The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 222 of the Great War, March 6th 1915

Eastern Front: Conrad has thrown two addition divisions into the fighting near Baligrod

In the central Carpathians, Conrad has thrown two addition divisions into the fighting near Baligrod, but the Austro-Hungarian forces have been unable to make any progress. Further, a break in the weather causes additional complications - though the skies are clear today, the midday sun melts snow on the slopes, which then freezes into ice after dusk, as the temperature plunges to -20. The resulting sheets of ice do nothing to improve the mobility of the Austro-Hungarian infantry. Despite this, Conrad remains determined to continue the offensive, this evening ordering 3rd Army to continue to attack, despite its shattering defeat yesterday.

Naval operations - Dardanelles campaign

- HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH returns to the coast of Gallipoli today to resume its bombardment of the Ottoman forts inside the straits. This time, however, the Ottomans are prepared, and have deployed a mobile 6-inch howitzer to fire on the dreadnought. The hull of QUEEN ELIZABETH is struck three times, and though the shells do not penetrate its armour, the hits reinforce concerns over the effectiveness of these mobile batteries. On the other hand, the dreadnought again fails to hit anything of significance resulting from the inability to spot the fall of shot, and it becomes clear that it will have to enter the straits to be effective.

- In Greece there has been an ongoing political struggle between King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos. The former's sympathies lay with Germany, given that the Kaiser is his brother-in-law, and very much opposes the pro-Entente policy of Venizelos. The recent offer of Greek troops to support the Dardanelles operation brings the struggle to a crisis, and today Constantine forces the resignation of Venizelos.

Naval operations: Cape Horn

HMS BRISTOL is anchored at Puerto Tamar with divers examining her rudder. HMS GLASGOW investigates the area around Ultima Esperanza, finally anchoring at Puerto Natales.

Naval operations: German East Africa

Sopwith S920 is again hoisted into the water, taxis to the beach, makes on test flight and is recovered by KINFAUNS CASTLE. The aircraft is still having trouble functioning it the extreme heat.

Day 224 of the Great War, March 8th 1915

Western Front: Joffre believes that the Germans are wearing down and that a breakthrough remains possible

- Though no substantial success has been achieved in the fighting in Champagne, Joffre believes that the Germans are wearing down and that a breakthrough remains possible. To this end, he orders XVI Corps, reinforced by 48th Division, to undertake a massive attack in four days time, in which as many soldiers as possible would be concentrated against the enemy line and maintain pressure with fresh infantry.

- Two days ago a French surprise attack against the German line west of Munster in Alsace succeeded in pushing back the defending Bavarian 6th Landwehr Division, seizing the Reichsackerkopf and Mönchberg. In response 8th Bavarian Reserve Division was brought up, and a counterattack today regains the lost positions, with the exception of the summit of the Reichsackerkopf.

- Reinforcements having arrived from 10th Army to the north, General Gallwitz orders his forces to go back over on to the attack, advancing on both banks of the Orshitz River towards Prasnysz and Krasnosielce in Russian Poland.

Eastern Front: left wing of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army is finally able to gain ground

In the Carpathians the left wing of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army is finally able to gain ground today, as 41st Honved Division seizes the Maguryczne Heights. This tactical success, however, does not lead to any wider advance, as the Russian lines remain unbroken and the weather continues to be miserable.

Naval operations - Dardanelles campaign

Commodore Roger Keyes, previously commander of the submarines at Harwich, is currently serving as Chief of Staff to Admiral Carden at the Dardanelles. Keyes was intimately familiar with the Ottoman defenses along the straits, having studied them while serving as naval attaché at Constantinople in 1906 and 1907. Keyes is a strong advocate of the Dardanelles operation, believing seapower alone can force the straits. However, as he writes to his wife today, he is concerned that the Admiralty is underestimating the challenges faced by the British and French warships, and has been insisting that Carden fully explain to his superiors the difficulties remaining to be surmounted.

Naval operations: Pacific Ocean

HMS KENT is still waiting for SS GOTHA to appear. With the dawn Captain J.D. Allen and his crew find themselves in the midst of a heavy fog. By late afternoon the fog has burned off, and at 1517 Allen is surprised to see SMS DRESDEN herself, at a distance of 26,000 yards. KENT starts working up to full speed. At 1537 they are only 17,000 yards away when Captain Lüdecke sights the British cruiser and runs. KENT is making 21 knots but DRESDEN turns out to be faster, making better than 23 knots. By 2000 she has opened the range to 30,000 yards and Allen slows his ship to cruising speed and sends a message to Captain Luce aboard HMS GLASGOW .

"By 2000 she was hull down and only her masts and tops of funnels showed. Our funnels were glowing red hot and sparks were flying astern. At 2100 it was nearly an hour since I had seen anything."

KENT is low on coal and returns to the meeting place to see if the German collier will show up. DRESDEN is even worse off. Lüdecke decides to make his way to Más a Tierra, or Robinson Crusoe Island. He has been given permission to seek internment if that becomes the only option - "His Majesty the Kaiser leaves it to your discretion to lay up."

Naval operations: Cape Horn

HMS BRISTOL is still laid up with her damaged rudder.

Naval operations: Rio de Janeiro

HMS CARNARVON once again has divers examining her damaged hull. Arrangements are made for the ship to move to a floating dry-dock for repairs.

Naval operations: Zanzibar

HMS GOLIATH moves from Moresby Point to join the squadron at Mafia Island. Admiral King-Hall takes direct command of the Rufiji squadron.

Naval operations: YEMEN

The rest of the EMDEN crew arrive back at Al Hudaydah.

Day 226 of the Great War, March 10th 1915

Western Front: Battle of Neuve Chapelle

At 730am this morning, British artillery opens up on the German line at Neuve Chapelle.The intense bombardment, using more shells in thirty-five minutes than the British had used in the entire Boer War, catches the Germans completely by surprise. The concentration of shells against such a small portion of the line ensured that most of the German defensive positions were obliterated, while the brevity of the bombardment left the Germans with no time to send up reinforcements, leaving the defenders significantly outnumbered. When the attacking infantry go over the top at 805, they easily break through the front German trench while the German survivors break and retreat. The pace of the British advance is set not by German resistance, of which there is practically none, but rather how fast they can move over the ruined battlefield. In thirty minutes, the British have captured the village of Neuve Chapelle, and the entire of the first objective line is soon in British hands.

Map: Organization of British forces during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle March 1915



By noon the British have achieved the goal that has and will elude so many other attacks on the Western Front - a breakthrough. The German line has been shattered, and there is nothing before the British infantry but fleeing Germans. It is a success that exceeds even the expectations of Haig and his staff. However, this breakthrough leads to the accomplishment of absolutely nothing of significance, and the reasons point to fundamental realities that hinder offensive operations on the Western Front for most of the war. Most important is actually a technical limitation: while wireless radios have been developed, they have not yet been miniaturized enough to allow for sets to be carried by infantry into battle. Thus advancing infantry have only two options for communicating to rear areas: (1) telephone lines; and (2) messengers on foot. The first requires the laying of telephone wires that are extremely vulnerable to enemy artillery fire, while the latter, even if they can escape the front line alive, are greatly slowed by the destruction omnipresent on the battlefront, and hours frequently pass between the departure of a messenger from a front line officer to his arrival at a headquarters in the rear. As a result, it is practically impossible for officers commanding advancing infantry to communicate their position, which in turn has two consequences. First, it means that artillery batteries fire without knowing the location of their own infantry, which creates the very real potential for friendly fire and prevents the infantry from ordering artillery fire on unexpected defensive positions they encounter as they advance. Instead, the infantry is expected to advance at the pace of the pre-arranged artillery barrage, as it moves from the first to the second to the reserve trench lines. Move too fast, and the infantry run the risk of literally running into their own artillery fire. Second, it means that when the advance does not go to plan, forward officers are unable to receive revised orders from their superiors. Thus when the pre-battle plan fails to provide instructions for the actual circumstances on the battlefield, forward officers default to doing nothing, lest they either create chaos by random advancing and/or march their soldiers into a future artillery target. This is not to condemn these officers, having to make difficult decisions often under intense enemy fire and with their units significantly depleted; it is little wonder that they default to their training, which is in such conditions to wait for further orders. The problem, of course, is that as they wait, the enemy has a window in which they can rush in reinforcements and plug the breach in the line. Thus even when attacking forces are able to achieve a breakthrough, it disappears like a mirage, ever just beyond reach.

Map: The battle of Neuve Chapelle, March 10th to 13th, 1915.



This is precisely how the breakthrough at Neuve Chapelle plays out. When the British infantry reach their first objective line ahead of schedule, they halt their advance, awaiting further orders. The Germans, meanwhile, rush up reserve formations to plug the gap, and are able to do so largely unmolested by artillery fire. In addition to the lack of direct communication between British batteries and their infantry, air-ground artillery coordination has also failed; despite the infantry carrying white stripes of cloth to mark their position, mist obscures them. By the time the British are finally prepared to resume the advance at 530pm, they find new German reserves in front of them, and they are halted halfway between Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge. By the end of the day's fighting, the strategic opportunities available in the morning have vanished, and further attacks will need to be launched against forewarned and reinforced German defences.

Photo: The ruins of the village of Neuve Chapelle after its capture by the British, March 10th, 1915.



Western Front: Falkenhayn has decided that the execution of the first major gas attack will be assigned to 4th Army

- Despite the abject failure of test use of gas at the Battle of Bolimów in January on the Eastern Front, the German army continues to view the weapon as potentially significant. The first asphyxiating gas to be produced in quantity was chlorine, chosen because it did not require the diversion of any resources or manufacturing capacity from the munitions industry. Though a shell has also been invented that can carry and disperse gas, they are not yet available in sufficient quantity to make their use effective. Instead, the tactic at present is to mass thousands of canisters of the gas along the front line, and open them when the wind will push the gas in the desired direction. As its use was totally dependent on the weather, it could not be used in major pre-planned operations that required precise scheduling, as with the preliminary discussions at OHL regarding an offensive on the Western Front. Instead, Falkenhayn has decided that the execution of the first major gas attack will be assigned to 4th Army, responsible for the front in Flanders. The focus of the operation will be primarily on testing the combat effective of large-scale use of gas, while crucially the gains on the battlefield itself are a secondary consideration.

4th Army headquarters has decided that the attack should take place on the southeastern face of the Ypres salient, between the Ypres-Comines Canal and the Menin road. XV Corps has been assigned to undertake the assault, and as of today the gas canisters have been installed on six thousand yards of the line. Now it is simply a matter of waiting for the right weather conditions.

Eastern Front: Generals Pflanzer-Baltin and Brusilov are forced to postpone their respective plans for offensive operations

- Even in the context of a terrible winter in the Carpathians, a particularly heavy blizzard strikes today. In these conditions movement is impossible; the sick and wounded die as they cannot be evacuated, while entire skirmish lines vanish into the snow. The Austro-Hungarian infantry find it impossible to dig entrenchments, and have to huddle in the open in front of the Russian positions they are supposed to be attacking. In the eastern Carpathians, the blizzard forces Generals Pflanzer-Baltin and Brusilov to postpone their respective plans for offensive operations.

Map: The position of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd and 3rd Armies in the Carpathians, March 10th, 1915.



Kamerun Campaign: commander of the British force occupying Duala and the surrounding region in German Kamerun is informed by London today that no further reinforcements should be expected

The commander of the British force occupying Duala and the surrounding region in German Kamerun is informed by London today that no further reinforcements should be expected and that his priority is defending his current positions, as opposed to undertaking offensive operations. This is effectively a restatement of the original British aim in its campaign against German Kamerun - namely, that the priority is the conquest of the coast and the denial of ports to German raiders.

Naval operations - Dardanelles campaign

- In London, unbridled optimism still reigns regarding the Dardanelles operation, and the War Council discusses today what the British should do after the fall of Constantinople- Kitchener, for example, calls for an attack on Alexandretta. There is little appreciation as of yet of the difficulties encountered at the Dardanelles, where tonight the minesweepers make their seventh attempt. To improve their chances of success, they use a new approach: instead of sweeping while sailing up the straits, they will sail in, turn, and sweep on the way out. Meanwhile Commodore Keyes, Carden's Chief of Staff, has also taken direct command of the minesweepers, and to encourage them to perservere under fire, he has offered a financial bonus to the civilian crews and proposed to stiffen the crews with young officers from the fleet.

Despite the new tactic, this evening's effort is little more successful than earlier attempts. Though escorted by CANOPUS and other warships, the minesweepers are under fire as they sail up the straits, and by the time they reach the point to turn and begin to sweep, four of the crews are so agitated that they do not extend their equipment. Two trawlers manage to sweep two mines, but the other strikes a mine and sinks. Though the crew is saved, the loss serves only to inspire the shore defences to pour more fire on the ships. With two of the trawlers damaged by 6-inch shells, the operation is called off and the minesweepers withdraw.

- In Germany the Admiralty Staff considers the ammunition situation at the Dardanelles to be dire, and since the prospects of Austro-Hungarian success against Serbia are as remote as ever, they recommend putting severe diplomatic pressure on Romania to allow for the transportation of munitions across its territory. It also recommends that at least one German submarine should be dispatched to the Dardanelles, as the Austro-Hungarians remain unwilling to do so.

Naval operations: Pacific Ocean

Captain Allen of HMS KENT decides the German collier is not going to show up and sets course for Coronel to recoal there.

HMS GLASGOW leaves Cape Horn behind, moving into the Pacific and heading for SMS DRESDEN'S last known position.

Naval operations: Africa

HMS GOLIATH arrives at Mombasa, recoals, and heads back for Mafia Island.

Naval operations: English Channel

After being chased for four days by trawlers, U-12 is cornered and attacked by the destroyers HMS ACHERON, ARIEL, and ATTACK. ATTACK opens fire on the submarine, which starts to dive. ARIEL manages to ram the boat's conning tower as it slips beneath the surface. Captain Kratzsch orders the tanks blown and U-12 shoots back to the surface, only to come under fire from all three destroyers. The main hatch is jammed and only ten of the boat's crew manage to escape and be taken prisoner. Among those lost is the boat's commander, Hans Kratzsch.

Also taking part in the chase are the trawlers MAY ISLAND, which first spotted the submarine on March 6th, BEN STROME, OLIVE BRANCH and STRATHISLA, plus Auxiliary Patrol trawlers CHESTER, COOTE, DUSTER, MARTIN and the armed yacht PORTIA.

Photo: Photograph of German submarines U-12 (on the left) and U-1 circa 1915.



U-12 has a unique place in history. Back on January 15th, with Walther Forstmann commanding, U-12 carried a Friedrichshafen FF.29 on her forward deck from Zeebrügge into the open ocean. Forstmann ordered the forward tanks flooded and the seaplane floated free, then took off and returned to its base. The pilot for this test was Oberleutnant zur See Friedrich von Arnauld de la Perière, the younger brother of the man who would become the greatest submarine ace of all time.

Photo: SM U-12 with seaplane on deck

Day 228 of the Great War, March 12th 1915

Western Front: Battle of Neuve Chapelle

- 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.

Map: the terrain in the vicinity of Neuve Chapelle, 1914-1915



- 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.

Eastern Front: second advance towards Prasnysz by the German forces under General Gallwitz is called off

- 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.

Kamerun campaign: British and French commanders of Entente forces agree to a plan of campaign

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.

Naval operations: Sheerness, England

The monitors depart the Medway. HMS HUMBER is in the lead, towed by the tugs BLACKOCK and DANUBEII. Next is HMS SEVERN, towed by SARAH JOLIFFE and SOUTHHAMPTON. Last is HMS MERSEY, towed by T.A. JOLIFFE and REVENGER. The group is escorted by a squadron of destroyers.

Naval operations: English Channel

Otto Weddigen in U-29 has a field day when he sinks three British merchants: ANDALUSIAN, 2,349 tons, bound from Liverpool to Patras with a general cargo, HEADLANDS, 2,988 tons, carrying ore and fruit from Marseilles to Bristol, and INDIAN CITY, 4,645 tons, coming from Galveston to Le Havre with a load of cotton and spelter (a term used for a variety of alloys).

Naval operations: Pacific Ocean

HMS KENT moves from Santa Maria Island to Coronel, begins coaling from lighters.

HMS GLASGOW encounters HMS ORAMA.

Naval operations: Yemen

Hellmuth von Mücke's suspicions are confirmed when a British gunboat shows up at Isa bay. Isa Bay has no harbor facilities, not even a fishing village, and this is the first time an Allied warship of any kind has been seen there since the war began.

Day 230 of the Great War, March 14th 1915

Western Front: First Battle of Champagne

- 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.

Eastern Front: all available reserves of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army are rushed to prop up the reeling XIX Corps and prevent a Russian breakthrough

- 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.

Naval operations - Dardanelles campaign

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 meager return, especially considering that AMETHYST takes a large shell to its mess deck, killing twenty-four and injuring thirty-six.

Photo: British TOPAZE class cruiser HMS AMETHYST.



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.

Naval operations: Pacific Ocean - Battle of Más a Tierra

Photos: The DRESDEN sinking



At 0755 hours HMS GLASGOW and ORAMA come in sight of Robinson Crusoe Island (also known as Más a Tierra, or Closer To Land), the largest of the Juan Fernandez group, from the northeast.

At 0800 they spot smoke in the distance, which turns out to be HMS KENT moving in from the southeast. ORAMA'S log gives 0840. According to KENT'S log she doesn't spot her fellows until 0915.

At 0841 lookouts aboard GLASGOW sight SMS DRESDEN anchored in Cumberland Bay. ORAMA spots her at 0850. Kent says her first sighting is at 0930, and that at 0950 the range to DRESDEN is 5,000 yards.

At 0846 Captain Luce starts maneuvering so any shots passing over his enemy cannot hit the shore.

At the same time Captain Lüdecke signals that his ship is out of fuel and is not a combatant. None of the British logs mention this.

At 0910 GLASGOW opens fire. According to her log she ceases fire again one minute later, and DRESDEN starts to return fire. At 1912 GLASGOW opens fire again. ORAMA'S log says she opens fire at 0915, at a range of 10,100 yards. According to KENT, GLASGOW opens fire at 0951, followed by KENT a minute later. ORAMA isn't mentioned. The two ships cease fire at 0954. What all logs agree on is that the firing lasts less than four minutes total.

At 0914 Captain Lüdecke lowers his national ensign and raises a white flag. DRESDEN'S crew abandon ship and at 1030 the forward magazine is detonated. DRESDEN sinks at 1137. ORAMA agrees on the time of the explosion and makes the sinking one minute later. KENT gives the times as 1100 for the magazine explosion and 1215 for the sinking.

Photo: The German light cruiser SMS DRESDEN at Juan Fernandez Island. The white flag of surrender is flying from the foremast.



There is a Chilean vessel present, and the Germans are allowed to seek internment there. The German government protests that the British attacked in neutral waters, and Chile accuses both sides of violating her neutrality.

Map: Royal Navy’s search for the DRESDEN



Naval operations: Yemen

At 1700 hours, while the English gunboat is patrolling Isa Bay to the south of Al Hudaydah, Hellmuth von Mücke and his men depart from Yabana, several miles to the north. The sick are in the second zambuk, commanded by leutnant Gerdts. They will have to run an English blockade consisting of an auxiliary cruiser and two gunboats. The two sailboats separate, reducing the chance of both being caught as they attempt to run the blockade in the dark.

Naval operations: Plymouth, England

At 1000 hours the crews of the three monitors are gathered at the Devonport dockyard, and at 1230 they board the chartered liner TRENT. The convoy departs Devonport at 2230.

Naval operations: English Channel

Otto Weddigen and U-29 stop and board the small steamer SS ATLANTA, 519 tons, 12 miles WSW of Inishturk Island while en route from Galway to Glasgow. The crew are allowed to abandon ship and the vessel is set on fire. After U-29 departs the ship is reboarded and the fires put out. ATLANTA is then towed to safety.

Day 232 of the Great War, March 16th 1915

Naval operations: Kitchener writes in a memorandum

As the British government discusses ongoing operations in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, the focus is not only on securing victory in the current war but also ensuring that the British Empire is in the best position for the post-war world. As Kitchener writes in a memorandum submitted to the War Council today:

It must not be forgotten that, after the conclusion of peace, old enmities and jealousies which have been stilled by the existing crisis in Europe, may revive. We have, in fact, to assume that, at some future date, we may find ourselves an enmity with Russia, or with France, or with both in combination, and we must bear this possibility in mind in deciding how, when the time for settlement comes and the question of the partition of Turkey in Asia arises, our interests can best be safeguarded.

Western Front: First Battle of Champagne

- In Champagne a large number of French assaults are launched between 445am and 2pm, but with only minor exceptions are repulsed. With XVI Corps failing to make further progress, Joffre finally concludes that the operation in Champagne cannot win a decisive victory and ought to be wound down. He orders General de Langle to undertake the planned XVI Corps' attacks with the remaining fresh infantry, and then cease operations, form strong defensive positions, and pull all but three corps out of the line.

- Falkenhayn orders the formation of eight additional divisions today, of which four - 111th, 113th, 119th, and 121st - will be ready for service by April 1st, with 115th, 117th, 123rd, and 11th Bavarian ready one to two weeks later. With the six new divisions whose creation has previously been ordered, these constitute the fourteen divisions (down from the initial projection of twenty-four) available as an OHL reserve, and which Falkenhayn intends to use on the Western Front.

The German Chief of Staff also issues a written directive to the commander of the newly-formed 11th Army:

The OHL plans to break through the enemy front in the West after making an adequate number of troops available. To this end, strong reserves will be placed in readiness in rear of that front along the several rail lines. The concentration of these reserves and their subsequent forward movement by rail to the point where the breakthrough is to be effected, will be regulated by the OHL. The tim for placing the reserves in readiness and the place for the breakthrough operation proper have not yet been fixed. The Commander of the Eleventh Army will conduct the offensive in a zone of action that will be designed in due time. The Eleventh Army Commander's next task will consist of reconnoitring the terrain between La Bassée Canal and the Avre near Roye for a breakthrough operation, with a view to piercing the hostile front north of the Somme on a width of from 25 to 30 kilometres and advancing thence to the sea. In the zones of action to be selected, it is planned to allot first of all, in addition to the troops already in position, as many infantry divisions (each of three regiments) as will enable each division to occupy from two and a half to three kilometres of frontage. The necessary heavy artillery will be made available. With the aid of these forces the tactical breakthrough should be successful - including the piercing of the enemy's line. In rear of the rupture, the OHL intends to place as many additional forces in readiness as will be required to exploit the tactical breakthrough for strategic purposes. The reconnaissance must be initiated as early as possible . . . [and] the result will be submitted to the OHL in the form of a report no later than the end of March.

Naval operations: German East Africa

The morning brings multiple rain showers, but by mid-afternoon the sky is clear enough for more flight tests, and HMS KINFAUNS CASTLE once again hoists out S920. The plane is still not able to climb high enough to observe SMS KONINGSBERG safely.

Naval operations: Red Sea

On their second day at sea von Mücke meets up with Gerdts in the second zambuk. From this point on they are protected by the Farsan Bank, a group of coral reefs far enough from shore to protect them from English guns. The reefs were described by Charles Darwin in 1842. With a pilot, an interpreter and several Arab sailors the zambuks carry thirty-five men each, plus provisions, machine guns and ammunition. Each boat also has a small tin-shrouded fireplace for cooking. The men rig a roof made of blankets to protect them from the desert sun.

Every hour brings a change in the weather. After encountering a storm they might suddenly find themselves becalmed. The worst part comes at night, when the men are under constant attack by cockroaches, lice, and bedbugs. Still, they maintained a sense of humor about it. "All articles of clothing that were not in use had to be made fast to something for fear they might run away. In the morning, as soon as the sun was up, Every man of us pulled off his shirt and the general 'early louse hunt' began. The record number for one shirt was seventy-four."