lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 20, 2022 6:48:03 GMT
Day 1024 of the Great War, May 20th 1917Western FrontBritish force line near Fontaine-lez-Croisilles. Germans gain 200 yards north-east of Cerny. They lose 500 prisoners on Moronvilliers sector. End of Second Battle of the Aisne. Italian FrontAustrian attacks on the Carso beaten off. United Kingdom British govt says grain stocks will last for 12 weeks, which is long enough for the harvest, but warns against any increase in consumptions. United States U.S.A. Division to start at once for France under General Pershing. Mr. Roosevelt's offer declined. President Wilson refuses former President Roosevelt’s request to personally raise troops to fight in Europe. FranceFrench Parliamentary investigations are announced over the disappointing results of the offensives at the Aisne and Champagne fronts. Canada Conscription bill in Canada announced and well received. Russia: New Minister of War Alexander Kerensky Vows not to Make Separate PeaceAlexander Kerensky, a leftist Socialist Revolutionary, joined the Russian Provisional Government in May 1917, after a coalition formed between Russian liberals in the Duma and the socialists in the Petrograd Soviet. The Bolsheviks remained outside, but Kerensky, the SRs, and the Mensheviks opted mostly to join the government. Kerensky became Minister of Justice, but only days later he became Minister of War when the previous office-holder left in disgust at the state of the army. Now Kerensky had the job of holding together Russia’s war effort. First he repudiated a proposed peace offer by German Chancellor Bethman-Hollweg, and then publicly vowed not to make a separate peace, abiding by the 1915 Treaty of London the major Entente powers had signed. Finally, he began trying to piece back together the Russian army, first by ordering soldiers who deserted to return to their units at once or face execution. Photo: Russian submarine "SAINT GEORGE". First rising of flag. 20 may 1917.  Germany: Germans Allowed to Fire on US WarshipsThe United States had now been in the war for over six weeks. The first American ships had reached Europe over two weeks ago, and had been participating in anti-submarine patrols since then. However, strangely enough, the German Navy had not yet received authorization to treat US Navy vessels as hostile and to fire on them first. It is unclear why this is; perhaps the Kaiser hoped that a lack of actual hostile acts against the US military would mean there would be no popular support for major US involvement in Europe. The announcement of the draft in the US and the American Expeditionary Force may have changed the Kaiser’s mind; on May 20 he ordered that American warships would now be treated as hostile vessels in the zone of U-boat warfare. Aerial operations: Kavalla bombardedOut on the Macedonian Front the British commanders have received reports from prisoners that German submarines are being assembled in the Customs House buildings at Kavalla. Air reconnaissance has revealed great activity in the port, as well as new mine-fields, and reports of additional heavy guns on the coast. The Vice-Admiral has therefore ordered a naval bombardment of Kavalla. All the Royal Naval Air Service units in the area are involved. Preliminary photographic reconnaissance of Kavalla and its forts have been carried out, and the waters near the port were closely surveyed for mines. Today the attack commenced. ‘A’ Squadron at Thasos, reinforced by three seaplanes from Mudros, have the task of directing the fire of the monitors M29 and M33 on the Customs House, Post Office, and lighters, and of the Raglan on any enemy guns which open fire on the bombarding ships. Aircraft patrols in search of U-boats and mines are also to be maintained while the bombardment is in progress. At 0410 the first aircraft went up to carry out the spotting. The monitors were quickly ranged on their targets, and it was not long before the Customs House, the Post Office, and a barracks were on fire. Unfortunately the Henri Farman scheduled to co-operate with the Raglan was shot down and the crew, Flight Sub Lieutenant James Douglas Haig and Sub Lieutenant Gordon Keightley, were thrown out and killed. German ace Rudolf von Eschwege from FAb30 was responsible. A relieving aircraft, a Short seaplane, took over the spotting for the monitors soon after 0600, and a Nieuport arrived at the same time and patrolled in readiness to direct the Raglan on active enemy guns. The Guns remained silent however, put off by a patrol of five bombers and three escorts from ‘E’ and ‘F’ Squadrons which had flown down from Marian specially for this operation and made an early hit on an occupied gun emplacement, Air photographs taken next day revealed considerable damage to the Customs House and to other buildings in its vicinity. Aerial operations: U-boat sunkThe Felixstowe flying-boat patrols set up n 26 April 1917 have not taken long to have some success. Today Flight Sub-Lieutenants Charles Reginald Morrish and Henry George Boswell, 1st Air Mechanic William F Caston, and Leading Mechanic A. E. Shorter), were on patrol in an H12 ‘Large America’ 8663 east of the North Hinder, when they sighted a submarine in full buoyancy about five miles away. The pilot bore down on the U-boat and, as recognition signals went unanswered, they dropped two bombs, each of which exploded in front of the conning tower. The U-boat went under and patches of oil came to the surface, but there was no real indication of her fate. A post-war comparison with the German records, however, has revealed that she was probably the U.C.36 which never returned to her base. This seems to have been the first direct sinking of a U-boat by aircraft. Aerial operations: New DH5 crashesIn an effort to find a replacement for the aging DH2, Airco designer Geoffrey de Havilland has devised the DH5. The design was an attempt to combine the forward view of a pusher aircraft with the performance of a tractor aircraft. The result was an aircraft with a pronounced backward stagger – 27 inches in all. The aircraft was delivered to 24 Squadron at the beginning of May and they have been practicing with it since then. Today, Captain William Teasdale Hall was killed testing the aircraft (in this case A9364). His wings were seen to fall off as he tried to pull up from a steep dive during a test flight. This and other mishaps led to a widespread and unfounded belief that its unorthodox layout imparted a high stalling speed and made recovery from a spin difficult. In fact the DH5 was strong, fully aerobatic, and a pleasant aeroplane to fly. The view now is that the DH5 was massively unpopular amongst pilots. However reports in Flight Magazine at the time suggest that this was not the case at least initially. However, as time went on it became clear that the DH5 was not suited to aerial combat. There were two main reasons for this. First, the unusual layout left a significant blind spot behind the pilot – the location from where most attacks came from. Secondly, the performance of the aircraft tailed off rapidly at altitude and it and tendency to lose height rapidly in combat. Thirdly its single Vickers gun left it rather undergunned for the time when most enemy fighters had two guns, Ultimately it just wasn’t anywhere near as good as its contemporaries the SE5 or the Sopwith Camel and in fact the existing Sopwith Pup was probably a better aircraft. Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, far west of IrelandLeo Hillebrand, commanding U-46, sinks British Q-Ship HMS LADY PATRICIA, 1,372 tons. Lady Patricia had previously survived an attack by Carl-Siegfried von Georg in U-57 on March 30. Hillebrand's score is now 28 ships and 58,444 tons. Naval operations: English ChannelHermann Glimpf, in UB-20, sinks Norwegian freighter SS NORMAND, 2,097 tons, underway from Cardiff to Dover with a load of coal; north of Ushant. His score is now 9 ships and 8,699 tons. Hans Howaldt, in UB-40, sinks two British freighters off Beachy Head: SS PORTHKERRY, 1,920 tons, carrying a load of coal from Cardiff to Sheerness. SS TYCHO, 3,216 tons, heading from Bombay to Hull with a general cargo. Howaldt's score is now 32 ships and 39,640 tons. Gustav Buch, in UC-36, sinks three ships off Guernsey: Bitish brigantine DANA, 182 tons. British sailing vessel MIENTJI, 120 tons, travelling in ballast from Saint Malo to Fowey; scuttled. Brazilian freighter SS TIJUCA, 2,304 tons, en route from Rio de Janeiro to Le Havre. Buch's tally is now 22 ships and 31,377 tons. Naval operations: North SeaJohannes Spieß, in U-19, torpedoes Norwegian freighter SS ARNFINN JARL, 1,097 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Narvik to Tyne; off Holmengraa. His score is now 19 ships and 26,235 tons. Ernst Müller-Schwartz begins his U-Boat career in UC-64, attacking Dutch sailing vessel VOORWAARTS, travelling from Karlskrona to Rotterdam with a load of deals and props. Gunfire doesn't sink the vessel. Explosives also fail. Finally the vessel is set on fire and abandoned. The fire goes out and VOORWAARTS is towed to Great Yarmouth, where she is written off as a total loss. Müller-Schwartz is credited with the sinking. Erich Haecker, in UC-79, takes two vessels as prizes: Danish Brigantine OTTO, 152 tons. Dutch freighter SS POMONA, 789 tons out of Christiania for Amsterdam. Haecker's score is now 10 vessels and 5,985 tons. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaJohannes Klasing, in U-34, sinks British freighter SS CASPIAN, 3,606 tons, en route from Antofagasta to Savona with a load of nitrate; off Cabo Cervera, Alicante. His score is now 24 ships and 30.734 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 21, 2022 6:52:02 GMT
Day 1025 of the Great War, May 21st 1917
Western Front
British capture "Siegfried" line from Bullecourt to one mile east of Arras (bar 2,000 yards).
French claim great success on Moronvilliers ridge and ground held.
Activity on California Plateau and near Craonne.
Italian Front
Severe fighting in the Travignolo Valley (Trentino); enemy penetrate and are later ejected.
France
M. Albert Thomas, French Minister of Munitions, speaks with effect in Moscow.
United Kingdom
Premier Lloyd George proposes in Parliament a constitutional convention for Ireland to decide its fate.
East Africa Campaign: A minor success for the Allies in East Africa
The war in East Africa continues. The Germans here are cut off from their homeland but they continue to resist the Allied invasion of German East Africa. Their army is mostly locally recruited Askaris led by European officers. British Empire and Commonwealth forces are finding the war here tough going, as are their Belgian allies. Although they greatly outnumber the Germans, the terrain and climate are unforgiving and the Germans are adept at playing a game of cat and mouse.
For both sides, supplying their men is difficult. The Germans are living off the land, looting the colony’s civilian population and leaving famine in their wake. Both sides find the transportation of food extremely difficult. The colony lacks paved roads and has a very limited railway network. Supplies must be carried on the backs of men, which means that large numbers of bearers must be deployed. The British in particular have forcibly recruited a vast corps of bearers, whose numbers greatly exceed their men under arms. These bearers are underfed and suffering terribly from disease as they are moved out of their native areas. Their mortality rates are greater than those of soldiers on the Western Front.
The British have a stroke of luck today. Captain Max Wintgens has been leading a German raiding party that has spread chaos behind the Allied lines. The Allies have made great efforts to track him down, but these have been a costly failure. The British pursuit force sees a tenth of its 2,500 bearers die of disease and a greater number again become too sick to continue the campaign. Today though Wintgens himself is obliged to surrender to the Belgians, now suffering from typhus. However his subordinate officers escape with the rest of the raiders to continue harassing the Allies.
Germany
Berlin residents are warned that the government may not be able to fulfill potato rations. Pork will only be sold on Thursday.
Aerial operations: A slow day
There was not much action on the British sector of the Western Front today.
A patrol of four FE2ds from 24 Squadron were out on a photography mission over La Bassée around 1600. One of the aircraft A6447, with 2nd Lieutenant John Fenwick Walker Blackall and 2nd Lieutenant Beverley Charles Moody on board fell behind the others with a poor running engine. As was becoming a common tactic at this point, a four strong patrol from Jasta 11 attacked the lone aircraft and shot it down with Leutnant Eberhardt Mohnicke, John Fenwick Walker Blackallwho had only joined on 18 May, claiming the victory. Blackall and Moody crashed and were taken prisoner.
About 20 minutes later the remaining three aircraft were also attacked, but they stuck to their formation eventually driving off the four enemy aircraft. Sergeant James Hubert Ronald Green and Private H Else and Lieutenant Alexander Roulstone and Lieutenant Henry Cotton claimed to have driven down two enemy aircraft out of control, but the Germans reported no losses.
Naval operations: Ireland
His Majesty's Trawler SENATOR, 211 tons, hits a mine laid by Alfred von Glasenapp in U-80, off Tory Island, north of Ireland. His score is now 12 vessels and 31,809 tons.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Karl Edeling, in U-48, sinks two ships south of Queenstown, Ireland:
Russian barque LYNTON, 2,531 tons, sailing from Pensacola to Clyde with a load of timeber.
Norwegian barque MADURA, 1,906 tons, en route from Gulfport to Cardiff with a load of timeber.
Edeling's score is now 6 ships and 23,203 tons.
Thomas Bieber, in UB-31, torpedoes British freighter SS CITY OF CORINTH, 5,870 tons, carrying a general cargo from Singapore to London, just off the Lizard, west end of the English Channel. His score is now 3 ships and 20,086 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
Hans Howaldt, in UB-40, sinks British freighter SS JUPITER, 2,124 tons, travelling in ballast from Dieppe to Manchester; off Beachy head. His score is now 33 ships and 41,764 tons. Jupiter had previously survived a scuttling attempt by Victor Dieckmann in UB-27 on October 7, 1916.
Gustav Buch, in UC-36, torpedoes French freighter SS FERDINAND A., 2,062 tons, in a convoy from Clyde to Nantes. His score is now 23 ships and 33,439 tons.
While attempting a second attack on the convoy UC-36 is rammed by French freighter SS MOLIERE. The U-boat sinks with the loss of all 27 hands.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Johannes Klasing, in U-34, comes across French brigantine SAINT MICHEL abandoned and adrift. Klasing scuttles the ship, raising his total to 25 vessels and 30,909 tons.
Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, sinks two British freighters northwest of Malta:
SS AMPLEFORTH, 3,873 tons, carrying a load of coal and crated aircraft from Barry to Alexandria.
SS DON DIEGO, 3,632 tons, underway from Swansea to Alexandria with a load of government supplies.
Von Fischel's score is now 20 ships and 47,650 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 22, 2022 5:34:24 GMT
Day 1026 of the Great War, May 22nd 1917
Western Front
Confused fighting on Arras front; successful French actions on the River Aisne front.
Italian Front
Italians frustrate hostile attacks in Travignolo valley.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
Demolition of 13 miles of Hejaz Railway by Anzac Mounted Brigade and Camel Corps.
United Kingdom: British Government Prepares to “Counter-Attack the Pacifist Movement”
Anti-war feeling was spreading in 1917, not only in Russia, but also in France, where soldiers mutinied against pointless attacks. The British government prepared to pre-emptively strike at its own pacifist movement, as the Cabinet agreed on a “counter-attack” on May 22. Groups like the Quakers refused to enlist in the army, although some agreed to alternative service, such as being a stretcher-bearer. Many on the British left, including women’s groups and the philosopher Bertrand Russell, also refused war service. The government answered by setting long prison sentences for men who refused to enlist.
Austria-Hungary: Tisza Dismissed as Hungarian PM
István Tisza had been one of the few voices urging caution in the weeks leading up to the war, strongly arguing against war in the days after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. However, he was eventually brought around, provided the goal of the war was not the outright annexation of Serbia. Since 1914, Tisza had been a very visible symbol both of the war and of the pre-war system. Defending Hungary’s interests to a fault, he prevented food exports to Austria (leading to extreme deprivation there), and blocked any peace deal or internal political settlement that would affect Hungary’s borders.
The new Emperor Charles, who had been trying to arrange peace with the Allies, and who fancied himself a reformer, tried to urge Tisza to carry out reforms. Most pressing was an exchange in the voting franchise, where Hungary now had some of the most restrictive policies in Europe (after the revolution in Russia and very recent reforms in Germany), with only 10% of the population able to vote. Tisza, however, would only make the smallest of concessions, only expanding it to certain decorated soldiers and poorer landowners. Protests on May Day and a general work stoppage on May 2 concerned many of the political elites in Hungary, especially after the events in Russia. Tisza, who was convinced that war made people more conservative, refused to budge, and Emperor Charles dismissed him on May 22. Tisza, aged 56, left to serve as a colonel on the Italian front, though his allies in Parliament continued to cause problems for reform in Hungary for the remainder of the war. Tisza’s departure meant, of all the heads of government of the major belligerents from the first year of the war, only Germany’s Chancellor Bethmann remained in office.
United States
Former President Roosevelt states he will do “everything” in his power to help Liberty Loans, which will fund the U.S. war effort.
Brazil
President Brás of Brazil urges the Brazilian Congress to give up neutrality due to Germany’s submarine warfare.
France
Premier Ribot announces French war aims: the assurance of lasting peace, restoration of Alsace-Lorraine, & reparations from Germany.
Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, west of Ireland
Leo Hillebrand, commanding U-46, sinks Japanese freighter TANSAN MARU, 2,443 tons, bound from Boston for Manchester with a General Cargo; 80 miles west of Annagh Head. His score is now 29 ships and 60,887 tons.
Naval operations: Firth of Clyde, western Scotland
His Majesty's Trawler MMERSE, 296 tons, while escorting battleship HMS RAMILLIES from Dalmuir to Liverpool, hits a mine laid by Otto Steinbrinck in U-65, off the Isle of Bute. The trawler sinks with all 17 hands, and Steinbrinck's score is now 174 vessels and 162,677 tons.
Naval operations: North Sea
Günther Krause, in UB-41, sinks British freighter SS LANTHORN, 2,299 tons, travelling in ballast from London to Tyne; off Whitby. His score is now 2 ships and 3,243 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, scuttles French fishing boat JEUNE ALBERT, 25 tons; off Belle Ile. His score is now 71 vessels and 101,974 tons.
Norwegian freighter SS NANN SMITH, 2,093 tons, carrying a load of iron ore from Bilbao to Newport, Wales, hits a mine laid by Erwin Waßner in UC-69 between Belle Ile and Ile de Groix. His score is now 55 vessels and 76,063 tons.
Naval operations: Atlantic Ocean, west of Tangier
Heinrich Metzger, in U-47, scuttles Brazilian freighter SS LAPA, 1,366 tons, en route from Santos to Marseilles with a load of coffee. His score is now 11 ships and 19,842 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 23, 2022 2:44:50 GMT
Day 1027 of the Great War, May 23rd 1917
Western Front
Germans make early attack on Vauclere Plateau (Craonne), heavily repulsed.
Italian Front: Massive Italian Attack on the Karst
After a week of fighting, the Italian assault on the Bainsizza plateau was halted. They had made substantial gains around Plava, but the Tre Santi mountains still eluded them. Although they had largely held the line, the Austrians had suffered immensely, suffering over 30,000 casualties; one corps lost over two-thirds of its strength. Boroević had stripped the Karst, relatively quiet since the initial bombardment, of most of its reserves to prevent a breakthrough on the Bainsizza.
Cadorna’s original plan for the Tenth Battle had called for an attack on the Karst five days into the battle (on May 19), with 200 extra guns from elsewhere on the Isonzo. If Capello (commading the army tasked with taking the Bainsizza) had not talked him out of it, such an attack would have hit at the time the Austrians were weakest. Instead, they would attack on May 23, which gave the Austrians some time to recover, and without the 200 extra guns.
Despite this, the bombardment, starting at 6 AM on May 23, was still devastating. Firing a million shells over the course of ten hours–twenty for every foot of the front, the barrage completely isolated the Austrian front line troops. Although many were able to hide in the deep kavernen, the barrage destroyed communications and supply routes, wrecked defensive positions, and often shattered the wills of the defenders.
The infantry attacked 4 PM, under cover of the smoke of the bombardment. In many places, they reached the Austrian lines without opposition, the stunned defenders not reaching their positions in time. The Italians captured over nine thousand soldiers in the first day of the offensive, broke through two Austrian lines, and advanced over a mile in places. Only two more lines lay between the Italians and the open road to Trieste. Boroević was determined to recapture the lost ground on the Karst, and began to prepare counterattacks, despite being essentially out of reserves.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
Demonstration and raid by mounted troops on Bir-es-Saba (Palestine).
United States
U.S. government bans its citizens from attending the Socialist conference in Stockholm and warns “heavy punishment” for those who still go.
U.S. House of Representatives approves a $1.857 billion war tax bill by a vote of 329 to 76.
Russia/United Kingdom relations
M. Isvolski appointed Ambassador in London (subsequently cancelled).
Russia
Russian Provisional Government announces it has raised 145 million Rubles through its “Liberty” loan.
China
Chinese Premier Duna Qirui is dismissed from his position due to his support for war against Germany.
Aerial operations: Back to normal
18 Squadron RFC were escorted by 3 Naval Squadron on a photo reconnaissance mission at around 1300.
They were attacked by seven aircraft from Jasta 5. 2nd Lieutenant David Marshall and 2nd Lieutenant Giles Noble Blennerhasset (in FE2b 7003) from 18 Squadron and Flight Sub-Lieutenant William Edward Orchard from 3 Naval Squadron claimed an Albatros Scout crashed east of Eswars.
On the other foot, 2nd Lieutenant Wilfred Ferguson MacDonald and Lieutenant Frank Charles Shackell from 18 Squadron were shot down in their FE2b A5502 by Leutnant Werner Voss. They crashed in trenches and were both killed.
3 Naval Squadron pilots also made three further claims – Flight Sub-Lieutenant James Alpheus Glen, Flight Commander Lloyd Samuel Breadner, and Flight Sub-Lieutenant Joseph Stewart Temple Fall.
This was Giles Blennerhasset’s last victory
Naval operations: Faroe Islands
Martin Schelle, Commanding UC-33, stops and scuttles 5 Danish and 2 British fishing vessels:
Danish smack BEINIR, 73 tons.
Danish ketch BRITANNIA, 69 tons.
Danish smack ELSE, 78 tons.
Danish smack MARGRETHE, 104 tons.
Danish smack STREYNOY, 81 tons.
British trawler OLEARIA, 209 tons.
British trawler SISAPON, 211 tons.
Schelle's score is now 16 vessels and 8,159 tons.
Naval operations: North of Scotland
Rudolf Schneider, in U-87, attacks two Dutch freighters on their way from Rufisque to Rotterdam with loads of groundnuts:
SS ELVE, 962 tons, torpedoed and sunk.
SS BERNISSE, 951 tons, torpedoed but did not sink; towed to port.
Schneider's score is now 27 ships and 90,146 tons.
Naval operations: Scotland
Franz Grünert, in U-30, scuttles Danish schooner FREDEN, 166 tons, carrying a load of salt from Setubal to Thorshavn; off the Butt of Lewis, the northernmost point of the Hebrides. His score is now 17 ships and 22,113 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
Werner Fürbringer, in UC-70, sinks Spanish freighter BEGONA Nº 3, 2,699 tons, en route from Almeria to Barrow with a load of iron ore. His score is now 80 ships and 65,303 tons.
Naval operations: North Sea
Walther Schwieger, in U-88, sinks Norwegian freighter SS HECTOR, 1,146 tons, travelling from Ålesund to Hull with a load of salt herring. His score is now 38 ships and 146,976 tons.
Günther Krause, in UB-41, sinks Norwegian freighter SS MONARCH, 1,318 tons, carrying a load of pitch from Tees to Saint Nazaire; just off Seaham. His score is now 3 ships and 4,741 tons.
His Majesty's Trawler TETTENHALL, 227 tons, hits a mine laid off Lowestoft by Ulrich Pilzecker in UC-14. His total is now 3 vessels and 761 tons.
Norwegian freighter SS GRAN, 1,153 tons, travelling in ballast from Rouen to Tyne, hits a mine laid off Ryhope, Sunderland, by Gustav Deuerlich in UC-40. His score is now 6 ships and 5,147 tons.
Ernst Müller-Schwartz, in UC-64, scuttles Dutch sailing vessel ALBERDINA, 100 tons, en route from Saintt Valéry to Rotterdam with a load of stones and plaster; off the Maas lightship. His score is now 2 vessels and 214 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks two ships near the mouth of the Loire:
American schooner HARWOOD PALMER, 2,885 tons, travelling from Boston to Saint Nazaire with a load of steel bars; deck gun.
British freighter SS LESTO, 1,940 tons, underway from Bilbao to Garston with a load of iron ore.
Saltzwedel's score is now 73 ships and 106,799 tons.
Naval operations: Tyrhennian Sea
Ernst von Voigt, in UC-35, scuttles Greek sailing vessel PIPITSA, 224 tons, east of Corsica, bringing his total to 19 ships and 37,956 tons.
Naval operations: Strait of Sicily
Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, sinks two vessels off Cape Bon, Tunisia:
British freighter SS ENGLAND, 3,798 tons, en route from Cardiff and Bizerta to Malta with a load of coal.
Italian sailboat MAIRIA FEBRONIA ANTONIA, 55 tons.
Fischel's score is now 22 ships and 51,503 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Karl Neumann, in UC-67, sinks British freighter SS ELNMOOR, 3,744 tons, carrying a load of wheat from Karachi to Livorno; southeast of Siracusa. His score is now 27 ships and 35,631 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 24, 2022 2:45:45 GMT
Day 1028 of the Great War, May 24th 1917Western FrontFrench line round Craonne improved. Italian FrontFurther Italian gains in southern Carso. Austrian counter-attacks fail. JapanJapanese flotilla announced in Mediterranean. United States U.S. government criticizes businesses that fire immigrant employees based on their citizenship, as it violates “national good sense.” B-1, the first of the new US Navy B-class blimps, makes its first flight at White City Amusement Park, Chicago, Illinois. Photo: B-1, the first of the class. B-1 is easily identified by the dual lower fins, later B-types had only a single fin Naval operations: First Transatlantic Convoy Leaves Hampton RoadsBritain’s admiralty had considered but so far avoided introducing a convoy system for its merchant shipping. It had resisted all calls to do so, reluctant to see Royal Navy ships diverted from to guard duty, especially in case the Imperial German Navy should venture out for another major battle on the scale of Jutland. But leaving vital merchant shipping to dribble into Britain individually was proving even more risky. German U-boats, again practicing unrestricted submarine warfare, sank thousands of tons of Allied and neutral shipping in spring 1917. Leaving merchant ships by themselves was only providing Germany with juicy targets. So on May 24 the first convoy sailed from Hampton Roads, Virginia, for Britain. The convoys like this one would be ten to fifty merchantmen, plus possibly a troopship of Americans, guarded by one cruiser, six destroyers, eleven armed trawlers, and two torpedo boats, plus British airships with observers looking down for submarines or the sudden streaks that indicated torpedoes. The Allies established eight collection points for vessels to gather before crossing the Atlantic. Hampton Roads; Halifax, Nova Scotia, for ships coming from the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence; Panama for ships from Australia and New Zealand; Rio de Janeiro for crucial Argentinian beef and horses; Murmansk for supplies to the Russians; Port Said and Gibraltar for east Indian and African trade and troop tranports; and Dakar, Senegal, for supplies and men from West and South Africa and Asia. The first convoy was a remarkable success; only one merchant ship sunk when it fell behind. The introduction of the convoy system would rapidly limit German naval victories, safeguard the British economy and food supply, and allow millions of American Doughboys to cross the Atlantic unharmed. Aerial operations: Zeppelins return and a dramatic rescueDespite poor weather consisting of snow and hail, six Zeppelins attempted a raid on London overnight (L40, L42, L43, L44, L45 and L47). L44 turned back with engine trouble just after reaching the English coast and dropped bombs in the sea. L47 miscalculated its position and also dropped bombs over the sea due to thick clouds. L42 came farthest inland flying over Essex to Braintree, then turning north-west and, later, north-east, before going out to sea near Sheringham at 0325. overland for three hours. During that time bombs fell in open country causing some minor damage. On the way back, the ship was struck by lightning three times but got home. The L45 and L43 followed similar paths across Suffolk and Norfolk through an area of thunderstorms. Between them they dropped 40 bombs damaging property and killing a farm labourer. L40 did not reach land either and turned back with engine trouble. At the same time a flyingboat from Yarmouth, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Christopher John Galpin, set out for Terschelhng in the hope finding a Zeppelin. At about 0530 the L.40 suddenly appeared out of a cloud a mile ahead. The captain of L40 dropped his remaining bombs and climbed as rapidly as he could. Galpin had approached to within 300 yards when the nose of the Zeppelin met the clouds. He was able to fire off half a drum of incendiary ammunition but failed to hot and the Zeppelin disappeared. Despite a large number of sorties from RNAS and RFC aircraft, there were no further encounters mainly due poor weather and visibility, Two Sopwith ‘Baby’ seaplanes, had left from Westgate air station but only one returned. Flight Sub-Lieutenant Leonard Graeme Maxton was missing. It turned out that they had already been picked up by a trawler but this was unknown so at 0810 Flight Sub-Lieutenant Harold March Morris, with 2nd Class Air Mechanic GO Wright, went out in a Short seaplane to look for the missing Sopwith. What happened to the Short was told later by Morris in his report: ‘On Thursday 24th at 8 a.m. I was ordered with A. M. 2nd Class Wright as observer to go in search of Flight Sub-Lieutenant Maxton who had failed to return. I set out steering East for 30 minutes, then I turned N.W. for 5 when my engine suddenly stopped. I was forced to land. The sea was choppy and the wind rising, so my observer sent off his pigeon while I kept the machine head to wind. At about 2.30 my starboard lower plane was carried away causing us to swing broadside on to the sea: we climbed out on to the other plane so as to balance things, but the machine gradually got tail to wind and the tail plane was smashed and the machine gradually began to sink tail first. As she sank we climbed out on to the floats and sat on them, till I was washed off, but managed to catch the tail under water and climb on again. Here we sat till the machine sat up propeller in air and finally turned right over, leaving just the underneath part of each float out of the water. By this time the sea was very rough and the wind blowing a gale. We clung as best we could all night and when morning dawned, the wind had dropped considerably and the sea was getting quieter. We watched all day and by evening the sea was calm and we caught sight of a lightship and a cruiser and two destroyers in the distance, but we could not make them. About sunset six seaplanes, flying very low, and in diamond formation, flew over us as we waved to them and they answered by firing a green light, but they took no further notice. Their machines had our markings, but were going east and flying very fast. Nothing else happened till the Sunday when an aeroplane flew over, but failed to see us. The weather remained calm till on the Tuesday at about 2 ‘clock we sighted an H.12, which also saw us; it circled round coming lower and lower and finally landed, although the sea was getting rough again. As it passed us we hung on to the wires and climbed in. We tried to get it up again, but the water was too rough and we only broke our tailplane, so we taxied for about 25 miles till we sighted the Orient which took us aboard and later on transferred us to the White Lilac which brought us into Felixstowe at about 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday night. The signal code book we had with us was first torn up and then thrown into the sea, just before our machine turned over.” The H12 crew were Flight Sub-Lieutenants James Lindsay Gordon and George Ritchie. Hodgson, Leading Mechanic SF Anderson, and Wireless Operator BW Millichamp. One pilot was lost however, when Flight-Sub-Lieutenant Harold Dent Smith failed to return. It was assumed he had crashed in the sea and was drowned. Naval operations: IrelandSinn Fein demands the right for Ireland to secede from Britain and better treatment for prisoners captured during the Easter Rising. Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of ScotlandLeo Hillebrand, commanding U-46, sinks British freighter SS JERSEY CITY, 4,670 tons, bound from Pensacola for Stornoway with a load of wheat. His score is now 30 ships and 65,557 tons. Naval operations: IrelandCarl-Siegfried von Georg, in U-57, sinks British freighter SS BELGIAN, 3,657 tons, en route from New Orleans to Liverpool with a general cargo. His score is now 38 ships and 40,873 tons. Max Schmitz, in UC-62, torpedoes British freighter SS CHIGACO CITY, 2,324 tons, carrying a general cargo from New York to Bristol; off Kinsale. The damaged ship makes port safely. Naval operations: English ChannelWilhelm Amberger, in UB-38, scuttles two vessels off Portland Bill: Norwegian barque GUDRUN, 1,472 tons, sailing from Savannah-la-Mar, Jamaica to Le Havre with a load of logwood. Danish schooner THYRA, 185 tons, en route from Haiti to Le Havre with a load of dyewood. Amberger's score is now 21 vessels and 23,762 tons. Naval operations: Faroe Bank, between the Faroe and Shetland IslandsMartin Schelle, in UC-33, scuttles three Danish fishing smacks: BRESTIR, 69 tons. ISABELLA INNES, 37 tons. TRAVELLER, 76 tons. Schelle's score is now 19 vessels and 8,341 tons. Naval operations: Atlantic Ocean, west of GibraltarHeinrich Metzger, in U-47, sinks American sailing ship BARBARA, 838 tons, carrying a load of petroleum from Port Arthur to La Spezia, by setting her on fire. His total is now 12 ships and 20,680 tons. Naval operations: Tyrhennian SeaErnst von Voigt, in UC-35, scuttles British schooner MCCLURE, 220 tons, travelling from St. Johns, Newfoundland to Naples with a load of codfish. His score is now 20 ships and 38,176 tons. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaKurt Hartwig, in U-32, torpedoes French freighter SS BIARRITZ, 2,758 tons, 50 miles southeast of Malta. His score is now 43 ships and 56,408 tons. Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, scuttles Italian brigantine SANT ANTONIO DE PADOVA, 184 tons, southwest of Sicily, bringing his tally to 23 vessels and 51,687 tons. Johannes Feldkirchner, in UC-25, attacks Italian barquentine DOMENICO BARONE with his deck gun. The damaged ship is beached, but then written off as a total loss. Feldkirchner's score is now 8 vessels and 2,680 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 25, 2022 2:44:09 GMT
Day 1029 of the Great War, May 25th 1917
YouTube (German Bombers Over Britain - Arab Revolt On The Advance)
Western Front
British advance towards Fontaine-lez-Croiselles.
German success near Braye (Chemin des Dames); French success round Mt. Cornillet (Moronvilliers).
Italian Front: Once again, Italy runs out of steam on the Isonzo
Italian troops are attacking the Austro-Hungarians again on the Isonzo. In this tenth battle, Cadorna has alternated between attacking the Carso Plateau and mountainous positions further north around Gorizia. For the last few days the focus has returned to the Carso. After a bombardment of an intensity not previously seen here, the Italian infantry have made considerable gains, advancing up to two kilometres. The Austro-Hungarians appear to be on the brink of collapse, with many prisoners being taken by the Italians.
But today the tide turns. Boroevic, the Austro-Hungarian commander, has brought men south from the Gorizia sector to reinforce the Carso. The Germans have also permitted the transfer of two Austro-Hungarian divisions from the Eastern Front (where Habsburg units fight under German command). The Italians meanwhile are exhausted after their efforts of the past few days and also running low on artillery ammunition. Their attacks run out of steam and the front begins to stabilise.
The failure of another offensive to smash the Austro-Hungarians may be beginning to demoralise the Italian rank and file. Their commanders too are feeling the cold hand of pessimism on their shoulders. The Duke of Aosta, local commander of the assaults on the Carso, remarks that he fears the war could go on for another ten years. Others note that the men appear increasingly despondent, with some reporting that they wept as they went into battle, knowing that they were going to their deaths. Still, unlike the French, the Italian infantry continue to obey orders to attack. Perhaps one more battle of the Isonzo will be the one that sees them finally win victory over the Austro-Hungarians.
Aerial operations: First Large scale Strategic Bomber Attack as German Gothas Bomb Kent
After the failure of the Zeppelin attack yesterday, the Germans launched a new weapon against Britain today. As the limits of Zeppelins were becoming clear, the aarival in Winter 1916 of the Gotha IV bomber finally made aircraft raids on Britain a realistic possibility.
The Gotha IV was a biplane of 75 feet wing span and 42 feet in length. It wa sfitted with two 260hp Mercedes engines driving pusher airscrews, carried a crew of three, and was armed with three machine guns, one of which could fire through a ‘tunnel’ to attack fighting aeroplanes. It could carry up to 500kg of bombs and had a top speed of about 80 miles an hour.
A specialist squadron, Kampfgeschwader 3 der Oberste Heeresleitung (Kagohl 3 – Battle Squadron 3) was set up. After months of preparation the Squadron made its first raid today.
Dense clouds were in place and although the noise of the aircraft was detected, observation of the aircraft was difficult.
The clouds forced them to abandon London as a target and instead turned off across the Thames at Gravesend and, passing over Kent west of Maidstone and Ashford, went out at Folkestone about 6.30 p.m.
After crossing the Thames they seem to have changed into some sort of group formation. 59 bombs of 50kg. weight and 104 of 12kg. were dropped, but 27 of the bombs failed to explode and a few others burst in the air.
Shorncliffe and Folkestone suffered most. Bombs on Shorncliffe camp and on Cheriton killed seventeen Canadian soldiers and wounded ninety-three, while the casualties at Folkestone were 16 men (one soldier), 31 women and 25 children killed, and 31 men (8 soldiers), 48 women, and 12 children injured. A majority of the casualties occurred in a crowded thoroughfare near the harbour (Tontine Street) where shoppers had congregated to make their Whitsun holiday purchases – this was the deadliest bomb dropped over Britain in the whole war. The total casualties for the raid were 95 killed and 195 injured.
Home defence squadrons from both the RFC and RNAS made 74 sorties to little effect. Most of them couldn’t even reach the height of the bombers due to inadequate aircraft – mostly BE2s. The sole encounter was from Flight Lieutenant Reginald Frederick Stewart Leslie from Dover pursued the Gothas over the Channel and fired 150 rounds into one of them before he was driven off.
Fighting pilots from Dunkirk intercepted some of the raiders on the homeward journey and they reported that in the subsequent fighting they destroyed one Gotha and damaged another. According to German sources of information the losses were one Gotha destroyed in the Channel and another which, for some unknown reason, crashed in Belgium on its return.
The raid exposed the inadequacy of air defences and outraged the public, particularly given that no warning had been given despite the detection of the attackers at Dover.
Naval operations: Faroe Bank
Walther Schwieger, commanding U-88, sinks British armed merchant cruiser HMS HILARY, 6,329 tons, bringing his total to 39 ships and 153,305 tons.
Martin Schelle, in UC-33, sinks three ships off the Faroe Islands:
Danish schooner A.H. FRIIS, 110 tons, en route from Setubal to Trangisvaag with a load of salt.
Norwegian coaster SS GLYG, 358 tons, carrying a load of salt and empty barrels from Fraserburgh to Siglufjord.
Norwegian barque WHINLATTER, 1,378 tons, travelling from New Orleans to Copenhagen with a load of wood.
Schelle's score is now 22 vessels and 10,187 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
Herbert Pustkuchen, in UC-66, sinks British freighter SS SJAELLAND, 1,405 tons, travelling in ballast from Le Havre to Swansea. His score is now 84 ships and 108,589 tons.
Naval operations: North Sea
Dutch freighter SS WESTLAND, 1,283 tons, hauling a load of coal from Methil to Rouen, hits a mine laid off Cromer by an unknown ship.
Naval operations: Portugal
Heinrich Metzger, in U-47, stops American schooner MAGNUS MANSON, 1,751 tons, carrying a load of timber from Pensacola to Naples, off Cape Saint Vincent, and sets her afire. His score is now 13 ships and 22,431 tons.
Naval operations: Tyrrhennian Sea
Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, scuttles four Italian sailing vessels off Campania:
DIEGO RUSSO, 113 tons.
NATALE MONACO, 57 tons.
ROSINA R., 54 tons.
VINCENCZINO C., 54 tons.
Von Fischel's score is now 27 vessels and 51,965 tons.
Naval operations: Gulf of Genoa
Ernst von Voigt, in UC-35, sinks Italian sailing vessel NICOLINO, 120 tons, raising his total to 21 vessels and 38,296 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Max Valentiner, in U-38, torpedoes British freighter SS KOHINUR, 2,265 tons, travelling in ballast from Salonica to Karachi; 150 miles north of Alexandria. His score is now 129 ships and 186,452 tons.
Hans von der Lühe, in UC-20, sinks three Italian sailing vessels off Sicily:
ARGENTINA, 97 tons.
IDA, 46 tons.
UNIONE SALVATORE, 57 tons.
Von der Lühe's score is now 4 vessels and 3,763 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 26, 2022 5:33:44 GMT
Day 1030 of the Great War, May 26th 1917
Western Front
Three German attacks in Champagne, all successful.
Italian Front
Italians take and lose Kostanjevica, but capture 10 guns.
France
French Minister of Marine states Germans have sunk 2,400,000 tons in first four months.
Brazil
Brazil annuls its neutrality decree.
Japan/United States relations
Japanese immigration to the U.S. increases due to the need for laborers at farms, caused by food shortages.
United States: First American Troops Arrive in France
Pershing’s American Expeditionary Force of regular soldiers had been announced just over a week earlier, and they were already preparing to leave for France. Before them, however, the US Army began sending over medical personnel, who could start helping the war effort even sooner, without raising any thornier political issues of command or geography. The first contingent arrived in Ireland on May 18, and on May 26 the first arrived in France, the first of six base hospitals to be sent. By the end of the month, over 1300 US Army personnel were in France, the first of the over two million that would eventually be sent.
Aerial operations: A shock for Mr Alexander
At about 2000 today, shoppers in Hungerford, Berkshire became aware of an aircraft approaching the town from the west. This was not particularly unusual as there were RFC training stations nearby.
However, as the aircraft got nearer it was clear that the engine was running poorly and it was flying very slowly. Suddenly it climbed and then stood on its tail before turning over. The High Street was crowded with onlookers and most thought the pilot was giving an aerobatic display and showed their appreciation by clapping.
However, the aircraft quickly fell out of control and nose-dived into the garden of Mr Thomas Alexander’s house and grocery store at 26 High Street,
onlookers rushed to the wrecked aircraft to help the pilot. He was pulled free but was already dead from the impact.
The pilot was later identified as 2nd Lieutenant John Douglas Price Scholfield, a 23 year-old Canadian from the Central Flying School, Upavon.
The plane was placed under guard and the next day an enquiry was held by officers from Upavon. Lieutenant Scholfield was a learne pilot and had left Upavon at about 1930 in an Avro 504A (4061). An officer from Upavon examined the wreckage and declared that, in his opinion, the controls and wires appeared to be in perfect working order and the plane had crashed as the result of a stall.
Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Ireland
Rudolf Schneider, commanding U-87, sinks two ships:
Russian barque LUICPARA, 1,943 tons, bound from Androssen for Santos with an unspecified cargo. U-87 fires a torpedo, which misses. The merchant crew then stop and abandon ship, after which Schneider scuttles the ship.
British sailing ship SAINT MIRREN, 1,956 tons, en route from Clyde to Santos with a load of patent fuel.
Schneider's score is now 29 ships and 94,045 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
Hubert Aust, in UC-45, scuttles French barque SAINT HUBERT, 423 tons, heading from Swansea to Fécamp with a load of coal; off Cap La Hague, Normandy. His score is now 9 ships and 8,072 tons.
Naval operations: Norway
Johannes Spieß, in U-19, sinks Norwegian passenger/cargo ships SS NORWAY, 1,447 tons, carrying a load of steel pipe, general cargo and passengers from Leith to Christiania; just off Holmengraa. His score is now 20 ships and 27,682 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks two ships:
Greek freighter SS ARISTEDES, 2,179 tons, hauling a load of iron ore from Bilbao to Plymouth; sunk aff Cabo del Ajo, on the north coast of Spain.
Norwegian freighter SS NORHAUG, 1,245 tons. out of Swansea for Blaye with a load of coal; hit a mine laid by UC-21 off Saint Nazaire.
Saltzwedel's score is now 75 ships and 110,223 tons.
Naval operations: Tyrrhennian Sea
Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, sinks two vessels off Policastro, Italy:
Italian sailing boat ANGELO PADRE, 50 tons.
British freighter SS UMARIA, 5,317 tons, underway from Calcutta to Britain with a general cargo.
Von Fischel's score is now 29 ships and 57,332 tons.
Naval operations: Strait of Messina
Horst Obermüller, in UB-43, sinks Greek freighter SS DOROTHY, 4,494 tons, carrying a load of wheat from Karachi to Naples. His tally is now 3 ships and 12,940 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Max Valentiner, in U-38, sinks British freighter SS HOLMESBANK, 3,051 tons, headed from Swansea to Port Said with a load of coal; northwest of Alexandria. His total is now 130 ships and 189,503 tons.
Hans von der Lühe, in UC-20, sinks a French/Italian fishing fleet south of Sicily:
ABD ES SALEM, French 25 tons.
DANDOLO, French, 50 tons.
MANOUBIA, French, 50 tons.
MESSAOUDA, French, 50 tons.
SAN FRANCESCO, Italian, 47 tons.
Von der Lühe's score is now 9 vessels and 3,985 tons.
Ernst von Voigt, in UC-35, scuttles Italian schooner RISORGIMENTO, 222 tons, south of Sardinia. His score is now 22 vessels and 38,518 tons.
Karl Neumann, in UC-67, sinks British hospital ship DOVER CASTLE, 8,271 tons, en route from Malta to Gibraltar; north o Bona, Algeria. His score is now 28 ships and 44,354 tons.
Kurt Schapler, in UC-73, sinks Italian freighter SS AGRAGAS, 850 tons, off Sirte, Libya. His score is now 4 ships and 7,151 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 27, 2022 6:36:22 GMT
Day 1031 of the Great War, May 27th 1917
Western Front
Small actions along Moronvilliers, Verdun and Alsace fronts.
Italian Front
Italians take S. Giovanni (Carso, third Austrian line), and cross River Timavo; lose and regain Hill 126, east of Gorizia. Austrians claim 13,000 prisoners.
Germany
Germans threaten to sink at sight all hospital ships in Mediterranean.
It is announced that 600 German daily papers ceased publication since beginning of war.
Official statistics show German birthrates in the 26 largest German cities have dropped by 38.3% since 1914.
France: French Mutineers Seize Trains for Paris
The 18th Regiment had seen one of the first mutinies in the French Army in late April. Knowing that the troops were no longer very reliable, they were brought off the front soon after for three weeks’ rest. On May 27, they were due to return to the front lines once again, and another mutiny erupted that evening. Many soldiers in one battalion seized a nearby railway station and attempted to seize a Paris-bound train. Fighting erupted with the police, and the mutineers were not rounded up until the next day.
The disturbances were not confined to the 18th Regiment. The previous day, two regiments in another division formed soldiers’ councils (on the Russian model) and briefly besieged the headquarters of their commanding general. They were eventually persuaded to return to the front, but chanted pacifist slogans on the way. Other regiments also attempted to march on Paris, but most had difficulty finding or securing trains. The 370th Regiment, however, did manage to find one, but headquarters was alerted and was able to dispatch a cavalry division to stop the train, blocking its way with logs and machine guns.
Aerial operations: Marian Disaster
‘F’ Squadron RNAS has spent the last four weeks carrying out bombing missions on stations and supply dumps across the Macedonian front. However today disaster struck.
Five Sopwith Strutters had been wheeled out on the aerodrome at Marian and loaded with bombs for a raid. The weather proved unfavourable and the aeroplanes were put back in the hangar, where they were left in readiness to set off immediately the weather conditions improved.
Also in the hangar were three single-seater fighters, with four men at work on them. Suddenly there was an explosion and the hangar burst into flames. Other explosions followed as the bombs were detonated, and the flames spread to a small nearby hangar in which two aeroplanes were housed. Both hangars and the aircraft were destroyed within three minutes.
The four men killed in the hangar were Chief Petty Officer William Hugh Woodhead, 1st Class Air Mechanics Frederick C Mitford and Leslie Oldman and 2nd Class Air Mechanic Harry Norman John Gibson
Four other mechanics and one soldier who were on the aerodrome at the time were wounded.
It remains unknown how the accident huappened. The armourer in the main hangar, CPO Woodhead was a man of experience and proved caution, and the fan safety devices were supposed to render harmless any bomb dropped from a height less than 200 feet, so that even if a bomb accidentally fell off its rack inside the hangar, it should not have exploded.
Local commanders attempted to keep news of the disaster from reaching the enemy. Signs of the fire were removed and talk of the accident was forbidden. Nevertheless rumours began to spread within a few weeks.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Rudolph Seuffer, commanding UC-50, sinks British freighter SS DARTMOOR, 2,870 tons, bound from Bona and Gibraltar for Garston. His score is now 16 ships and 15,752 tons.
Curtiss H.12 flying boat 8656, piloted by William Anderson, bombs and sinks UC-66, commanded by Herbert Pustkuchen off the Scilly Isles. The U-boat is sunk with all 23 hands.
Naval operations: North Sea
Johannes Spieß, in U-19, scuttles Danish schooner DEBORA, 159 tons, hauling a load of coal from West Wemyss to Skagen; off Lister. His score is now 21 vessels and 27,841 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Werner Fürbinger, in UC-70, sinks French barque General DE BOISDEFFRE, 2,195 tons, en route from Mejillones to Brest with a load of nitrates; west of Ushant. His score is now 81 ships and 67,498 tons.
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks Greek freighter SS ESTAFATHIOS, 3,847 tons, carrying 67 aircraft and engines from Baltimore to Bordeaux; off Cabo de Peñas, Spain. His score is now 76 ships and 114,070 tons.
Naval operations: Tyrrhennian Sea
Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, sinks two vessels off the southwestern coast of Italy:
Italian brigantine LUIGI, 137 tons.
Italian sailboat MARIA GUISEPPE, 26 tons.
Von Fischel's score is now 31 vessels and 57,495 tons.
Naval operations: Strait of Sicily
Gustav Seiß, in U-33, sinks two Italian sailing vessels:
BEATRICE, 106 tons.
MICHELE COSTANTINO, 51 tons.
Seiß's score is now 28 vessels and 134,936 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Hans von der Lühe, in UC-20, sinks British freighter SS BOLDWELL, 3,118 tons, en route from Tyne to Alexandria with a load of coal. his score is now 10 ships and 7,103 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 28, 2022 4:49:55 GMT
Day 1032 of the Great War, May 28th 1917
Western Front
German attacks near Hurtebise repulsed.
Italian Front
Italian guns within 10 miles of Trieste.
In Plava sector Italians drive enemy to end of Globna valley. Claim nearly 24,000 prisoners in last fortnight.
United Kingdom
British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour declares British Empire had “staked its last dollar on democracy.”
France
French Socialists decide to attend Stockholm Conference.
United States
More than 20 Americans have been arrested for opposing the draft, with antiwar demonstrations occurring in several U.S. cities.
Brazil
Brazilian Congress votes 136 to 3 in the first reading of a measure to end Brazilian neutrality in the war.
Russia: Russian Military Abolishes Saluting, Provides Soldiers “Full Liberty of Conscience”
An order published by the Russian Provisional Government on May 28 betrayed the growing rift between the state and the military. Minister of War Kerensky’s manifesto acknowledged the breakdown of the Tsarist military system and recognized the increasing autonomy of Russian soldiers, as well as their gripe with the officer class. The order abolished mandatory saluting, making it optional for soldiers to their officers. It also authorized the democratic soldiers’ councils springing up everywhere, which debated the merits of orders to attack or retreat (usually they decided against attacking and in favor of retreating).
Italy
Serbians, Montenegrins, and other Yugoslavians in Entente countries voice opposition to Italy’s move to control the Adriatic coast.
Greece: Allies Decide to Depose King Constantine of Greece
The Allied governments had long had issues with Greece’s King Constantine, the Kaiser’s brother-in-law. Matters nearly came to a head in December 1916, when Allied soldiers became involved in a firefight on the streets of Athens. Sarrail had long been advocating for removing King Constantine entirely, but the French government stopped short of doing so in December, instead demanding concessions and imposing a blockade until they were granted, while simultaneously granting more recognition to Venizelos’ government in Salonika.
By May 1917, however, the situation had changed. Briand’s government had fallen, and his replacement as French PM, Ribot, was more open to removing King Constantine. The revolution in Russia and the deposition of the Romanovs meant that the Russians were no longer as opposed to the removal of King Constantine as an affront to monarchy in general; furthermore, as Russia was in favor of a peace without annexations, Greek ambitions on Turkey were less of a threat. In Greece, Venizelos was eager to dampen growing republican sentiment among his supporters, and saw a deposition of King Constantine as the only way to preserve the monarchy.
The last piece fell into place on May 28, when Ribot, at a conference in London with Lloyd George, convinced the latter to sign onto the idea as well. A diplomatic mission would be sent to Athens, notifying King Constantine that his absolutist rule, in supposed violation of the Greek Constitution, would no longer be tolerated by the powers that guaranteed Greek independence. The demand would be backed by force; Allied troops would soon land around Athens, while a division would move south from Salonika into Thessaly.
Aerial operations: A good day for Jasta 5
B flight of 60 Squadron was on an offensive patrol near Lens. Two of the Original five aircraft had dropped out due to engine trouble. The three remaining aircraft, led by Captain Keith Logan Caldwell attacked two enemy two seaters. They were then attacked themselves by three enemy scouts. Caldwell got into a one-on-one with one of the attackers eventually driving him off. 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Uriel Phalen in Nieuport 23 B1624 failed to return from the mission and was assumed killed. Leutnant Kurt Schuhmann from Jasta 5 claimed the victory though evidence is scant.
Jasta 5 then went to destroy a 25 Squadron photo reconnaissance mission over Douai, about 12km behind the German lines. At this point the flight was down to 4 machines, three of which were lost.
2nd Lieutenant Edward Harris Stevens and Lance Corporal C Sturrock in FE2d A32 claimed by Leutnant Kurt Schneider. They lost the undercarriage in the crash and Stevens was badly wounded
Captain Aubrey De Selincourt and Lieutenant Harry Cotton in FE2d A6378 were forced down with a damaged engine and crashed – claimed by Leutnant Werner Voss
Lieutenant Thomas Noble Southorn and Lieutenant Vivian Smith in FE2d A6410 crashed when forced to land with a shot up engine and radiator – claimed by Vitzfeldwebel Otto Könnecke. All six crew members were taken prisoner but Stevens later died of his wounds.
Naval operations: Ireland
Walther Schwieger, commanding U-88, attacks Russian sailing vessel ROMA, 417 tons, bound from Pensacola for Liverpool, with his deck gun. The damaged ship is towed into Castletown and repaired.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Friedrich Crüsemann, in U-86, sinks two British freighters far west of France and south of Ireland:
SS ANTINOE, 2,396 tons, en route from Seville to Newport, Wales with a load of ore.
SS LIMERICK, 6,827 tons, carrying a load of frozen meat from Sydney to London.
Crüsemann's score is now 8 ships and 20,251 tons.
Hubert Aust, in UC-45, scuttles Norwegian sailing ship TELE, 1,974 tons, underway from South Georgia to Liverpool with a load of whale oil. His score is now 10 ships and 10,046 tons.
Theodor Schultz, in UC-55, scuttles Norwegian barque ASTERS, 1,531 tons, en route from Philadelphia to Le Havre with a load of drummed vegetable oil and parafin; far northwest of the Scilly Isles. His score is now 14 ships and 16,220 tons.
Naval operations: North Sea
Kurt Tebbenjohanns, in UC-44, sinks Norwegian freighter SS TURID, 1,148 tons, carrying a load of herring and wood pulp from Trondgeim to Grimsby. His score is now 27 ships and 20,468 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks three Norwegian freighters off the north coast of Spain:
SS HIRAM, 598 tons, travelling from Pomaron to Rouen with a load of copper ore; off Cabo Vilano.
SS URNA, 2,686 tons, hauling a load of iron ore from Melilla to Barrow; off Cabo Prior.
SS WALDEMAR, 1,267 tons, out of Pomaron for Dublin with a load of copper ore; off Cabo Moras.
Saltzwedel's score is now 79 ships and 118,621 tons.
Werner Fürbinger, in UC-70, torpedoes British freighter SS ANCONA, 1,168 tons, travelling from Falmouth to Lisbon and several Spanish ports with a general cargo. The ship is sunk with all hands and listed as Missing. Fürbinger's score is now 82 ships and 69,693 tons.
Ernst Voigt, in UC-72, uses his deck gun to sink British barquentine DETLEF WAGNER, 225 tons, carrying a load of wine from Lisbon to Jersey; off the Île de Sein. His score is now 62 vessels and 20,601 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
Johannes Feldkirchner, in UC-25, sinks two Italian sailing vessels with his deck gun; south of Sharqi Island, off the east coast of Tunisia.
NUOVO S. GIOVANNI, 31 tons.
SAN DOMENICO, 27 tons.
Feldkirchner's score is now 10 vessels and 2,738 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 29, 2022 6:07:00 GMT
Day 1033 of the Great War, May 29th 1917
Western Front
Near St. Quentin and in Champagne heavy artillery and small patrol actions.
Italian Front
Italians win trenches near Medeazza (southern Carso).
Austrian attacks on Vodice fail.
Naval and Overseas Operations
United States
U.S. exports in the past 12 months reach a record of $6 billion, $2 billion more than last year, largely due to demand in Allied countries.
Attorney General Gregory instructs U.S. attorneys and marshals to use their utmost effort to arrest and prosecute anti-draft activists
Germany
Kaiser Wilhelm states the British “fight only to increase their power and don’t inquire where the right may be.”
Russia
The Petrograd Soviet refuses to accept the war aims of the Allies, pointing to British oppression of Ireland.
United Kingdom: UK Labour Leader Visits Russia
Arthur Henderson, leader of the Labour Party in the UK, was the first member of his party to serve in government, first as part of Asquith’s broad coalition government, and then under Lloyd George, even serving as part of the small War Cabinet. On May 29, Henderson was dispatched to Russia to meet with the new government there; his credentials as both a high-ranking member of the government and a prominent socialist made him an ideal representative. The end result of his visit, however, may have not been what Lloyd George wanted. Emboldened by talks with Russian socialists, Henderson became a major advocate for their proposed socialist peace conference in Stockholm. After his attempt to organize a British delegation to the conference was rejected by Lloyd George, Henderson resigned from the Cabinet and focused on building up the national Labour Party organization for post-war elections.
Aerial operations: Advertisement Lighting Order
Today, Britain got even darker – literally, when the Government implemented a further lighting restriction covering all of England and Wales.
The ‘Advertisement Lights Order’ prohibited the use of illuminated advertisements, of lights outside or at the entrance to any place of amusement, and of all lighting inside shop premises for display or for advertisement after the shops had been closed.
The Order would remain in force for the next 2 years. From that time period it will be clear that this continued well after the war was over and the threat of air raids gone.
This was because the primary reason for the lighting order was not to impair the ability of raiders to find targets but simply to save coal and was made at the request of the coal controller.
In fact up to this point most Zeppelins had struggled to recognise targets in the dark and the recent aircraft raids had taken place in daylight.
In many ways the order really only served the purpose of reassuring the public, particularly in areas subject to frequent raids.
Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, norhwest of the Hebrides
Ernst Wilhelms, commanding U-69, scuttles three Swedish sailing vessels:
Schooner ARGO, 123 tons, bound from Halmstad for Hafnursfjord with a load of boards and planks.
Brig INES, 261 tons, heading from Halmstad to Hafnursfjord with a load of wood.
Barque CONSUL N. NIELSEN, 1,395 tons, carrying a load of linseed from Buenow Aires to Copenhagen.
Wilhelms' score is now 23 ships and 67,390 tons.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Friedrich Crüsemann, in U-86, sinks British freighter SS OSWEGO, 5,793 tons. travelling from New York to Hull with a general cargo; 175 miles west of Bishop Rock. His score is now 9 ships and 41,673 tons.
Walther Schwieger, in U-88, sinks British tanker SS ASHLEAF, 5,768 tons, carrying a load of petroleum from Trinidad to Falmouth. His score is now 40 ships and 159,073 tons.
Theodor Schultz, in UC-55, sinks British freighter SS CLAN MURRAY, 4,835 tons, en route from Port Pirrie to Belfast with a load of wheat; 40 miles southwest of Fastnet. His score is now 15 ships and 21,055 tons.
Naval operations: North Sea
Georg Schmidt begins his U-boat career in U-28 with the sinking of three Norwegian vessels east of the Shetland Islands:
Freighter SS FRIDTJOF NANSEN, 2,190 tons, en route from Tyne to Christiania with a load of wood.
Sailing vessel KARNA, 210 tons, travelling from Rönneby to Akureyri with a load of wood.
Schooner KODAN, 217 tons, carrying a load of wood from Rönneby to Sandakrog, Iceland.
Schmidt's opening score is 3 vessels and 2,217 tons.
Naval operations: Sea of Crete
Wilhelm Marschall, in UC-74, sinks three vessels north of Crete:
Greek sailboat AGHIA TOM AGHION, 30 tons.
Greek sailboat KIRIKOS, 84 tons.
French troopship YARRA, 4,163 tons. Yarra had departed Port Said on the 27th as part of a convoy with two other ships, escorted by a French destroyer and gunboat and a British sloop. UC-74 torpedoes Yarra at 1840, and the ship sinks at 1900. The escorts rescue the survivors (16 men lost). Marchall's score is now 8 ships and 28,513 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 30, 2022 2:48:09 GMT
Day 1034 of the Great War, May 30th 1917
Western Front: British Artillery Bombardment Begins on Messines Ridge
Messines Ridge was a geographical feature south of Ypres, which had been turned into a fortress by the German army over three years. Despite its strength, the British general staff had chosen Messines as the target for its next offensive, which would prelude an even larger offensive to be launched at Ypres later that year.
The British officer planning the attack, Herbert Plumer, had been studying the ridge opposite since 1916. He had spent his time drawing up a careful, meticulous plan of attack, hoping for limited success rather than a fantastical breakthrough. To this end, miners dug 19 tunnels filled with explosives under German lines, while a lengthy artillery barrage started on May 30.
Italian Front
Austrians reported asking for German aid for Trieste.
East Africa campaign
East Africa: German forces break south from Rufiji towards Portuguese territory.
United Kingdom
British Board of Trade takes control of all tobacco supplies due to shortage of supply.
United States
U.S. officials report young American men are crossing into Mexico daily to escape conscription.
Germany
German Socialists declare they do not support annexation or indemnities, but demand the independence of Finland and Russian Poland.
Russia
Soviet announces International Conference at Stockholm.
Russian Provisional Government considers seizing private property as the state fails to raise enough money through loans.
Austria-Hungary: Austrian Parliament Meets for First Time in the War
Emperor Charles had decided to embrace his reforming side lately, sacking Tisza as Hungarian PM due to his opposition to an expansion of the franchise there. On May 30, the Austrian parliament re-opened for the first time since March of 1914. Charles hoped that a democratic trend would increase support for his rule, quell some dissent, and also perhaps spread the blame for any future hardships more widely. He simultaneously lifted some of the draconian wartime restrictions–what had amounted to martial law in provinces anywhere near both fronts–that had been in place for over two years now.
Much had changed since 1914; the country was now several years into the war, the former PM had been assassinated, and over 40 of the 516 members of parliament were in prison or exile (or, in one case, executed). The fundamental reason for the proroguing of Parliament–Czech opposition to and continued filibustering of the government–had not gone away, and if anything had grown worse. By re-opening Parliament without addressing any Czech concerns directly, Charles had given a platform to some of his fiercest critics. The Chairman of the Czech Union of parties read out a statement, decidedly more ambitious than any in recent decades:
…It is necessary to transform the Habsburg…monarchy into a federal union of free and equal national states.
Basing ourselves at this historic moment on the natural right of nations to self-determination and free development, reinforced moreover in our case by inalienable historic rights, we shall demand the unification of all branches of the Czechoslovak nation in one democratic state, including the Slovak branch living in a unit contiguous to its Czech motherland.
Using language clearly inspired by Wilson and the Americans (who were, it should be stressed, not at war with Austria), the Czechs barely mentioned the role that the Habsburg crown would play in the future. The desire to unite themselves with the Slovaks, currently under Hungarian rule, would be a major shakeup to the current system (and force Charles to violate his coronation oath). The Slovenes and Croats also expressed a similar desire for a south Slavic state encompassing the Serbs as well, while the Poles explicitly demanded independence, as had been promised. The Germans, fearful of being displaced, and for the fate of German minorities in the Sudeten and elsewhere, began to panic.
The next day, Charles spoke to Parliament in an attempt to appease all sides. As a result, he was far too vague to be helpful, and only earned mistrust by refusing to swear an oath to the Austrian constitution (in an attempt to not be bound by further constricting oaths as in Hungary).
Aerial operations: Sand and Stones
Out in Palestine, 1 Australian Squadron (67 Squadron RFC) have continued to work surveying enemy positions, though at this point the weather is too hot for any effective campaigning.
Today, Lieutenants Gerald Cunliffe Stones and Joseph Anthony Morgan were on patrol in their BE2e over Gaza were shot down by Anti- aircraft.
They limped back over the front lines and crash landed within the British lines, but both were killed.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Rudolf Schneider, commanding U-87, sinks two British freighters west of Bishop Rock:
SS BATHURST, 2,821 tons, bound from West Africa for Hull with a load of mahogany logs and palm kernels.
SS HANLEY, 3,331 tons, en route from Bahia Blanca to Falmouth with a load of oats.
Schneider's score is now 31 ships and 100,197 tons.
Naval operations: Ireland
His Majesty's Trawler INA WILLIAM, 337 tons, hits a mine laid by Rudolf Seuffer in UC-50, raising his score to 15 vessels and 16,089 tons.
Theodor Schultz, in UC-55, torpedoes British freighte SS FERNLEY, 3,820 tons, en route from Havana to Queenstown with a load of sugar; off Dingle Bay. The damaged ship makes safe port.
Naval operations: English Channel
British freighter SS CORBET WOODAL, 917 tons, carrying a load of coal from South Shields to Pool, hits a mine laid by Gustav Buch in UC-36. Buch's score (posthumous) is now 24 ships and 34,356 tons.
British freighter SS LISBON, 1,203 tons, en route from Newhaven to Boulogne with a general cargo, hits a mine laid by Max Schmitz in UC-62. His score is now 8 ships and 4,347 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks Norwegian freighter SS SORLAND, 2,472 tons, travelling in ballast from Saint Nazaire to Baltimore; at the western reach of the Bay. His score is now 80 ships and 121,093 tons.
Naval operations: Ionian Sea
Rudolf Singule, in Austrian U-4, sinks French armed boarding steamer ITALIA, 1,305 tons, between Leuca and Corfu. His tally is now 16 ships and 20,715 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on May 31, 2022 2:45:33 GMT
Day 1035 of the Great War, May 31st 1917
Western Front
Artillery action in Ypres and Wytschaete salients.
Violent German attacks on Moronvilliers massif fail.
Italian Front: Discipline and punish: the Italian army deals with failure
A few days ago on the Isonzo D’Annunzio ordered Italian artillery to shell his own men after they had surrendered to the Austro-Hungarians. This willingness to treat their own men brutally is not uncommon in the Italian officer corps. In the last month alone, 54 Italian soldiers have been executed after court martial, while others have been summarily shot for perceived failures in their duty. Italians officers are far more willing to kill their own men than those of any other European army, with executions dwarfing those being applied elsewhere.
The contrast with the French army is instructive: the French are facing widespread unrest across their army with many men refusing to attack or to occupy front line positions. While the French are arresting and in some cases executing perceived ringleaders, their response is far more conciliatory than that of the Italian military authorities to far less serious offences.
Cadorna however would draw a different lesson from the contrast between his and the French army. His officers are applying iron discipline and his men are continuing to fight, while the softer approach of the French officers has led to their army’s mutiny.
United Kingdom
Official British casualties for May lists 114,118 men killed, wounded, and missing.
United Kingdom: British Bread Consumption Down 10%
The German submarine campaign was taking a toll. That was most obvious on the dinner plate. British bread consumption was down 10%, the government noted on May 31, as German U-boats had made the import of foodstuffs much more difficult. Britain is small and crowded, and requires the important of much of its food, especially from the United States, South America, and Australia.
Yet the U-boats were sinking more merchant ships every day, and now British civilians were waiting longer at queues at the store. 1917 would be the year of most strain for Britain, leading to a “re-mobilization” of the war effort, with more strenuous regulations on conscription, food consumption, etc. The eventual introduction of ratining in 1918 finally alleviated food shortages.
Austria-Hungary
Emperor Charles of Austria-Hungary promises internal reforms after the war. He also states peace with Russia is also possible.
United States: Press Censorship Defeated in US Congress
Entry into the war, despite the lopsided vote in Congress, was not a universally popular move in the United States. Although most of the country had rallied around Wilson now that the country was at war, he was still concerned that peace activists and those in the country sympathetic to Germany would agitate against or even interfere with the war effort. As a result, he introduced the Espionage bill to Congress.
Wilson’s bill would make it a federal crime to attempt to cause insubordination in the armed forces, to hamper recruitment efforts, or to print any information with the intent interfere with the war effort. This was a very broad-ranging act; nothing similar had been in force in the United States since 1800. Wilson also asked for broad powers of press censorship, allowing him to prescribe what aspects of national defense could be discussed in newspapers. This drew extreme criticism from Republicans, who were worried that Wilson was amassing dictatorial powers, and from many Democrats, who were understandably concerned about the constitutionality of his proposal. On May 31, the House voted 184-144 to reject the press censorship provisions of the Espionage bill, and continued to debate the remaining sections.
Aerial operations: 55 Mishaps
Following the wind down of the British offensive at Arras, preparations are ramping up for a new offensive to the North in the Messines area.
The DH4s of 55 Squadron RFC have been tasked with the jobs of long range strategic reconnaissance of railway communications around Bruges, Ghent, Grammont, and Ath, and of day bombing to divert enemy air activity from the impending battle front.
To facilitate this, 55 Squadron started to move aerodromes further north today.
This was not without mishaps unfortunately as two aircraft were lost in crashes.
First 2nd Lieutenant William Fraser Sleeman and Lieutenant Gerald Inchbold stalled their DH4 (A2172) which then went into a spin and crashed. The aircraft was completely wrecked and both crew were killed.
Lieutenant Arthur Lindley and Lieutenant Charles Frederick Richards Goodyear were a bit more fortunate. They flew their DH4 (A7428) into a barbed wire fence not long after take off from Fienvillers. They survived and the aircraft was able to be rebuilt.
Naval operations: Another good month for the U-boats
Germany’s U-boats have had another good month, sinking some 670,000 tons of merchant shipping (a total including both Allied ships and neutral ships trading with the Allies). This is a good bit less than was achieved in April but is still very impressive.
Holtzendorff, the German navy’s chief of staff, has calculated that monthly shipping losses of 600,000 tons will force Britain out of the war. If his calculations are correct and these losses can be maintained then autumn should see Britain starved out of the war. With Russia in chaos and Italy not up to much that would effectively leave France to face the might of Germany alone.
Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, far northwest of Ireland
Ernst Wilhelms, Commanding U-69, sinks British freighter SS ESNEH, 3.247 tons, bound from Liverpool for Alexandria with a general cargo. His score is now 24 ships and 70,637 tons.
Naval operations: Celtic Sea
Walther Schwieger, in U-88, sinks two ships west of the Scilly Isles:
French barque Jeanne CORDONNIER, 2,194 tons, hauling a load of nitrate from Iquique to Le Havre. Shelled, stopped, then sunk.
Japanese passenger-cargo MIYAZAKI MARU, 7,892 tons, en route from Yokohama to London with passengers and a general cargo.
Schwieger's score is now 42 ships and 169,249 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
Hans Niemer, in UB-23, scuttles American barque DIRIGO, 3,004 tons, carrying a load of steel from New York to Le Havre. His score is now 5 ships and 8,614 tons.
Naval operations: Atlantic Ocean, west of the Bay of Biscay
Friedrich Crüsemann, in U-86, sinks Greek freighter SS N. HADZIKYRIAKOS, 3,533 tons. travelling from Rosario to London with an unspecified cargo. This is his last sinking. He will serve in higher positions, survive the war and live until 1977. His final score is 10 ships and 29,577 tons.
Naval operations: Strait of Sicily
Johannes Feldkirchner, in UC-25, scuttles Italian sailing vessel NINOTTO, 208 tons, bringing his score to 11 vessels and 2,946 tons.
Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea
British freighter SS OZARDA, 4,791 tons, en route from Karachi to Salonika with a load grain and flour, hits a mine laid by Robert Sprenger in UC-34 off Port Said. The ship is beached, and later refloated and repaired.
Kurt Schapler, in UC-73, sinks British freighter SS ROSEBANK, 3,837 tons, heading from Port Said to Malta; 120 miles north of Benghazi. His score is now 5 ships and 10,988 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jun 1, 2022 2:47:36 GMT
Day 1036 of the Great War, June 1st 1917
YouTube (French Mutinies - Tunnels Under Messines Ridge)
Western Front
Continued artillery duel in Wytschaete salient.
Germans attack near Laffaux Hill (Chemin des Dames) gains some ground.
During "Spring offensive", Allies have captured 52,000 Germans (including 1,000 officers), 446 guns, and 1,000 m.g.'s.
Since beginning of war, British have taken 76,067 prisoners on the Western Front.
Italian Front
Successful Italian attack south of Kostanjevica (Carso).
United Kingdom
Britain claims its shipping losses were the lightest last month since the resumption of German unrestricted submarine warfare.
Lord Devenport resigns office of Food Controller.
British Labour Party appoints deputation to Stockholm and Petrograd.
United States
President Wilson issues a proclamation warning Americans who flee the country to avoid the draft will face punishment.
France
French mutinies continue, as a French infantry regiment takes over the town of Missy-aux-Bois.
French Government announces no passports to French delegates to Stockholm Conference.
Russia: Kronstadt Naval Base Rebels Against Provisional Government
The naval base at Kronstadt, in the Gulf of Finland twenty miles west of Petrograd, was in the vanguard of the revolution in February. Its sailors–young, literate, bored, and with universal hate for their officers–were among the most radical of the revolutionaries. Many of the officers were killed during the revolution, while others were imprisoned. Repeated efforts by Kerensky to restore a normal military hierarchy and transfer the imprisoned officers to the mainland were rebuffed. The fortress was controlled by the Soviet formed by the sailors, and this was dominated by the Bolsheviks, Anarchists, and Socialist Revolutionaries.
On June 1, the Kronstadt Soviet declared itself free from the authority of the Provisional Government, and ejected the commissar that Kerensky had sent from the Petrograd Soviet. That the main naval base protecting Petrograd was now in the hands of the Bolsheviks and other radicals frightened the city. One of the Bolshevik leaders on Kronstadt recalled (though perhaps playing up its significance):
In their eyes, Kronstadt was a symbol of strange horror, the devil incarnate, a terrifying specter of anarchy, a nightmare rebirth of the Paris Commune on Russian soil.
The Bolsheviks on the mainland, however, were less enthusiastic. Lenin, while an advocate of further revolution, knew that the Petrograd Soviet was not the right target–and was also furious that they had gone against his wishes. Trotsky, on the other hand, newly arrived from his detention in Canada, had encouraged the revolt, though he was not himself a Bolshevik at this point.
Within a few days, after negotiations with a Menshevik representative from the Provisional Government (and daily berating from Lenin), the Kronstadt Soviet backed down. They recognized the authority of the Provisional Government, but now got to elect their own commissar.
Aerial operations: Tracking Zeppelins
The tracking of Zeppelins has become quite sophisticated now. A central operations room has been established at the Admiralty to coordinate the messages coming in from the British wireless interception stations and those going out to the eight Warning Controls (the country was divided into areas for the purpose of warning of an attack).
When Zeppelins approached within 150 miles of the English Coast their position, course, and speed were communicated at once, by telephone from the Admiralty, direct to one or more of the East Coast flying-boat bases.
The commanding officers at each base then had the discretion to launch one or more flying-boats. The subsequent positions of the airship or airships were passed on, as they were plotted to the air stations, and then relayed by wireless to the flying-boats already in the air. The receipt of continuous information also enabled commanding officers to judge the need for sending up additional aircraft.
Today an additional innovation was added in a special squared chart of the southern part of the North Sea, known as Tracing Z. This enabled the positions of Zeppelins to be communicated by code signals based on the chart.
Naval operations: Ireland
Walther Schwieger, commanding U-88, sinks British freighter SS CAVINA, 6,539 tons, bound from Port Limon for Avonmouth with a load of bananas and logwood; southwest of Fastnet. His score is now 43 ships and 175,788 tons.
Naval operations: North of Scotland
Karl-Siegfried von Georg, in U-57, sinks British tralwer TEAL, 141 tons, with his deck gun. His score is now 39 vessels and 41,014 tons.
Naval operations: Skagerrak
Karl Stöter, in U-35, starts his U-boat career by taking three prizes:
Norwegian barque PAPOSO, 1,067 tons.
Danish auxiliary motor schooner RIGMORE, 161 tons.
Danish barque VIKING, 2,952 tons.
Unfortunately all three ships are later released by the Prize Court.
Naval operations: Strait of Sicily
Johannes Feldkirchner, in UC-25, sinks two Italian sailing vessels off the west coast of Sicily with his deck gun:
Barquentine DOMENICO MISCURACA, 194 tons.
Brigantine VITTORIA, 248 tons.
Feldkirchner's score is now 13 vessels and 3,388 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jun 2, 2022 2:47:05 GMT
Day 1037 of the Great War, June 2nd 1917Western FrontArtillery active near Wytschaete. British advance south of Souchez river. Photo: Aerial photograph of Messines, 2 June 1917 GermanyField Marshall von Hindenburg reports to Kaiser Wilhelm that the British and French spring offensives have failed. BrazilBrazil revokes her neutrality as between U.S.A. and Germany, and seizes German ships in Brazilian waters. Russia: Grand Duke Nicholas ArrestedThe Russian royal family had been largely not been interfered with since the Revolution. Although the former Czar and his immediate family had been prevented from leaving the country, he had even appeared in public a number of times, telling soldiers to obey the Provisional Government and to continue the war. The royals in the Army had largely been removed; the most prominent of these was Grand Duke Nicholas, his first cousin once removed. He had been in charge at Stavka in the first year of the war, until the Czar took command himself after the defeats in the summer of 1915. He had spent the next two years in nominal command in the Caucasus, until recalled by the Czar to replace him at Stavka immediately before his abdication. The Provisional Government obviously did not want a Romanov in charge of the Army, and quickly dismissed him in favor of Alexeyev (who by now was on his way out in favor of Brusilov). He returned to his own stomping grounds in the Caucasus, where he ran afoul of the Provisional Government. On June 2, he was arrested on a charge (of unknown accuracy) that he was plotting against the government. He would be kept under house arrest in a dacha in the Crimea until White forces took over the area during the Russian Civil War; unlike many other Romanovs, he would ultimately escape the country. Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, south of IcelandKarl Meusel, commanding U-155, sinks Norwegian freighter SS HATFURSFJORD, 1,669 tons, bound from Cadiz for Haugesund with a load of salt. This is his first sinking. Aerial operations: Canadian Ace Billy Bishop Wins the Victoria CrosWilliam Bishop did not seem likely to amount to much in 1914. In school he cut class, got into fights, and sulked during team sports. He enrolled in the Royal Military College of Canada before the war began, but was expelled after only one year when he was caught cheating. When the war broke out, Bishop joined the Canadian cavalry and shipped over to Britain in 1915. Bored and spoiling for a fight, he enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps as an observer, hoping to get to France quicker. The plan worked. Manning a machine-gun on a British plane, Bishope proved himself to be such a good shot that a comrade credited him with “super-human” eyesight. In a twelve-day period, he shot down 25 German planes. Bishop got a bad leg injury upon landing his plane one day in 1916, and missed the Battle of the Somme while he recuperated. When he recovered, he put in his application to become a pilot instead of a gunner. In May he returned to France, now as a flight officer, flying a Nieuport fighter for a pursuit squadron. His agression continued to pay off: on June 2, Bishop single-handedly shot up a German aerodrome far behind enemy lines. It seems to have been more an act of insane bloodlust rather than duty: Bishop said he just wanted a scrap and figured he could stir up a fight if he attacked an airfield. He shot down three German Albatross fighters as they took off. Whether it was bravery or insanity, it won him the Victoria Cross. Naval operations: Celtic SeaRudolf Schneider, in U-87, torpedoes two ships: Italian freighter SS ELIOFILO, 3,583 tons, travelling from Italy to the United Kingdom with a load of ore; far west of Ushant. French freighter SS MISSISSIPPI, 6,687 ton, en route from Le Havre to New Orleans; 150 miles west-southwest of Brest. The damaged ship makes safe port. Schneider's score is now 32 ships and 103,780 tons. Naval operations: North SeaHeinrich Jeß, in U-96, uses his deck gun to sink two Britiah trawlers in the Orkney Islands: SHAMROCK, 170 tons. SR. BERNHARD, 186 tons. Jeß' score is now 13 vessels and 21,911 tons. Naval operations: English ChannelHans Niemer, in UB-23, uses his deck gun to sink British fishing smack PRUDENCE, 25 tons, off Eddystone Lighthouse, near Plymouth. Niemer's tally is now 6 vessels and 8,639 tons. (Per UB-23's KTB. British sources have this taking place on the 3rd.) Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, torpedoes British tanker SS TONAWANDA, 3,421 tons, travelling in ballast from Dover to Maryport. The damaged ship manages to make port safely. Naval operations: Bay of BiscayErnst Voigt, in UC-72, sinks three ships near Bayonne: Spanish freighter SS EREAGA, 2,233 tons, en route from Glasgow to Bilbao with a load of Coal and paint. Norwegian freighter SS SKARPSNO, 1,766 tons, travelling in ballast from Bordeaux to Santander. Norwegian freighter SS ST. SUNNIVA, 1,140 tons, headed from Santander to Sunderland with a load of iron ore, hits a mine laid by UC-72 off Saint Jean de Luze. Voigt's score is now 63 ships and 25,740 tons. Naval operations: Mediterranean SeaRobert Sprenger, in UC-34, torpedoes British freighter SS CAMERONIAN, 5,861 tons, carrying troops, mail and mules from Suda Bay to Alexandria. His total is now 8 ships and 15,995 tons.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jun 3, 2022 6:18:39 GMT
Day 1038 of the Great War, June 3rd 1917
Western Front
Intense artillery duel in Wytschaete salient.
Germans recover ground south of Souchez river.
Five heavy German attacks repulsed on Chemin des Dames front.
Italian Front
Austrians repulsed on San Marco (east of Gorizia). They open a great counter-offensive on the Carso.
Albania: Italy Declares Protectorate Over Albania
The Italians had long had designs on Albania. They had been promised Valona [Vlorë] in the secret Treaty of London that brought them into the war, but they also wanted influence over the rest of Albania, as well. They were displeased when the French set up an Albanian government under their protection in Korçë in December 1916. On June 3, they declared all of Albania to be an Italian protectorate, setting up a puppet government under Turhän Permeti, who had been Prime Minister of one of the last independent Albanian governments in 1914. The protectorate, on paper, included not only all the areas under Italian occupation, but French and Austrian as well.
For the time being, however, the party most aggravated by Italy’s move were the Greeks, who claimed much of the area under Italian occupation. However, with King Constantine on the way out, the Italians were not too concerned with Greek opinion, and even occupied a few towns in northern Greece to add to their new protectorate.
United Kingdom
Socialist Conference at Leeds.
China
Provisional Government formed in China. At least 11 Chinese provinces are in revolt, as the government becomes split over whether to declare war on Germany.
Brazil
Brazil takes control over 46 German ships interned in its ports, as Brazil abandons its neutrality in the war.
Netherlands
Dutch government gives 12,000 tons of grain to German-occupied Belgium as aid.
Aerial operations: Dress Rehearsal
The British forces have been preparing to attack Messines Ridge. Since 21 March the Corps aircraft have been carrying out spotting for the preliminary artillery bombardment.
At conference on the 30 May, captured German documents revealed that the enemy would rely, for defence, mainly on prearranged schemes of artillery fire. This raised the importance of counter-battery work.
To induce the Germans to disclose the positions of their barrage batteries, it was arranged that a full-dress rehearsal of the artillery bombardment, as it would be at zero hour, with a smoke demonstration along the front of attack, should take place today. The hour for this rehearsal was fixed on the advice of the Royal Flying Corps because it was essential to choose conditions favourable for the placing of the maximum strength in the air to discover the enemy guns.
The full-dress rehearsal of the artillery barrage on the Messines ridge was made this afternoon when thirty-one Corps aeroplanes kept watch to note the positions of the German batteries. They were ill-rewarded. The enemy retaliation was feeble, and not many new emplacements were discovered. However air photographs revealed much about the accuracy of the barrage. Artillery staff officers were also flown over the front while the bombardment was in progress enabled many minor errors of timing to be adjusted.
Naval operations: North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of ireland
Kurt Heeseler begins his U-boat career in U-54 with the torpedoing of British tanker SS SAN LORENZO, 9,607 tons, travelling in ballast from Greenock to an unnamed dwstination. The damaged ship makes safe port.
Naval operations: Far west of Ireland
Ernst Wilhelms, in U-69, attacks Italian barquenting LUISA, 1,648 tons, bound from Pensacola to Cardiff, with his deck gun. The damaged ship is towed into Castletown.
Naval operations: Cornwall
Italian freighter SS PORTOFINO, 1,754 tons, en route from Penarth to Blaye, hits a mine laid off the Pendeen Watch Lighthouse by Paul Hundius in UC-47. His score is now 44 ships and 47,581 tons.
Naval operations: English Channel
Ernst Rosenow, in UC-29, attacks two sailing vessels south of The Lizard, at the west entrance to the Channel:
Frence barque ELISABETH, 2,061 tons, carrying a load of nitrates from Pisagua to Le Havre.
British Q-ships HMS MAVIS, 1,295 tons, torpedoed. The damaged ship survives.
Rosenow's score is now 16 ships and 17,578 tons.
Naval operations: Faroe Bank
Athalwin Prinz begins his U-boat career in U-95 with the torpedoing of British freighter SS HOLLINGTON, 4,221 tons, travelling in ballast from Liverpool to the White Sea; off the Faroe Islands.
Naval operations: Norwegian Sea
Georg Schmidt, in U-28, sinks British freighter SS MERIONETH, 3,004 tons, en route from Cardiff to Archangelsk with a load of coal. His score is now 4 ships and 5,621 tons.
Naval operations: North Sea
British fishing smack GIRALDA, 46 tons, hits a mine laid by Georg Reimarus in UC-4 off Cromer. His score is now 9 vessels and 7,711 tons.
Reinhard von Rabenau, in UC-77, scuttles British trawler Virgilia, 209 tons, off Girdleness. His score is now 14 vessels and 9,686 tons.
Naval operations: Skagerrak
Karl Stöter, in UB-35, takes Danish freighter SS SARA, 1,573 tons, as a prize. This is the fourth prize Stöter has taken in three days, and will be the fourth to be released by the Prize Court.
Naval operations: Gulf of Bothnia
Karl Vesper, in UC-58, scuttles Russian coaster SS STEN II, 227 tons. His score is now 16 ships and 16,483 tons.
Naval operations: Bay of Biscay
Ernst Voigt, in UC-72, scuttles Uruguayan barque ROSARIO, 1,565 tons, off the Gironde River. His score is now 66 ships and 27,305 tons.
Naval operations: Alboran Sea
Gustav Seiß, in U-33, sinks two British freighters off Cap Falcon, Algeria:
SS GREENBANK, 3,881 tons, carrying a load of coal from Cardiff to Alexandria.
SS ISLANDMORE, 3,046 tons, travelling from Barry to Malta with a load of coal.
Seiß' score is now 30 ships and 141,863 tons.
Naval operations: Golfe du Lion
Ernst Krafft, in U-72, scuttles Italian barque MAIN B, 249 tons, off Cabo Creux. His score is now 12 vessels and 20,043 tons.
Naval operations: Ligurian Sea
British tanker SS DOCKLEAF, 5,311 tons, underway from Port Arthur to La Spezia with a load of oil, hits a mine laid off Genoa by Ernst Voigt in UC-35. The damaged ship makes safe port.
Naval operations: Strait of Sicily
Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks Italian sailing vessel PETRONILLA MADRE, 43 tons, bringing his score to 151 ships and 311,357 tons.
Naval operations: Ionian Sea
Heinrich Metzger, in U-47, torpedoes French freighter SS VULCANUS, 1,470 tons, en route from Messina to Argostoli; off Cape Rizzuto. His score is now 14 ships and 23,901 tons.
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