The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 327 of the Great War, June 19th 1915

Eastern Front: Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive

After a heavy two-hour artillery bombardment, at 7am this morning the German 11th Army launches its attack on the Russian defence line running south from Rawa Ruska. The most important fighting is in the centre, where the Guard Corps seizes the high ground at the village of Horodysko and forces the Russian XVIII Corps to retreat, the latter leaving behind 2500 prisoners. The Guard divisions exploit the breakthrough and advance to seize Dobrosin on the road between Lemberg and Rawa Ruska. To the north, XXII Reserve Corps reaches Lipnik, just south of Rawa Ruska, while to the south XLI Reserve Corps is held up by stiff Russian resistance near Majdan. The 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army also has a difficult day of fighting, though XVIII Corps is able to complete the capture of Grodek and 14th Division is able to cross the Weresyca River where it enters the Dniester.

Naval operations: BREMEN

The SM UC-5 is commissioned into the German Navy.

Photo: SM UC-5



Naval operations: North Sea

Walther Gustav Becker begins his career commanding UB-13 with the sinking of SS DULCIE, 2,033 tons, bound from Dunston to Havre with a load of coal.

Naval operations: German East Africa

At 0830 Admiral King-Hall again visits HMS SEVERN . At 0930 target practice is held for the 1" anti-boarding guns and the .303 machine guns. At 1500 the crew begins putting up more armour plating.

At 1530 HMS MERSEY again conducts target practice.

Naval operations: New York

The USS Arizona is launched.

Photo: USS Arizona's launch at Brooklyn Navy Yard

Day 329 of the Great War, June 21st 1915

Western Front: Falkenhayn concludes that 6th Army has broken the enemy offensive

With French pressure slackening in Artois, Falkenhayn concludes that 6th Army has broken the enemy offensive. Given that holding the line in Artois has required the deployment of all of OHL's reserves on the Western Front, Falkenhayn today orders that VIII Corps and three divisions prepare to withdraw from the front; after rest and reinforcement, they are to become the new OHL reserve in case the Entente attacks elsewhere on the Western Front.

Eastern Front: 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army attacks the Russian defensive positions at Lemberg

The 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army attacks the Russian defensive positions at Lemberg today, but are unable to make more than incremental gains. To the north, the Beskid Corps and XLI Reserve Corps (the latter of the German 11th Army) attack the Russian line on the high ground west of Zolkiew, and after dark the Russians abandon their positions and retreat through Zolkiew to the east.

Gallipoli campaign: Battle of Haricot Redoubt

After defeat in the 3rd Battle of Krithia, the British and French forces clinging to Cape Helles on Gallipoli have foresworn major operations, at least until furhter reinforcements arrive. Nevertheless, the Entente commanders believe that pressure must be maintained on the Ottoman lines to prevent them from further fortifying their positions and keep enemy forces tied down. To accomplish this, it has been decided to undertake small-scale assaults in which the infantry would seize a small chunk of the line, and then concentrated artillery fire would hold off Ottoman counterattacks. The first operation is launched today by the French on the eastern end of the line, advancing along a 650-yard stretch of the front. It has been preceded by a massive artillery bombardment, over thirty thousand shells being expended over several days. At 6am the French 176th and 6th Colonial Regiments attack, and the former is able to not only seize the strong Ottoman defensive position known as the Haricot redoubt but also hold it against determined counterattacks. Though the French suffer 2500 casualties, the Ottomans have lost 6000 men, and thought there has been nothing like a breakthrough, the attack is a clear, if minor, success.

Naval operations: North Sea

Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, captures the small Norwegian steamer SS SIGURD HUND, 453 tons, bound from Fredrikstad to Glasgow with a load of whale oil, and takes her as a prize, bringing his total to 7 ships and 10,185 tons

Max Valentiner, in U-38, Sinks the British freighter SS CARLSBROOK, 2,352 tons, travelling from Montreal to Leith with a cargo of wheat. His score is now 4 ships and 5,798 tons.

Naval operations: German East Africa

At 0500 hours the day begins for the crew of HMS MERSEY, again laying steel plates and painting the ship. At 0545 HMS HYACINTH comes alongside and her shipwrights board MERSEY. At 1600 the monitor is moved and ties up to HMFM TRENT. At 1800 HYACINTH anchors alongside, and her shipwrights return to their cruiser. At 2000 several tanks are found to be leaking, and at the order of Admiral King-Hall 5.25 tons of parafin and 3 tons of fuel oil are pumped overboard.

At 0600 the crew of HMS SEVERN are busy cleaning the ship and stowing kerosene tins. At 0800 they begin anew the task of installing armour plating. At 0930 Severn moves alongside TRENT and the crew begin taking aboard ammunition and provisions. At 1730 SEVERN casts off and anchors.

Day 331 of the Great War, June 23rd 1915

Western Front: President Poincaré, Premier Viviani, and Minister of War Millerand attend a meeting today between Joffre and his army commanders

Given the growing concerns in political circles regarding the management of the war effort, President Poincaré, Premier Viviani, and Minister of War Millerand attend a meeting today between Joffre and his army commanders. When they criticize Joffre for failing to deliver the promised breakthrough in Artois, Joffre denies ever having made such a pledge in the first place, a statement that does not go over well with the politicians. As the meeting progresses the government leaders observe that while there may be differences in the timing and location of future French offensives (Foch wants only a brief delay before attacking again, while Castlenau and Dubail argue for several months), all of the military chiefs accept the basic premise that France must continue offensive operations. Standing on the defensive, it is suggested, would simply expose the French army to incessant German attacks, and it is a moral necessity to liberate the territories occupied by the enemy as quickly as possible.

Eastern Front: General Mackensen issues orders for the next phase of the offensive

With the fall of Lemberg yesterday, General Mackensen issues orders for the next phase of the offensive. With the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army on its left, the German 11th Army is to advance northwards in pursuit of the retreating Russians. To allow time for adequate munitions and supplies to be stockpiled, the operation is scheduled to begin on the 26th. Meanwhile, in an effort to lessen pressure on the Eastern Front, the Russian government today asks Serbia to undertake an invasion of Syrmia.

Italian Front: Italian army begins its first set-piece offensive operation today along the Isonzo River

The Italian army begins its first set-piece offensive operation today along the Isonzo River on the eastern edge of the Italian Front. The Italian VII and X Corps of 3rd Army is to seize the plateau between Montafalcone and Sagrado, while II Corps of 2nd Army to the north is to seize Monte Kuk. The plan, as devised by Cadorna, calls for a methodical artillery bombardment to precede the advance of the infantry, and accordingly the Italian artillery opens fire early this morning and fires throughout the day. The Italian bombardment, however, suffers from several deficiencies. First, there is a lack of medium and heavy artillery pieces, needed to destroy fixed defensive positions. Second, the Italian army suffers from a distinct shortage of artillery shells, limiting the intensity of the bombardment. Finally, the Italians have no concept of how to conduct a bombardment effectively; instead of concentrating their fire on particular positions, the Italians attempt to blanket the enemy areas with shells. The result is that the artillery is nowhere near strong or effective enough to significantly disrupt the Austro-Hungarian defence. This evening 3rd Army sends small parties forward to test the effectiveness of the bombardment, and discover that the enemy positions are completely intact. The only ground the Italian army is able to seize today is that which is voluntarily abandoned by Austro-Hungarian advance guards as they pull back to their main defensive positions. It is an inauspicious beginning entirely in line with how the war will progress for the Italians along the Isonzo River.

Map: The Italian front along the Isonzo River, June 23rd, 1915



East African campaign: Battle of Bukoba

A British force crosses Lake Victoria and raids the village of Bukoba, on the western shore in the northwestern corner of the German colony. As the village is undefended, the British are able to seize Bukoba and destroy its wireless station, the target of the raid. The expedition was also undertaken to give the colonial force something constructive to do, given that the war to this point in eastern Africa has consisted of inaction interspersed with humiliating defeats. Indeed, Bukoba becomes an outlet for the frustrations of the war to date, as looting and rape is both widespread and at least implicitly sanctioned. As it turns out, by destroying the wireless station the British deny themselves the station's transmissions which had been regularly intercepted. Overall, a thoroughly pointless 'victory'.

Naval operations: North Sea

Max Valentiner, commanding U-38, sinks Norwegian freighter SS TRUMA, 1,557 tons, bound from Archangelsk to London with a cargo of wood. Valentinere then attacks a fishing fleet, sinking drifters ELIZABETH, 97 tons; FOUR, 84 tons; JOSEPHINE, 85 tons; PISCATORIAL, 84 tons; RESEARCH, 89 tons; UFFA, 79 tons; and UGIEBREA, 79 tons. This brings his total to 14 ships and 8,142 tons.

Hans Valentiner, in UB-16, sinks British freighter SS TUNISIANA, 4.220 tons, travelling from Montreal to Hull with a load of grain. His score is now 5 ships and 7,445 tons.

U-40, under the command of Gerhardt Fürbringer, surfaces to attack the trawler TERANAKI. The British submarine C-24, commanded by Frederick Henry Taylor, is submerged nearby awaiting an event like this. The captain of TERANAKI calls the captain of C-24 on a cabled telephone connection to inform him that the German boat is only fifteen hundred yards off his port beam. As the British sub starts to maneuver, the tow-rope release jams. Captain Taylor calls TERANAKI to release the cable at her end. The cable snakes to the bottom, taking C-24 down with it. Taylor regains control of his boat, but now the cable has fowled his propellers. C-24 finally slips free and makes it to periscope depth. At 0955 C-24 fires a torpedo which sends U-40 to the bottom. Only captain Furbinger and one petty officer survive.

Naval operations: German East Africa

At 1400 hours HMS MERSEY again holds gunnery practice.

Aboard HMS SEVERN the crew spend the day putting up armour plate and painting the ship.

Day 333 of the Great War, June 25th 1915

YouTube (The Austro-Hungarian Empire Strikes Back)



Western Front: French undertake another attempt to seize the village of Souchez

In Artois the French undertake another attempt to seize the village of Souchez today, but they are repulsed by the German 12th Division after bitter fighting. The attack at Souchez is effectively the last gasp of the battle, as Joffre formally halts the offensive today. Since the start of the French spring offensive on May 9th, they have managed to advance three kilometres along an eight kilometre stretch of the line. However, the French failed utterly to either sustain a breakthrough of the German line or seize Vimy Ridge; indeed, the high water mark of the offensive came in its first hours when advance elements of XXXIII Corps actually surmounted Vimy Ridge, only to be pushed back before reinforcements could arrive. The French failure came despite plastering the German lines with over 2 million shells, while in comparison German artillery fired approximately 1.9 million shells. As would be shown again and again on the Western Front, an increase in the volume of shells did not inherently lead to any better results on the battlefield. Moreover, the French suffered just over 100 000 thousand casualties in Artois, and when the diversionary attacks undertaken elsewhere are taken into account, the total climbs to over 140 000. The spring offensive in Artois was the largest such operation yet undertaken by the French army on the Western Front but, despite the brief glimmer of hope on the first day, it was no more successful than prior offensives since the aftermath of the Battle of Marne.

Naval operations: German East Africa

HMS MERSEY and SEVERN conduct gunnery practice in the morning. In the afternoon SEVERN'S crew are putting up armour plating and both ship's crews are busy painting.

Day 335 of the Great War, June 27th 1915

Western Front: 2nd Battle of Artois

With the end of the 2nd Battle of Artois, Joffre has already begun to turn his attention towards the next major French offensive, in which he aims to take advantage of the German redeployment of forces to the Eastern Front to 'rupture' their defences and force the enemy to fight in the open. Soliciting the opinions of his key subordinates, Joffre asks Foch today for his comments on a possible offensive undertaken by his Northern Army Group with thirty-five divisions and five hundred artillery pieces. Similarly, the French commander-in-chief asks Castlenau for an assessment of an attack by thirty divisions and three to four hundred artillery in the sector of his Central Army Group. Given his reputation as a rising star and the success of his corps on the first day of the most recent offensive in Artois, Joffre also asks Pétain for his views regarding the suggestion made to Foch.

Eastern Front: Russian forces withdraw to a new defensive line

Overnight the Russian forces opposite the left wing of the German 11th Army withdraw to a new defensive line running through Ruda Rozaniecka and Plazow, but this evening the Austro-Hungarian 11th Division, on 11th Army's western flank, seizes the latter village this evening.

Mesopotamian campaign: 12th Indian Division ordered to advance upriver and seize Nasiriyeh

After the capture of Amara on the Tigris River earlier this month, the Indian corps in lower Mesopotamia has turned its attention to the Euphrates, as 12th Indian Division has been ordered to advance upriver and seize Nasiriyeh. Hammar Lake, en route to Nasiriyeh, is notoriously shallow, and to traverse it has required the assembly of a curious flotilla of shallow-draught stern-wheelers and tugs, and in a neat bit of imperial symmetry the former had been originally constructed in 1884 for service on the Nile with the Gordon relief expedition. After numerous groundings the vessels reach the western exit of the lake at Akaika today, only to find it blocked by a barrier of vessels sunk by the Ottomans. The expedition halts as dynamite is brought up from Basra to blast their way through.

Map: The British advance towards Nasiriyeh, June and July, 1915.



South West Africa campaign

The main German force falls back along the railway to the northeast to Otavi today, fearing that otherwise the South Africans will outflank them. Here the Germans intend to make a stand, forcing the enemy to fight their way through and hopefully buying time to erect further defensive positions to the rear.

Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Rudolf Schneider, commanding U-24, starts his third war patrol with multiple attacks. British sailing vessel EDITH, 97 tons, is stopped and sunk while carrying a load of plaster of Paris from Silloth to Cork. SS INDRANI, 3,640 tons, is sunk while en route from Glasgow to Montreal with a general cargo. SS LUCENA, 243 tons, is stopped and sunk while carrying coal from Branton to Bantry.

Day 337 of the Great War, June 29th 1915

Western Front: Joffre writes to the minister of war

- Joffre writes to the minister of war today calling for a conference between the leaders of the Entente to co-ordinate strategy next week at his headquarters at Chantilly, to coincide with a previously-scheduled visit of Lord Kitchener to France. Particularly in light of Russian defeat, Serbian inactivity, Italian hesitancy, and an apparent British preference for Gallipoli, Joffre argues that such a meeting is essential to ensure continued offensive pressure against Germany, the primary enemy.

- General Pétain responds today to Joffre's inquiry regarding future operations against Germany by asserting that a decisive victory or breakthrough is no longer possible, given the military conditions prevalent on the Western Front. As he explains to Joffre:

The war has become a war of attrition. There will be no decisive battle as in other times. Success will come eventually to the side that has the last man. The only objective we should seek is to kill as many Germans as we can while suffering a minimum of losses.

Specifically Pétain argues for meticulously-planned and lavishly-supplied limited operations designed to wear out the Germans. However much Pétain's views are a reasonable response to the experience of operations on the Western Front since the Battle of the Marne, they are unpalatable to Joffre. From his perspective, adopting such a course would decrease pressure on the Germans and allow them to concentrate on crushing the Russians, to say nothing of condemning a significant portion of French territory to indefinite German occupation until the end of the war at some distant date. The primary issue with Pétain's views is that they do not provide a path to the early end of the war desired by Joffre and the rest of the leadership of the French army; Pétain's time has not yet come.

Eastern Front: General Alexeiev in command of 3rd Army, issues orders overnight for it to fall back north

The northward advance of the German 11th Army from Rawa Ruska past Tomaszow has outflanked the Russian 3rd Army to the west, and today General Alexeiev, whose North-West Front has taken command of 3rd Army, issues orders overnight for it to fall back north from its lines along the San and Tanew Rivers. Discovering that the Russians opposite have retired, the Austro-Hungarian 1st (on the left) and 4th (on the right) Armies undertake an energetic pursuit.

Mesopotamian campaign:Euphrates River

For the past forty-eight hours engineers accompanying the British expedition sailing up the Euphrates River towards Nasiriyah have been dynamiting the barrage erected by the Ottomans across the river at Akaika. This afternoon a shallow gap is finally created, though the Euphrates promptly flows through with such force that the boats of the flotilla could not sail through it, and have to be dragged through the gap by hand before the expedition can proceed upriver.

Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Rudolf Schneider, commanding U-24, sinks SS SCOTTISH MONARCH, 5,043 tons, bound from New York to Manchester with a general cargo. His score is now 11 ships and 40,201 tons.

Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks Norwegian sailing ship CAMBUSKENNETH, 1,924 tons, travelling from Portland, Oregon to Queenstown with a cargo of wheat. He then damages Norwegian sailing ship KOTKA, 952 tons, en route from Stockton Springs, Maine (US) to Cork with a load of timber. The damaged ship is beached and later refloated. Forstmann's score is now 10 ships and 5,233 tons.

Naval operations: German East Africa

At 0520 HMS SEVERN casts of from TRENT and anchors for firing practice at 0600. At this time the stern anchor is lost overboard, along with a reel of 3" wire. Firing practice is continued anyway, along with aircraft spotting. At 0920 SEVERN anchors over the location of the stern anchor and begins recovery operations. The anchor and wire are recovered at 1000. The crew spend the afternoon stowing wire hawsers and petrol tins and cleaning the guns.

HMS MERSEY follows SEVERN at 0550. At 0620 she is moored in postition, and starts firing practice and aeroplane spotting at 0700. Conditions are described as "unfavourable", and MERSEY secures at 0740, and weighs anchor at 0755. By 0825 she is tied up alongside TRENT. The afternoon is spent cleaning guns and loading stores.

Day 339 of the Great War, July 1st 1915

Eastern Front: Mackensen's orders to the Austro-Hungarin 4th Army to halt

- Mackensen's orders to the Austro-Hungarin 4th Army to halt do not reach its headquarters until early this morning, too late to stop the day's operations. In the course of the day the centre and right of the army are able to advance northwards up to fifteen kilometres, a notable success that encourages the commander of 4th Army to order a further advance tomorrow. However, the infantry have been in constant combat since June 29th, and General Alexeiev of North-West Front is concentrating reserves near Lublin for a counterattack.

- This morning the lead elements of the Austro-Hungarian 46th Landwehr Division of 1st Army arrive northeast of Lemberg, though delays on the railways are slowing down the transport of the rest of the army. As a result, Falkenhayn proposes to Conrad today that a new army be formed on the right of the German 11th Army to ensure its eastern flank remains covered. General Linsingen is appointed to lead the Army of the Bug, and is replaced as Südarmee commander by General Felix Bothmer. Under Linsingen will be the German XLI Reserve Corps, the Beskid Corps, and the German 1st, 107th, 11th Bavarian, and 5th Cavalry Divisions.

Gallipoli Campaign - Naval operations

Yesterday the German submarine U-21, after resupplying at Constantinople, sortied through the Dardanelles on its second mission against Entente shipping. It did not have to wait long to find suitable prey: for several days the large French steamer CARTHAGE has been off the south-west tip of Gallipoli, used to resupply French forces on the peninsula. It makes a very inviting target, and upon sighting the steamer U21 promptly puts a torpedo into CARTHAGE, which rapidly sinks. Its loss is of little surprise to British naval officers off the Dardanelles; Commodore Keyes suggests afterwards that given its location and size its sinking was only a matter of time, and the French would have been better off using smaller but faster and more agile craft for resupply purposes.

Arial operations: Lt. Kurt Wintgens shots down a enemy plane, ore did he

Lt. Kurt Wintgens, flying from Feldflieger Abteilung (FFA) 6b in Fokker M5k/MG E.5/15, attacks a Morane-Saulnier 'L' parasol two-seater. Convinced he has shot the enemy plane down, Wintgens files a claim. Since the Morane landed behind its own lines this claim is denied and listed as 'u/c' (unconfirmed). Capitaine Paul de Peuty and Sous-Lieutenant de Boutiny report the attack. Both Frenchmen were wounded and their engine damaged, but de Peuty managed to land the Morane safely. Whether this should be listed as an official victory is questionable, and today the 'unconfirmed' status still stands.

Photo: Leutnant Kurt Wintgens' "E.5/15" Eindecker, as it appeared for the July 1st engagement



Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Rudolf Schneider, commanding U-24, captures and burns British sailing ship SV L.C. TOWER, 518 tons, bound from Parrsboro, Nova Scotia to Newport, Wales, with a load of deals (boards). He then torpedoes Italian sailing ship SARDOME, 2,000 tons, heading from Bunbury to London with a cargo of java wood. He then sinks SS WELBURY, 3,591 tons, carrying a load of sugar from Kingston, Jamaica to Queenstown. Schneider's score is now 15 ships and 48,721 tons.

Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks British tanker SS CAUCASIAN, 4,656 tons, en route from London to New Orleans with a load of creosote. Next is SS CRAIGARD, 3,286 tons, travelling from Galveston, Texas to Le Havre with a cargo of cotton. He then sinks SS GADSBY, 3,497 tons, carrying a load of wheat from Sydney, Nova Scotia to London. Fourth is SS INGLEMOOR, 4,331 tons, bound from Barry to Malta with a load of coal plus general cargo. Last is SS RICHMOND, 3,214 tons, en route from Gulfport to Boulogne with a cargo of sleepers (a sleeper is a heavy timber piece used as foundation flooring). All this brings Forstmann's score to 17 ships and 27,625 tons.

Naval operations: German East Africa

In the morning HMS MERSEY and SEVERN practice gun drills. In the afternoon the crews practice blind firing with signals from the aircraft.

Naval operations: Baltic Sea

A squadron consisting of the armored cruisers ADMIRAL MAKAROV, BAYAN, OLEG,BOGATYR, RURIK and NOVIK, under Rear Admiral Mikhail Bakhirev in OLEG left their harbours in order to bombard Klaipeda (Memel). While sailing through thick fog RURIK and NOVIK separated from the main group to act independently.

The German mine-laying cruiser SMS ALBATROSS, screened by the armored cruiser SMS ROON, the light cruisers SMS AUGSBURG Augsburg and LUBECK, and seven destroyers, under Kommodore Johannes von Karpf, was laying mines off the Åland Islands. After completing his mission, Karpf reported back through the radio. Karpf's message was intercepted and decoded. When Bakhirev becomes aware of the German squadron's whereabouts, the bombardment of Klaipeda is canceled. The squadron then focused on intercepting the German minelayers with the constant assistance of the naval staff.

Map: German night minelaying action near Bogskär lighthouse on 1st and 2nd of the July 1915 and Russian fleet assembly in area west from Saaremaa on July 1, 1915.