The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 189 of the Great War, February 1st 1915

Naval operations: Berlin

Admiral Hugo von Pohl, Chief of the German Naval Staff, had interpreted the British declaration of November 1914 that the entire North Sea was a war zone as an effort to deter neutrals from sailing to Germany, and in particular to starve Germany via the interruption of food imports. In response, Pohl had become a convert to the idea that Germany should use its own submarine force to attack merchant shipping bound for Britain. Today in a meeting with Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg, he advocates a shift in strategy to embrace what is known as unrestricted submarine warfare.

According to international maritime law, a specific procedure was to be following when a warship intercepts merchant shipping. First, the attacker would have to halt the merchant ship either by signals or a warning shot. Second, sailors from the warship would have to board the merchant ship to ascertain its cargo and nationality. Third, if the merchant ship belonged to the enemy, provision had to be made for the safe evacuation of the crew and any passengers. Only at this point could the warship actually sink the merchant ship. These rules were drafted in the age of the sailing ship, when the attacker would be a fast light warship that nevertheless would have space to take the merchant crew aboard. On the other hand, these rules were manifestly impossible for submarines to follow if they were to achieve any success. Submarines relied on stealth and surprise, advantages which would have to be surrendered if they had to signal a merchant ship to stop first. Second, a submarine is at its most vulnerable when on the surface, making it potentially disastrous to stop and wait while sailors board the merchant ship to inspect it. Finally, the size of the submarine left no room whatsoever to take on the crew of a sunk merchant ship. To operate in line with contemporary maritime law would greatly reduce the value of a submarine as a weapon against enemy shipping, and hence was referred to as restricted submarine warfare.

At the outset of the war the general expectation on all sides was that submarines would still adhere to maritime law, and indeed German submarines had done so for the first six months of the conflict. However, given the tightening British naval blockade, Pohl is not the only German admiral to advocate that the U-Boat force stop adhering to international law in order to reach their full potency as a weapon against British trade, which is referred to as unrestricted submarine warfare. To its advocates, this policy promised a means to strike back at the one main enemy that remained frustratingly beyond the reach of the German army or the High Seas Fleet. Moreover, given British reliance on imports, especially of food, unrestricted submarine warfare had the potential to cripple the British economy, and perhaps even force its surrender.

Unrestricted submarine warfare was not without its difficulties. For one, it would be another action that would tarnish the image of Germany elsewhere, and of particular concern was the potential for neutral merchant ships to be sunk by accident, which might lead to additional countries entering the war on the side of the Entente. The biggest neutral, of course, is the United States, and the fear expressed by some is that adopting unrestricted submarine warfare may push it closer to the British. Further, there could easily be incidents where passenger liners are mistaken for merchant ships, and the sinking of the former could lead to substantial civilian casualties and international outrage. These reasons are why not only the German Chancellor but the Kaiser himself have refused to date to endorse the implementation of unrestricted submarine warfare.

Pohl, however, has persisted in his advocacy, and today attempts to assuage the Chancellor's concerns. He argues that if Germany declares a war zone around Britain, it will scare away neutral shipping, which means that there will be no neutral merchants in the area for U-Boats to sink by accident. In additional, Pohl declares that submarine captains are able to distinguish between enemy and neutral ships, and between passenger liners and merchant ships. Given these assurances, Bethmann-Hollweg consents to unrestricted submarine warfare.

Naval operations: Cape Horn

HMS BRISTOL puts into Port Bower (Punta Arenas), paid the monthly port fees for the squadron, and departs into the Atlantic bound for the Falklands. HMS GLASGOW also puts into Punta Arenas, arriving from the east, and stays the night. HMS CARNARVON is also underway for the Falklands.

Naval operations: Yemen

Hellmuth von Mücke spends the day in Manakah visiting a variety of Turkish dignitaries and officials.

Day 191 of the Great War, February 3rd 1915

Western Front: the left wing of the German 15th Reserve Division and the right wing of the German 21st Reserve Division launches an attack

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.

Eastern Front: elements of Südarmee managed to seize the village of Tucholka

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.

Bulgaria: Bulgaria negotiates with the Great Powers on both sides

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.

Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Ottoman Raid on the Suez Canal begins

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.

Photo: The Camel Corps at Beersheba



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.

Map: Attacks on the Suez Canal



Darfur Campaign: Ottomans temp Sultanate of Darfur into rising up

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.

Naval operations: Pacific Ocean

HMS NEWCASTLE departs Callao, and travels to Cocos Island (not the one in the Indian Ocean, but an island of the same name near Peru).

Naval operations: Cape Horn

Despite Fritz Lüdecke's message to Berlin three days earlier SMS DRESDEN remains anchored at Weinachts Bay.

HMS GLASGOW transfers from Sholl Bay to Port Famine (Puerto del Hambre).

Naval operations: Atlantic Ocean

HMS BRISTOL arrives at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands.

Naval operations: Yemen

Hellmuth von Mücke and his men come within sight of Sana'a. As they near the many villages surrounding the capital of Yemen they are joined by that city's Turkish officers. Late in the day, as they near the city gates, they are greeted by a band playing 'Deutschland Über Alles'. The Germans reply by singing 'Die Wacht Am Rhein'. The people of Sana'a go out of their way to make the men of the EMDEN feel welcome.

Day 193 of the Great War, February 5th 1915

YouTube (Gas! - A New Horror On The Battlefield)



Eastern Front: the battered remnants of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Division pulls out of Mezölaborcz

After several hours of combat the battered remnants of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Division, reduced to a thousand soldiers, pulls out of Mezölaborcz, ceding control of the town to the Russians. The fall of Mezölaborcz cuts the railway supplying the east wing of 3rd Army, while the army as a whole has lost, over the past fourteen days, almost 89 000 men, over 50% of its strength. In addition to combat losses, thousands die of exposure each night, while the wounded freeze before they can be evacuated. Conrad's Carpathian offensive to relieve Przemysl has completely fallen apart, tens of thousands of lives thrown away for nothing. Conrad for his part places blame on the commander of 3rd Army, believing that he has failed to impose a firm will on his soldiers, when the reality is that expecting the infantry to not only hold on but advance in such conditions shows that Conrad has no idea what is actually happening on the front line. The only positive note in the fighting is that the Russians, themselves exhausted from advancing through the ice and snow, fail to press their advantage after capturing Mezölaborcz.

Naval operations: German Admiralty Declaration

This morning the following declaration is published in Germany:

The waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland including the whole of the English Channel are hereby declared to be a military area. From 18 February onwards, all enemy merchant ships in these waters will be destroyed, irrespective of the impossibility of avoiding in all cases danger to the passengers and crew.

The public announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare catches many admirals by surprise, so quickly had Pohl moved to capitalize on the consent of the Chancellor and the Kaiser in recent days. Criticism of Pohl's action focus on the unpreparedness of the German navy to actually implement unrestricted submarine warfare. Whereas a prewar study had suggested more than two hundred submarines would be required to maintain permanent patrols around the British Isles, only thirty are available as of today. Nevertheless, the criticisms are sent against a backdrop of general approval for striking a blow against Britain.

Map: Shaded area shows "War Zone" announced by Germany



Naval operations: Cape Horn

HMS GLASGOW drops a target and holds gunnery practice, later anchors in Possession Bay.

Naval operations: Atlantic Ocean

HMS BRISTOL departs Port Stanley for Montevideo.

   lordroel ,

Day 195 of the Great War, February 7th 1915

East Prussian Campaign: Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes

The Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes opens today as the German 8th and 10th Armies commence their advance, though the weather is the worst imaginable: a severe blizzard blankets the front, with gale-force winds driving snow into the faces of the German infantry. Though the Germans suffer terribly, the poor weather has the unintended benefit of masking their true strength from the Russians; the entirety of 8th Army is dismissed as being a mere small detachment. The Russians, then, have no idea of the size of the enemy force bearing down on 10th Army. Moreover, the attention of North-West Front is on 12th Army, still assembling to the south of East Prussia and which is to launch a major Russian offensive northwards in mid-February. With their focus to the southwest, the Russian leadership dismisses any notion of a substantial threat to 10th Army, and the latter is strung out and poorly-entrenched. Once again, a Russian army has been left vulnerable to a German attack.

An isolated second-line Russian division finds itself in the path of the advance of the German 8th Army, which erroneously believes that the Germans are moving on the fortress of Osowiec to the south. Under German attack, the division disintegrates, and the advance continues.

Map: Eastern Front, February 7-18, 1915



Mesopotamian campaign: Lord Hardinge, Viceroy of India visit the region

For the past two months, Indian Expeditionary Force D has been consolidating its hold on Qurna and the Shatt al-Arab. Little enemy activity has been seen beyond the occasional armed demonstration by Ottomans, regarded as nothing more than nuisances. Over the past three days, Lord Hardinge, Viceroy of India, has been in the region, visiting Basra and touring the front line around Qurna. His presence is meant to reassure nearby wavering Arab tribes that the British are here to stay. As the Viceroy departs today, he is pleased with the balance of forces in the area, and is confident that IEF D does not need substantial reinforcement.

Naval operations: London

In an attempt to keep him from meeting with the King and Queen, Fisher orders Sturdee to join his new squadron at Scapa Flow immediately. Sturdee refuses to go until after the reception.

Naval operations: Yemen

Hellmuth von Mücke finds that the higher mountain atmosphere is making is men worse rather than better. He records that within a few days of his arrival in Sana'a eighty percent of his men are sick with stomach cramps and colds.