: Ottomans Sign Treaties with New Transcaucasian Republics
The collapse of the Transcaucasian Federation meant the Turks would now have to negotiate with each of its successor states separately. Azerbaijan, tied by religion and language to the Turks, willingly signed a treaty of friendship on June 4 at Batum. Enver Pasha had dreams of expansion into Central Asia to the east, unifying Turkey with her Turkish brethren in “Turan.” One of the Turkish negotiators succinctly stated their aims “Our blood, our religion, our language are here. That exists an irresistible pull. Our brothers are in Baku, Daghestan, Turkestan, and [Iranian] Azerbaijan.”
The Armenian victory at Sardarabad meant that they would survive the Turkish advance, for now. On June 4, they signed a treaty with the Ottomans, making some drastic territorial and diplomatic concessions, and allowing Turkish troops the use of their major railways, but preserving Armenian independence. While Armenia would not be fully isolated from the outside world, the Turks still did their best to exacerbate Armenia’s food shortage; around 200,000 Armenians would die in that year’s famine.
With Armenia and Azerbaijan dealt with, the Turks turned their attention north to Georgia, where they were already advancing towards Tblisi. Although it appears the Georgians and Turks signed some sort of peace agreement on June 4, this changed little; the Turkish advance continued, and the Georgians were prepared to resist. The Georgians also had new allies to back them up, as two German battalions had landed the previous day.
Naval operations: ship losses
EIDSVOLD (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (37°12′N 73°55′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SMS T68 (Kaiserliche Marine) The S66-class torpedo boat struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of seven of her crew.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 5, 2023 6:09:45 GMT
Day 1398 of the Great War, June 5th 1918
Western Front
Near Vingre (north-west of Soissons) German attempt to cross Aisne checked.
German attacks at Longpont (north of Forest of Retz) and at Chezy (south of Ourcq) defeated by French.
Sir W. R. Robertson appointed to command of British home forces.
Poland: Allies Recognize Polish State-in-Waiting
During the Great War Polish nationalists appealed and fought for both sides in the hopes of winning support for an independent Polish state. A number of Polish legions fought in the German and Austro-Hungarian armies, whereas many of their compatriots fought with “Haller’s Blue Army” alongside the French on the Western Front. The entry of America into the war in 1917 became a turning point, as Wilson and millions of Polish-Americans supported the nationalists. The crushing terms Germany handed Russia during the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, meanwhile, pointed to the Kaiser’s dreams of empire in the east which had little space for independent entities. Both of these events thus turned Polish eyes towards the Entente victory as the only guarantee of independence.
That guarantee was won in June 1918. An inter-Allied council of Britain, France, and the United States at Versailles passed a statement that a free Poland “is one of the conditions of lasting peace and justice in Europe.” Meanwhile the Allied high commander Foch recommended that all captured Polish soldiers in the German and Austrian armies be treated as friends and recruited, if possible, into the Allied armies. Now came the hard part: figuring out what that Polish state would look like - something that Americans, French, British, and Bolsheviks, let alone Poles, had strong opinions on.
Austria-Hungary
Speech of Count Tisza in Hungarian Diet re: Dual Alliance extension.
United Kingdom
Madsen machine-gun debate in House of Commons.
General Robertson Commander in Chief Home Defences.
United States: New York Prepares For Air Raids
The sudden opening of the U-boat campaign off the New Jersey coast caused something of a panic in New York. The harbor was shut down to shipping briefly, and on the night of June 4/5, New York introduced its first light ordinance, designed to hamper a possible German submarine-launched air raid. Advertising and display lights were to be shut off, and shades should be drawn in buildings where possible. On June 5, after a test flight by army aviators to test the effectiveness of the new regulations saw Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and other major thoroughfares clearly, certain (but not all) streetlights were dimmed as well.
The possibility that the Germans would attack New York with a plane launched from a submarine was extremely remote, as American officials acknowledged–the Germans had neither the capability nor the inclination to do so. However, later in the summer, the Germans did consider a raid on New York with a long-range Zeppelin, similar to the one sent to Africa, though the proposal was quickly rejected. The lighting restrictions on the shoreline also, perhaps inadvertently, could have served to hinder U-boat operations. Although U-151 and her sisters mainly operated on the surface during daytime, at night lights on the shoreline allowed passing ships to be easily detected by their silhouettes; this would prove to be a major problem during the next war.
Aerial operations: Roye
Prior to the German offensive of 27 May around Aisnes, the French the French also had made a special concentration of squadrons called the Aviation Reserve of the Group of Armies of the North, and as Escadre No. 11. This unit, with around 250 aeroplanes, mostly operated in the eastern part of the French front.
The Aviation Reserve was reorganized, early in June, as the 1st Air Division which consisted of bombers {Escadres 12 and 13, representing three groups of three squadrons each), and fighters {Escadres i and 2, or three groups of four squadrons each).
When British forces had shifted to this part of the front, IX Brigade RFC had also moved to support the Army. The offensive strength of the Royal Air Force, available for supporting the French on the front of twenty miles which was attacked, was approximately 200 aeroplanes.
When IX Brigade had moved south, it had come under the orders of Commandant L. Picard, the air commander of the French group of reserve armies and subsequently worked in direct co-operation with the French Air Division.
Orders issued by Commandant Picard for today, anticipated that the German attack would take place at any moment in the area Montdidier-Lassigny, stated that the main fighting strength of IX Brigade would be held ready for offensive operations as soon as the battle began, but also called for bombing attacks on Roye, where concentrations of enemy troops were expected. In accordance with these orders the British day-bomber squadrons dropped five tons of bombs over Roye.
49 Squadron was one of those involved. One of their DH9s (D8860) was at the rear of the formation returning from the raid, when it was attacked by three enemy aircraft and driven down. The pilot, Lieutenant Cameron Alexander Bell Beattie, succeeded in nursing the damaged aircraft back over the British lines but eventually made a forced landing and crashed into a tree. Beattie survived the crash relatively unharmed but his observer Sergeant Alexander Ian Boyack was killed.
Naval operations: ship losses
ANTON (Sweden) The wooden barque was sunk in the North Sea 24 nautical miles (44 km) west south west of the Lindesnes Lighthouse, Norway[18] by SM U-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
AROGONAUT (United States) The cargo ship was sunk in the Western Approaches (49°12′N 6°45′W) by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HARPATHIAN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpeoded and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 80 nautical miles (150 km) off Cape Henry, Virginia by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
POLWELL (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) north east of Lambay Island, County Dublin (53°33′N 5°55′W) by SM U-96 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMS SNEAFELL (Royal Navy) The armed boarding steamer was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 240 nautical miles (440 km) east-southeast of Malta by the submarine SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
VINLAND (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 50 nautical miles (93 km) off Cape Henry (36°32′N 73°58′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jun 6, 2023 5:19:01 GMT
Day 1399 of the Great War, June 6th 1918Western FrontGermans capture village and height of Bligny (south-west of Reims); height re-taken by British; counter-attacks by Allies, especially in region nearest to Paris. Western Front: Marines Attack At Belleau WoodThe Americans had only “just got here” when they began a counterattack against the Germans. At 5PM on June 6, the Marines advanced on Belleau Wood across an open wheatfield behind a relatively anemic rolling barrage. John Thomason recalled that [They] attacked across the open, losing hideously. Platoons were shot down entire….They gained a footing in the rocky ledges at the edge of the Bois de Belleau, suffering much from what was believed to be a machine-gun nest at this point. They tried to leave it and go on, with a containing force to watch it; they found that the whole wood was a machine-gun nest. With the Marines was the journalist Floyd Gibbons, who had rushed there from Paris that day just in time for the battle. Gibbons would be seriously wounded in the battle; thinking he had died of his wounds, his piece on the battle was let past the censors unaffected. In a later memoir, Gibbons recalled: [Sgt. Daly read the order] quickly, then glanced along the line of the dug-in platoon. He stood up and made a forward motion to his men. There was slight hesitation. Who in the hell could blame them? Machine gun and rifle bullets were kicking up the dirt, closer and closer. The sergeant ran out to the center of his platoon – he swung his bayoneted rifle over his head with a forward sweep. He yelled at his men: “Come on, you sons-of-bitches! Do you want to live forever?” The Marines would take the town of Bouresches, but the Germans held on to most of Belleau Wood itself, and close-quarters fighting would continue for nearly three weeks, the Marines only being briefly relieved (by other Americans). An American staff officer ordered his liaison with the French: “On that question of relief, leave that matter entirely to the French. Do not insist on any relief. The reports that we have show that conditions are not very bad.” The Marine brigade suffered over 1000 casualties on the first day, and nearly ten times that number over the following weeks. Map: Location of U.S. Marine forces in Belleau Wood and surrounding areas, 6 June 1918 Russian Civil WarCapture of Gurks (93 miles north-east of Borsia on Kharbin-Karimskaya Railway) by Semenov. Aerial operations: FranceGotha raid on Paris; third British air-raid on Coblenz. Aerial operations: A “gigantic waste of effort and personnel”The Independent Force formally came into being today, under the command of Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard with its headquarters situated near Nancy in France. It supersedes the VIII Brigade, which now ceases to exist, but includes the same forces. These are 41 Wing (day bombing squadrons Squadrons 55, 99, and 104) and the 83 Wing (night bombing squadrons 100 and 216). As commander, Trenchard reports directly to Sir William Weir the Air Minister, bypassing the Chief of the Air Staff Frederick Sykes. This situation arose essentially because Trenchard had been replaced by Sykes as Chief of the Air Staff and the two did not get on. Trenchard was an odd appointment in many ways as he had consistently maintained that the role of the RFC/RAF was to support the army in the field and that Strategic Bombing was a waste of time and resources. He had been forced out as Chief of Staff due to disagreements with the then Air Minister Lord Rothermere. Legend has it that he was in Green Park on 8 May when he overheard two naval officers discussing his conduct. ‘It’s an outrage’, said one. ‘I don’t know why the government should pander to a man who threw in his hand at the height of a battle. If I’d my way with Trenchard I’d have him shot.’ Following this he agreed to head up the Independent Force. Although he didn’t really agree with the approach, Trenchard realised that he still needed a plan. He settled on a policy of continual harassment of many targets with the objective of sapping morrale and deflecting defensive resources, as he felt the force was insufficient to mount a decisive attack on anything major. Trenchard remained unconvinced of the value of the Independent Force. By the end of the war, a further four squadrons were added 97, 115 and 215 (equipped with the Handley-Page 0/400 bomber) and 110 Squadron (DH9A), but this was still way short of the planned 40 Squadrons. As a consequence, the work remained piecemeal and its doubtful whether it had any major impact on the war. Certainly that was Trenchard’s view as in November 1918 he declared: ‘A more gigantic waste of effort and personnel there has never been in any war’Naval operations: ship lossesACTIVE (United Kingdom) The fishing ketch was shelled and sunk in the North Sea off the coast of Norfolk by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. ARCHBANK (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 240 nautical miles (440 km) east south east of Malta by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. BERYL (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the North Sea off the coast of Norfolk by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. CHRISTOPHERO COLOMBO (Italy) The schooner was scuttled in the Strait of Messina (37°09′N 11°25′E) by SM UB-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). DIANTHUS (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the North Sea off the coast of Norfolk by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. HUNTSLAND (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 23 nautical miles (43 km) north by west of Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France (49°50′N 0°10′W) by SM UC-77 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. MENZALEH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 240 nautical miles (440 km) east south east of Malta by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, but her captain was taken as a prisoner of war. KONINGIN REGENTES (Netherlands) The paddle steamer, a hospital ship and former passenger ship, was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 21 nautical miles (39 km) east of the Leman Lightship ( United Kingdom) by the submarine SM UB-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jun 7, 2023 6:16:16 GMT
Day 1400 of the Great War, June 7th 1918
YouTube (The Battle of Belleau Wood Begins )
Western Front
French and Americans capture Veuilly-la-Poterie and Vinly (west of Chateau-Thierry), Bouresches and Hill 204 (west of Chateau-Thierry).
British regain Bligny.
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
Kern (northern Russia) occupied by Entente forces.
Omsk (Siberia) taken by Czecho-Slovaks.
Macedonian Front: Franchet D’Esperey Sent to Salonika
The stunning German advance on the Aisne, reversing all the gains of 1917 and endangering Paris, caused a furor in France. Although Clemenceau continued to have confidence in Pétain and Foch, political circumstances demanded someone’s head, and Clemenceau took full advantage of this. On June 6, Clemenceau recalled Franchet d’Espérey, whose army group the German offensive had fallen upon, and ordered him to head to Salonika, where Clemenceau had wanted to send him back in December. The current commander in Salonika, Guillaumat, would return to France and serve as military governor of Paris, organizing the capital’s defenses in case the Germans made an attempt to push on the city.
On June 7, Franchet d’Espérey met with Clemenceau, who informed him that the move should, at least publicly, be seen as a rebuke; “you are going there now as someone sent to Limoges,” to a provincial retirement. But he attempted to assuage him privately:
Like you, I know the guilty one; but I have had too much difficulty in setting up the unique system of inter-allied command [under Foch] to destroy it without the gravest reason. Your Army Group suffered a severe setback; I must calm down parliament. The post I am giving you is proof that I bear you no ill-will.
Franchet d’Espérey was annoyed to be used as a scapegoat, but privately hoped that Salonika would give him new opportunities not present on the Western Front, writing a friend:
I am not angry at being sent there, as I don’t approve of the Foch-Pétain way of doing things. It will certainly defeat the Boch, but at the cost of men, of time, and of money. These fine fellows have no imagination.
Greece
Installation of Signor Avezzano as Italian Minister at Athens: friendly speech.
Aerial operations: A wasted opportunity
Despite the formation of the Independent Force yesterday, and its supposed role to carry out long range bombing activities in Germany, it only possesses one Squadron (216) of the long range heavy bomber Handley Page 0/400.
In contrast, 207 Squadron RAF (formerly 7 Squadron RNAS) arrived in Ligescourt, France from England today equipped with 10 0/400s (C3490, C9660, C9664, C9665, C9674, C9683, C9684, D4563, D4565, D4569 and D5408) to reinforce 54 Wing RAF, part of IX Brigade – who were now supporting the French. They were commanded by Major Gordon LindsayThomson DSC – a veteran of the RNAS who had become a pilot on 20 August 1914, shortly after the war began.
Although 215 Squadron and it’s Handley Page 0/400s would eventually join the Independent Force in August 1918, its unclear why 207 Squadron was posted elsewhere and remained part of IX Brigade for the rest of the war carrying out bombing attacks on military targets near the front.
Naval operations: ship losses
AXPE MENDI (Spain) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay 60 nautical miles (110 km) off Brest, Finistère, France by SM UB-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
BRISK (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 13 nautical miles (24 km) north west of Trevose Head, Cornwall, United Kingdom (50°46′N 5°49′W) by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
DIANA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 10 nautical miles (19 km) south south east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire by SM UB-108 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jun 8, 2023 6:18:25 GMT
Day 1401 of the Great War, June 8th 1918
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
Bolshevik Government orders Entente forces in the north to leave the country.
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War: Czechs Help Establish White Government in Samara
The Czech Legion was now in open warfare with the Bolsheviks, and had seized multiple cities along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Their main priority, however, had continued to be securing passage to Vladivostok and then to France to continue fighting the war against the Central Powers. Anti-Bolshevik elements in Russia, on the other hand, hoped they would put their considerable strength towards actively fighting the Bolsheviks. On June 8, at the urging of local members of the Socialist Revolutionary (SR) party, the Czechs overthrew the Bolshevik authorities in Samara, a major rail crossing of the Volga. The SRs then declared a new government, the Komuch—standing for the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly, which the Bolsheviks had disbanded after less than a day in January. The Komuch, along with Denikin’s Volunteer Army in the Kuban, became one of the major centers of resistance to Bolshevik rule. It also presented the SRs (who had been the clear winners of the Constituent Assembly election) a choice—join with the Komuch, or continue to tacitly support Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
Arab raid on Hejaz railway near Toweira (105 miles north-west of Medina); British advance north of Jaffa.
Germans land at Poti (north of Batum).
United States
Report shows record production at American shipyards, which produced 71 ships in May. Total tonnage of ships produced surpassed British production by 200,000 tons.
Netherlands
Prisoners of War Conference at the Hague opens.
United Kingdom
Arrival in London of Sir R. Borden and Mr. W. Massey (Canadian and New Zealand Premiers).
Ottoman Empire
Georgians and Armenians sign peace treaties with Turkey.
Aerial operations: RAF Catfirth
The first ever flight to reach the Shetland Islands arrived today when Lieutenant Arnold Bonnell Massey flew a Porte Flying Boat (9807) from RAF Killingholme in Lincolnshire, via Dundee and RAF Houton on Orkney before completing the 700 mile flight.
The aircraft landed on the water close to RAF Catfirth which is currently close to completion. Sadly, the aeroplane was wrecked in a severe storm a week after arriving, while secured on the concrete apron at the base.
Shortly after that on 18 June 1918, 300 (Flying Boat) Flight RAF was formed to fly the Felixstowe F.3 flying boat on patrols around the islands looking for U-boats.
Naval operations: ship losses
CONCETTINA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea east of Sicily by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
ELEKTRA (Norway) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea 16 nautical miles (30 km) south east of the Ryvingen Lightship ( Norway) by SM UB-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
EROS (United Kingdom) The trawler struck a mine laid by UC 40 (Hermann Menzel) and sank in the North Sea 36 nautical miles (67 km) east north east of Spurn Point, Yorkshire with the loss of six of her crew.
HOGARTH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off Sunderland, County Durham (54°51′N 1°03′W) by SM UB-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 26 of her crew.
HUNSGROVE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 6.5 nautical miles (12.0 km) north west of Trevose Head, Cornwall (50°36′N 5°11′W) by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.
LA BAYONNASISE (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 21 nautical miles (39 km) south east of Cape Spartivento, Italy (37°55′N 16°34′E) by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
PINAR DEL RIO (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (36°15′N 73°55′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SAIMA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) west of Trevose Head (50°29′N 5°23′W) by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of sixteen of her crew.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 9, 2023 5:41:49 GMT
Day 1402 of the Great War, June 9th 1918
Western Front: Operation Gneisenau
Ludendorff had decided his next attack would fall near Noyon, south of the salient created by Operation Michael and west of the one created by the attack on the Aisne. He hoped to threaten Paris and draw further reserves south from Flanders. As with Georgette, however, there was scarcely a week’s preparation, and the required troop movements were noted by the Allies. Combined with intelligence from German deserters, the French knew when and where the attack was coming, and prepared a defense in depth accordingly.
The German barrage opened just after midnight on June 9, and the infantry advanced at 3:45 AM; by noon they had taken the first two French lines and by nightfall had advanced up to six miles and captured 8000 PoWs. While impressive, there was no breakthrough as there had been on the Aisne; the French, for the most part, made a fighting withdrawal, and rushed more reserves to the area. The Germans, on the other hand, were short of reserves after over two months of fighting and, perhaps more critically, due to the flu pandemic spreading among their troops, reducing some units’ effective strength by 50%.
Naval operations: ship losses
CLAN FORBES (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 115 nautical miles (213 km) west north west of Alexandria, Egypt (31°55′N 27°50′E) by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
HELENE (Netherlands) The fishing vessel was shelled and sunk in the North Sea (55°38′N 2°55′E) by SM U-100 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.
MOIDART (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 7 nautical miles (13 km) south east of Lyme Regis, Dorset by SM UC-77 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of fifteen of her crew.
PUNDIT (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 85 nautical miles (157 km) west north west of Alexandria by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of six of her crew.
QUEEN VICTORIA (United Kingdom) The sailing vessel was scuttled in the Bristol Channel 6 nautical miles (11 km) south east of Lundy Island, Devon by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine.
TEWFIKIEH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 115 nautical miles (213 km) west north west of Alexandria by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.
VANDALIA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 18 nautical miles (33 km) west north west of the Smalls Lighthouse (51°44′N 6°10′W) by SM U-96 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 10, 2023 5:41:34 GMT
Day 1403 of the Great War, June 10th 1918Naval operations: ship lossesGerman advance on Compiegne. On east French withdraw from Carlepont Wood on Ribecourt. In centre Germans take heights of Marqueglise and reach Antheuil. French retreat on River Aronde, recapture Mery. Courcelles (south-east of Montdidier) taken by Germans, retaken by French. Bombardment of Paris by long-range gun continues. Australians advance south of Morlancourt (between Ancre and Somme). Russian Civil War Retreat of Colonel Semenov in Siberia. Macedonia FrontFrench carry Mt. Kamia (south-west of Lake Ochrida) and villages of Streksaj and Proptisti. Sinai and Palestine campaignSuccessful British raid on Turks north of Kefr Malik (between Shechem Road and Jordan Valley). German Caucasus expedition: Turks Fight Germans in GeorgiaDespite being allies in the war, the Turks and Germans had different aims in the Caucasus. The Turks were seeking to fulfill their nationalist pan-Turanian ambitions, expanding towards Baku and then to the lands across the Caspian. The Germans, on the other hand, mainly cared about Baku’s oil resources and had no desire to antagonize the new republics in the area. The Germans signed a treaty of friendship with the Georgians, and even sent two battalions of regular troops to help them, while simultaneously the Turks planned an advance on Tblisi. On June 10, the Turks attacked the Georgians at Vorontsovka, driving them back and taking prisoners, among them German soldiers. The Germans were obviously not pleased to be attacked by their allies, and the next day demanded that the Turks stop their advance, or they would pull out all of their troops and advisors from Turkey. Enver fumed, but had little choice but to agree; the Turks were too dependent on German aid to do otherwise. DenmarkInternational Seamen's Congress at Copenhagen forms International Federation; Mr. Havelock Wilson, President, Mr. Damm (Dane), Secretary. Officially stated that between 15 May and 1 June Germans had bombed hospitals on seven occasions, with resulting loss of 248 killed and 693 wounded. Naval operations: ship lossesBOMA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 10 nautical miles (19 km) south west by west of Beer Head, Devon (50°32′N 3°14′W) by SM UB-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. BORG (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 20 nautical miles (37 km) south west by south of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°37′N 5°07′W) by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 24 of her crew. BRODHOLME (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the Mediterranean Sea 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) north east of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her crew. She was beached but was later refloated. DORA (Sweden) The cargo ship was sunk with the loss of nine crew in the North Sea 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) east of Whitby, Yorkshire, United Kingdom[54] (55°18′N 1°32′W) by SM UB-88 ( Kaiserliche Marine). HENRIK LUND (Norway) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean (36°30′N 71°29′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. HMS Lowtyne (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) east south east of Whitby (54°29′N 0°30′W) by SM UB-34 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew. MOUNTBY (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 8 nautical miles (15 km) east by south of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°58′N 5°01′W) by SM UC-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. NIVERNAIS (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea south of the Balearic Islands, Spain (38°10′N 4°07′E) by SM UB-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Princess Maud (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north east by north of Blyth, Northumberland by SM UB-88 ( Kaiserliche Marine)with the loss of three of her crew. STRYN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) east of Berry Head, Devon by SM UB-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eight of her crew. SMS SZENT ISTVAN (Austro-Hungarian Navy) The TEGTTHOFF-class battleship was torpedoed and sunk in the Adriatic Sea off Pula, Croatia-Slavonia by MAS-15 ( Regia Marina) with the loss of 89 of her 1,094 crew. Photo: SZENT ISTVAN sinking in June 1918 after being struck by an Italian torpedo, TEGTTHOFF can be seen on the right VINDEGGEN (Norway) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean (36°25′N 71°20′W) by SM U-151 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 11, 2023 6:20:26 GMT
Day 1404 of the Great War, June 11th 1918
Western Front
Check to German advance.
Germans driven out of Antheuil.
Americans capture Belleau Wood (west of Chateau-Thierry).
Western Front: French Counterattack Halts German Gneisenau Offensive
The French had been forewarned of the Germans’ planned attack around Noyon, and had planned to stop it through a combination of defense-in-depth and a sudden counterattack. These plans, of course, did not survive the German attack on June 9, which advanced further than expected, reaching the Oise on the 10th. Nonetheless, General Mangin, once again back in favor, argued for a counterattack to be launched on the 11th, even though the required troops would not arrive until the wee hours of that morning. Fayolle, the overall commander in the area, was not enthusiastic about the idea (despite having drawn up the original plan), but Foch heartily endorsed it:
Tomorrow’s operations should be the end of the defensive battle which we have been fighting for more than two months. It should mark the definite check of the Germans and the renewal of the offensive on our part. It must succeed. Let everyone understand this.
Mangin’s infantry and 163 tanks attacked the Germans’ left flank at 1130AM on June 11th, after only a half-hour bombardment, taking them by surprise. They took over 1000 PoWs and advanced two miles before the Germans recovered; their guns had not been taken out by the brief and improvised bombardment, and were able to stop the French advance and hit 63 of the French tanks. Nevertheless, the Germans had been halted and even thrown back; Foch’s overall goal had been achieved.
Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion
Czecho-Slovaks in control of Siberian Railway between Cheliabinsk and Nizhni-Udinsk (west of Irkutsk); Bolsheviks retreat to Slatust.
Czechs threaten Samara (on Volga).
Sinai and Palestine campaign
British air raid on Amman.
Finland
Bill for new Constitution of Finland presented to Finland Diet.
Speech of von Stein re: military position.
Germany
Soviet delegates arrive in Berlin.
Aerial operations: “No control”
As RAF Chief of Staff, Frederick Sykes has finally achieved his vision of a strategic bombing force, to attack Germany, with the formation of the Independent Force on 6 June. He was well aware Army and Navy were both opposed to this, and that they would continue to make demands for more Squadrons.
To ensure new Force remains totally independent Sykes and Trenchard, in one of their few moments of agreement, sent an official dispatch from the Independent Force to the Army on 11 stating very specifically, that the Force would be
“administered direct by the Air Ministry”
and
“that the Field Marshall, C&C British Armies in France will exercise no control over the Independent Force RAF.”
Naval operations: ship losses
LORLE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 12 nautical miles (22 km) south west of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°47′N 5°14′W) by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nineteen of her crew.
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Post by lordroel on Jun 12, 2023 2:48:12 GMT
Day 1405 of the Great War, June 12th 1918
Western Front
Americans capture Belleau Wood (Nancy).
German advance on Cutry plateau (Villers-Cotterets).
Western Front: German “Hammer Blow” Stopped
The German advance south from Noyon had been halted and even reversed by Mangin’s counterattack. However, Ludendorff hoped a planned followup, this time striking west from Soissons and the salient created by the advance last month, hoping to outflank Mangin and Fayolle’s forces on their right. However, the French also had foreknowledge of this attack, due to a combination of aerial reconnaissance, German deserters, and the sheer impossibility of hiding preparations when the nights were almost the shortest of the year. The French organized a defense in depth, drawing back their artillery to prevent them from being caught in the initial bombardment and gas attacks. The Germans launched their Operation “Hammer Blow” on June 12, but the combination of extensive French preparation and German under-preparation meant that the German advance was halted within hours.
The same day, Ludendorff called off the Gneisenau operations altogether, and large-scale fighting ended by the 14th. It had made no important strategic gains, failed to draw significant reserves south, and left the salient on the Marne as insecure as ever. A few days later, Ludendorff and his staff committed to a large-scale offensive for mid-July centered on taking Rheims and pushing south to Épernay on the Marne, attacking east from the Marne salient and south from Champagne. If successful, the Germans would shorten their lines, aid their logistics by capturing more railroads, and prove a serious shock to French morale.
700,000 U.S. reported in France.
German Caucasus expedition
Tiflis, capital of Georgia, occupied by Germans; Kurdamir (Transcaucasia) and Ujari (northern Persia) occupied by Turks.
East Africa campaign
Allies enter Malema (Portuguese East Africa).
Germans retreat to River Ligonya.
United Kingdom
First meeting of Imperial War Conference.
Warm speech of Mr Balfour re: Japan.
Czecho-Slovak/France and Italy relations
Czecho-Slovak movement recognised also by France and Italy.
Aerial operations: United States
The first airplane bombing raid by an American unit in France is carried out.
Naval operations: ship losses
AFRIQUE (France) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 6 nautical miles (11 km) north west of Whitby, Yorkshire, United Kingdom by SM UC-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of twelve of her crew.
KENNINGTON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 15 nautical miles (28 km) off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire by SM UB-108 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her crew.
KUL (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) north east of the Wolf Rock, Cornwall (50°00′N 5°46′W) by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her 21 crew.
POINCARE (Tunisia) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea west of Malta by SM UC-20 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jun 13, 2023 2:47:09 GMT
Day 1406 of the Great War, June 13th 1918
Western Front
Germans gain footing on edge of Forest of Villers-Cotterets; otherwise held up.
End of First Battle of Lassigny.
Russian Civil War
Fighting at Irkutsk (Siberia) between Red and White Guards.
Italian Front: Austrian Diversionary Attack from Trentino
After the “Sixtus Affair,” in which Austrian peace overtures to the Allies (including support for a return of Alsace-Lorraine to France) were revealed in the press, the Austrians were forced to make humiliating concessions to the Germans. These included various economic terms, as well as a commitment to launch a major offensive against Italy, hoping at the very least that this would divert Allied reserves to the area, as the success at Caporetto had last year. Austrian generals were eager to make the attack; although they did not have direct German assistance, the end of the war in the East meant that essentially all of Austria’s forces could now be concentrated against Italy.
On June 13, attempting a diversion from their upcoming major thrusts in the Asiago plateau and across the Piave, the Austrians launched an attack with two divisions at the Tonale Pass, at the pre-war border on the far west of the Trentino. The mountainous area had seen little serious fighting, though a breakthrough there could theoretically threaten Milan; Austrian Chief of Staff Arz von Straußenburg had previously argued that the brunt of the offensive should fall there. The Italians, however, knew the attack was coming, due to information from deserters, and were able to stop the Austrian advance within hours without diverting reserves.
Russia: An inconvenient Grand Duke meets his end
When the Tsar abdicated, he named his younger brother, Grand Duke Michael, as his successor. Michael had no interest in the throne and declined to accept the crown. After the Bolshevik seizure of power he tried to flee to Finland but his escape was thwarted. Subsequently the Bolsheviks removed him to Perm in Siberia.
The outbreak of hostilities in Siberia between the Bolsheviks and the Czechoslovak Legion has made the local Bolsheviks nervous. The Czechoslovaks, now allied to the Komuch in Samara, are advancing on Perm: perhaps they will free the Grand Duke and make him the figurehead of a counter-revolutionary movement. To forestall this, the Bolsheviks hit on a simple solution. Together with Nicholas Johnson, an Englishman who is his last retainer, Grand Duke Michael is taken out to a remote forest location and shot. His killers loot his body of valuables and then bury it in an unmarked grave, hoping that it will never be found.
Aerial operations: Still going
Remarkably, despite the rapid pace of aircraft technology, an aircraft that was designed pre-war, first flew in 1915 and possibly accounted for Max Immelmann in June 1916 is still flying combat missions and would continue to do so until the end of the war – the Fe2b.
Admittedly the FE2b is longer flying in its originally intended role as a fighter as it has long been outclassed – having a low top speed (91 miles an hour – falling to little more than 70 mph at 10,000 feet), a poor climb rate, and poor maneuverability due to its massive size (being nearly twice as big as a Sopwith Camel) – See the Vintage Aviator for a description of the flight characteristics taken from a fllihgt of a recent reproduction).
However it is these relatively docile handling characteristics, coupled with the good forward field of view (due to the pusher layout) that have seen it given a second life as a night bomber – where the opposition from superior enemy fighters is negligible. It was first used as a night bomber in November 1916 and specialist FE2b night bomber squadrons were formed in February 1917. By the end of the war FE2bs were still in use as night bombers in eight bomber squadrons, with 860 of the 1939 built being built or converted to night bombing.
One of these is 38 Squadron RAF which originally flew the aircraft as a Home Defence night fighter, but which in May 1918 was designated as a night bomber Squadron. They moved to Dunkirk and tonight flew their first combat mission in their new role when 10 FE2b’s bombed Ostend docks.
Naval operations: ship losses
AGNES (Sweden) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk with the loss of two of the crew in the North Sea 12 nautical miles (22 km) east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, United Kingdom[69] by SM UB-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMS CONQUEST (Royal Navy) The C-class cruiser struck a mine laid by UC 11 (Werner Lange) and was damaged in the North Sea 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km) south west of the Sunk Lightship ( United Kingdom) (51°50′45″N 1°34′30″E) with the loss of seven of her crew. She was subsequent repaired and returned to service.
KALO (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 18 nautical miles (33 km) south east of Flamborough Head by SM UB-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.
OCTO (Norway) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 22 (Heino von Heimburg) and sank in the Mediterranean Sea north east of Zemra Island, Tunisia (37°08′N 10°54′E) with the loss of twelve of her crew.
HMS PATIA (Royal Navy) The armed boarding steamer was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 25 nautical miles (46 km) west of Hartland Point, Devon (50°53′N 5°41′W) by SM UC-49 with the loss of sixteen of her crew.
PENHALLOW (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 52 nautical miles (96 km) north by west of Cape Caxine, Algeria by SM UB-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
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