The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 756 of the Great War, August 24th 1916

Western Front

Further British advance towards Thiepval (northern Somme).

Hard fighting east and north-east edge of Delville Wood, ground gained and prisoners taken.

German attacks west of Ginchy (Somme) driven off.

French capture whole of Maurepas and repulse violent German counter-attacks south of village.

Italian Front

Italian progress in Dolomites.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Caucasus campaign

Mush (Armenia) recaptured by Russians and 2,300 prisoners taken on way to Mosul.

Naval operations: North Sea

Paul Hundius, commanding UB-16, sinks Norwegian coaster SS VELOX, 312 tons, bound from Rotterdam for London with a general cargo. This brings his score to 5 ships and 7,179 tons.

Naval operations: Gulf of Lyon

Max Valentiner, in U-38, sinks Norwegian freighter SS ISDALEN, 2,275 tons, travelling from Hull to Genoa with a load of coal; and Belgian freighter SS LIEGOEISE, 3,895 tons, carrying a load of coal from Newport, Momnouthshire, Wales to Genoa. His score is now 93 ships and 200,490 tons.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Claus Rücker, in U-34, stops and scuttles brigantine ALIX, 141 tons, carrying 246 tons of phosphate from Bône to Naples; and brigantine ANGELINA, also en route from Bône to Naples with a load of wood. His score is now 48 ships and 124,814 tons.

Day 758 of the Great War, August 26th 1916

Western Front

British take a short length of German trench north of Bazentin-le-Petit (Somme).

Eastern Front

Russians make slight advance towards Halicz (Galicia).

Macedonia Front

Activity on left flank of Salonika front.

Serbs beat off Bulgar counter-attacks north-west of Kukuruz and progress in Ostrovo region.

General Moschopoulos appointed Chief of Greek General Staff in place of General Dusmanis.

Aerial operations: French Planes Reach Bucharest Via Russia

Although the Allies were hopeful that Romanian entry would shift the balance in Europe, they acknowledged that Romania’s armed forces were not up to the same standards of the Great Powers that had been at war for the last two years. In particular, Romania’s air force was outmatched by the Central Powers’. The Romanians had developed an small air force during the Second Balkan War, but had fallen behind the rapid expansion and technological development conducted by both sides during the war. The war also made it difficult for Romania to purchase aircraft, as the belligerents needed the aircraft themselves.

By August 1916, the Romanian Air Corps had no more than around 30 aircraft, all obsolete and unarmed. The Allies realized this, and began slowly sending more planes their way. On August 26, two planes arrived in Bucharest, having traveled from Verdun via London, neutral Oslo, and Archangel. These, too, were also obsolete, and the Romanians requested an additional 50 pilots and 55 aircraft. The Allies slowly complied, and began that fall to fly planes to Romania from Salonika over enemy Bulgaria.

Aerial operations: N-n-n-nineteen

19 Squadron RFC, which had only arrived in France on 31 July with the new BE12, was decimated today following a bombing raid on the Havrincourt Wood area, reported to be concealing German troops.

Six aircraft took off to bomb the wood and reached their target easily enough. As was often the case, bad weather rather than enemy aircraft intervened on the return journey. A large storm appeared and scattered the aircraft, with only one making it back. The remainder were disoriented and attempted to land on enemy aerodromes – no one is sure out of necessity or mistake.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Max Valentiner, commanding U-38, has moved to the area south of Formentera Island, where he captures and scuttles Italian freighter SS ATLANTICO, 3,069 tons, bound from Buenos Aires for Genoa with a load of wheat. His score is now 96 ships and 206,792 tons.

Day 760 of the Great War, August 28th 1916

Western Front

Artillery activity on Somme front.

French gain ground south-east of Thiaumont work and repulse German attacks against Fleury and against a position near Vaux Fort (Verdun).

Photo: A photo of the French village of Pozières taken 28 August 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The photo is taken from south of the Albert-Bapaume road looking north through the remains of the back gardens. The remains of an Australian trench are in the immediate foreground. The German concrete strongpoint, known as "Gibraltar", is visible on the horizon to the right



Photo: View from "Centre Way" trench on the plateau north of Pozières looking east towards the first trench of the German second position, known as "Old German 1" or "OG1", which runs along the horizon. On the horizon above the "Centre Way" trench is the ruins of the Pozières windmill on the Albert-Bapaume road, marking the highest point on the ridge. A shell is seen exploding on the horizon at the right. The photo was taken on 28 August 1916



Photo: a scene in Sausage Valley near Contalmaison, 28 August 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. Sausage Valley was the main route to the front line during the fighting around Pozières. The truck is a Rolls-Royce Phantom and on the far side of the road are field kitchens



Photo: A fatigue party from the Australian 7th Brigade (Australian 2nd Division) pass the former German bunker known as "Gibraltar" at the western end of Pozières, 28 August 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. The infantry are laden with empty sandbags, heading towards the fighting around Mouquet Farm, north of Pozières



Eastern Front

Romanians and Austrians in contact in the passes of the Transylvanian Alps. Austrians withdraw north of Kronstadt.

Poster: British poster, welcoming Romania's decision to join the Entente



Austrian monitors bombard Romanian towns on the Danube.

Macedonia Front

Serbians progress east of Cherna River.

Caucasus campaign

Encounters take place south of Erzerum (Armenia).

Mesopotamia campaign

General Maude succeeds General Lake as Commander-in-Chief in Mesopotamia.

Italy: Italy Declares War on Germany

When Italy had agreed to enter the war in April 1915, they had agreed to declare war on all of the Central Powers within a month. However, they only declared war on their immediate neighbor and rival, the Austrians. They eventually did declare war on the Ottomans in August 1915, but, over a year later, had still not declared war against Germany. This was presumably because Italy feared German troops showing up on the front. However, they already had; since almost the very beginning of the war, German troops had served in the Tyrol, though they did not take part in any offensives. The situation was even more farcical at sea. German submarines operating in the Mediterranean still sank Italian shipping, though they made sure to hastily raise the Austrian flag when operating against Italian vessels. This had led to the United States protesting to the Austrian government after a German submarine using an Austrian flag sank an Italian passenger liner, killing 25 American citizens.

This embarrassing situation finally came to an end on August 28, 1916. Germany had declared war on Romania in response to their invasion of Transylvania. Italy, a long-time ally of the Romanians, at last declared war on Germany in response. This allowed them to seize a few long-interned German ships, but more importantly ended the pressure from their allies to declare war on Germany. Some German U-boats, however, continued the use of Austrian flags despite the ruse no longer being necessary; they thought it would be suspicious if most “Austrian” U-boats suddendly disappeared from the Mediterranean. Mote importantly, they had found it useful to confuse the enemy, preventing them from obtaining a reliable count of the number of U-boats in the Mediterranean.

Aerial operations: Stealth Airship

Earlier this year, the War office decided to look into the use of a stealth airship for covert night operations and reconnaissance. Since March, two young pilots – Sub Lieutenant William Phillip Clutterbuck Chambers and Midshipman Victor Goddard have been carrying out experiments in night flying using Airship SS13 at the Polegate Royal Naval Airship Station.

At the same time, the Airship SS40 had its envelope and fuselage painted black, and upon delivery to RNAS Polegate, further modifications were made by the crew including fitting a silencer to the engine and building a hand operated air blower to pump air into the ballonettes for keeping the balloon inflated whilst the ship drifted with engines cut. The also made special hoods to shield its landing lights.

At the end of June 1916 Staff Officers from the War Office travelled to Willingdon to witness a night time demonstration. Chambers piloted the ship for this first flight with Goddard acting as navigator. It set off circling around Eastbourne and the surrounding villages, returning after 40 minutes. This first flight was not without its problems as the rudder jammed and only by making a series of long loops, opening the throttle fully and immediately throttling back did they eventually arrive back at Polegate missing the landing party who had to dash after the ship to secure it.

The ship was subsequently sent to France on 6 July for testing at Naval Airship Detachment No 4, and over the next month, Goddard and Chambers carried out test flights over enemy lines. THe ship then returned to RNAS Kingsnorth to have a large gusset fitted the length of the envelope increasing the gas capacity to 8,300 cubic feet, enabling her to fly at higher altitudes.

Tonight, the ship carried out its first official reconnaissance over enemy lines flying at a height of 8000 feet for about 4 hours. Unsurprisingly, the height and the darkness means that little of value was reported.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Claus Rücker, commanding U-34, scuttles Italian barque GORGONA, 861 tons, bound from Swansea for Savona with a load of patent fuel. His score is now 51 ships and 129,973 tons.

Naval operations: German East Africa

British battleship HMS VENGEANCE and cruisers CHALLENGER again fire on Dar-Es-Salaam. CHALLENGER cruises close to shore in an attempt to draw enemy fire.

Day 762 of the Great War, August 30th 1916

Western Front

Somme, Bavarians surrender south of Martinpuich.

At the Somme, 2 German officers and 124 men surrender to the British, saying they were tired of the fighting.

Italian Front

Tepelini (Albania) occupied by Italians.

Venizelist revolution at Salonika.

East Africa campaign

Germans retire from Morogoro (German East Africa) over Ruwu river.

Turkey

Turkey declares war on Romania.

Greece: Pro-Allied Coup in Salonika

The recent Bulgarian push into Greece had enraged many in the country. Bulgaria now occupied most of Greek territory east of the River Struma, land only recently won by Greece in the Balkan Wars earlier in the decade. Of course, the Allies also occupied Salonika and the surrounding area, but the Bulgarian occupation was of a different character; the two countries had fought over the area three years earlier, and the Greek troops in the area had been interned and sent to Germany, tantamount to being prisoners of war. The Greek Army had been ordered by the King to provide no resistance to the Bulgarians (or the Allies); this was viewed as a humiliation by many officers. The presence of the Serbian Army and government in Salonika also worried many; some feared that unless Greece cooperated, the Allies would hand over Salonika to the Serbians.

Many officers wanted to defend Greece against the Bulgarians, and the only seeming way to do so was to join the Allies. Individual soldiers had volunteered and were accepted by the French, but there had been no mass defections as of yet. On August 29th, a Lt. Colonel tried to lead an artillery battalion to the front to help the Allies, but was stopped by infantry companies from the Greek III Corps. In response, the next day, Cretan gendarmes, loyal to pro-Allied former PM Venizelos, blockaded the III Corps headquarters. They declared the creation of a National Defense Committee, dedicated to defending the country from the Bulgarian invasion. A brief firefight between the Cretans and soldiers loyal to the King ensued, before being broken up by the French.

Sarrail welcomed this show of pro-Allied sentiment, and quickly interned the loyal troops. He announced that any Greek soldiers who would not join the National Defense Committee would be returned to southern Greece, outside of the zone of occupation; most would not ultimately join. Pro-Allied Greek soldiers from outside Salonika began to arrive in the coming days. Venizelos himself, not sure if he wanted to break with the King so openly, remained in Athens for the time being.

Aerial operations: Hunters

The expansion of the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front, coupled with the offensive strategy of its commander Hugh Trenchard and that of the French, has left the German Air Service at a distinct disadvantage. This has become increasingly obvious during the current Battles at Verdun and on the Somme. The advantage that the German’s enjoyed during the “Fokker Scourge” has been lost.

In an effort to combat this, the German Air Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomsen, decided to reorganise the fighting units into special pursuit
squadrons – Jagdstaffeln (Jasta). The Jasta’s responsibility will be to:

(i) To overcome the superiority of the enemy in the air on the Somme

(ii) To make it possible at any time to counter-balance the constantly increasing numerical superiority of the enemy at least temporarily and on certain sectors of the front.

The German Air Service already had some fighter only units in place with the Kampfeinsitzer Kommando (KEK), single-seat battle units that had been formed in February 1916.

The plan now is to greatly expand the number of fighter squadrons. In addition to this, these units will be equipped with the latest fighters and manned by carefully selected officers who have already proved their fighting worth on active service.

The officers are also to undergo a special course at the single-seater fighting schools in Grossenhain(Saxony) and Paderborn (Westphalia) and then passed on to an advanced fighting school at Valenciennes. They will complete training at their units.

Jasta 2 was mobilized today under the command of Oswald Boelcke, joining 5 others:

Jasta 1 – Martin Zander – 22 August
Jasta 3 – Ewald von Mellinthin – 10 August
Jasta 4 – Rudolph Berthold – 25 August
Jasta 5 – Hans Behr – 21 August
Jasta 6 – Josef Wulff – 28 August

Jasta 7 was formed on 23 August under Fritz von Bronsart-Schellendorf, but has not yet been mobilised.

Naval operations: Gulf of Bothnia

Heinrich Metzger, commanding U-47, sinks Finnish passenger/cargo ship SS WELLAMO, 1,050 tons, bound from Sundsvall, Sweden for Yxpila, Finland, with passengers and a general cargo. This is his first sinking.

Naval operations: Balearic Sea

Max Valentiner, commanding U-38, sinks Italian sailing ship NOSTRA SIGNORA DELLA GUARDIA, 1,588 tons, travelling from Philadelphia to Savona with an unnamed cargo. His score is now 100 ships and 211,444 tons.

Day 764 of the Great War, September 1st 1916

YouTube (Romania Joins The War)



Western Front

High Wood (Somme front), four German attacks failed.

Photo: A shell being loaded into a 15 inch howitzer



Photo: A Canadian gunner chalking messages on to 15-inch howitzer shells



Photo: an officer lecturing to Northumberland Fusiliers in a reserve trench at Thiepval



Romanian Campaign

Romanians capture Hermannstadt.

Eastern Front

Fresh successful Russian advance in Volhynia.

Macedonia Front

Bulgars in possession of 17 Greek forts.

Bulgaria: Bulgaria Declares War on Romania

Bulgaria declared war on its Balkan neighbor on September 1, eager to settle scores from the Second Balkan War three years earlier, which had pitted it against the rest of the peninsula. Romania’s advance into Transylvania proved short-lived, whereas its troops could have been a massive aid to the Russian soldiers in the Carpathians. Former German Chief of the Army Staff Erich von Falkenhayn arrived on the Eastern Front to take command of the German Ninth Army, which would attack Romania from the north with help from the Austrians, while the Bulgarians would attack from the south. Romania was geographically vulnerable to a two-pronged attack.

Aerial operations: Turkish Planes Bomb Port Said

Although the last Turkish attempt to threaten the Suez Canal by land failed, they were still able to attack it from the air; planes did not need large amounts of water to traverse the Sinai. On September 1, two German-made and -flown planes, based in El Arish, bombed Port Said, along the Suez Canal, killing 10 and injuring 36. One of the bombs struck the seaplane carrier RAVEN II (a converted German freighter), knocking it out of action for the time being. The RAVEN II had been scheduled for operations in the Red Sea to aid the Arab Revolt, but these plans had to be cancelled.

Aerial operations: Cranwell

Back in April, the Admiralty established RNAS Cranwell as the central training school for the RNAS. At that time they also set up a committee of senior officers to reconsider the whole system of training in the Royal Naval Air Service.

The committee reported in July, and the most important of their recommendations is that all matters relating to the training of pupils at the preliminary schools should be placed under the direction and supervision of the commanding officer at Cranwell.

This change was implemented today and Commodore Godfrey Paine assumed responsibility for the training of pilots at Cranwell, Eastbourne, Chingford, Eastchurch, Redcar, Windermere, Calshot, and Vendome (France).

As a consequence, the position of Inspecting Captain of Air Training is no longer required and Wing Commander H. D. Briggs, who had taken over the appointment in January 1916, and had been responsible for much of the reorganization of naval air training, was given command of the new school at Vendome.

Naval operations: North Sea

Hans Degetau, commanding UB-17, captures and scuttles Dutch coaster SS ZEEAREND, 462 tons, bound from Rotterdam for London carrying a load of piece goods. This is Degetau's first sinking.

Norwegian freighter SS DRONNING MAUD, 1,102 tons, carrying a load of cement from London to Kem, hits a mine laid by Kurt Ramien in UC-1. His score is now 15 ships and 22,518 tons.

Naval operations: Balearic Sea

Claus Rücker, in U-34, sinks two ships near Majorca:
British freighter SS BARON YARBOROUGH, 1,784 tons, carrying a load of coal from Glasgow to Savona.
Italian brigantine GIUSEPPE, 180 tons, route and cargo unknown.
Rücker's score is now 57 ships and 136,249 tons.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Max Valentiner, in U-38, sinks two vessels near Algiers:
Italian sailing vessel SAN FRANCESCO DI PAOLA, 68 tons.
British freighter SS SWIFT WINGS, 4,465 tons, travelling from Cardiff to an unlisted destination with a load of coal and petrol.
Valentiner's score is now 105 ships and 225,893 tons.

Naval operations: German East Africa

British light cruiser HMS HYACINTH continues the bombardment of the wreck of German merchant SS KONIG, which is blocking the entrance to the harbor at Dar-Es-Salaam.

Day 766 of the Great War, September 3rd 1916

Western Front

Somme front, Ginchy and all Guillemont, with many prisoners, captured by British.

Le Forest village, east of Maurepas, Clery-sur-Somme and German trenches taken by French.

Thirteen airships raided English eastern counties, one brought down at Cuffley, Essex.

Photo: British troops stacking salvaged Lee Enfield rifles at Aveluy, September 1916. These would be sent back to base, stripped and cleaned and reissued



British defeat Prussian Guard attack at Thiepval.

Photo: Column of lorries with men of the 16th Irish Division (probably mixture of troops of various regiments of the 47th Brigade) going back for a rest after taking Guillemont, 3 September 1916. They are passing by the "Minden Post" on the Fricourt-Maricourt road, west-south-west of Carnoy



Photo: German prisoners carrying one of British wounded after the taking of Guillemont. Chimpanzee Valley, near Montauban. 3 September 1916



Eastern Front

Near Orsova on Danube, Austrians withdraw to west bank of Cherna.

The Dobruja entered by German and Bulgarian troops.

Russians close to Zlota Lipa capture position near Brzezany, taking many prisoners, Russian success near Dorna Vatra (Carp.).

Macedonian Front

Constanza (Romania) bombed.

Greece: Pro-Allied Coup in Salonika

Greek politics, which had been rocky since the start of the war, (resulting in the so-called National Schism) came to a head at the end of August 1916, when military officers in the city of Thessalonica rebelled against the royal government and established a pro-Allied splinter regime called the Provisional Government of National Defense. The coup plotters, along with many other Greeks, were enraged at the neutrality of their royal government, which had allowed Bulgarian soldiers to seize an important border fort and allowed an Allied occupation of the north of the country, as well as a naval blockade at sea. Liberal former Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos for the moment chose to remain in Athens.

Burning to stop what they felt were grave humiliations, some Greek soldiers in Salonika had deserted to fight in the French army. An artillery officer lead the first mass defection on August 29, when he tried to bring his entire regiment over to the Allies, but was halted by Greek infantry loyal to the crown. When Venizelist gendarmes from Crete blockaded the headquarters of loyalist Greek troops in the area, a short skirmish broke out. the French commander of the Allied army in Greece, Maurice Sarrail, interned the loyalist troops and announced his support for the rebels, who formed their own government the next day, called the Provisional Government of the National Defense. Sarrail expelled Greek soldiers who would not join the coup, and on September 2, the first major pro-Allied Greek formation arrived in the city, forming the first battalions of the splinter regime.

East Africa campaign

Dar-es-Salaam, capital of German East Africa, surrenders to British Naval Forces.

Aerial operations: First Airship Shot Down Over Britain

The German Army and Navy launched the largest Zeppelin raid of the war on the evening of September 2, with sixteen airships headed for London. However, storms and snow scattered the airships; two had to turn back before reaching Britain, while the remainder arrived over an area stretching from Dover to Hull. They dropped around 16 tons of bombs on England, inflicting minor damage, killing 4 civilians and wounding 12. Only one airship, the SL11, made it to London, where she was dramatically illuminated by searchlights. Anti-aircraft guns fired on her, but were ineffectual. Three fighters scrambled after her, as well. The use of night fighters was new, as was their weaponry: a machine gun with an interrupter gear and incendiary bullets.

2nd Lt. Leefe Robinson, piloting one of the B.E.2c aircraft, flew up to 11,000 feet and emptied three drums of ammunition into the airship at 2:25 AM. Shortly afterwards, a fire erupted near the stern, quickly engulfing the airship. The conflagration was quickly seen by four naval Zeppelins to the north, which quickly dropped their bombs and headed back to Germany. It was also visible from the ground for up to 50 miles; it is estimated that millions of Britons saw the airship plummet to earth. All 16 on board the airship were killed; the wreckage was displayed as an effective propaganda tool in London. Robinson would receive a VC for his efforts, the first for actions performed in Britain. The German Army lost interest in bombing Britain after the loss of the SL11, though the Navy would continue for the rest of the war.

Postcard: British propaganda postcard. Text reads: "The End of the 'Baby-Killer'", depicting the demise of Schütte-Lanz SL 11 over Cuffley: shot down by Lieutenant Leefe-Robinson on 3 September 1916 (awarded the VC for this action)



Naval operations: English Channel

Otto Steinbrinck, commanding UB-18, sinks two British coasters off Cap d'Antifer:
NETTA, 370 tons, bound from Rouen for Newcastle in ballast.
TEESBOROUGH, 308 tons, travelling in ballast from Fécamp to London.
Steinbrinck's score is now 65 ships and 44,804 tons.

Ernst Voigt, in UB-23, scuttles French barkentine GENERAL ARCHINARD, 355 tons, bringing his score to 23 ships and 3,854 tons.

Herbert Pustkuchen, in UB-29, sinks two vessels off Beachy Head:
Norwegian freighter SS GOTTHARD, 1,636 tons, carrying a load of pig iron and ammonium sulfate from Middlesbrough to Rouen.
French sailing vessel NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES, 161 tons.
Pustkuchen's score is now 37 ships and 46,584 tons.

Norwegian freighter SS Setesdal, 1,476 tons, carrying a load of coal from Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales to Nentes, France, is lost in a collision with British freighter SS Woolston.

Naval operations: North Sea

British freighter SS MASCOTTE, 1,097 tons, carrying a general cargo from Rotterdam to Leith, hits a mine laid by Otto Ehrentraut in UC-6. His score is now 11 ships and 9,634 tons.

British freighter SS RIEVAUIX ABBEY, 1,166 tons, travelling from Rotterdam to Hull with a general cargo, hits a mine laid by Werner Albrecht in UC-10. His score is now 2 ships and 1,196 tons.

Naval operations: Black Sea

Fritz Wernicke, in UB-42, sinks Russian freighter Black Sea Transport N.48 (ex-PETER DARCY), 731 tons, travelling from Costantza to Odessa with an unnamed cargo. This is Wernicke's first sinking.

Naval operations: Gulf of Tunis

Max Valentiner, in U-38, scuttles Italian sailing vessel VILLA D'ORO, 134 tons, bringing his score to 108 ships and 230,548 tons.

Naval operations: German East Africa

A concerted attack begins on the area around Dar-Es-Salaam, with flagship HMS VENGEANCE directing.
0500 Cruiser HMS CHALLENGER attempts to draw enemy fire.
0515 Whalers CHILDERS, FLY, PICKLE and THISTLE open fire on Konduchi Harbor, cruiser HYACINTH observing.
0615 Seaplane and balloon are sent aloft to direct firing. Cruiser HMS TALBOT opens fire on German positions.
0630 Monitor HMS MERSEY joins SEVERN in bay.
0640 MERSEY and SEVERN open fire on German defenses in Msasani Bay. Squadron opens fire on Dar-Es-Salaam.
All firing is done by 0800. Ships spend the rest of the day covering shore operations.

Day 768 of the Great War, September 5th 1916

Western Front: Battle of Guillemont

In response to Romanian pleas for diversions, the British Fourth Army renewed its attacks on the Somme in early September, falling on the town of Guillemont. Long an objective of British forces, the town fell on that day, although High Wood and the heavily-fortified Schwaben Redoubt remained in German hands after British attacks failed to storm them. The French captured the villages of Cléry and Omiecourt on the banks of the river.

One of the soldiers in action was 36-year-old Tom Kettle, a Professor of National Economics in Dublin and an Irish nationalist who had volunteered to fight, he wrote, “not for England, but for small nations.” The war was taking its toll on him, like many others. That day he wrote to his brother that “I am calm and happy, but desperately anxious to live. If I live I mean to spend the rest of my life working for perpetual peace. I have seen war, and faced modern artillery, and know what an outrage it is against simple men.”

Photo: Men of the 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment gather near Army Service Corps (ASC) lorries after returning from the trenches near Albert, September 1916



Eastern Front

Seven miles south-east of Halicz the Russians claim success; many prisoners taken.

Polish autonomy granted by Central Powers.

Italian Front

In the Dolomites operations now developing, the whole of Val Cismone free.

Romanian Campaign: Mackensen Attacks “Romanian Verdun,” Captures It In One Day

The Romanians, after entering the war last week, had sent most of their forces north and west into Transylvania, to liberate their Romanian brethren oppressed under Austro-Hungarian rule. This left only a small force of Russians and Romanians to cover the Bulgarian border to the south. The Central Powers had realized this, and a force of Bulgarians, Germans, and Turks under General Mackensen attacked into the Dobruja on September 3 in an attempt to, at the very least, distract the Romanians from their drive into Transylvania.

One of the first obstacles to Mackensen’s progress were the forts of Turtucaia [Tutrakan] and Silistra on the southern bank of the Danube. The forts were mainly old Turkish forts, largely unchanged after Bulgarian independence, though the Romanians had hurriedly upgraded them as best they could after taking the area as a result of the Second Balkan War three years prior. The Romanians boasted that the forts would prove a “Romanian Verdun,” and would hold off the Germans just as the French had there. The reality would prove far more sobering to the Romanians.

Map: fortress and its surrounding area



After beating off Romanian and Russian forces in the vicinity, Mackensen attacked the fort’s main defensive ring on September 5. By that evening, they had all fallen, leaving only weaker, half-finished inner defenses between Mackensen’s force and the Danube. A relief attack from Silistra was quickly beaten off, and shortly after noon the next day the commanding Romanian general fled over the Danube by boat; most soldiers who tried to follow drowned. That evening, the fort fell along with 25,000 PoWs. The victory could not come soon enough for the Central Powers, who in the same day lost Hermannstadt [Sibiu] to the Romanians in Transylvania. The Romanians quickly rushed forces to defend Dobruja, easing pressure in Transylvania, as the Central Powers had hoped.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

British bomb Turkish aerodrome at El Arish (90 miles east of Port Said).

Naval operations: English Channel

Otto Steinbrinck, commanding UB-18, sinks two vessels off Barfleur:
British coaster SS CITY OF GHENT, 199 tons, bound from Tyne for Rouen with a load of coke.
Belgian freighter SS MARCEL, 1,433 tons, travelling from Hull for Rouen.
Steinbrinck's score is now 67 ships and 46,436 tons.

Herbert Pustkuchen, in UB-29, sinks Danish freighter SS Jeanne, 1,191 tons, carrying a load of esparto grass from Oran to Leith. His score is now 38 ships and 47,775 tons.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Max Valentiner, in U-38, attacks French freighter SS SAINT MARC, 5,818 tons, with his deck gun. The freighter is armed and returns fire, but apparently her guns are small and U-38 is out of range. U-38's fire is accurate and SAINT MARC is sunk. Her crew is picked up by French naval trawler LA SAVOIE. Valentiner finishes this war patrol with 110 ships and 240,041 tons.