lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 24, 2021 3:50:15 GMT
Day 575 of the Great War, February 24th 1916Western Front: Verdun: German BreakthroughThe French defense at Verdun broke. Having taken the villages of Beaumont and Samoneaux the day before, the Germans had breached the French second line entirely. Inadequately prepared for a major assault, the secondary French trench positions fell in a matter of hours to heavy bombardment. In most places, there were hardly any trenches left. For the time being, the battle became mobile, in the open, and consequently, much more deadly. Photo: German infantry watch an artillery bombardment in the distance A French colonial division, the 37th African DI, was thrown into the battle to plug the gap. The Africans were a crack unit, drawn from hardy Pied-noir colonists and tough Moroccans and Algerians, veterans of desert warfare in the colonies. They had a terrifying reputation - enhanced by French propaganda which depicted them as brutes - for refusing to take prisoners. German soldiers taking over trenches would as the men leaving “Are there any Africans opposite?” But the scale of Verdun was enough to break any unit, no matter how elite. Furthermore, the colonial division was split into penny-packets all along the front, sent into crises here and there, under the command of new officers. Fighting without any cover, they were subjected to horrific artillery bombardments. Unsurprisingly, they broke in the face of a mass German attack. The fleeing North Africans did not make it far. A French officer gave an order and “a section of machine guns fired at the backs of the fleeing men, who fell like flies.” French morale was in a serious state on the night of the 24th. For no good reason, jittery artillery crews blew up several massive naval guns. Nervous infantrymen watched: was the artillery pulling out, and leaving them behind to die? The worst off were the wounded between the lines. Their screams could be heard all night. Others whispered in the freezing cold, trying to avoid detection by the Germans. Some of the wounded mumbled in surprise at being wounded without having once seen a German, such an artillery battle was Verdun. An entire corps had been destroyed in one day, none of its artillery batteries could muster more than three guns, and several battalions had simply vanished in the battle without a trace. At 10 P.M., the French line was stiffened by the arrival of the Iron Corps, the finest unit in the French Army. However, its two elite divisions, the 11th “Iron” Division and the 39th “Steel” Division, were exhausted from two days of forced marching to the battlefield. They had left most of their machine guns behind, and each man had only 120 rounds for his rifle. It was bitterly cold, 15 degrees below freezing. Only this weary unit stood in the way of the Germans and Verdun, as one French historian wrote: “… on the dark evening of the 24th the way to Verdun was open to the enemy.” The next day, the Germans would achieve one of their greatest coups of the war. Photo: French prisoners of war. 10,000 alone were taken on February 24 Macedonian frontDurazzo evacuated by Albanians: Essad Pasha goes to Italy. Naval operations: North SeaBritish freighter SS TUMMEL, 531 tons, carrying a load of cola from Grimsby to Tréport, hits a mine laid by Ulrich Mohrbutter in UC-5. Mohrbutter's score is now 4 ships and 6,027 tons. French freighter SS TRIGNAC, 2,375 tons, travelling in ballast from Nantes to Newcastle, hits a mine laid by Matthias von Schmettow in UC-6. Von Schmettow's score is now 24 ships and 19,907 tons. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaMax Valentiner, commanding U-38, sinks British freighters SS DENABY, 2,987 tons, bound from Huelva to St. Louis du Rhône with a load of ore; SS FASTNET, 2,227 tons, travelling in ballast from Savona to Cartagena; and Swedish freighter SS TORBORG, 1,266 tons, carrying a load of coal from West Hartlepool to Marseille. His score is now 76 ships and 165,648 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 25, 2021 3:49:35 GMT
Day 576 of the Great War, February 25th 1916YouTube (The Battle of Verdun - They Shall Not Pass)Western Front: Fort Douaumont Falls to GermansSeveral companies of the 24th Brandenburg Regiment found themselves far ahead of their scheduled advance. Rather than waiting for other German forces to catch up with them, they were intrigued by the relative quiet coming from nearby Fort Douaumont, supposedly one of the linchpins of Verdun’s fort systems. Only a single 155mm gun was firing from the fort, and inaccurately at that. A company of pioneers led by Sergeant Kunze cut through the barbed wire surrounding the fort, and carefully made their way into the dry moat surrounding the fort. To their surprise, no fire came from the fort to contest their advance, only some stray machine gun fire from the nearby village. Scouting around the moat, they were eventually able to find an open window into the Fort itself, which they entered, followed by a few other companies, totaling around 90 Germans. Carefully exploring the fort, they were able to find a few groups of French soldiers, and were able to quickly convince them to surrender and/or locked them inside their rooms. In total, there had only been around 40 to 50 French soldiers–and none of them combat troops–inside the fort, most of them sheltering deep inside from the German shelling. One complained afterwards that they would not have surrendered had they known the German force was so small–but they were told, simply, “too late.” Charges had been set to demolish the fort in case of such an eventuality, but the French never had a chance to set them off. The fall of Fort Douaumont was celebrated as a national holiday in Germany (and the story of its capture appropriately embellished for the press). Expectations were now higher than ever for a great victory at Verdun. Lt. Brandis, head of the last party to enter the fort, was awarded the Pour le Mérite. Photo: Aerial view early in 1916 before major destruction in the Battle of Verdun. North is approximately at top Persian Campaign Russians occupy Sakhne and Bideswikh Passes, Kashan and Ispir (Persia). Aerial operations: Air Raids boost RFC recruitmentThe British authorities have been attempting to use the German air raids as a recruiting tool. Official posters such as “Remember Scarborough” and “It is better to face the bullets than be killed at home by a bomb” were supplemented by newspapers cartoons such as the Daily Chronicle’s “Vow of Vengeance” However, the impact of these seems to have been limited. The voluntary “Derby Scheme” in the autumn of 1915 had also failed to produce enough men and the British Parliament had passed the Military Service Act on 27 January 1916 introducing conscription. The National effect of the Zeppelin raids may have been limited, but they certainly had a local impact. Local newspapers in Staffordshire reported in February 1916 that the raid of 31 January 1916 on various towns in the Midlands has had a “stimulating effect upon recruiting in some of the Staffordshire towns”. The report stated that “in one district sufficient recruits have been obtained since the occurrence to form nearly a couple of companies. By contrast, in the same district prior to the raid recruiting was at a very low ebb.” In another locality, recruitment had increased substantially by 50%; whilst in a third a whole company had been raised in one week alone. The newspaper noted that “many men who have paid a visit to the areas in which the damage was caused have enlisted immediately”. Interestingly 75% of the recruits applied to serve with the Royal Flying Corps. Naval operations: North SeaBritish freighter SS SOUTHFORD, 963 tons, bound from Tyne to Boulogne with a load of coke, hits a mine laid by Alfred Nitzsche in UC-10. This brings Nitzsche's score to 5 ships and 10,491 tons. Naval operations: Atlantic OceanGerman raider SMS MOWE ends her first raiding voyage with the capture and sinking of British freighter SS SAXON PRINCE , 3,471 tons, carrying a mixed cargo from Manchester, UK to Norfolk, Virginia. MOWE now has 18 ships and 67,110 tons. Naval operations: German East AfricaMonitor HMS SEVERN opens fire on a newly-discovered German fort near the entrance to Moa bay. The fort is reported as completely destroyed.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 26, 2021 9:17:24 GMT
Day 577 of the Great War, February 26th 1916
Western Front: Decisions at Verdun, General Philippe Pétain Takes Command
The French have decided to hold Verdun come what may. General Pétain has been appointed to lead the defence. But now disaster strikes: the 60 year old general is struck down with pneumonia. Rather than change commanders again, Pétain is left to direct the battle from his sickbed. His condition is kept a closely guarded secret.
Despite his sickness, Pétain manages to reinvigorate the defence. He orders the various forts around Verdun to be re-garrisoned: there is to be no repeat of the Fort Douaumont fiasco. He also has a secret last line of defence prepared around the inner fort surrounding Verdun, in case a last stand must be made at the gates of the town itself. Recognising the importance of keeping the defenders of Verdun supplied, he makes arrangements to ensure that the one good road into the town is kept open, despite whatever German artillery tries to throw at it. Regulations are put in place to ensure that traffic keeps moving on the road, as hold-ups could prove fatal to the defence.
Pétain’s organisational energy and the reinforcements that have come with him are putting new life into the defence of Verdun. Its fall seemed imminent a few days ago but now it looks like the battle will go on.
Italian front
Italians leave Durazzo.
Macedonian front
Serbians, Montenegrins and Albanians withdraw from Albania.
Caucasus Campaign
Russians occupy Ashkala (Armenia).
Senussi Campaign: Turkish-Senussi Force Defeated in Egyptian Desert
After their defeat at Bir Tunis in January, the Turkish and Senussi fell into infighting. The Senussi departed for the inland oases where they would be less harassed by the British, and relations soured between the remaining Turkish commanders, Nuri Bey and Jafar al-Askari. This culminated on February 26 as British forces began to attack the Turks at Agagiya; Nuri Bey withdrew with his regular Turkish forces without telling Jafar, leaving him almost surrounded with his remaining Arab forces.
The resulting battle was a strange mix of 20th century warfare with more ancient modes of fighting. Armored cars helped to pin down the Turkish forces, and machine-gun fire was exchanged between the two sides. Meanwhile, both commanders were on horseback, launching cavalry charges and swinging sabers. Jafar was seriously wounded in his right arm by one of those British sabers, and both commanders had their horses shot out from under them. Jafar recalled that “Before I was able to make another move, the enemy horsemen were all around me and I had collapsed from heavy loss of blood.” He and his men (roughly a third of the remaining Senussi forces) were captured. This essentially ended the Senussi threat to Egypt; the British administration in Cairo and Alexandria could rest easy. Sporadic raids would continue from the southern oases for the next year.
Aerial operations: Raid on Don
The RFC carried out a mass raid today. 26 aircraft from 1 Brigade (1 and 10 Wings) RFC bombed the station at Don, France, some 35 miles SE of St Omer. A total of 21 112lb bombs were dropped on the station. It is unclear how much damage was done, but some bombs were seen to hit the target.
Naval operations: North Sea
Werner Fürbinger, commanding UB-2, sinks British freighter SS ARBONNE, 672 tons, travelling in ballast from Le Have to Newcastle-on-Tyne. Fürbinger's score is now 11 ships and 1,354 tons. This is the last sinking for UB-2, which will serve out the war as a training ship. Fürbinger will take command of UB-17.
French freighter SS HEBE, 1,494 tons, travelling in ballast from Caen to Newcastle, hits a mine laid by Ulrich Mohrbutter in UC-5.
British fishing vessel KHARTOUM, 303 tons, also hits a mine laid by Mohrbutter, bringing his score to 6 ships and 7,824 tons.
British freighter SS DIDO, 4,769 tons, carring a general cargo from Hull to Bombay, hits a mine laid by Georg Haag in UC-7. Haag's score is now 16 ships and 14,018 tons.
Swedish freighter SS BIRGIT, 1,117 tons, bound from Stockholm to London with a load of timber, hits a mine laid by Alfred Nitzsche in UC-10. Nitzsche's score is now 6 ships and 11,608 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
Otto Steinbrinck, in UB-18, sinks French auxiliary minesweeper AU REVOIR, 1,058 tons, off Le Havre. Steinbrinck's score is now 28 ships and 14,420 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, in U-35, sinks French armed merchant cruiser LA PROVENCE (aka PROVENCE II), 13,753 tons, carrying troops from Toulon to Saloniki, off Cerigo Island (modern Kythira) at the southern tip of Greece. Von Arnauld's score is now 4 ships and 27,936 tons.
Naval operations: Adriatic Sea
His Majesty's Drifter LILLY REAICH, 88 tons, hits a mine laid by Eberhard Fröhner in UC-12 off Durazzo (modern Durrës, Albania), Fröhner's score to 4 ships and 3,131 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 27, 2021 7:34:02 GMT
Day 578 of the Great War, February 27th 1916
Western Front
Spring thaw turns the ground of Verdun into mud, which slows the German advance. The frontline stabilizes.
Battle of Verdun: Germans take Talou Hill, and repulse five attacks on Fort Douaumont.
French repulse attack on Eix station.
Italian Front
Austrians occupy Durazzo.
Persian Campaign
Russians occupy Kermanshah (Persia).
Farafra and Dakhla Oases occupied by Arabs.
Macedonian front: Austrians Conquer Albania
lbania had not had an effective central government since the beginning of the war. Revolts by the country’s Muslim majority had forced the recently-installed German Prince of Albania out in September 1914. With Italian backing, a government under Essad Pasha had managed to hold onto a small area around Durazzo [Durrës], though much of the rest of the county was divided between the Serbians and the Greeks. The Serbian Army used Albania as an evacuation route, leaving for Corfu via Durazzo by February 9.
The Austrian Army that had conquered Montenegro followed the Serbians into Albania, though some of its strength was diverted for the upcoming Trentino offensive. Once the Serbians were gone, this left only a rump force of Italians (around 9000) and Albanians loyal to Essad Pasha to resist the Austrian advance. They evacuated from Durazzo themselves by February 24th, and on February 27th the Austrians entered the city. This ended the last vestiges of an independent Albanian government for the remainder of the war. It also cemented Austrian control over most of Albania, though the (neutral) Greeks continued to occupy a region near their border, and the Italians still held the port of Valona [Vlorë] in the south.
Naval operations: North Sea
Danish freighter SS HARRIET, 1,272 tons, bound from Oran to Leith with a cargo of esparto, hits a mine laid by Ulrich Mohrbutter in UC-5. Mohrbutter's score is now 7 ships and 9,196 tons.
Dutch liner SS MECKLENBURG, 2,885 tons, carrying passengers from Tilbury to Vlissingen, hits a mine laid by Georg Haag in UC-7. Haag's score is now 8 ships and 17,903 tons.
Russian freighter SS PETSCHENGA, 1,647 tons, heading from Hartlepool to Rouen with a load of coal, is sunk by a mine laid by an unknown ship.
Norwegian coaster SS FOTLANDSVAAG, 23 tons, travelling in ballast from Bergen to Bæøvågen in ballast, is wrecked off Ganglosefluen.
Naval operations: English Channel
Canadian Freighter SS EMPRESS OF FORT WILLIAM, 2,181 tons, carrying a load of coal from South Shields to Dunkirk, hits a mine laid by Matthias von Schmettow in UC-6. British freighter SS MAJOLA, 12,431 tons, carrying passengers from London to Bombay, also hits a mine laid by von Schmettow, bringing his score to 26 ships and 34,519 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, in U-35, sinks Italian Freighter SS GLAVA, 2,755 tons, travelling from Syracuse to Alexandria. His score is now 5 ships and 30,691 tons.
Naval operations: German East Africa
Aboard monitor HMS MERSEY medals are awarded for the KONINGSBERG action. Her captain recieves the Distinguished Service Order and several crewmembers recieve the Distinguished Service Medal.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 28, 2021 7:25:56 GMT
Day 579 of the Great War, February 28th 1916
Western Front: Snow Turns to Mud at Verdun
The weather had played an important factor at Verdun so far. Poor weather had helped conceal German preparations, but also delayed the start of their offensive for over a week. Mist concealed the German advance parties’ approach on Fort Douaumont. On February 28, a sudden upswing in temperature meant the previously-frozen ground quickly turned to mud. As a mainly infantry and artillery battle in a relatively confined space, this meant little at the front lines itself, apart from making the soldiers’ conditions even more miserable. What it did affect was transport to and from the lines.
The main railroad line into the city had been cut by German artillery on February 24th, leaving the French dependent on road transport–primarily, the 50-mile road from Bar-le-Duc. The Army had requisitioned the road on the 22nd, and by the 28th had 3000 troops struggling to keep it open despite the mud, continually adding more gravel to the road. One officer said that that evening he “thought that [he] was on the Avenue de l’Opéra” in Paris, since it was so busy. Eventually, trucks and cars came up the road at the rate of 6000 per day. This lifeline to Verdun would later be coined the “Voie Sacrée,” the Sacred Way.
Western Front: Crown Prince Calls Emergency Conference
Falkenhayn’s plan for Verdun was a massive battle of attrition, but the huge daily losses already being reported shook Crown Prince Wilhelm, the commander of the German 5th Army fighting for the fortress. On February 28 he called an emergency staff meeting to elucidate their objectives. Falkenhayn wanted simply to kill more French than they killed Germans, but the Crown Prince still wanted to try and capture the city.
In the first week of the battle, both armies had already sustained enormous casulties: 25,000 French casualties by the 26th. The Germans passed the same mark on the 29th, though it was estimated that the French lost three men for every German one. But much of the drain had fallen on Germany’s elite units. One battalion of the Prussian Leib Grenadiers were down to 196 men. Von Zwehl’s Corps, which had performed magnificently on the first days of the battle, was barely still extant. A French listening post picked up a German telephone call: “If it goes on like this we shan’t have a man left after the war.”
Surprise had been lost, he acknowledged, but there were still prospects of a “considerable moral and material victory.” It was agreed that to secure victory, a massive number of soldiers and ammunition would be required, sent forward all at once en masse, “not by driblets, but on a large scale”. The battle would grow in size, not diminish. New German attacks were scheduled all along the Left Bank. Fort Vaux, Douaumont’s smaller neighbor, was pinpointed as one of the next key strategic target.
Germans carry Navarin Farm (Champagne).
Senussi campaign: Britain routs the Senussi, reasserts dominance
Britain’s veiled protectorate over Egypt has been challenged by the Senussi, a Muslim religious order based in Libya. The Senussi launched an invasion of Egypt from the west, hoping to trigger a revolt that would chase out the Britishand bring Egypt back into the Ottoman Empire. This would have been a disaster for Britain, as the Suez Canal is a vital link in its communications with its possessions in India.
However, after some early successes the Senussi campaign has petered out. Now the British are chasing them out of Egypt. Two days ago the British (with the assistance of their South African friends) smashed the main Senussi force in a battle like that from another era, fought by men on horseback hacking at each other with swords. Following this success the British reoccupy Sidi Barrani, scene of an early success by the Senussi. They make ready to press on towards the Libyan border post of Sollum and to secure the various oases that Senussi fighters have occupied.
The Senussi invasion did not trigger an Egyptian revolt against the British. There has however been some pro-Senussi unrest, particularly in Alexandria. Now, though, with the Senussi star clearly in the descendant British prestige has been restored. For now the Egyptians are chastened, recognising that their British masters are not about to be dislodged.
Naval operations: North Sea
British freighter SS THORNABY, 1,782 tons, carrying a load of iron ore from Marbella to West Hartlepool, hits a mine laid by Erwin Waßner in UC-3. Waßner's score is now 15 ships and 19,307 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
His Majesty's Trawler ANGELUS, 304 tons, and HMT WEIGELIA, 262 tons, hit mines laid by Matthias von Schmettow in UC-3, bringing von Schmettow's score to 27 ships and 35,127 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, commanding U-35, sinks British freighter SS MASUNDA, 4,952 tons, bound from Bangkok to London with a load of rice. His score is now 6 ships and 35,643 tons.
Naval operations: German East Africa
It is now the turn of HMS SEVERN to receive a visit from Rear Admiral Edward Charlton, who awards the Distinguished Service Medal to five seamen for their part in the KONINGSBERG action.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 1, 2021 3:45:40 GMT
Day 580 of the Great War, February 29th 1916Western Front: Verdun: what is to be done?At Verdun German assaults continue but no real progress is being made. Near Fort Douaumont, now in German hands, the assault troops try to drive the French from the village of Douaumont itself. But stubborn resistance keeps the shattered village in French hands. Both sides suffer terrible casualties in the fighting. Now Falkenhayn, the supreme commander, meets with Crown Prince Wilhelm, the local commander, and Knobelsdorf, the Crown Prince’s chief of staff. The Crown Prince resents Falkenhayn’s decision to hold back the reserves on the 25th and to leave the west bank of the Meuse unmolested at the start of the battle; he feels that these decisions have thrown away the chance of an early victory. But he agrees that the battle should continue, provided that Falkenhayn supplies more men and launches an assault on the west bank to relieve pressure on the east. Falkenhayn agrees. Preparations begin for a renewed stage of the offensive to begin on the 6th of March. New troops will be committed to the battle and the French will be attacked on the west bank and also on the extremity of their eastern flank, where Fort Vaux will be the initial target. At Verdun Falkenhayn had planned to draw in French troops who could be killed by German guns, inflicting so many casualties that France would be forced to drop out of the war. Now he is feeding in more of his own men to the mincing machine. Perhaps Germany too will be bled white by the battle. Hejaz/United Kingdom relationsIn tradition and stereotype Arabs are noted for their hospitality. Yet Sharif Hussein, emir of Mecca and ruler of the surrounding Hejaz region, may be less than pleased to be entertaining the guests who have joined him today. They are none other than Ismail Enver and Ahmed Djemal, two of the three most powerful men in the Ottoman Empire of which Hussein is a subject. Enver and Djemal are preparing for a new attempt to attack the Suez Canal from the east. They are also concerned about the loyalty of their Arab subjects and are touring the region to assess the reliability of their various clients. Sharif Hussein is engaging in secret negotiations with the British but he protests his loyalty to the Ottoman Empire. Djemal and Enver give no impression of doubting his assurances, though they are probably aware of his treacherous intrigues. Their visit serves to intimidate Hussein, an unsubtle warning against rebellion. Enver & Djemal do not need to mention the ace card they can play against Hussein: his son Faisal is in Damascus, effectively under arrest by Djemal. He would face an uncertain fate should his father ever break with the Turks. Aerial operations: Role of the RNASTo date the RFC not really carried out much long range bombing as most of its aircraft have been involved supporting the Army. The RNAS however remains committed. Rear-Admiral Charles Vaughan-Lee, Director of Air Services, published a paper today for the Joint Air War Committee. In it he outlines that the first priority of the RNAS is not to support the fleet or engage in anti-submarine duties, but ‘To attack the enemy’s fleets, dockyards, arsenals, factories, air sheds, etc., from the coasts, whether the coasts be the enemy’s or own.’ The Navy plans to deploy aircraft in Northen France. This unilateral decision has not gone down too well with the Army who want all resources concentrated on the forthcoming offensive. Naval operations: North SeaBritish armed merchant cruiser HMS ALCENTARA, 15,831, a former passenger liner, on her way to rendezous with fellow AMC HMS Andes near the Shetland Islands when she encounters German merchant raider SMS GRIEF, 9,900 tons, herself a converted freighter, flying the Norwegian flag and bearing the name Rena. Captain Wardle orders the unknown ship to heave to. Wardle sends a boarding party in a boat to investigate. When the boat is near GRIEF changes flags and opens fire, hitting the boat. She then fires on ALCENTARA, damaging her stearing gear. ALCENTARA returns fire. GRIEF hits ALCENTARA with a torpedo. Within fifteen minutes both ships are on fire and sinking. Captain Wardle orders Abandon Ship and at 1100 ALCENTARA goes down. Light cruiser HMS COMUS and destroyer HMS MUNSTER find SMS GRIEF stationary and abandoned, and sink the crippled raider. Estimates of British losses vary between 69 and 72, with 190 to 230 Germans lost. Art: An artist's impression of HMS ALCENTARA and SMS GRIEF engaging each other Naval operations: English ChannelBritish freighter SS DEN OF OGIL, 5,689 tons, bound from New York to London with a general cargo, is damaged by a mine laid by Friedrich Moecke in UC-4. British freighter SS MALVINA, 1,244 tons, carrying a general cargo from London to Leith, is damaged by a mine laid by Alfred Nitzsche in UC-10. Naval operations: Bay of BiscayFrench freighter SS LAKME, 3,117 tons, carrying a load of bitumen from La Rochelle to Dunkirk, hits a mine near Ile d'Yeu. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaLothar von Arnauld de la Perière, in U-35, torpedoes British sloop HMS PRIMULA near Cerigo Island (modern Kythira). He ends his first war patrol with 7 ships and 36,893 tons. Max Valentiner, in U-38, sinks Russian freighter SS ALEXANDER WENTZEL, 2,832 tons, bound from La Goulette to West Hartlepool with a load of iron ore; and Italian sailing ship SV Elisa S, 209 tons, route and cargo unlisted. Valentiner's score is now 78 ships and 168,689 tons. Naval operations: German East AfricaBased on information obtained from a captured native, monitor HMS SEVERN anchors off Vanga and opens fire with her 6" and 4.7" guns on a hidden German camp. A week later a party of scouts will report that Severn's fire was excellent, the camp being destroyed and the inhabitants having fled in haste. Day 581 of the Great War, March 1st 1916Western FrontArtillery activity round Ypres. German ground attacks at Verdun have subsided, but artillery exchanges between the two sides continue. Persian Campaign Russian advance west of Kermanshah (Persia). Darfur Campaign: Revolt against British Rule in DarfurTurkey had been attempting to cause trouble with Britain’s Muslim subjects since their entry into the war. Apart from the continuing Senussi efforts in Libya and Egypt, this had largely met with little success. On February 3, 1915, Enver Pasha sent a letter to Ali Dinar, the Sultan of Darfur in western Sudan, encouraging him to rise up against British rule. The letter took a year to reach him, but on March 1, 1916, he decided to take up the fight against the British after reading Enver’s letter and meeting with a representative of the Senussi. Ali Dinar had his own reasons for dissatisfaction with the status quo. The British preferred to leave Darfur as a buffer region between their interests in the Sudan and French interests in Chad, in hopes of avoiding another Fashoda. The French, however, wanted a clear border, which threatened Ali Dinar’s territory; Ali Dinar had grown increasingly annoyed that the British failed to protect him from the French. Ali Dinar began attacks on the British-aligned tribes in Kordofan, to the east, soon after. He may have picked the wrong time to do so; French forces in Central Africa had just been freed up by the end of the campaign in Cameroon, and the Governor of Sudan, Reginald Wingate, was eager to resolve the Darfur situation by force. Revolt against British Rule in Darfur Aerial operations: New RNAS Dunkirk HQThe RNAS reestablished a permanent presence in France with the set up of its Dunkirk HQ today. In addition, 1 Wing RNAS was divided into A and B Squadrons. A Squadron will focus on reconnaissance, coastal patrols and air fighting, whilst B Squadron will carry out spotting and reconnaissance work. Naval operations: North SeaKarl Neumann, in UB-13, hits a British fishing fleet, sinking fishing smacks Harold, 56 tons,RELIANCE, 54 tons, TREVOSE, 46 tons, and TRY ON, 46 tons. Neumann's score is now 5 vessels and 229 tons. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaMax Valentiner, commanding U-38, captures and then uses his deck gun to sink British freighter SS KILBRIDE, 3,712 tons, carrying a load of coal from Barry to Malta. His score is now 79 ships and 172,401 tons. Naval operations: U-Boat Campaign Against British Grand Fleet BeginsThe loss the day before of another German surface raider helped to further convince the Imperial German Navy that submarines would have to play the largest role in their campaigns. Originally, their plans were simply to attack British shipping with U-boats, but as of March, plans also began to formulate to use U-boats to lure British capital ships into the North Sea individually or in small numbers, so that the German High Seas Fleet could destroy them and retreat before Britain could make use of its numerical superiority. This plan would, hopefully, slowly whittle down Britain’s naval superiority without risking it on a massive battle. Eventually, this plan would lead to the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, the only major naval engagement of the First World War.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 2, 2021 3:48:07 GMT
Day 582 of the Great War, March 2nd 1916
Western Front
Battle of Verdun: Germans repulsed at Douaumont.
Caucasus campaign
Russian army advances to within 7 miles of Bitlis in eastern Turkey and captures four artillery guns abandoned by the Ottomans.
Macedonian front: Malaria Worries at Salonika
British and French troops steadily arrived in Macedonia in early 1916 to bolster the front against the Bulgarians and Austro-Hungarians in the Balkans, flush from their victory over and annexation of Serbia in winter 1915. Since then, the Central Powers had also conquered Albania and Montenegro. The Allies had dug in at the north of neutral Greece, at Salonika, to oppose the Bulgarians. More reinforcements continued to come (somewhat to the consternation of the French, who viewed the Balkans as sideshow compared to the war in France), and pressure was being steadily applied on Greece to force it to join the Entente. Disease would be the next difficulty at Salonika, however: Sir Ronald Ross, the British doctor who had first diagnosed malaria, wrote to the chief British medical officer at Salonika to say that “You still have about two months grace before General Malaria comes into the field.”
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Post by lordroel on Mar 3, 2021 3:50:45 GMT
Day 583 of the Great War, March 3rd 1916
YouTube (The US Arms Industry - The Fight for Douaumont)
Western Front
Near Verdun, German troops capture the village of Douaumont near the fort. Around a 1000 French soldiers and several artillery are captured.
British regain "International Trench" (Flanders).
Senussi campaign
British troops recapture towns in Western Egypt. 33,000 rounds of ammo, a machine gun, 50 camels, & “large quantity” of dates are captured.
Naval operations: Adriatic Sea
His Majesty's Drifter BOY HAROLD, 74 tons, hits a mine laid by Eberhard Fröhner in UC-12 off Brindisi, Italy. Fröhner's score is now 4 ships and 3,205 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 4, 2021 3:48:50 GMT
Day 584 of the Great War, March 4th 1916
Western Front: German forces finally secure Douaumont village
At Verdun the Germans are preparing to attack on the west bank of the Meuse. In the meantime, fighting continues on east bank. German forces have been struggling to wrest control of Douaumont village from the French. The nearby Fort Douaumont fell without a shot being fired but the struggle over the village has become an attritional bloodbath, with each side sending ever more men to fight over its ruins. Now at last the Germans manage to secure what is left of Douaumont. The French prepare a counter-attack to recapture it, but Pétain forbids it, fearing to squander more lives over an ultimately insignificant point on a map.
A lull in ground operations ensues, but each side continues to wreak havoc on the other with their artillery.
Caucasus campaign: Russians Take Bitlis with Nighttime Bayonet Charge
The Russian Caucasus Army captured the city of Bitlis on March 3 in a nighttime bayonet charge launched in the midst of a driving snowstorm. Mustafa Kemal’s Turkish Third Army was forced back, leaving behind 1,000 prisoners. The Russians made further advances on the Black Sea as well, which helped on the bargaining table with its own Allies: Britain agreed to extend Russia’s zone of influence in Persia based on its victories against the Turks. Mustafa Kemal, the Turkish hero of Gallipoli, would be called on to take over command of the fight in Caucasus and tasked with reorganizing the defensive lines behind Bitlis, which constituted the last barrier between the Russian Army and Anatolia and Mesopotamia.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim, commanding U-32, sinks British tanker SS TEUTONIAN, 4,824 tons, bound from Sabine Pass, Texas, USA for Avonmouth, Bristol, with a load of refined oil. Von Spiegel's score is now 3 ships and 8,186 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
His Majesty's Trawler FLICKER, 192 tons, hits a mine laid by Matthias Graf von Schmettow in UC-6 off Dover, bringing von Schmettow's score to 28 ships and 35,319 tons.
Naval operations: German East Africa
Monitor HMS SEVERN spots a party of Askaris in Muadrini Bay and fires nine 3pdr rounds at the group, dispersing them.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 5, 2021 2:46:50 GMT
Day 585 of the Great War, March 5th 1916
Western Front
Battle of Verdun: Germans repulsed east of Vacherauville.
German forces shell bridges and railway stations of Verdun in order to disrupt communications and supplies.
Duc de Rohan at Verdun: “The deep snow before and about Douaumont no longer is white. It is red from the massacre…”
East African Campaign: British Advance Towards Kilimanjaro
The arrival of reinforcements and a new commander, the South African General Smuts, allowed Britain to regain the initiative in the East African campaign, which had long been neglected. Now Smuts was tasked with finishing off the German forces remaining in the area, led by the intrepid Von Lettow-Vorbeck. Smuts had around 20,000 soldiers, mostly South Africans, but also Indians, British, Belgians, Rhodesians, and soon Portuguese from Mozambique, complemented by at least 50,000 African porters.
Smut’s force divided into several columns and attacked over multiple directions. The bulk of the action took place in the north, close to the border of British East Africa and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Actual fighting was sporadic and brief - ambushes and bush fighting, and the real killer was disease - one unit, 9th South African Infantry, started with 1,135 men in February, and by October its strength was reduced to 116 fit troops, without doing much fighting at all.
Aerial operations: Peck and Palmer
With the siege of Kut in full swing, the 30 Squadron RFC in Mesopotamia has spent its time in dropping supplies and carrying out reconnaissance work.
Unfortunately the Turks have been reinfoced by a German squadron from the Dardanelees which includes a number of Fokker Monoplanes. The Germans have also started bombing Kut much to the annoyance of the civilian population in the town.
The enemy aerodrome was located at Shumran Bend, within sight of the Kut defenders, and Major-General Townshend arranged to give warning, by wireless, whenever enemy pilots left the ground in order that aeroplanes can be sent up to attack. There are, however, no British aeroplanes capable of standing up to the Fokker.
Today, Lieutenant Roland Henry Peck and Captain Walter Gerard Palmer were on reconnaissance in their Voisin when they were shot down by gunfire from the ground. Both men were killed.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim, commanding U-32, captures British freighter SS ROTHESAY, 2,007 tons, bound from Seville to Troon with a load of iron ore, then sinks her with a torpedo, off the Isles of Scilly. Von Spiegel's score is now 4 ships and 10,193 tons.
Naval operations: Kaiser Outlines Rules for New U-Boat Offensive
The German government was in a deadlock over the use of submarines. Most figures in the Navy wanted to begin unrestricted attacks on merchant shipping again, believing they now had the strength to strangle Britain’s merchant trade. Falkenhayn agreed, hoping that the U-boats would strike at Britain while his armies struck at the French at Verdun. Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg, was, as ever, vehemently opposed to the idea, arguing that it would bring the United States into the war.
These debates reached a fever pitch at a series of conferences at OHL culminating on March 4th. Tensions were high; Admiral Müller reported that the Chancellor “smoked cigarette after cigarette and kept moving from one chair to another.” The strain took its toll on the Kaiser as well. “His Majesty’s nerves are strained to the breaking point. Today for the first time…he said, ‘One must never utter it nor shall I admit it…but this war will not end with a great victory.’”
The Kaiser did not want to bring the Americans into the war, especially not if they would be doing so in response to German barbarism. On the other hand, he was convinced that the submarines would be a very effective weapon against the British. Ideally, he would have liked to unleash the submarines after a major victory at Verdun, but despite the early successes a clear victory there seemed ever more distant by early March. Ultimately, he decided to renew the submarine campaign, but with restrictions. Armed merchant vessels could be attacked without warning anywhere; unarmed merchant vessels only inside the war zone surrounding the British Isles. Passenger ships could never be attacked, regardless of nationality or whether they were armed or not.
Many of the Admirals were convinced this would not work; submarine commanders would either be too aggressive and sink passenger liners, or too timid and let too many merchant ships through. Nonetheless, the Kaiser held firm and refused to let the submarines have full rein.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 6, 2021 8:03:14 GMT
Day 586 of the Great War, March 6th 1916
Western Front: Verdun: Germans Attack French High Ground at Mort-Homme
On March 6th snow returned to the battlefield at Verdun. In the driving snow, the German launched an attack on the French high ground of Mort-Homme, the “Dead Man”, on the left bank of the Meuse. The preliminary bombardment was as intense as that of February 21. German troops moved out from the villages of Brabant and Champneuville, assault the French positions with hand grenades and flamethowers. A heavy gun in an armored train behind the lines dropped shells into the midst of the French, while many of the French return fire failed to explode in the marshy low ground. For the time being, the French positions held, but over 1,200 poilus were taken prisoner. The commander of the forces on the Left Bank, General de Bazelaire, threatened that artillery and machine guns would be turned on any unit that retreated further.
Senussi campaign
El Hassana (Sinai) bombed.
Aerial operations: Hull Bombed
On the night of March 5th, the German Navy planned a three Zeppelin raid on the Firth of Forth and establishments on the rivers Tyne and Tees by Zeppelins L11, L13 and L14. All three ships Ran into fierce snowstorms and winds and were blown off course.
Zeppelin L14 appeared over the coast at Flamborough Head at about 10.30pm and tried vainly to fly north up the coast against a 54mph headwind. After abandoning attempts to fly North the airship cruised southwards until Hull was spotted, round until, its snow-covered streets standing out clearly against the blackness of the Humber. The city was undefined. Just after midnight, L14 started to drop bombs – seven in all – damaging property and killing five people (James Collinson and James Pattison in Regent Street and three sisters, Martha, Ethel and Mira Ingamells in Linnaeus Street). L14 then headed south from towards Killingholme where AA guns opened fire at about 12.30am. L14 turned east dropping 7 more bombs harmlessly and headed out to sea about 12.45am.
It was not long after this when L11 also arrived over Hull having come inland before L14 at about 9.45pm near Tunstall, east of Hull. L14 headed south before getting her bearings and eventually struggled back North to Hull. The ship came in low at 3000-4000ft, first dropping a bomb that damaged a 3,000-ton steamer undergoing repairs. L11 then followed the Humber dropping bombs around Queen Street, destroying buildings and killing Edward Slip. A group of incendiaries landed near Princes Dock, causing a fire on the quayside and another at the Mariners’ Almshouses in Carr Lane killing Edward Leadner. Finally bombs fell on Collier Street wrecking 20 houses nearby and killing Charlotte Naylor and four of her children. Her husband survived but lost an eye.
L11 then headed eastwards over Killinghome where AA guns opened fire. L11 responded by dropping 4 bombs one of which killed a railway worker.
L13 was actually the first to arrive at about 9.15pm near the mouth of the Humber. Thinking they were near Sunderland the ship first attempted to head North but gave up in the winds. They then decided to attack Hull and turned south. Of course they were already south of Hull and ended up flying through the East Midlands. Many bombs were dropped to lighten the ship but none caused anything other than minor damage. Finally L11 reached the Thames which was mistaken for the Humber at first. However strong winds prevented L11 from moving back inland and L13 finally retired to sea at around 2.25am after dropping four more bombs harmlessly. At this point L13 had only two of four engines running.
Naval operations: North Sea
Hans Valentiner, commanding UB-16, stops and scuttles British fishing smacks SPRINGFLOWER, 59 tons, and Young Harry, 43 tons, east of Lowestoft, bringing his score to 15 vessels and 10,159 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Having moved south, Edgar von Spiegle von und zu Peckelsheim, in U-32, sinks French schooner SV TROIS FRERES, 107 tons, bound from Blaye to Swansea, off Penmarch, France.
Naval operations: German High Seas Fleet Makes Furthest Sortie South
The new Admiral of the High Seas Fleet, Reinhard Scheer, advocated far more aggressive tactics than his late predecessor. Like most other Admirals, he wanted to unleash the U-boats, but he also intensified Zeppelin attacks on Great Britain. Another such Zeppelin attack was launched on March 5, striking Scotland and Northeast England, causing 70 civilian casualties.
More boldly, he began to use the High Seas Fleet in the North Sea rather than having it sit in Wilhelmshaven as it had largely since Dogger Bank. On March 5, he took the fleet to a position off the Dutch island of Texel, in the southern reaches of the North Sea. His hope was to trap the British force of cruisers stationed in Harwich. His destroyers had had some small luck with this force in February, when they ran the cruiser HMS ARETHUSA onto a German mine. Scheer had less luck this time, as snow, hail, and heavy seas limited visibility and prevented effective operation of the fleet. Due to these poor conditions (and some cold feet at the Admiralty), the fleet returned home the next day. This was the farthest south the German High Seas Fleet would ever go during the war.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 7, 2021 7:31:00 GMT
Day 587 of the Great War, March 7th 1916
Western Front: Germans Attack on West Bank of Meuse at Verdun
So far, the German attacks at Verdun had been concentrated entirely on the east bank of the River Meuse. Their stunning successes of the first few days had slowed after the capture of Ft. Douaumont, though they now had effective control of the heights overlooking the city on the east bank. They had not touched the west bank at all, however, leaving them vulnerable to French observation and enfilading artillery fire from positions now effectively behind their lines. The Crown Prince had previously advocated an attack on both banks, and in early March Falkenhayn finally gave him the reserves to do so.
The bombardment opened on March 5th, ignoring the front-line trenches and focusing on the French artillery positions to the rear, on top of and behind Le Morte Homme (Hill 295) and Hill 304 (actually only 294 m tall). The targeted area on the west bank was less wide than the area hit on February 21 on the east bank, so the German artillery could concentrate its strength even further. The French positions were described as “flattened.”
The German infantry launched their assaults at 10AM on March 6, using similar infiltration tactics as their counterparts on the east bank used in February. The French, well aware that the attack was coming, had not heavily fortified the front lines, and the Germans made significant gains in the areas closest to the Meuse, attempting to simply roll up the French lines.
Unlike the attack in February, the French were now prepared and Pétain now had a plan of his own. After most German attacks, he would launch a counterattack using the same infiltration tactics and with a large artillery barrage with whatever guns he could muster. The Germans still advanced, but they paid heavily for it–and as they advanced, the French lines only shortened.
Eastern Front
German artillery active south-west of Dahlen Island (River Dvina).
Caucasus campaign
Russian troops, supported by the Black Sea Fleet, capture the city of Rize, thirty miles from Trebizond.
United Kingdom: Churchill Delivers Much-Derided Speech in Parliament
Like many other MPs, Winston Churchill did not resign his seat in Parliament when he left to fight in Flanders last year. As a result, when he came back to England on leave in March, he had the opportunity to speak before Parliament. After a speech by his replacement at the Admiralty, Arthur Balfour, Churchill rose to offer his criticism. Churchill was worried about the slowness of the Admiralty in completing the various super-dreadnoughts (ships like the QUEEN ELIZABETH) that had been ordered before the war. It must be assumed, Churchill argued, that Germany had completed the ships she had ordered before the war, so if Britain had not, she was in danger of falling behind. This was especially true since Germany essentially could always choose to enter the North Sea with her fleet at full strength, while Britain would always have a ship or two being refitted. He also criticized Balfour for not striking at German Zeppelin sheds (in the manner of the Raid on Cuxhaven).
He undermined most of these points, however, at the end of his speech, where he made an impassioned plea for the return of Lord Fisher as First Sea Lord. This took many aback, due to the acrimony between Churchill and Fisher that had caused the latter’s resignation last year. However, Churchill had always had the greatest respect for Fisher and believed his presence in the Admiralty was sorely missed. However, this was viewed as a grave political misstep by the press and most observers; bringing Fisher back out of retirement a second time seemed completely unnecessary and sounded ludicrous to most coming out of Churchill’s mouth. The Specator wrote: “To watch this fevered, this agonized struggle to regain the political fortune which the arch-gambler threw away is to witness one of the great tragedies of life.” Violet Bonham Carter wrote that her friend Churchill “must surely be deranged” and that “I saw at once that, whatever his motive, he realized that he had hopelessly failed to accomplish what he had set out to do. His lance was broken.”
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Edgar von Spiegel von und zu Pechelsheim, commanding U-32, sinks French barque SV VILLE DU HARVE, 3,109 tons, travellng in ballast from Ipswich to Buenos Aires. Von Spiegel finishes his second war patrol with 6 ships and 13,409 tons.
Naval operations: North Sea
British destroyer HMS COQUETTE, 335 tons, and Torpedo Boat HM TB.11 (ex-MAYFLY), 263 tons, both hit mines laid by Alfred Nitzsche in UC-10 while patrolling Black Deep, the northernmost deep-draft entrance to the Thames Estuary. Nitzsche's score is now 8 ships and 12,206 tons.
British submarine HMS E5 goes missing and is not heard from again. A submarine was sighted and attacked at 0810 that morning off Juist Island, near the mouth of the Ems River, by German battlecruiser SMS SEYDILTZ and her escorting destroyers. Later in the day light cruiser SMS REGENSBURG also sights a submarine near a minefield. Niether sighting is conclusive, and E5's fate remains uncertain.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 8, 2021 3:46:04 GMT
Day 588 of the Great War, March 8th 1916Western Front: French Recapture the Bois des Corbeaux on the Left BankGermans captured the Bois des Corbeaux woods next to the village of Mort-Homme, positioning them for a flanking attack on that vital piece of high ground. In usual aggressive fashion, the French planned and immediate counterattack to wrest the woods back from enemy hands. The leader of the assault was Lieutenant-Colonel Macker, who entered the annals of French military history by leading his men forward at a walk, “brandishing his cane and calmly smoking a cigar.” Macker’s men hopped the bags at dawn, advancing in three dense lines, a picture more of Austerlitz or Waterloo than the First World War. In a show of discipline worthy of the Old Guard, the French soldiers advanced forward 400 yards in a walk, closing ranks as German shells and machine guns tore holes in their formation. Closing to 100 yards, they fixed bayonets and charged. The Germans, througholy taken aback by this magnificent display of élan, broke and fled, and by 7:20 a.m. the woods were back in French hands. Macker, who was the picture of a pre-war French officer with his upswept mustachios, would unfortunately be killed in a similar dashing attack on the 10th, stuck by a German machine gun alongside one of his battalion commanders when he went to congratulate the latter following another success. Mesopotamian campaign: Kut Relief Force Muddles Attack at DujailaThe first attempts to relieve the siege at Kut had failed in January, despite some minor successes along the Tigris. The head of the relief expedition, General Aylmer, decided to try again in early March, before expected floods on the Tigris would make movement of troops far more difficult. His plan was to attack to the south of the Tigris, bypassing the marshes along the river. If successful, he would across the Tigris from the forces at Kut, who were preparing bridges for a sortie from the city. Aylmer planned a ten-mile night march towards the main Turkish obstacle on his line of approach–the redoubt at the Dujaila depression. He hoped his troops, arriving and attacking at dawn, would have total surprise and could quickly overwhelm the Turkish defenders. However, the night march did not proceed as quickly as planned; they did not start until 10:20 PM on March 7, and there were further delays in separating support from infantry columns. By dawn around 5:40 AM, the British Indian forces were still over two miles from the Turkish lines at Dujaila. Aylmer believed the element of surprise had been lost, and did not want to risk a two-mile attack over open ground. This was despite reports from scouts indicating that the Turkish trenches were essentially empty. Many of the Turkish defenders around Kut had been transferred north to fight the Russians in Persia or the Caucasus after the loss of Erzurum, leaving the lines at Dujaila essentially denuded. Aylmer instead brought up his guns and began an artillery barrage at 7AM, which proceeded for the next three hours. This was the first the Turkish commander in the area, Ali Ihsan Bey, had heard of the British advance, and he quickly told his artillery and machine guns to rush to the area and “answer the enemy artillery and to fire on any enemy troops as they marched.” He recalled that “The enemy did not send their infantry forward while their artillery was firing on us. We benefited from this mistake and all of our troops managed to arrive” in time. When the infantry attacked at 10AM, they now took heavy casualties from the newly-arrived Turkish forces. One Turkish veteran, Abidin Ege, recalled, “The distance between us and the enemy was only 800 meters. Both sides started firing and the battle began. The enemy made every effort to reach us, but their forces were melting under the heat of our fire.” A renewed attack in the afternoon briefly reached the redoubt itself, but was repulsed; the British suffered nearly 3500 casualties out of his 18,000-man force. On the other side, Abidin Ege wrote that “we had an absolute victory against the enemy, yet we lost half of our battalion.” The British withdrew that night in disarray. Photo: Riflemen, apparently pictured at Dujaila Persian campaignRussians occupy Sennah (Persia). Naval operations: English ChannelOtto Steinbrinck, commanding UB-18, torpedoes British freighter SS HARMATRIS, 6,387 tons, bound from St. John, New Brunswick for Boulogne with a load of oats and hay. Steinbrinck's score is now 29 ships and 20,807 tons. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaHis Majesty's Drifter ENTERPRISE II, 84 tons, hits a mine laid off Brindisi by Eberhard Fröhner in UC-12, bringing Fröhner'score to 5 ships and 3,289 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Mar 9, 2021 3:50:15 GMT
Day 589 of the Great War, March 9th 1916Western FrontAt Verdun, German heavy artillery, armed with gas shells, bombard Fort Vaux. However, the following German assault is repelled. Eastern FrontGerman attacks repulsed on Dvina and at Cebrow (Galicia). Italian FrontItalian general Cadorna launches the 5th Battle of Isonzo with the aim of capturing Gorizia from Austria-Hungary. Photo: Italian lines Caucasus campaignTurks driven beyond River Kalopotamus (east of Trebizond). Persian campaignGermans reported to be leaving Ispahan (Persia). German/Portugal relations: Germany Declares War on PortugalPortugal remained neutral at the beginning of World War I. However, the nation increasingly became anxious about the safety of its African colonies, Angola and Mozambique, which bordered Germany’s African holdings, and when German soldiers intruded the two countries became involved in an undeclared colonial border war. Tensions worsened further due to Germany’s sinking of neutral merchant vessels. Furthermore, Portugal had become a republic in 1910, after a military revolution and since enacted a liberal constitution, and so it naturally favored the Entente. The undeclared conflict finished when Germany declared war on Portugal on March 9, 1916, in response to Portugal siezing German ships at harbor in Lisbon. The Portuguese government responded by sending soldiers to join Britain’s East Africa Campaign, and began training a Portuguese Expeditionary Corps,(Corpo Expedicionário Português, CEP), of 30,000 soldiers, to be deployed on the Western Front. Mexican Border War: Pancho Villa Raids Columbus, New MexicoMexico had been in turmoil since the ouster of Porfirio Díaz in 1911. The United States’ relationship had been fraught during this period, including an occupation of Veracruz for six months in 1914. This had contributed to the downfall of reactionary President Huerta in July 1914. Huerta had fled to the United States, where German agents had plotted to restore him to power in Mexico; this attempt was foiled with his arrest in New Mexico in late June 1915 thanks to the actions of Czech agents working against the Germans. After Huerta’s withdrawal, the forces that had opposed him now struggled for power themselves. By the end of 1915, Carranza had consolidated power in most of Mexico, with his former allies, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, reduced to conducting guerilla warfare in the north and south of the country, respectively. By March of 1916, Villa was growing desperate, running low on supplies and ammunition. He decided to launch a raid into the United States to seize these needed supplies, picking the town of Columbus, New Mexico, which he believed to be well-stocked but lightly defended. At 4:15 AM on March 9, around 500 mounted Villistas charged into the town, looting what supplies they could and burning the rest. Civilians with arms attempted to resist as best they could, while others took refuge in the brick storehouse. The town was not as lightly defended as Villa had hoped; there were in fact 270 men from the 13th Cavalry Regiment stationed in the town. Although initially caught off guard, they quickly got out of their bunks and to their weapons (in some cases barefoot) and began to fire on Villa’s forces. The Americans were armed with four machine guns, which were able to fire off more than 5,000 rounds each over the next hour and a half. Photo: Columbus, pictured after the raid Taking heavy casualties, the Villistas retreated back into Mexico. Two detachments of Americans pursued them back into Mexico (despite standing instructions telling them not to cross the American border), following them for fifteen miles until they ran short of ammunition. Eight American soldiers and ten civilians were killed in the raid, to around 90 Villistas; several Villistas were captured and most of them were executed later in the year. Naval operations: English ChannelOtto Steinbrinck, commanding UB-18, torpedoes French passenger/cargo ship LOUISIANE, 5,109 tons, bound from New Orleans and Newport News for Le Havre with a load of cotton; and SILIUS, 1,559 tons, carrying a load of barley from New York to Le Havre. His score is now 31 ships and 27,475 tons. Naval operations: North SeaBritish armed boarding steamer FAUVETTE, 2,644 tons, hits a mine laid by Georg Haag in UC-7. Haag's score is now 9 ships and 20,547 tons.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 10, 2021 3:46:16 GMT
Day 590 of the Great War, March 10th 1916
YouTube (Equilibrium of Carnage at Verdun - Portugal Joins The War)
Western Front: Verdun - Germans Recapture Bois des Corbeaux
The battle for the Bois des Corbeaux near the village of Mort-Homme continued on March 10 as the Germans counter-attacked the position, which had been captured by the gallant French Lieutenant-Colonel Macker two days earlier. Now Macker’s work was undone when, after a similar daring attack, an unlucky burst of Maxim gun fire caught the Colonel and one of his battalion commanders, killing both. The Germans attacked; the disheartened French retreated. The Bois des Corbeaux fell into German hands and remained that way for the rest of the month. In fact, the lines at Mort-Homme hardly budged any further in March, for though the German troops had taken the woods, they had lost so many troops doing so that they could not advance any more.
Eastern Front
German attacks repulsed east of Kosloff.
Mesopotamia campaign: Townshend Refuses to Surrender Kut
The defeat of Aylmer’s relief force at Dujaila was a great disappointment in the besieged town of Kut. They had since had to retreat beyond where any possible sortie from Kut could help them. Recriminations soon passed between Townshend and Aylmer, with Aylmer blaming Townshend for not reporting movements of Turkish troops towards Dujaila, while Townshend reported he saw nothing that was not obscured by fog and mist.
The failure of the expedition meant that Kut’s dwindling food supplies would have to be stretched even further. He reduced rations by a sixth and slaughtered additional horses. “British troops will have to exist entirely on bread and horsemeat and Indian troops on meal, parched barley and ghee, all other articles of rations will be finished, even on a reduced scale, by March 15,” wrote Townshend. He expected that he could make his food supply stretch no more than a few days beyond April 7.
On March 10, Halil Bey wrote to Townshend, again asking for his surrender:
The English forces which are to relieve you were compelled to retreat…After this retreat General Aylmer, who was a month and a half making preparations, yesterday, when he thought he was strong enough, resumed the offensive….But he was again compelled to retreat with 4,000 casualties, and I am left with adequate forces. For your part you have heroically fulfilled your military duty. From henceforth I see no likelihood that you will be relieved. According to your deserters I believe that you are without food and that diseases are prevalent among your troops. You are free to continue your resistance at Kut, or to surrender to my forces which are growing larger and larger.
Townshend swiftly rejected the offer, and made sure to remind Halil that there were riots back in Constantinople due to their defeats at the hands of the Russians.
Townshend was still unaware of how close Aylmer had been to victory at Dujaila; the Indian government was not, however, and Aylmer was sacked the next day.
Aerial operations: Manica on the way
The HMS Manica, a kite balloon ship, has been ungoing a refit in Birkenhead following her return from the Dardannelles.
Today, she set sail for Gibraltar, with 1 Kite Baloon Section and a small seaplane.
The First Sea Lord has ordered the ship to deploy off German East Africa – at the request of General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien GCB etc, to assist in the operations there.
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