The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 711 of the Great War, July 10th 1916

Western Front

Germans regain footing in Trones Wood.

British gain ground east of Ovillers and in Bois de Mametz.

French advance further towards Peronne; take Hill 97 (south-east of Biaches) with La Maisonette Farm.

Photo: Artillery observers watching the bombardment of Pozieres from Observation Post near Aveluy, 10th July 1916



Photo: Traffic policeman, in centre of road, controlling traffic on a main road, 10th July 1916



Eastern Front

Germans rally and offer strong resistance on west bank of the Stokhod.

Austrians concentrate troops for big offensive on south side of Lutsk salient.

Russians claim 300,000 prisoners to date.

Italian Front: Italian mine war in the Dolomites

The Italians want to advance in the Dolomites but their way is barred by the Castelletto, a rocky outcropping that the Austro-Hungarians have turned into an impregnable fortress. A novel solution has been found: over the last few months the Italians have dug a 500 metre tunnel under the Austro-Hungarians, so they can explode a mine to blast the enemy from the Castelletto.

In the early hours of this morning the mine is exploded. King Vittorio Emanuele of Italy is present to watch the detonation of 33 tonnes of gelignite, the largest mine explosion in military history. The huge blast shatters the mountain top and is felt as an earthquake 10 kilometres away.

The survivors of the Austro-Hungarian garrison on the Castelletto regroup and prepare to fight for their lives. Then they enjoy an astonishing stroke of good luck. Italian assault troops emerge from the tunnel to storm the Castelletto, but then they fall over dead, killed by noxious clouds of carbon monoxide created by the explosion. Italians attempting to climb up the mountain are repulsed by rifle fire and by falling rocks the explosion has dislodged. The Austro-Hungarians hold the Castelletto. There will be no Italian advance through the Dolomites.

Naval operations: North Sea

Werner Fürbinger, commanding UB-39, stops and sinks British trawler STAFFA, 176 tons. His score is now 12 ships and 1,550 tons.

British freighter SS Kara, 2,338 tons, travelling in ballast from Rouen to South Shields, hits a mine laid by Otto Ehrentraut in UC-6. His score is now 10 ships and 8,537 tons.

Naval operations: Bay of Biscay

American freighter SS GOLDSHELL, 5,614 tons, hits a mine laid by an unknown ship. There are no casualties.

Naval operations: Black Sea

Max Valentiner, in U-38, sinks Russian freighter SS FLORIDA, 3,238 tons, bringing his score to 86 ships and 180,013 tons.

Naval operations: Strait of Otranto (Between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas)

Zdenko Hudecek, in Austrian U-17, torpedoes Italian destroyer IMPETUOSO, 680 tons, with the loss of 37 lives.

Photo: U-17

Day 713 of the Great War, July 12th 1916

Western Front

British gain Mametz Wood and make progress in Trones Wood.

Successful raids in Loos salient.

Germans attack strongly at Verdun; gain some ground at Chapelle St. Fine, at intersection of Fleury-Vaux roads.

Eastern Front

Furious fighting continues on the Stokhod, with no decisive results.

Italian Front

An Austrian attack on the Adige driven back.

Caucasus campaign

Russians under General Yudenich advance west of Erzerum on the Erzingan road and recapture Mamakhatun.

Aerial operations: More Catapult

Away from the war the United States Navy is also carrying out aviation research, including the thorny problem of how to launch a seaplane from a ship. Today the US Navy scored a notable first when it launched a seaplane from a moving ship by catapult.

A previous launch from a stationery vessel had been successful back on 5 November 1915 with a Curtiss AB-2 llying boat, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Henry Mustier USN.

Today, Lieutenant Godfrey DeCourcelles Chevalier USN, launched a Curtiss AB-3 by catapult from the USS NORTH CAROLINA while it was at sea.

Photo: Curtiss AB-3 Seaplane is catapulted from USS NORTH CAROLINA (CA-12), 12 July 1916



Naval operations: German Merchant Submarine Offloads Cargo in Baltimore

As the British blockade continued, Germany looked for clever ways to continue its trade with foreign countries. One of these was the use of special-built merchant submarines, which could slip through the blockade to reach foreign ports. The first of these, the DEUTSCHLAND, arrived in Baltimore around July 9 (having left Germany on July 23) and was quickly the cause of much excitement there. She docked at a carefully constructed hidden pier, away from prying eyes, which of course only increased the excitement. By July 12, most of her cargo of valuable chemical dyes, along with gems, pharmaceuticals, and other value-dense exports, had been offloaded. Her crew caused a hubbub on shore, with some briefly arrested for speeding; they planned a visit to Washington, DC in a few days. Germans in America were especially excited, with many interested in placing mail (or even passengers) for the return trip. However, with the exception of a few pieces of mail, her cargo space was already accounted for. She was to carry nickel, tin, and rubber, all desperately needed by the German economy; much of the rubber was specially cut in order to fit into every cranny on the submarine.

The British protested to the Americans about the submarine, saying that she could not truly be considered a merchant vessel if she could not submit to the proper inspections. The United States, however, thought this argument was a stretch; if she could be verified to be unarmed (which she easily could), the ship was a merchantman, and her ability to submerge did not change this fact. Any more merchant submarines which the Germans intended to send across the Atlantic would be welcome.

Photo: DEUTSCHLAND and crew in Baltimore, 1916

Day 715 of the Great War, July 14th 1916

YouTube (Meatgrinder At The Somme - Battle of Mametz Wood)



Western Front: British Success on Bazentin Ridge

Since July 2, the Allies had been preparing for another “big push” on the Somme. An attack over a front as broad as on the first day was not deemed practicable, and they looked instead to advance further where they had already made some gains. Over the last two weeks, they had been making small-scale, often disorganized attacks there, in an attempt to gain better ‘jumping-off’ points, decreasing the distance to the German second line. These attacks, costing 25,000 casualties, were only sporadically successful; the attacks on Trônes Wood would not reach their goals until a few hours after the “big push” had already started.

Photo: 20th Deccan Horse, Indian Army, prepare to attack in case a breakthrough occurs at the Somme



The plan, finalized after much back-and-forth between Haig and Rawlinson, was to try to seize the German second line with a night attack, after an intense bombardment focused only on that line of trenches. As the attack was over a far narrower front than on the first day, and concentrated on a much shallower area, the preliminary barrage, it was hoped, would be far more effective than it had been on July 1. The second line of German trenches was also far less fortified than the first line had been, and would thus be more vulnerable to shelling. The night attack meant that the British could move into no-man’s land beforehand, and thus not have to cover many hundreds of yards of ground while exposed to German machine-gun fire. On the other hand, it also made artillery spotting and general coordination more difficult; similar night attacks on July 3 had failed entirely, and the French refused to participate in the attack entirely as a result.

In the early morning of July 14, there was a heavy bombardment until 2:30 AM, which largely ceased afterwards. At 3:20, the guns opened up again with a hurricane bombardment of tremendous force, as “every gun for miles” opened fire. Major Neil Fraser-Tytler, serving in the artillery that night, recalled:

The whole world broke into gunfire. It was a stupendous specatcle – the darkness lit up by thousands of gun flashes – the flicker of countless bursting shells along the northern skyline, followed a few minutes later by a succession of frantic SOS rockets and the glare of burning Hun ammunition dumps.

The artillery fired only high explosive shells with delayed action fuses, to prevent them from accidentally bursting over the heads of the British soldiers in no-man’s land if they were to hit one of the few remaining trees. This may have slightly diminished their odds of cutting the German wire, but in most sectors the sheer volume of shells made up for it. At 3:25, the bombardment stopped and the British infantry, in some places only fifty yards from the German trenches, advanced. In most places, they took the German line by 4 AM. Many surviving Germans surrendered; what resistance remained was mopped up after a short (if intense) bout of hand-to-hand fighting. Only one brigade ran into severe problems, their advance impeded by uncut wire; they were helped on their flanks later in the day.

Advancing beyond the German second line of trenches was another matter, however. Rawlinson had hoped that the rapid initial success would demoralize the Germans entirely. However, this was not the case, especially since the Germans coincidentally had fresh reserves that arrived in the area on the same day and could be used for counterattacks. Although the third German line was relatively far removed, there were still individual strongpoints and makeshift smaller lines that blocked further British advances. Rawlinson had cavalry ready to exploit the success, but they took some time to cross shell-pocked no-man’s land, and could not get into action until 5PM. Some Indian cavalry detachments did eventually charge through a wheatfield, and actually impaled sixteen Germans on their lances. However, when proceeding into High Wood, they quickly ran into more determined fire. Lt. F.W. Beadle recalled:

It was an incredible sight, an unbelievable sight, they galloped up with heir lances and pennants flying, up the slope to High Wood and straight into it….They simply galloped on through all that and horses and men dropping on the ground, with no hope against the machine-guns….It was an absolute rout. A magnificent sight. Tragic.

Newspaper article: Indian cavalrymen round up Germans 



The cavalry soon dismounted and took cover, after losing ten men and 138 horses as casualties. This was the first and only use of cavalry at the Somme.

Photo: German prisoners captured by the British during the Battle of Bazentin Ridge



Eastern Front

End of Battle of Baranovichi.

East African campaign

British force under General Sir C. Crewe captures Mwanza, on Lake Victoria Nyanza.

Aerial operations: Unusual Assistance

Today the British XV and XIII Corps launched an attack on the German Trenches between Longueval and Bazentin-le-Petit Wood. Aircraft had carried out their now customary role of photographing the objecrtives and registering artillery fire in preparation for the attack.Today, however they were asked to carry out some unsual activities to assist the attack.

The initial assault made at 3.25 a.m. took the enemy by surprise`; the first line of trenches was entered with little opposition and the men pushed on rapidly to the support lines. Low clouds made contact patrols a hazardous task and Captain John Upton Kelly and his observer 2nd Lieutenant Hepworth Ambrose Vyvian Hill from 9 Squadron were hit by a shell. Kelly was badly wounded but Kelly was able to nurse the aircraft back over the lines where it crashed. Other 9 Squadron aircraft flew low and were able to ascertain that the infantry had made progress and cavalry were brought up to forward positions.

The possibility of cavalry coming into action after the long stagnation of trench warfare was calculated to depress the enemy as much as it would electrify the British troops. HQ ordered that an aeroplane fly over the lines at around 10.30am and send out the following special message, knowing that it would be picked up by the Germans:

‘Enemy second line of defence has been captured on a front of 6,000 yards. British cavalry is now passing through in pursuit of the demoralized enemy.’

As it turned out this was a bit of an exaggeration but Cavalry did attack later in the day.

Further contact patrols revealed that by 4pm British troops had captured most of Longueval and Bazentin-le-Petit. The 7th Division was then ordered to attack High Wood with the Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade in support on their right flank. A Morane monoplane of 3 Squadron with Captain Allister Mackintosh Miller, and 2nd Lieutenant Cuthbert William Short spotted German infantry were scattered in readiness in the standing crops. Captain Miller therefore dived and flew three hundred feet over the heads of the Germans raking them with machine gun fire to draw their fire and reveal their positions and distract their attention from the advancing troops. The Morane was badly shot up and had to return home but not before Miller rapidly sketched the disposition of the German infantry and dropped the plan on the cavalry in a message bag.

‘This sketch of the enemy’s position’, said the cavalry commander, ‘ was of the greatest value to my gunners.’ Making the most of their rare opportunity they charged down on their enemy, spearing sixteen of them and capturing another thirty-two. When darkness came they fell back slightly and began the consolidation of a line linking up with the XHI Corps at Longueval.

The 7th Division advanced into High Wood at about 8.40 p.m., where their red flares, seen through the trees, were promptly reported by a contact patrol observer of No. 3 Squadron. The division worked through the night at the task of clearing the wood.

Newspaper drawing: South African and German soldiers at close quarters



Naval operations: North Sea

British submarine H-5 torpedoes U-51 off the Ems River estuary. U-51 is just departing for her first war patrol. Kptlt Walter Rumpel and 33 crew lost, 4 survivors.

Werner Fürbinger, in UB-39, finds another fishing fleet and sinks British trawlers BED ADEN, 176 tons; BUTE, 176 tons; RECORDER, 149 tons; and drifters GIRLS FRIEND, 55 tons and LANGLEY CASTLE, 93 tons. His score is now 21 vessels and 2,448 tons.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Walter Forstmann, in U-39, moving westward from Tunisia along the Algerian coastline, sinking British freighters SS ANTIGUA, 2,876 tons, carrying a load of iron ore from La Goulette to Middlesbrough; and SS ENCCLESIA, 3,714 tons, travelling from Norfolk, Virginia, USA to Taranto, Italy. Forstmann's score is now 79 ships and 191,886 tons.

Naval operations: Adriatic Sea

Austro-Hungaria torpedo boats A65 and A66 sink Italian submarine RM BALILLA, 728 tons, off Lissa Island.

Naval operations: German East Africa

British monitor HMS SEVERN continues shelling of houses in the Tanga area, supported by a seaplane and balloon from HMS MANICA.

Day 717 of the Great War, July 16th 1916

Western Front: The Somme: Attack on Pozières

The British launched an attack on Pozières, a village that dominated a ridge on the Somme. British aviation had played a crucial role in the days before at spotting German troops. Air power not only scouted, it also did an excellent job of demoralizing German soldiers. One British airplane flew over the enemy lines, broadcasting a radio message it knew would be picked up by the enemy: “Enemy second line of defence has been captured on a front of 6,000 yards. British cavalry is now passing through in pursuit of the demoralised enemy.” This report was intended to spread panic in the German lines. Aviators also took more direct action. Lieutenant T.L.W. Stallibrass, a Royal Flying Corps observer, recorded in his log book that on July 14: “A large force of Hun infantry were entrenched in a road running S.S.E. from High Wood. Fortunately a British aeroplane from No. 3 Squadron spotted the infantry and descended to 500 feet and flew up and down the line strafing them with a Lewis gun.”

German soldiers cursed British flyers as well as their own, who could do nothing to stop British scouts and raiders. On July 16, however, the weather played in Germany’s favor by supplying a fine mist and a constant drizzle which prevented the British from conducting any aerial reconnaissance. The Germans used the cover to build new machine-gun posts on Pozières ridge. British artillery, unaware of them, did not destroy them in the preliminary barrage. The safe machine-gunners drove off the British attack in a hail of lead.

Photo: Australian artillerymen load their heavy howitzer



Eastern Front

Sakharov drives Austrians back on to the Lipa, captures Mikhailovka, makes 13,000 prisoners.

Arab Revolt: Britain sends Egyptian help to the Arab Revolt

In western Arabia, Sharif Hussein of Mecca is leading an Arab Revolt against the Turks. Hussein’s followers are struggling somewhat, as the Turkish troops are better equipped and trained than the irregulars who have rallied to the rebel cause. The Sharif has cleared the Turks from Mecca itself but the Turks remain firmly established in Medina and Ta’if.

With the assistance of the British navy, the rebels managed to secure the port of Jeddah. Now the rebels are receiving a steady flow of arms and gold from the British. Nevertheless, the rebels lack the training to take on the Turks in conventional warfare. The British are wary of sending troops to assist them, as the presence of infidel troops in the land of the Prophet could turn Muslim opinion against Sharif Hussein. Instead they despatch Muslim artillerymen from the Egyptian army to assist the rebels. Nominally independent, Egypt is effectively a British protectorate, so the British can send its armed forces wherever they want.

The Egyptians are deployed at Ta’if, where they begin to bombard the town’s defences. The town is strongly fortified, but with the Egyptians’ help the rebels should be able to eventually force its surrender.

Mexican Border War: 50,000 National Guard on Mexican Border

The tensions between the United States and Mexico, which had nearly broken out into war last month, were by now winding down. The Mexican government today issued a statement saying that “the differences which have arisen between the United States and Mexico may be considered as satisfactorily settled.” The United States government thought the statement a bit premature, but certainly wanted to avoid an outbreak of hostilities. Nonetheless, the National Guard was still being mobilized to guard the frontier against any further raids by Villistas, or against Mexico in the event of war.

Already, as of July 16, over 53,000 National Guardsmen were on the Mexican frontier, with another 30,000 around the country waiting for orders. In New York, the infantry was ready at Fort Hamilton (in Brooklyn), and the artillery and other units at Fort Totten (in Queens). Manpower for the regular Army was still well below what was desired to be at war readiness, and General Leonard Wood authorized and urged the National Guard to recruit troops for the regular Army, but making especially sure new recruits met the standards for physical fitness and were free of communicable diseases.

Aerial operations: Night bombing

During the night, 15 aircraft from 4, 9 and 15 Squadrons bombed the enemy front line with 20 pound bombs, without loss. Their colleagues form 18 Squadron were not so lucky when 2nd Lieutenant Harold Winstone Butterworth and Captain John Helias Finnie McEwen were shot down by ground fire in their FE2b (5233 ) whilst on another night bombing mission to Sallaumines. Butterworth was killed in the crash and McEwen was taken prisoner.

13 BE2cs from 8, 12 and 13 Squadrons also bombed the railway junction at St Leger dropping 26 112lb bombs. Much smoke and flames ensued but it is unclear if much damage was done.

Naval operations: North Sea

Otto Dröscher, commanding U-78, begins his career with the capture of Swedish freighter SS VIDAR, 2,178 tons, as a prize. The Prize Court releases the ship back to its owners.

British freighters ALTO, 2,266 tons, travelling in ballast from Rouen to Newcastle, and MOPSA, 885 tons, carrying a load of coal from Goole to Boulogne, both hit mines laid by Kurt Ramien in UC-1. His score is now 9 ships and 19,360 tons.

Naval operations: Baltic Sea

Russian submarine Vepr sinks German freighter SS SYRIA, 3,597 tons.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Leading u-boat ace Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks three more ships:
British freighter SS EUPHORBIA, 3,837 tons, bound from Calcutta for London with a general cargo.
Italian freighter SS SIRRA, 3,203 tons, travelling from Naples to New York with an unnamed cargo.
British freighter SS wiltonhall, 3,387 tons, carrying a general cargo from Bombay to Hull.
Forstmann's score is now 83 ships and 203,667 tons.

Karl Palis, in UB-45, begins his career with the sinking of British freighter SS VIRGINIA, 4,279 tons, carrying a load of salt from Torrevieja to Calcutta, off Cape Matapan, Greece.

Naval operations: German East Africa

British Monitor HMS SEVERN tows lighter with parts to build lighthouse at Kwale Bay.

Day 719 of the Great War, July 18th 1916

Western Front

North of Ovillers British advance on 1,000 yards front.

Germans make strong counter-attacks at Longueval and Delville Wood; retake part of latter.

Germans again repulsed at Biaches (Somme).

For third day, close fighting round Fleury (Verdun).

Eastern Front

German seaplanes drop bombs on Reval (G. of Bothnia).

Sakharov continues pressure against Austrians; drives them south of the Lipa.

Caucasus campaign

In Armenia, Russians continue advance; capture Kighi, an important junction on Erzerum-Baiburt road.

United Kingdom/Saudi relations: UK Ratifies Treaty with Saudis

Britain’s attempts to recruit Arab opposition to the Ottomans was not solely confined to the Hashemites. The British had also sent agents into Nejd in the interior of Arabia, where the Ottomans had little direct influence but had long-standing enemies in the House of Saud. The Saudis had been busy fighting the largely pro-Ottoman House of Rashid, though they had suffered a setback in early 1915 at the Battle of Jarrab, at which the British advisor to the Saudis, William Shakespear, was killed. Despite Shakespear’s death, negotiations continued, and by the end of the year the British and the Saudis had drawn up a treaty.

The Treaty of Darin, ratified by the British on July 18, 1916, gave official diplomatic recognition to the Saudis (a first for them), making them a protectorate of the United Kingdom. It also delineated the border between the Saudis and the other British protectorates in Kuwait, Qatar, and Trucial Oman [now the United Arab Emirates]. The British would supply the Saudis with arms and money, and in return the Saudis would continue fighting the Rashids and their Ottoman backers. Notably not mentioned in the treaty were the Hashemites, who between the drawing up of the treaty and its ratification had risen up against the Ottomans in Mecca. The Saudis made no guarantees that they would not take action against the Hashemites.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Walter Forstmann, commanding U-39, sinks British freighter SS LLONGWEN, 4,683 tons, en route from Naples to Barry with an unnamed cargo. Forstmann's score is now 86 ships and 216,262 tons.

Karl Palis, in UB-45, torpedoes French freighter SS VILLE DE ROUEN, 4,721 tons, details unknown, south of Cape Matapan, Greece. His score is now 2 ships and 9,000 tons.

Day 721 of the Great War, July 20th 1916

Western Front

Struggle in Longueval and Delville Wood continued.

British advance 1,000 yards between Bazentin and Longueval.

North of Somme French carry enemy trenches from Hardecourt Hill to the river. South, they take enemy first position from Estrees to Vermandovillers, and Barleaux to Soyecourt.

French gain a position south of Fleury (Verdun).

Photo: Advanced guards, covered by a wall, await the advancing enemy at Chaulnes, July 20, 1916)



Eastern Front

Sakharov defeats Austrians on south-west of Lutsk salient; attacks and carries Berestechko.

Heavy fighting on Riga front resumed.

Macedonian front

Demobilisation of the Greek army nearly completed.

Caucasus campaign

Russians continue advance in Armenia; they capture Gumishkhanek, on Trebizond-Erzingan road.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

Turkish aeroplanes bomb Suez and Port Tewfik.

German occupied Belgium: Flemish Movement Organizes in Occupied Belgium

The German occupation of Belgium, while obviously opposed by the vast majority of Belgians, did present some opportunities for political change sought by certain parties. Culturally, the nation before the war had been dominated by French-speakers, despite a sizeable Flemish population in the north. Some Flemish nationalists saw the German occupation as a chance to pursue autonomy for their half of the country. On July 20, the Flemish People’s Party was revived at a meeting in Brussels, and advocated for a federal system for Belgium, similar to Switzerland’s or Austria-Hungary’s, where the Flemish and Walloon halves of the country would each use their own languages and have control over most of their affairs. The party chairman said:

We want to be neither German nor French. We demand a free Flanders. In free Belgium a centralized system is only possible under the maintenance of both languages. Belgium must not emerge from the war as she was before the war. Hence we must begin the struggle now and conduct it until we secure our rights.

The German administration was sympathetic to the Flemish cause, and even actively promoted it (to the worry of many in the movement, who preferred not to be associated with their occupiers). This was in part out of a sense of greater Germanic nationalism, but mostly out of self-interest. An autonomous or independent Flanders would weaken Belgium and could be kept in the German sphere after the war. Additionally, it was hoped that promoting the Flemish cause would gain the Germans support in the Netherlands, as well.

Aerial operations: 23 and 24

Low cloud meant that for much of the day there was little useful activity, but later in the evening activity intensified.

At about 6.15pm four FE2s from 25 Squadron RFC encountered four Fokkers and two biplanes. A fight which lasted for nearly three-quarters of an hour ensued. Eventually one of the Fokkers was driven down and destroyed; a second went away damaged, and the whole formation was dispersed. The only casualty for the RFC was Lancelot Lytton Richardson the pilot of 6932 who was shot through the wrist. His observer 1st Class Air Mechanic LS Court was unharmed.

Between 8 and 9pm an offensive patrol of four DH2s from 24 Squadron encountered 5 LVG.s, 3 Rolands and 3 Fokkers over Flers. Captain Robert Edward Aylmer Weige Hughes-Chamberlain, who led the patrol, first dived at an LVG. which made off east, and he then attacked and drove down a Fokker.. Captain Hughes-Chamberlain was then attacked by a Roland, but he out-manoeuvred it and drove it down. Meanwhile Lieutenant Henry Cope Evans had closed with another Roland which he also drove down out of control. Two Fokkers which attacked Lt Evans nearly collided, and Lt Evans fired his remaining half-drum at an LVG.

Lieutanant Alfred Edwin McKay at a lower altitude, shot down a Roland which fell in a spinning nose-div and was then attacked by a Fokker. His engine was hit and he was forced to dive in a steep spiral. Lieutenant Charles Meredith Bouverie Chapman observing this, dived to the rescue, and engaged the Fokker at 1,000 feet over High Wood. The hostile machine fell to the ground and burst into flames. Eventually all the hostile machines were either driven down or driven off east – except one Fokker which tried to manouevre on to Captain Hughes-Chamberlain’s tail. He climbed in a spiral to attack, and the last of the hostile formation was driven off. This fight was witnessed by Lieutenant Bernard Tarrant Coller and 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Earle Gordon Scaife of 9 Squadron, who confirms the destruction of three machines. They also claim to have shot down a Fokker in flames over Bazentin-le Petit.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Walter Forstmann, commanding U-39, sinks another series of Allied ships, all north of Algiers:

French freighter SS CETTOIS, 974 tons.
British freighter SS GRANGEMOOR, 3,198 tons, travelling in ballast from Genoa to Baltimore, captured and then sunk with the deck gun.
British freighter SS KARMA, 3,710 tons, bound from Tyne to Portoferralo with a load of coal.
British freighter SS YZER, 3,538 tons, travelling in ballast from Cette to Gibraltar.
Forstmann's score is now 90 ships and 227,862 tons.

Day 723 of the Great War, July 22nd 1916

Western Front

British attack along whole front from Pozieres to Guillemont; violent fighting

French aeroplanes bomb Mulheim (Rhine) and other German towns.[

Eastern Front

Austrians, retreating before Sakharov, begin to evacuate Brody.

Italian Front

Italian success in the Dolomites; they take and consolidate the Rolle Pass.

Russia: Exit Sazonov

Sergei Sazonov has been Russia’s foreign minister since 1910. He played his part in the crisis that led to this war’s outbreak and continued to guide his country’s foreign policy afterwards. Russian politics has become increasingly tense since then, with arch-conservatives facing off against those who favour a more liberal course. Sazonov is on the liberal side, but the conservatives are in the ascendant, as they have the support of Tsarina Alexandra and Rasputin, her spiritual advisor.

In an effort to bolster foreign support for Russia, Sazonov has come up with a plan to offer Poland autonomy after the war. This could also undercut German and Austro-Hungarian efforts to recruit Poles into their armies. He puts his proposal to the Tsar, who is probably unsure what to make of it. The Tsarina however is furious, seeing Polish home rule as a dangerous concession too far. She reminds her husband of his duty to maintain his autocratic rule. And so the Tsar acts, dismissing Sazonov from the government.

Caricature: a Russian made caricature of Rasputin and the Imperial couple (1916)



United States: Bomb at San Francisco Preparedness Parade Kills 10

The preparedness movement, advocating American readiness for war, had advocates all across the country. San Francisco held a Preparedness Day parade on July 22, featuring over 50,000 marchers, including soldiers, 52 bands, and members of over 2000 organizations. This was the largest parade in San Francisco history at the time. About a half hour into the parade, at 2:06, a pipe bomb exploded along the parade route near the Ferry building, killing 10 and injuring 40.

There was little evidence to tie to any particular suspect, with eyewitness accounts generally confused and contradictory. Attention quickly fell on noted anarchists Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, in San Francisco at the time; Berkman was well known for his use of “propaganda of the deed,” including a failed assassination attempt on Henry Clay Frick over twenty years earlier. However, the police could find nothing linking him to the bombing, and the investigation soon turned to two local radical labor leaders, Thomas Mooney and Warren Billings.

Both men had a poor reputation in the town, even among the rest of the labor movement, and both were well-versed in the use of explosives and had been suspected of using dynamite to sabotage operations during earlier strikes. The two were tried in late 1916 and early 1917 and sentenced to death; however, it soon became apparent that the evidence used against them was shaky (with one supposed eyeball witness not even in the city at the time) and under pressure from President Wilson, their sentences were commuted; they would not be pardoned until 1939. The actual of the identity of the bomber remains unknown to this day; suspects include associates of Berkman, and Mario Buda, later a suspect in the 1920 Wall Street bombing.

YouTube (A pro-preparedness film showing scenes from the parade and (at 5:00) the aftermath of the bombing)



Aerial operations: I need more fighters

Poor weather once again reduced flying on the Western Front to a minimum. Since the start of the off3ensive on 1 July, the Officer Commanding RFC Hugh Trenchard has pursued offensive tactics in an attempt to deny the German’s control of the skies. THis has mostly been succesful, albeit at a cost in machines and aircrew.

Interrogated prisoners have spread rumours that Oswald Boelcke is back on the Western Front in the British sector.

Trenchard today wrote to the General Officeer Commanding British Expeditionary Force Douglas Haig that there had been a noticeable increase in German air activity over the last few days and that he believed the enemy was about to make an attempt to challenge the RFC’s superiority above the Somme battlefield.

Given this, he reiterated his message requesting more fighter squadrons to ensure superiority could be maintained.

Naval operations: North Sea

Hans Valentiner, commanding UB-37, comes across a group of small sailing vessels all carrying pit props to West Hartlepool. Sunk are Norwegian vessels BAMS, 308 tons, out of Sandefjord; JUNO, 355 tons, sailing from Drammen; and SUBRA, 580 tons, out of Porsgrund; also Swedish vessels PREFERENCE, 222 tons, from Göteborg; and IDA, 302 tons, from Krisiania to Tyne. Valentiner's score is now 22 ships and 12,153 tons.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks British freighters SS KNUTSFORD, 3,842 tons, carrying a load of zinc ore from Tunis to Baltimore; and SS OLIVE, 3,678 tons, travelling from Algiers to Salonca with a load of hay. His score is now. 93 ships and 237,825 tons.

Naval operations: German East Africa

British monitor HMS MERSEY fires six lyddite rounds at Ras Upanga.

Naval operations: Launch of the ISAAC PERAL class submarine, built in the U.S. for the Spanish Navy