lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 11, 2020 2:54:17 GMT
Day 500 of the Great War, December 11th 1915
Western Front
Belgian powder factory blown up near Havre, many lives lost.
Macedonia Front
Bulgarians attack Anglo-French front at Furka (Macedonia) and lose 8,000 men.
Senussi campaign
300 hostile Arabs encountered by reconnoitring force near Mersa Matruh (W. Eg.) and driven west with many casualties.
Persian Campaign
Russians occupy Hamadan (Persia); rebel strength 8,000 irregulars, 13,000 gendarmes, with rifles and machine guns.
United States/German relations
Responding to American demands, Germany removed its military attachés, Franz von Papen and naval officer Karl Boy-Ed, from Washington D.C. American authorities claimed that the attachés were no longer “acceptable” after allegations they had helped German espionage and sabotage circles in the United States, as well as after continuing mistrust between America and Germany over the sinking of the LUSITANIA and other ships carrying American passengers or trade. The German government expressed it unhappiness with the arrangement, but agreed and requested promises of safe passage from the War Department, which were promptly granted.
Italy: Italian PM Defends Internment of Italians and Slovenes
Despite the extremely limited gains of the war so far, the army remained extremely popular in Italy, and remained almost immune to political criticism. One of the few war-related matters that could be raised by anti-Salandra forces in Parliament was the matter of internees. Over five thousand people had been forcibly taken away from Italy’s border regions and the small portions of Austria that had been occupied. Many of these were Italian citizens, which sparked particular outrage in the Italian press.
Many Italian-speakers from the Austrian side of the border–those whom the Italian army was supposedly liberating–were among the internees, as well. Many had no particular love for the Italian government; one Francesco Rossi was arrested after he had been overheard saying that Austrian rule was better than Italian for the poor. Priests were particularly suspect, as the Catholic church was thought to favor Austria over Italy (the “imprisoner” of the Pope). 59 out of the 80 priests in the occupied territories were interned–many for ringing church bells on the day of the first Austrian attack, which also happened to be Pentecost. The internees were distributed throughout Italy, with men of fighting age sent to Sardinia. Unlike in other countries, they were not put in camps, but instead given a lira a day and left to fend for themselves. The locals were surprised to hear many of these “enemy civilians” speaking Italian. The majority of the internees, however, were Slovenes–in many cases interned just for being Slavs.
PM Salandra, after substantial criticism, felt he had to justify the internment program. He reassured the country that only 200-300 of the internees were Italian citizens, and that these cases were being reviewed. He then understated by half the number of Austrian internees. Attempting to explain the policy, he said that internment was only ordered on those who might benefit the enemy, “even unconsciously and without blame on their part.” Over the rest of the war, the number of internees would grow to over 70,000, and they would continue to be carried out in a capricious fashion.
Naval operations: English Channel
British freighter SS PINEGROVE, 2,847 tons, travelling in ballast from Dunkerque to London, hits a mine laid by Irwin Waßner in UC-3. This brings his score to 9 ships and 12,298 tons.
Naval operations: German East Africa
Protected cruiser HMS CHALLENGER and Monitor HMS MERSEY are on patrol. The two ships, accompanied by whalers CHARON and CHILDERS, enter Moa Bay. From 0742 to 0845 the two warships fire on a house near the bay.
At Tyrene Bay on Mafia Island the crews of HMS SEVERN and the support vessels cheer Admiral King-Hall aboard HMS Hyacinth as he departs the African Station for a new post.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 12, 2020 8:11:26 GMT
Day 501 of the Great War, December 12th 1915
Western Front
British raid near Neuve Chapelle.
Eastern Front
German troops on the Eastern Front retreat to the Bug River after they failed to take control of the Lida-Baranovichi-Rovno railway.
Serbian Campaign: Bulgaria’s army chases the British and French back to Salonika
As Serbia was invaded by the armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, a British and French force advanced from Salonika in Greece to provide some assistance. Unfortunately the might of the Bulgarians has proved too much for the ineffectual Allied force. At Krivolak the French were defeated and at Kosturino the British too were obliged to retreat. Now the Allies are back in Greece, but showing no sign of going home, much to the annoyance of Greece’s King Constantine, who wants to keep his country out of the war.
The Bulgarians are keen to cross the Greek border and attack the British and French. They would probably like to annex Salonika while they are at it, as they feel this unfairly ended up with the Greeks after the recent Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913. But Germany’s Falkenhayn forbids an advance across the Greek frontier. He fears that a Bulgarian invasion would be enough of a provocation to bring Greece into the war on the side of the Allies. Better to leave the Allies to fester in Salonika where they can do no harm.
Ottoman Empire: Djemal Pasha Reportedly Offers Support to the Allies
Djemal Pasha, one of the triumvirate of Young Turks that had come to power in 1908, did not currently enjoy the best relations with Enver, Talaat, and the rest of the government. As commander of Turkish forces in the Levant, he had a substantial power base of his own, as well as significant influence over the deportations and massacres of Armenians through and in his sphere of influence. This led Ivan (or Hakob, the sources differ) Zavriev, an Russian Armenian army doctor and aristocrat, to reach out to Djemal in an attempt to save his compatriots throughout the Ottoman Empire.
According to Zavriev, Djemal was quite receptive. He would agree to turn against the Ottoman government, with his forces, provided that after the war he would be installed as a new Sultan, ruling all of the Ottoman’s Asiatic possessions (i.e. everything but Thrace and the Straits). In the meantime, he would do everything he could to aid the Armenians he could; after the war, the Armenians would have a completely autonomous region within the new Turkey.
Zavriev apparently heard from Djemal while he was in Bucharest, and conveyed it to the Russian ambassador there, who in turn cabled Foreign Minister Sazonov on December 11 with this information. Sazonov was quite interested; Russia’s main war goal against Turkey was control of the Straits, and Djemal’s scheme did not interfere with this. Saving the Armenians, for whose cause the Russians had long advocated, would also be a great propaganda coup. On December 12, he told the Russian ambassador to France to tell the French and British about Djemal’s offer and gauge their reaction.
The French premier was, unsurprisingly, not receptive to the plan. The French had designs on Syria and many of the surrounding areas, which Djemal certainly wanted for himself. Despite additional lobbying by Armenian agents in France, this largely put a stop to these intrigues.
There are no records of such an offer in Djemal’s or any Turkish records, though it seems consistent with what we know of his actions at the time. If he did make the offer, it is also unclear whether it was sincere; historian Sean McMeekin suggests that he may have made it to see how virulently the French would reject it, in an attempt to get some insight into their designs for Syria.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 13, 2020 7:37:24 GMT
Day 502 of the Great War, December 13th 1915
Western Front
Trench fighting near the Somme. French in Champagne and the British near Givenchy make slight gains after exploding mines beneath German trenches.
French batteries destroy at St. Mihiel the only German bridge spared by the flooded Meuse.
United Kingdom
Anti-aircraft control in Great Britain transferred to War Office.
Macedonia Front
Allied troops withdraw across Greek frontier.
Greek troops are sent to reinforce its border in case Bulgarian troops cross into Greece to pursue Allied forces.
Salonika to be fortified.
80,000 enemy troops between Monastir and Greek frontier.
Greek Government informed their ships at Malta now free to proceed.
Bulgarians enter Doiran and Gevgeli.
Senussi campaign: British troops strike back against the Senussi
Ostensibly independent, Egypt is a vital British imperial communications link with India, so it has understandably been a key target of the Central Powers throughout 1915. The Ottoman Caliphate invoked jihad at Berlin’s instigation before the end of 1914, stirring unrest and violence along the colonial periphery of the Entente allies. Turkish troops have attacked and harassed the Suez Canal from the Sinai since January, while German submarines have landed arms and agents on the North African coast with the twin aims of upsetting Italian rule in Libya and threatening Egypt from the west.
Ironically, their clients for this operation are the Senussis, an Islamist sect born in reaction to Turkish rule amid the challenges of European modernity during the 19th Century. Sidi Muhammad ibn Ali es-Senussi was an Algerian lawyer who objected to European colonialism. Despite his Sufi beliefs, Sidi Muhammad was deeply influenced by Wahhabi preachers during his travels in Arabia, producing a recognizably fundamentalist theology. In recent decades, Senussis have at times proven useful to British influence in the region, but matters have become increasingly problematic since the outbreak of war in Europe, and few populations in Africa are so well-primed for a violent uprising.
During November, the Grand Sheikh Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali al-Senussi threw his lot in with the Central Powers and set out at the head of a substantial force (see above) from his stronghold in the coastal region around Benghazi, the area once known as the Roman province of Cyrenaica. Among thousands of his Muhafizia, Sayyid Muhammad’s raiding force includes German and Turkish officers to oversee the machine guns, field guns, and ammunition, most of which has been captured from the Italians, while agents of the infamous Special Organization — including Nuri Bey, brother of Turkish War Minister Enver Pasha — serve in key staff positions. Egyptian Bedouins of the Walid Ali tribe act as guides.
The incursion made itself known by cutting telegraph lines soon after crossing the border, but sniping and gunfire soon followed. Convinced that as many as 20,000 Senussis were attacking, the Army of India General Headquarters ordered forces in the border region to fall back on the port city of Sollum, where road and sea connections might supply a defensive perimeter. When the Egyptian Army garrison at Sidi Barrani never received orders to withdraw, defecting or scattering with their arms upon first sight of the enemy, Cairo’s fear that the Senussi uprising would spark revolt in Egypt seemed all too prescient. Additional forces were brought to bear as the the British line fell back again to Mersa Matruh, fifty miles from the Libyan border.
By December 3rd, the imperial force in western Egypt was being bolstered with South African volunteers, New Zealand Rifles, Royal Marines, six armored cars and two aircraft of the Royal Naval Division, and the battle-hardened survivors of the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, now redeployed from the trenches of the Western Front. Going on the offensive two days ago, the Australian Light Horse attacked a known enemy position at Wadi Senaab, inflicting scores of casualties and taking possession of the objective. Meanwhile, the main force moved out from Mersa Matruh to converge at Sollum in two columns: horse and motor forces used the Kehdivial Motor Road, while Lieutenant Colonel J.L.R. Gordon’s infantry moved along the telegraph line.
That combined force is advancing through Wadi Shaifa this morning in search of an expected 2,000-man enemy force when it comes under heavy attack by 1,200 Sennussis, an assault with heavy weapons that stops the advance of the Royal Scots cold. Using a field radio to contact his camp at Umm Rakham, Gordon brings all his available reinforcements to the scene. Despite being equipped with modern heavy arms, the insurgent force is not prepared to fight a sustained battle with a veteran foe; the Muhafizia fighters are forced to retreat by the end of the day, leaving 180 dead behind and many more captured. Just nine of Gordon’s men are killed and fifty-six wounded, yet he decides to withdraw to his camp before nightfall and resume his advance in the morning.
Subsequent firefights will go the same way over the next two weeks. In fact, by the last day of 1915, the British Empire will receive so many Senussi prisoners that feeding and housing them all becomes a serious logistical challenge of its own. Despite their best-laid plans and most earnest efforts, German and Turkish attempts to stoke region-wide rebellion are coming up short, and the year is ending without the hoped-for collapse of Britain’s imperial project in the Muslim world.
Gallipoli campaign: the Allied evacuation begins
The Allied campaign in Gallipoli has been a costly failure. Allied forces there have been confined to small enclaves, unable to knock out the gun batteries that would allow British warships to sail up to attack Constantinople. An attempt to break the deadlock in August with a renewed offensive proved to be another pointless bloodbath.
The Allied force at Gallipoli comprises British, Australian, New Zealand and French forces, but it is under British command. With no prospect of the campaign being pursued to a successful outcome, the British have decided to bring it to an end. The forces deployed there are to be evacuated, starting with the mainly Australian and New Zealand forces at Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay. Their evacuation begins today.
Evacuation involves considerable dangers. If the Turks realise that their enemies are withdrawing they could attack and butcher the Allies as they try to board ships. To fool the Turks, the evacuation is conducted in conditions of the utmost secrecy. Soldiers are to be withdrawn from the line at night, with a skeleton force left to deter Turkish attacks.
The first men leave Gallipoli today, but the full evacuation of Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove will take over a week. If the Turks realize what is happening in that time then the result will be a terrible disaster.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 14, 2020 3:47:31 GMT
Day 503 of the Great War, December 14th 1915Netherlands: Free PressSeen below on the left, Hak Holdert was born in the Netherlands East Indies and ‘came home’ to the Netherlands as a child of ten. Now 45 years old, he bought De Telegraaf in 1902 on his way to becoming a legendary news publisher, and despite Holland’s precarious neutrality, the Great War is setting his reputation in concrete. The man sitting on the right is the single biggest reason. Aptly named Kick Schröder, he is a former athlete who founded the nation’s first soccer team and played professional cricket in England. Now Holdert’s editor-in-chief at De Telegraaf, he writes sometimes as ‘Barbarossa,’ the famous red-bearded Turkish admiral who, like Schröder, wore a fiery red beard — a good clue to his personal temperament.  The Netherlands government has observed a scrupulous neutrality since the war began, but Schröder’s bellicose columns have tested the limits of free speech in his nation’s courts. Schröder’s first turn at the bar came in February, when he briefly sued an Army officer, Lieutenant J. Mallinckrodt, for allegedly slandering him as a paid agent of the British government before an audience at a café. Schröder dropped that case when Mallinckrodt apologized and withdrew his remarks, but the matter only seemed to fuel his fire. Within a month of the case, Schröder aired his suspicions that the officer corps of his nation’s Army favors the Germans; he is not wrong. Unapologetically leftist, the patriotic Schröder is defiant of “Prussian censorship” and contemptuous of neutrality, publishing exposées of Netherlands companies engaged in smuggling goods or raw materials to the Central Powers. Prime Minister Cort van der Linden has been under constant German pressure to silence De Telegraaf, and German Foreign Minister Gottlieb von Jagow even made veiled threats to the Hague in April, saying that German “public opinion” would “not tolerate such excesses to remain unanswered.” Fearless, on June 16th Schröder published an op-ed which drew an even stronger reaction from Berlin. There is a group of unscrupulous villains in the middle of Europe who have caused this war. In the interest of humankind, to which our country belongs if we are not mistaken, it is essential that these criminals are eliminated. It is the honorable work of the Allies to do this, so that they, too, wage war directly in the interest of the Netherlands ‘par excellence’, for our autonomy will be over if German militarism wins. Our battle is against these criminals. It is against them that our sense of independence has to be mobilized.Perhaps Schröder’s words sting the Germans because they are true: Berlin increasingly sees the Netherlands as a future vassal state in an economic empire of Mitteleuropa. Or perhaps the wound is felt so keenly because Vienna and Berlin have spent so much money to bribe Netherlands news editors, post propaganda onto the world’s newswires via the Hollands Nieuwsbureau (Dutch News Service), and publish denials of their massacres in Belgium during the first weeks of the war. Whatever the reason for it, Germany’s outrage has translated into strong Dutch government pressure on the judiciary. Already acquitted of publishing state secrets in August, on the 6th of December Schröder was once again arrested for allegedly “imperiling Holland’s neutrality.” This time, however, the country has risen in his defense, with protests by a sizable crowd and public solidarity from Schröder’s colleagues, including many of his past editorial targets. Perhaps worst of all, as a result of the new case the foreign press openly questions the sincerity of Dutch neutrality, feeding rather than diminishing perceptions that Schröder’s criticisms are warranted. In truth, Premier Linden scrupulously observes the strict rules of neutrality and never lets his pro-German feelings get the better of his policy, but the prosecution of Schröder is having unintended public relations consequences. Today, another court finds Schröder innocent of the government’s charges, but the legal saga is still not over. Released again, Schröder will endure government appeals and prosecution into 1917 before he is finally, fully acquitted. Arial operations: French pilot Georges Guynemer, flying a single-seat Nieuport 10, wins a fight with a Fokker E.III for kill number 4French pilot Georges Guynemer, flying a single-seat Nieuport 10, wins a fight with a Fokker E.III for kill number 4. This is shared with a two-seater crew, Adjutant Louis Bucquet and Lieutenant Louis Pandevant. What type of plane they were in is unclear. German seaplane destroyed off Belgian coast by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Graham, R.N.A.S.
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Post by lordroel on Dec 15, 2020 3:46:00 GMT
Day 504 of the Great War, December 15th 1915Eastern FrontGermans report Russians penetrated positions north of L. Drisviati, repulsed by counter-attack. Russians repulsed near mouth of Beresina river. United Kingdom: General Archibald circulates a paper outlining British strategic prospects for 1916Just about the last thing that General Archibald Murray will do before his official (and already settled) replacement by Wully Robertson as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the head of the British Army, is to circulate a paper today outlining British strategic prospects for 1916. (Robertson has seen drafts, and ensured that it says things he will have no problem backing when he does officially take up his new job.) It’s been carefully written for easy consumption by the War Committee and contains a list of draft resolutions for them to put their names to. In short, British policy in 1916 will be as follows. Priority to the Western Front, where as much of Kitchener’s Army as possible will be used in General Joffre’s big push this spring. At sea, maintain and tighten still further the Blockade of Germany. Take direct control over operations in Mesopotamia away from New Delhi. Evacuate Gallipoli completely and support France in Salonika with as many words and as few men as possible. Once Lake Tanganyika is secured, invade German East Africa and deprive Germany of its last, biggest colony. Armenian Genocide: The world watches impotently as Turkey continues to exterminate the ArmeniansTurkish authorities are continuing the extermination of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian population. The Armenians are either being killed immediately or else sent on death marches to inhospitable desert regions where they will die of thirst and starvation. Turkey’s leaders do their best to hide the full horror of their campaign but something on this scale cannot be kept secret. The killings are being extensively reported in the American press. Newspapers in countries fighting against Turkey have also reported on these terrible crimes. American diplomats have expressed the concerns of the United States regarding the Armenians. An unusual joint declaration by Britain, France and Russia has warned Turkey’s leaders that they will be held personally liable for the outrages against the Armenians. Even Turkey’s German and Austro-Hungarian allies have sought to have the killings halted or reduced in scale. But these efforts are all to no avail. Mehmed Talaat, Turkey’s interior minister, is determined that the extermination must continue. He fobs off any protests by promising to halt the worst mistreatment of the Armenians, but he makes sure that the killings and deportations continue. Western Front: Sir John French Resigns As Head of British Expeditionary ForceBy the end of November, it had become clear that Sir John French was on the way out. At a meeting with PM Asquith on November 29th, Sir John was given the distinct impression that although he would not be fired outright immediately, he would be dismissed when a suitable opportunity arose politically. At this point, Sir John gave up the fight and began to angle for the right to choose his successor and for an appropriate role for himself after his upcoming resignation. Above all else, Sir John wanted to avoid Haig succeeding him, blaming him for intrigues against him after Loos. He instead favored his Chief of Staff, General Robertson; however, this was not really a feasible choice due to his lack of combat experience. Sir John was told he would serve as commander in chief of the Home forces, and in this capacity would serve as an important military advisor to the Cabinet. Seeing the potential for friction with Kitchener at the War Office (who he also despised), he argued that a civilian head of the War Office was paramount. However, Kitchener was far too popular, and could not be removed even if (and though) Asquith may have wanted to. In the end, Sir John got nothing that he hoped for out of his resignation, which was accepted on the 6th and officially announced to the public on December 15: General Sir Douglas Haig has been appointed to succeed Field-Marshal Sir John French in command of the Army in France and Flanders. Since the commencement of the War, during over sixteen months of severe and incessant strain, Field Marshal Sir John French has most ably commanded our Armies in France and Flanders, and he has now at his own insistence relinquished that command. His Majesty’s Government with full appreciation of and gratitude for the conspicuous services which Sir John French has rendered to the country at the front, have, with the King’s approval, requested him to accept the appointment of Field Marshal Commanding-in-Chief the troops stationed in the United Kingdom, and Sir John French has accepted that appointment. His Majesty the King has been pleased to confer upon Sir John French the dignity of a Viscount of the United Kingdom. Aerial operations: Russian EmpireFirst flight of the Anatra D Anade by test pilot Jean Robinet in the Russian Empire. Photo: Anatra D
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Post by lordroel on Dec 16, 2020 3:48:40 GMT
Day 505 of the Great War, December 16th 1915
Western Front
British raids near Armentieres.
Albania
Italian troops occupied Valona (Vlorë) in southern Albania.
Naval operations: defending the sinking of SS ANCONA
Austro-Hungarian Navy defends the sinking of the ocean liner SS ANCONA, stating the commander of the submarine did his duty.
French Republic
French Minister of Finance: “We did not think the war would last 17 months, and now no one can foresee when it will end.”
Naval operations: North Sea
Cargo ship NYROCA struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off the Kentish Knock Lightship (United Kingdom). Her crew were rescued by PANDION and a Royal Navy torpedo boat.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 17, 2020 3:47:47 GMT
Day 506 of the Great War, December 17th 1915YouTube (Despair And Mutiny On The Italian Front)Eastern FrontAustrians repulsed on River Strypa (Galicia). Macedonia FrontGerman threat to invade Greece. M. Skouloudis forbids Bulgarian troops to set foot on Greek soil. Naval operations: Baltic SeaGerman light cruiser SMS BREMEN and destroyers V-186 and V-191 are operating off the Gulf of Riga. Late in the afternoon the three ships depart the port of Windau (Latvian Ventspils). At 1710 hours V-191 hits a mine. BREMEN moves in to tow the stricken destroyer, but the attempt is unsuccessful. At this point BREMEN hits two mines and begins to founder, sinking at 1804. V-186 manages to rescues 53 sailors from the two ships, but 250 men from Bremen and 25 from V-191 are lost. Photo: SMS V 191
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Post by lordroel on Dec 18, 2020 7:41:49 GMT
Day 507 of the Great War, December 18th 1915Mesopotamian Campaign: Siege of KutTurks surprised in advanced trenches at Kut, about 30 killed and 11 prisoners. Aerial operations: Zeppelin LZ 39 is destroyed while landing in GermanyThe airship LZ 39, badly damaged in a raid on Rovno, is destroyed while landing in Germany. Photo: Z XII-class Zeppelin LZ 39 (Army desgnation LZ 39). This Zeppelin made three raids on the western, later two on the eastern front, dropping a total of 4,184 kg (9,224 lb) of bombs. On December 17th 1915, captained by Dr. Lempertz, LZ 39 was hit several times by shrapnel during an attack on Rovno. All rear gas cells were punctured and the front engine car was hit and later fell off. The crew abandoned the now-overstressed control cabin, dropped ballast and shifted loads to re-balance the ship and used an emergency control station in the rear to limp back to Germany. Upon forced landing the ship collapsed because material for repair and the supply of gas needed to refill the cells were not available
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Post by lordroel on Dec 19, 2020 7:44:37 GMT
Day 508 of the Great War, December 19th 1915Western FrontIntense artillery activity on whole French front. German troops conduct the first phosgene gas attack against British troops at Wieltje, Belgium. The gas attack causes over a thousand casualties, but subsequent German attacks and bombardment fail to dislodge the British. Western Front: Haig takes over from FrenchSir John French has been obliged to tender his resignation as commander of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium. Now he hands over command to his successor and former subordinate, General Douglas Haig. French has been in ill health for some time. He has also been blamed by many for British failures at Loos and Neuve Chapelle. He has lost the confidence of Joffre, the French commander. Haig himself had been using his political connections at home to recommend French’s replacement. French’s greatest weakness may not be his poor health or alleged failures of command. He has been shaken by the great losses taken by the British army since the start of the war. He thinks these losses are unsustainable and has been saying that the war must be ended before Britain suffers ruinous casualties. Haig, however, is determined that the war must be pursued to victory and so he is chosen to lead the British Expeditionary Force. After handing over to Haig, French returns to England. He is being given the new job of commander-in-chief of British home forces. He is to prepare defences against a possible but highly unlikely German invasion. In his old headquarters Haig begins to think about the big Anglo-French offensive that is to take place next year. Eastern Front: Western Russia Russian penetration north of lake Drisviati (south of Dvinsk) repulsed. Russians also repelled near mouth of Beresina but German column broken up north of lake Miadzol. Gallipoli campaign: Evacuation of Anzac and Suvla at GallipoliPhoto: Soldiers and guns evacuating from Suvla Bay By the night of December 18, the British had evacuated most of their forces from Anzac and Suvla, leaving only 20,000 men at each. These were to be evacuated in two final, nerve-wracking nights. During this time, the remaining forces did all they could to give the false impression of being at their complete strength. Private William Crowley recalled: A lieutenant in the Army Service Corps, he got some mule carts filled with petrol tins that they used to carry the water in. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I want you to take them up as near to the Turkish front line as you can, Piccadilly Circus, and run them round, make as much noise as ever you can to let him think we were bringing stuff up.’ And I did!
The Turkish kept up their usual shelling–which happened to increase in intensity around this time as most of their shells were now coming from Germany and were less likely to be duds. The few British guns left wore themselves out responding in kind, which did seem to convince the Turks. Col. Hans Kannengiesser, commanding Turkish troops around Suvla, wrote: …the enemy had maintained their accustomed rate of fire on our positions throughout the 18th and 19th December. In addition the enemy fire from the trenches was as usual. The enemy, during the last few days, had worked hard to improve his position….That appeared to indicate the intention of a stubborn resistance.
On the night of the 19th, there were about 10,000 men left at each of Anzac and Suvla, to be evacuated in three waves. The later waves had the difficult job of imitating an army ten times its own size, and used a variety of contraptions to do so. One man recalled: We rigged up a can of water which dripped into another can underneath and that was attached to the trigger of a gun. As it dripped down, the weight increased and it pulled the trigger. It sounded like continuous firing. You put more water in some than others so that it fired sooner.
Other devices sent up flares and exploded mines. At around 1AM on the 20th, the last wave began to leave the front lines, with the last frontline position left at 3:14. As the last boats were leaving, the remaining supplies that could not be evacuated were set alight, as had been planned: When I went off that night I went through the main depot to get to the ship and I’ve never been among so much oil and stuff in my life, it was running all over everywhere. So it would be a blaze when it was lit! There were notices everywhere, 'No Smoking’, because of fire.
The fires alerted the Turks to the evacuation, but the British and ANZAC forces were already safely away. There had been no casualties, excepting “one keen soul who had mopped up a good many tots of rum, and then fell over.” The Turkish forces were not so fortunate, as Col. Kannengieser recalled: We crossed our front-line trenches and there we stood in No-Man’s Land between the opposing front lines. Mines continually detonated around us and still cost many unnecessary lives. I took with me five Arabs and sent them ahead to look for mines. My staff had never remained so respectfully behind me!
The main supply dumps had been burned, but the occasional front-line cache of rations or possessions could still be found untouched where they had been left. One lucky Turkish officer found a gramophone, with a nearby attached note: So long, Johnny. It’s all yours. Love from Australia.
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Post by lordroel on Dec 20, 2020 7:59:54 GMT
Day 509 of the Great War, December 20th 1915
Western Front: Falkenhayn Plans Attack at Verdun
The Central Powers had achieved great successes in 1915. Serbia had (at long last) been conquered, Allied offensives in Champagne, Artois, the Isonzo, the Dardanelles, and Mesopotamia had all been repulsed, and Germany and Austria had taken Poland and inflicted severe damage on the Russian Army. However, none of the Allies were close to conceding, not even the Russians, an outcome which frustrated Falkenhayn greatly. Further attacks against Russia would be largely pointless, given her vast size, Falkenhayn argued:
Even if we cannot perhaps expect a revolution in the grand style, we are entitled to believe that Russian internal troubles will compel her to give in within a relatively short period. In this connection it may be granted she will not revive her military reputation meanwhile.
Falkenhayn made this point in a December 20 memorandum to the Kaiser, which he presented in person at Potsdam Palace. In this, he proposed instead an attack on France, which he argued was the only one of the Allies both worth attacking and capable of being defeated.
The strain on France has reached breaking point–though it is certainly borne with the most remarkable devotion. If we succeed in opening the eyes of her people to the fact that in a military sense they have nothing more to hope for, that turning point would be reached and England’s best sword knocked out of her hand.
Falkenhayn proposed an attack on the fortress complex of Verdun, the pride of the French army (along with heroic Belfort). The offensives of 1914 had left Verdun surrounded on three sides by the Germans, with poor communications and access to supplies, but Falkenhayn suspected they would mount a heroic resistance; any attack would “compel the French to thrown in every man they have. If they do so the forces of France will bleed to death.”
It should be noted that the only source for the text of Falkenhayn’s memorandum is Falkenhayn himself; postwar German historians were unable to find a copy of it in any archives. Some historians have thus made the case that the memorandum is an entirely an invention, created by Falkenhayn after the war to save his reputation; instead of aiming for a battle of attrition, Falkenhayn was legitimately attempting to take Verdun and achieve a more conventional breakthrough, a plan which failed.
There is a fair amount of circumstantial evidence, however, to suggest that Falkenhayn’s goal was attrition. For example, on the evening of the 20th, as Falkenhayn was on the train back to OHL, he met with the Chief of Staff of the Fifth Army, the one planned to attack at Verdun. This General Knobelsdorf was told by Falkenhayn himself of his plan to have the French “bled white” at Verdun, and very quickly grew worried for the men in his army.
Eastern Front
Poland: Russians holding the Bzura against heavy German assaults.
Germany renames the fortress town of Novogeorgievsk to its old Polish name Modlin.
Galicia: Russians begin to counter-attack and to recover the Carpathian Passes.
Gallipoli campaign: the Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay evacuations completed
Britain’s leaders have given up on the Gallipoli campaign. They have been quietly evacuating the troops from Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay over the last week. Soldiers have been taken away at night while those left behind make as much noise as possible to convince the Turks that the Allied positions are still being defended.
And now the evacuation is complete. Overnight the last British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers silently made their way down to the beaches and boarded the boats that will take them away from Gallipoli. To prevent the Turks realising what is happening, the British and ANZAC troops rig up devices to fire guns automatically after a trench has been vacated. Only in the morning do the Turks discover that their enemies are gone.
The Allies have not yet completely abandoned Gallipoli. The British position at Cape Helles on the peninsula’s southern tip remains. But it cannot be long before this enclave too is evacuated.
Caucasus campaign
Armenia: Russians defeat the Turks near Lake Van.
Naval operations: English Channel
Otto Steinbrinck, commanding UB-10, torpedoes British freighters SS BELFORD, 516 tons, riding at anchor off Boulogne while en route from Cardiff to Calais with a load of patent fuel; and SS HUNTLY, 1,153 tons, bound from Portishead to Boulogne with a load of petol. His score is now 27 ships and 13,362 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 21, 2020 3:48:47 GMT
Day 510 of the Great War, December 21st 1915
Western Front
French success Hartmannsweilerkopf, 1,300 prisoners.
Gallipoli campaign
Turks claim evacuation of Gallipoli as great "Turkish victory, heavy British losses". Fact: three wounded.
Germany: pro-war consensus begins to fray
At the outbreak of war in 1914, Germany’s Social Democrat Party (the SPD) abandoned its longstanding pacifism. The party joins others in backing the war effort, a suspension of normal politics that becomes known as the Burgfrieden (castle peace). Some of socialists were intoxicated by the militarist tide sweeping Europe at the time while others feared government repression should they have protested against the war. Others still feared that conditions for German workers would be worse under rule by the Russian Tsar than the German Kaiser and the country’s semi-democratic system of government.
The SPD’s support for the war remains conditional. The party supports a defensive war against Germany’s enemies and opposes a war of conquest. Yet the war now is hard to portray as a defensive struggle for national survival. There are no enemy forces on German soil but German armies are campaigning in France, Belgium, Russia and Serbia. The reorganisation of territories in the East to suit German economic needs makes it look these territories are effectively being annexed to the Reich. Many of Germany’s socialists begin to wonder if they have been duped into supporting a war of conquest.
Today in the German parliament deputies vote to approve credits to finance the continuing war. Maverick SPD member Karl Liebknecht has previously voted against war credits, almost the only parliamentarian to do so. This time concerns about the war’s aims and progress sees him joined by 19 other SPD deputies. The vote is still carried, with a majority of SPD deputies voting in favour, but it shows that cracks are appearing in Germany’s pro-war consensus.
Naval operations: North Sea
British auxiliary minesweeper LADY ISMAY, 495 tons, hits a mine laid by Erwin Waßner in UC-3, bringing his score to 10 ships and 10,010 tons.
British freighter SS KNARSDALE, 1,641 tons, carrying a load of coal from Blyth to Sheerness, hits a mine laid by Georg Haag in UC-7. His score is now 3 ships and 4,463 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Max Valentiner, commanding U-38, is back in action, beginning his fifth war patrol with the sinking of Japanese passenger ship YASAKA MARU, 10,932 tons, bound from Tees for Yokohama via the Suez Canal. His score is now 68 ships and 136,722 tons.
Naval operations: United States of America
U.S. General Board of the Navy recommends to make the navy “equal to the most powerful maintained by any other nation in the world” by 1925.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 22, 2020 3:53:44 GMT
Day 511 of the Great War, December 22nd 1915
Western Front
Germans active on Yser and Ypres sectors; positions wrecked by Allies.
One of the few places where Germany was fighting on its own soil was in Alsace, which it had taken from the French in 1871. Although the French incursions of the first weeks of the war had been repulsed, the French still held small portions of Alsace near the Swiss border, and had not given up attempts to take more. The Vosges mountains posed a formidable obstacle to fighting in the area, but this did not deter the French. One of the most contested pieces of ground was the Hartmannsweilerkopf, a 3136-foot rocky peak. Despite repeated clashes throughout 1915, neither side had been able to hold the peak and maintained lines on each side.
At 9AM on December 21, the French began a five-hour barrage on the German lines. With the peak in the way of observation, the preparations for the barrage took the Germans entirely by surprise, and the sheer length and intensity of the barrage was able to make up for poor spotting. The French took the peak and began to push down its eastern slope, capturing over 1300 Germans in the process. They failed to push the Germans off the mountain entirely, however, and the commanding French General, Serret, was killed in the process.
The Germans quickly rushed reinforcements to the area, including some of the elite stormtroopers of the Rohr Assault Battalion. This new unit was trained in infiltration tactics, hoping to intelligently use cover during their advance and to capture tactical weak points using small squads, machine guns, and flamethrowers. They were also some of the first equipped with the Stahlhelm, the iconic German steel helmet. While their training may seem basic compared to modern infantry training, it was a radical improvement over the tactics of the time.
On the night of the 22nd, the Germans launched a counterattack on Hartmannsweilerkopf, spearheaded by the Rohr Assault Battalion. This was their first successful use in battle; the French were surprised and driven off the peak, and lost 1553 PoWs in the process. The French attacked again the next day, and control of the peak would change hands multiple times before early January.
Macedonia Front
Bulgarians occupy strategic positions along Greek frontier: strength about 120,000, with heavy guns from Varna.
Salonika and Gallipoli Fronts
Sir Archibald Murray appointed to Egypt (vice Sir J. Maxwell) to command in the Mediterranean.
Naval operations: North Sea
German freighter SS DEARNE, 984 tons, is torpedoed and sunk, by whom is not clear.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 23, 2020 3:50:19 GMT
Day 512 of the Great War, December 23rd 1915United Kingdom: Kitchener sidelined as Britain further rearranges its generalsThe top generals of the British Army continues to play a game of musical chairs. Haig has replaced French as commander on the Western Front. William Robertson replaces Archibald Murray as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. This is the most senior position in the British army but it is more about administration and organisation than the direction of strategy. Robertson’s background as the chief British staff officer on the Western Front made him an obvious candidate this role. Roberson is close to Haig and sees his role as providing him with the resources needed to pursue his plans. He does not intend to meddle in Haig’s direction of the war in Belgium and France. He sees the Western Front as the key theatre of the war and wants efforts concentrated there against Germany, Britain’s main enemy. Robertson’s predecessor had been responsible to Lord Kitchener, Britain’s minister of war. Kitchener has however lost the confidence of many in both the army and the government. Now Kitchener is sidelined, with Robertson to report directly to the War Council, the cabinet committee that oversees strategic military concerns. Murray is sent off to take command of British forces in Egypt. East African Campaign: the British prepare a nasty surprise for the GermansAllied forces have been overrunning Germany’s African colonies. Some resistance continues in Kamerun but the tide there is definitely running against the Germans. In German East Africa however the Germans remain largely undaunted, still very much in control of the vast colony. One factor assisting them is their dominance of Lake Tanganyika, the inland waterway that covers most of the colony’s western border. German gunboats operate here with impunity, disrupting Allied communications and making an invasion from that quarter extremely difficult. Britain’s rulers hate the idea of any other power challenging their naval dominance. They have resolved to wrest control of Lake Tanganyika from the Germans. Two gunboats, the MIMI and the TOUTOU, have been sent from Britain to fight the Germans on the Lake. After having been secretly transported overland and along rivers from South Africa to Lake Tanganyika, they have now been launched successfully onto the lake’s waters and are ready to take on the enemy. Photo: Motor launchers MIMI and the TOUTOU afloat after four and half months in cradles United States: Henry Ford Abandons His Peace ShipAfter its much-ridiculed departure, Henry Ford’s Peace Ship had a troubled journey across the Atlantic. Infighting broke out amongst the peace delegates, especially regarding their response Wilson’s State of the Union address advocating increased military spending; most decided to denounce it, but a vocal minority thought doing so would be unpatriotic. Meanwhile, influenza spread throughout the ship, confining Henry Ford to bedrest for several days. They were briefly stopped by the British blockade in the North Sea and searched for weaponsand contraband. They finally arrived in the Norwegian capital Kristiania on the 18th. Henry Ford, still recovering from the flu, addressed the press there a couple of days later, to a cool reception. After the disastrous voyage and the mission’s continued ridiculing in the American press, Ford was having second doubts about the endeavor. His friends aboard the ship convinced him that he should leave while he still could and hope to salvage his reputation. At 4AM on December 23, he slipped out of his hotel room in Kristiania and returned to the United States by another ship. The expedition continued without him (and Ford continued to fund them), but the departure of its most public sponsor crippled its efforts. Photo: The OSCAR II, her captain G.W. Hempel, and Henry Ford Naval operations: Baltic SeaGerman destroyer S-177 is sunk by a Russian mine in the same field that claimed SMS BREMEN and V-191 six days earlier.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 24, 2020 3:15:36 GMT
Day 513 of the Great War, December 24th 1915YouTube (The Beginning Of The End - Evacuation At Gallipoli)Eastern FrontHeavy fighting on the River Strypa. Macedonia FrontSalonika in state of defence; Germans disturbed at Allied occupation. Mesopotamia campaign: Nurredin attempts to storm Britsh-held KutOver the last few weeks, the Turks had slowly been bringing their lines closer to a small mud-brick fort in the northeast corner of the British defenses. Both sides attempted to weaken their enemies’ lines with apparently improvised weapons–the Turks had something that hurled bombs like a cricket ball in an attempt to cut barbed wire, while the British shelled the ever-closer Turkish lines with mortars made from wood or from salvaged airplane engine cylinders. The overall official commander of Turkish forces in the area was Colmar von der Goltz, a German expert on the Middle East. He wanted to simply starve the British out rather than waste lives and effort on an assault. The ranking Turkish officer, Nureddin, the victor of Ctesiphon, bristled at this and decided to order an attack while Goltz was away. On the morning of Christmas Eve, the Turks began a bombardment of the fort, as well as two other areas on the British lines. The British artillery, apparently conserving ammunition, did not reply. The bombardment continued until 11:30 AM, when the Turkish batteries ran out of ammunition themselves. The mud-brick walls of the fort were particularly vulnerable to shelling and were in many places largely demolished. The Turkish infantry then launched their assault. Many did reach the British lines, but were repulsed there by a series of ambushes or severe hand-to-hand fighting within the fort itself. One officer on Nureddin’s staff described: Nobody could understand how the fort, which was defended by only one battalion, could not be captured by three whole battalions after an artillery bombardment of over 2,000 rounds….[But they] had not made adequate plans for cooperation, and instead of pushing forward relentlessly they halted between the wire and the walls, where they had become demoralized, blocking the path of reinforcements…the pressure on the enemy was not kept up.Another attack launched that evening was similarly repulsed. The Turkish officer recalled that “[our troops] were met by a devastating fire. From loopholes and from the right and left of the broken walls poured a rain of projectiles, and the ground between our trenches and the fort was filled with dead and wounded.” A British defender recalled that “the din was appalling, as in addition to the enormous volume of rifle and machine gun fire at such close quarters, and constant bursting of [grenades], our own heavy and howitzer batteries were keeping up a strong fire…on the enemy trenches.” Photo: The siege by Ottoman 6th Army forces Naval operations: North SeaHis Majesty's Trawler CARILON, 226 tons, hits a mine laid by Egon von Werner and UC-1. British freighter SS EMBLA, 1,172 tons, carrying a load of jute, paper and oil from London to Dunkerque, also hits a mine laid by UC-1. The ship is beached safely, but later written off as a total loss. Von Werner's score is now 12 ships and 10,251 tons. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaClaus Rücker, commanding U-34, Sinks French passenger liner SS VILLE DE LA CIOTAT, 6,431 tons, bound from Shanghai to Marseille; and British freighter YEDDO, 4,563 tons, carrying a general cargo from Calcutta to New York. His score is now 16 ships and 39,431 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Dec 25, 2020 9:51:28 GMT
Day 514 of the Great War, December 25th 1915
Western Front: Christmas Day
The first Christmas of the war had seen various spontaneous truces and attempts at fraternization arise at many points along the Western Front. This year, however, the British made a concerted effort to prevent such incidents from happening again. Corporal Pankhurst, with the artillery of the 56th Division, recalled:
We hailed the smiling morn with five rounds fired fast, and we kept up slow fire all day. Those were our orders. Some batteries sent over as many as three hundred shells. It was a Christmas present to Fritz, they said. But I do believe myself that it was intended to discourage fraternizing.
Nevertheless, there were still some attempts, mainly from the German side. Near Wulverghem, some Germans hoisted a Christmas tree, complete with blazing candles, above their trenches, only to have it shot down a few minutes later by concentrated fire from the British side. Near Ploegstreet Wood one fine German singer gave both sides a rousing renditions of selections from La Traviata before the singing stopped abruptly.
Only one known example of a truce between British and German troops occurred in 1915, featuring the 1st Scots Guards. The commanding officer involved, Captain Sir Iain Colquhoun, recorded in his diary:
Stand to at 6.30. Germans very quiet. Remained in Firing Trenches until 8.30. No sign of anything unusual. When having breakfast about 9 am a sentry reported to me that the Germans were standing up on their parapets and walking towards our barbed wire. I ran out to our firing trenches and saw our men looking over the parapet and the Germans outside our barbed wire.
A German officer came forward and asked me for a truce for Xmas. I replied that this was impossible. He then asked for ¾ hour to bury his dead. I agreed. The Germans then started burying their dead and we did the same. This was finished in ½ hrs time. Our men and the Germans then talked and exchanged cigars, cigarettes etc for ¼ of an hour and when the time was up I blew a whistle and both sides returned to their trenches.
For the rest of the day the Germans walked about and sat on their parapets. Our men did much the same but remained in their trenches. Not a shot was fired. At night the Germans put up Fairy lights on their parapets and their trenches were outlined for miles on either side. It was a mild looking night with clouds and a full moon and the prettiest sight I have ever seen. Our machine guns played on them and the lights were removed. Our guns shelled heavily all night at intervals of ½ an hour and the Germans retaliated on Sunken Road. I had to leave my dug-out five times during the night owing to shells.
The matter proved most embarrassing for division commander Lord Cavan, who was furious that his “implicit [sic] orders came to be disobeyed.” Colquhoun was court-martialled the next month; he was given an official reprimand, but this was quickly quashed by Haig, who wanted as little of a record of the truce as possible. Colquhoun would continue in the Guards for the rest of the war, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Gallipoli campaign
Ottoman artillery heavily bombard Allied trenches in the Dardanelles to prevent another unopposed withdrawal.
Persian Campaign: Ahmed Shah decides to side with Russia and Britain
King Ahmed Shah of Persia has been toying with the idea of throwing his lot in with Germany and its allies. His country is notionally independent but in practice divided into spheres of influence by Russia and Britain. Perhaps with German help Persia could become truly independent once more.
The Allies were less than pleased with Ahmed Shah’s German intrigues. British and Russian diplomats have warned Ahmed Shah to expel German and Turkish agents from his country. To make the point in a more forceful manner, Russia has marched an army to Teheran, where they have defeated a force of pro-German Persians.
Ahmed Shah had sent leading officials from his court to the holy city of Qom, less accessible to Russian forces. Perhaps the young king had planned to join them there, emulating the flight to Medina of the Prophet Muhammed. But he demurs and decides against confronting the Allies. Instead of fleeing to Qom, Ahmed Shah appoints Prince Firman Firma as prime minister. The new prime minister is reliably pro-Allied; he sets to work chasing German and Turkish agents out of the country.
Ahmed Shah’s decision to row in with Russia and Britain may have been motivated by more than just caution. Faraway Germany is not really in much of a position to supply him with active assistance. The Turks are closer, but their ability to help is also limited. And in any case, while the Germans may genuinely want to advance the independence of Persia, Ahmed Shah knows that the Turks would prefer to dominate his country. In siding with them he could just be exchanging one set of masters for another.
Senussi campaign
The Western Frontier Force moves out today to attack the Senussi. The Senussi flee in the direction of Unjella and Bir Tunis having suffered 370 killed and 82 prisoners taken by the British in addition to the loss of many animals and much material. The Western Frontier Force has lost 14 other ranks killed and 3 officers and 47 ranks wounded.
Mesopotamian campaign: not much Christmas cheer in Kut
In Mesopotamia the British under General Townshend are besieged in Kut-al-Amara. Yesterday the Turks tried to storm the town but were bloodily repulsed. Today the space in front of the British trenches is littered with dead and wounded Turkish soldiers. The sufferings of the wounded under the sun’s heat is unimaginable. There appears to be no truce here and so the wounded are left to their fate, with gunfire from both sides making it impossible to bring them to safety.
Yet there is some humanity amid the horror. From the British lines there are many instances of soldiers throwing food and water out to their wounded enemies. Most of the British soldiers were recruited in India; as Muslims and Hindus they are probably more motivated by empathy for the sufferings of other soldiers than Christmas cheer. Their efforts perhaps keep some of the Turks alive until they are able to crawl away to safety after dark, though for most of the wounded it is only death that brings their sufferings to an end.
With the failure of yesterday’s attack, Turkish commander Colonel Nurredin changes his tactics. Instead of trying to storm the town he has his men tighten the blockade around Kut. The British are also to be worn down by artillery fire and sniping. These efforts will add to the attrition the British are already suffering from disease within the hot and overcrowded town.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Rudolf Schneider begins his sixth war patrol in U-24 with the sinking of British passenger ship SS VAN STIRUM, 3,284 tons, bound from Rouen to Liverpool. His score is now 23 ships and 78,430 tons.
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