The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 81 of the Great War, October 16th 1914

Youtube (Learning From Napoleon – Russia, The Underestimated Enemy )



Western Front: German VII Corps comes into the line north of La Bassée opposite the British II Corps

In the early hours of this morning, the German VII Corps comes into the line north of La Bassée opposite the British II Corps, relieving I and II Cavalry Corps. Though the British occupy Givenchy today, the advance has been painstakingly slow - the British II Corps is still short of La Bassée, let alone Lille. To the north, the British III Corps crosses the Lys River, establishing positions several miles to the east. Here, at least, the Germans appear to be offering little sustained resistance. At Dixmude, however, the Germans deliver a sharp attack against the French marines defending the town, though the latter hold out.

The fighting here has not yet taken on the distinctive characteristics of later years - instead of a near-lunar landscape in No Man's Land, buildings still remained at least partially intact, and forests still contain most of their trees, giving plenty of opportunities to ambush advancing forces with machine gun fire, especially when firing from upper floors of houses and other structures. Further, the villages the soldiers march through - both Gheluvelt and Ploegsteert are occupied by the British today - are mere places on a map; it is only in the months and years ahead that such locales take on their darker, more sinister meaning.

EMden catches some new prizes

Minicoy (known in the native language as Maliku and called Minikoi by the Germans) is the northernmost Island in the Maldives, located roughly 500 km west of the southern tip of India. There is a lighthouse there to guide shipping through the area. SMS EMDEN sighted this light at 22:30 on the night of October 15th and began to patrol the area. Around midnight a ship's lights were sighted. As EMDEN approached at high speed the lookouts spotted a shape in the dark following the freighter. As had happened during the capture of BURESK it was assumed to be a blacked-out warship and EMDEN was cleared for action. Also as before it turned out to be a smoke cloud left by the merchant.

Lt. Lauterbach takes a boarding party and reported back that the ship is SS CLAN GRANT, 3,948 tons, carrying a mixed cargo from England to Colombo. At 0700 the ships stop and EMDEN steward, Leutnant Barber, is sent with a crew of seventeen to see what is aboard the captured ship. Barber discovers a treasure-trove: Live cattle, cakes, flour, crockery, a crate full of typewriters, several cases of cigarettes, supplies of tools, bricks for lining boilers' fireboxes, machine oil. The heads of other departments are sent over to see what they can take for use by their sections.

While this is going on smoke is spotted in the distance. Von Müller leaves his division officers to their tasks and sets off to investigate this new vessel. When EMDEN is close enough the bridge crew see the mast, and determine that it is of a type only used by monitors and torpedo boats. When the "clear for action" order is about to be given the officers notice that though the mast is of that type, the rest of the hull is all wrong. Upon closer approach they are greeted by the very odd sight of a dredger, far further out to sea than such a vessel should be. The order is given for the small craft to follow the cruiser back to its little convoy.

When they have rejoined the other ships Leutnants Lauterbach and Schall are sent aboard. There they find the crew of the vessel waiting to leave their craft with bags already packed. The captain explains that their ship is the deep-sea dredger PORNRABBEL, en route from England to Tasmania. The first such ship to make the voyage had been lost in a storm with all hands, so captain and crew had demanded all their wages in advance. They had nearly gone down themselves in the same storm EMDEN had encountered just a few days earlier, and when they realized that the approaching cruiser had to be EMDEN, and having heard of von Müller's treatment of his prisoners they were more than ready to leave their dangerous tub behind.

Leutnant Gaede opens fire with his guns and PORNRABBEL turns turtle after only three shots. She floats there "like a great whale", until a few more shots from the 4" guns release the trapped air inside, and the dredger joins the earlier one at the bottom of the sea. The crew was more than happy to be aboard BURESK, crowded though she was.

It takes several trips in the boats to bring back all the desired supplies, but eventually scuttling charges are placed and Clan Grant also sees her last day afloat.

The rest of the day is uneventful, until about 2300 hours, when lights are sighted, The ship is stopped and Lauterbach and Schall lead a boarding party over. This new capture is SS BEN MOHR, 4,806 tons, carrying a valuable cargo of locomotives, bicycles, engines and machinery. Her crew are immediately sent to BURESK and the scuttling party begin to lay their charges. Leutnant Klopper, acting commander of BURESK, sends an urgent message to EMDEN. He is running out of space to put new prisoners, and is in desperate need of matresses and provisions. BEN MOHR is quickly dispatched and EMDEN continues her patrol to the west of Minicoy.

Eastern Front: XVII Corps pulls back

In the face of the growing numerical superiority of the Russian forces at Warsaw, General Mackensen's XVII Corps pulls back from the city today.

Italy: Italian Foreign Minister dies

Antonio di San Giuliano, the Italian Foreign Minister, dies today. Within the Italian government, he had been a voice of moderation, willing to keep open contacts with Germany and Austria-Hungary, and his death tilts the Italian cabinet towards the Entente.

Day 83 of the Great War, October 18th 1914

U-27 sinks British submarine E-3

U-27, commanded by Bernd Wegener, spots British submarine E-3 cruising on the surface, and sinks her with a single torpedo. Wegener, like Weddigen, will have a u-boat flotilla named for him.

Photo: HMS E3 before the war



Graf Spee departs Easter Island

Graf Spee departs Easter Island with his two armored cruisers, three light cruisers and several support ships.

KARLSRUHE makes another capture

In the Atlantic SMS KARLSRUHE makes another capture. This time it is SS GLANTON, 3,021 tons, travelling from Barry to Montevideo with 3,800 tons of coal. Unwilling to use more men for a prize crew, Captain Köhler opts to sink the ship. Some oil and rope are taken aboard, the crew sent to RIO NEGRO, and GLANTON scuttled. Two other ships are sighted that day, but they both turn out to be neutral.

EMDEN gets another price on a Sunday

In the Indian Ocean SMS EMDEN is having a typical Sunday. Church services have been held for both Catholic and Protestant sailors, and the officers are relaxing in the wardroom when smoke is sighted in the distance. As EMDEN approaches it is seen that the funnel of the ship is blue, a sure indication that she belongs to the British Blue Funnel Line. SS TROILUS is a brand-new freighter on her maiden voyage, rated at 7,562 tons, carrying copper, tin, zinc and rubber from Colombo to England. The value of the cargo is estimated at 25 million marks.

The ship is boarded at 1500 hours. Among the passengers is a lady who knows Leutnant Lauderbach from his days as captain of the liner Staatssekretär Kredtke. The lady, who is not named in Hohenzollern's account, expresses amusement at being captured on the high seas, and tells a delightful story of her adventures. When war broke out the ship on which she was travelling turned back to Hong Kong. After weeks of waiting she finally managed to get aboard a ship to Singapore. From there she caught another ship, but it was turned back because of the fear of EMDEN. Later still she managed to reach Colombo. Finally she got aboard TROILUS, only to find herself captured by EMDEN, and by Mr. Lauterbach himself. The lady is most philosophical about it, her only regret being the necessity of travelling back to Colombo and start yet again.

The captain of TROILUS turns out to be another story altogether. He angrily complains that he has always travelled the main shipping lanes with no trouble whatsoever. This time the Naval Staff at Colombo advised him to travel thirty miles north of the main route, which of course took him straight into the arms of EMDEN. The raider's officers are delighted to hear this, because they now know exactly where the cargo ships are being directed. The only officer who is not happy is Leutnant Klopper, temporary commander of BURESK, who complains that he has no room for more crew and passengers, particularly for a lady who should be in a private cabin. Not wishing to waste time, Captain von Müller has Troilus follow along.

The little convoy is heading east when, at 2100, they come across the steamer ST. EGBERT, 5,596 tons, carrying a cargo of sugar and piece goods from from Colombo to New York. Though the ship is British, the cargo is neutral.

Western Front: German III Reserve Corps launches an attack on the Belgian line between Dixmude and Nieuport

Today the German III Reserve Corps launches an attack on the Belgian line between Dixmude and Nieuport. The land here is low-lying pasture fields, much of which is below sea-level. A railway connecting the two towns sits only six feet above sea level, and the roads of the region are even lower. A series of locks at Nieuport drains the Yser River at low tide and keeps the sea out at high tide.

The German attack succeeds in capturing several advanced posts on the eastern side of the river, but fail to secure bridgeheads across the Yser itself. The Belgian defense is aided by a British naval squadron just offshore, centered on two monitors that bombard the advancing Germans.

Western Front: Sir John French orders the British 7th Division of IV Corps to advance on Menin

In Flanders there are a number of scattered French units, haphazardly thrown into the fight to plug holes or exhausted after retreating, which include the French marines at Dixmude, several territorial divisions, and a number of cavalry divisions. Today Joffre organizes these units into a single detachment under the command of General Victor d'Urbal, who will report to Foch. Of these forces several cavalry divisions under General de Mitry advancing northeast of Ypres occupy Roulers.

Further south, Sir John French orders the British 7th Division of IV Corps to advance on Menin, in co-operation with de Mitry's move towards Roulers. The division finds itself short of Menin at nightfall, General Rawlinson being concerned of marching beyond his flank support. The British Cavalry Corps, in the front line between IV Corps to the north and III Corps to the south, is unable to make any progress against a determined German defense west of Comines, and III Corps itself, ordered to advance northeast down the valley of the Lys River, finds itself running to the main German line defending Lille and can make little headway. Finally, II Corps seizes a bridge just under a mile east of Givenchy, but further progress is halted by German machine gun fire from brick-stacks to the north and a factory to the south that had so far avoided destruction from artillery fire.

Overall, the deployment and advance of the BEF in Flanders has not achieved its objectives. Though it has to date covered the northern flank of the French line reaching up from Arras, its attempt to turn the German flank has been painfully slow, and objectives such as La Bassée, to say nothing of Lille, remain out of reach. Moreover, there is no awareness of the impending German offensive - though information from the Belgians suggests German reserves have been marching west from Brussels, it is generally believed that these are second-class troops who will simply take over portions of the German line. Indeed, Sir John French's plan remains to continue the advance, and it is believed that the imminent arrival of I Corps, the last to leave the Aisne, will give the attack sufficient weight to push back the Germans, reach Lille, and outflank the enemy. In reality, this evening the four new reserve corps belonging to 4th Army (XXII, XXIII, XXVI, and XXVII) reach the start line of the planned German attack, arranged north to south approximately ten to seventeen miles east of the Yser and Ypres Canal. Falkenhayn's grand offensive to win the war in the west is about to begin, and the Entente forces opposite have no idea what is about to descend on them.

Eastern Front: Ludendorff orders the 9th Army to retreat

Ludendorff, aware now that 9th Army will not be able to accomplish anything against the Russian numerical superiority in central Poland, issues orders today for 9th Army to retreat beginning on October 20th. The Russian armies opposite along the Vistula are still not yet fully assembled, but to the south in Galicia the Russians go back onto the attack, recrossing the San River and threatening Przemysl with encirclement again.

Kamerun Campaign: British and French strategy

While British strategy regarding German Kamerun has focused on the coast and denying the Germans use of the port of Duala, French strategy has instead aimed at the interior. The German colony is bordered by French Equatorial Africa to the east and south, and the French were particularly interested in recovering the territory ceded by them to the Germans in 1911 as part of the resolution of the Second Moroccan Crisis. Thus the first French attacks sees one column advancing westward seize Carnot yesterday, and a second advancing north up the Sanga River takes Nola today. The advances have been without opposition - in the prior three years the Germans had only begun to integrate the former French territories into their colony, and have left them largely undefended. Further, though the two attacks were designed to be linked together as one offensive operation, the realities of communication in central Africa - where orders can take weeks to travel from one column to another - makes practical co-ordination impossible.

What to do with CANOPUS

Yesterday the old pre-dreadnought CANOPUS left the River Plate, and today its captain signals Admiral Craddock at the Falklands that his ship can only do 12 knots and thus will be unlikely to arrive until the 22nd. The news is of great concern to Craddock, as it means that adding CANOPUS to his squadron will slow its speed to 12 knots, which would be far too slow to catch the German East Asiatic Squadron. Moreover, if they did fight the Germans would be able to use their superior speed to stay out of the range of Canopus' main guns. The old battleship is thus for all intents and purposes useless to Craddock, he sends the following telegram to the Admiralty: 'I trust circumstances will enable me to force an action, but fear that strategically, owing to Canopus, the speed of my squadron cannot exceed twelve knots.'

In London the telegram is interpreted simply as Craddock informing them of his squadron's speed with CANOPUS attached, and thus send no reply. Craddock, however, still feels himself bound by the orders of September 14th to attack the German East Asiatic Squadron. He is thus faced with an impossible conundrum - keep CANOPUS and be unable to force battle with the Germans, or leave CANOPUS behind but be outgunned by the enemy.

Day 85 of the Great War, October 20th 1914

U-17 sinks GLITRA

Johannes Feldkirchner, commanding U-17, is fourteen miles off the Norwegian coast when he spots a lone freighter. He surfaces and orders the steamer's crew to abandon ship. It is SS GLITRA, 866 tons, carrying a load of coal, oil and iron plates from Grangemouth to Stavanger. After the crew are safely away a boarding party scuttles the ship. GLITRA is the first merchant ever to be sunk by a u-boat.

Painting of SS GLITRA sinking with U-17 on the foreground



EMDEN ignores a ship 

In the Indian Ocean, at about 0100, lookouts aboard SMS EMDEN spot the lights of a ship in the distance. Captain von Müller decides to ignore it, as his crew are completely exhausted from the previous day's work. At 0200 another ship is sighted, going the opposite direction at high speed. Again von Müller ignores the vessel, thinking it may be a warship. Sometime later they find out that the British Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS EMPRESS OF RUSSIA was patrolling the area. About 0300 a third ship passes by, and again it is avoided.

Sometime during the night EMDEN loses contact with BURESK, but with the coming of daylight the two are reunited.

Late in the morning SS ST. EGBERT arrives at Cochin with her load of passengers. Once again word spreads of the gentlemanly treatment shown by Karl von Müller to his captives.

Western Front: Falkenhayn throws the kitchen sink at Ypres

Today severe fighting occurs along the Western Front from the Channel to south of Arras. In addition to the full weight of the German 4th Army now brought against the Entente lines, Rupprecht's 6th Army also goes over on to the offensive from Menin to Arras. At the north end, 5th Reserve Division of III Reserve Corps attacks the Belgian line along the Yser, halfway between Nieuport and Dixmude, supported by the entirety of the corps artillery. On its left XXII Reserve Corps assaults Dixmude, and though several outlying villages are captured the Belgians and French marines continue to hold on. Further south XXIII Reserve Corps captures Staden after several hours of street fighting, and are able to advance to the eastern edge of Houthulst Forest, the French cavalry of General de Mitry unable to offer sustained resistance.

On the British side, General Haig's I Corps marches from Ypres to a line extending from Bixschoote, on the southern flank of de Mitry's cavalry, to two kilometres north-west of Zonnebeke. I Corps experiences no fighting today, but General Byng's 3rd Cavalry Division covering its right is pushed back along with French territorial units, Poelcappelle being lost to the German XXVI Reserve Corps in the afternoon and 3rd Cavalry forced to retreat towards Langemarck. General Rawlinson of IV Corps orders 7th Infantry Division to continue to push on towards Menin, but by early afternoon reconnaissance makes blindingly obvious that Germans are present in overwhelming numbers, and further advance is impossible. Falling back to their trenches of the night before, 7th Division is assaulted at 2pm and 4pm by units of the German XXVII Reserve Corps, and though the Germans are able to advance within fifty yards, they are unable to break through.

South of IV Corps is General Allenby's Cavalry Corps, which by early morning was aware that the Germans were turning to attack. Six German cavalry divisions advance northwest against the lines of the British, crossing the Lys River at several points, and the Cavalry Corps retires to a line stretching from near Zandvoorde through Ploegsteert Wood to Messines. Though the retreat is conducted in good order, General Allenby is aware that his cavalry is significantly outnumbered, and as the horsemen spend the night furiously digging he signals for assistance.

Further south III Corps is assaulted continuously through the day, with infantry attacks interrupting heavy artillery bombardment. They find themselves facing two German Corps - XIX and XIII, the latter having moved south from above Lille undetected by the British, where they were replaced by the German cavalry divisions attacking the British Cavalry Corps. The most notable German success comes at Ennetières, where the 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters are wiped out almost to a man when the village is captured and their position outflanked.

North of La Bassée a counterattack is launched on 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment at Le Pilly on Aubers Ridge. The failure of the French to capture Fournes the previous day left the battalion isolated, and though they beat back waves of attacks throughout the morning, by mid-afternoon their ammunition is almost exhausted. Major E. H. E. Daniell orders the remaining soldiers to fix bayonets, and counterattack in an attempt to break out and return to British lines. The desperate gamble is a disaster, and the battalion is annihilated - of 578 soldiers who went into battle yesterday, only 30 survivors reach British lines this evening.

Map: The assault of the German 4th and 6th armies, October 20th, 1914



Sinai and Palestine campaign: Egypt relationship with the United Kingdom

In Egypt, the anomalous position of the country in relationship to Britain is of increasing concern to the British officials there. Egypt technically is a province of the Ottoman Empire, and is 'ruled' by the Khedive, or viceroy, an hereditary position since the mid-19th century. In practice, the Khedive's powers are largely nominal, and Egypt is ruled by the British through the office of Consul-General. In peacetime this arrangement had largely suited the British, but the war, and in particular the potential Ottoman entry into the conflict, has significant ramifications. The Ottoman government aspires to make Egypt more than just a nominal part of its empire, and there was widespread anti-British opinion among educated middle-class Egyptians, some looking to the Ottomans while others yearned for outright independence. The Khedive himself has pro-Ottoman sympathies, and indeed is at present in Constantinople recovering from an assassination attempt. British officials fear that if the Ottomans enter the war against Britain, as appears increasingly likely, there is a very real possibility of internal unrest. Thus even before hostilities have commenced between Britain and the Ottomans, steps are being taken in Egypt to preempt any opposition to the war - today public meetings of more than five people are outlawed.

Day 87 of the Great War, October 22nd 1914

CANOPUS left behind

Port Stanley, Falkland Islands: Admiral Cradock decides he can waste no more time waiting for CANOPUS. He sends a signal to the Admiralty: "GOOD HOPE left Port Stanley via Cape Horn. CANOPUS following on 23rd via Magellan Straights with three colliers for west coast of South America."

He leaves a letter with Governor Sir William Allardyce for Admiral Sir Hedworth Meux, with this note "I will give you all the warning I can if the German squadron eludes us; and only in case of my 'disappearance' will you send the letter to Meux. I mean to say, if my squadron disappears - and me too - completely. I have no intention after forty years at sea of being an unheard victim." The letter to Meux is lost, but in an earlier letter Cradock had told his friend "I will take care not to suffer the fate of poor Troubridge."

EMDEN celebrates the birthday of Kaiserin Augusta Victoria

In the Indian Ocean, the crew of SMS EMDEN put on their dress uniforms and celebrate the birthday of Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, wife of Wilhelm II, with speeches by the captain and first officer. This is followed by a 21-gun salute to Her Majesty. Later in the day they enter the Bay of Bengal, but stay away from the known shipping routes.

Western Front: battle intensifies between Ypres and the Channel

The battle intensifies between Ypres and the Channel. In the pre-dawn hours, the German 26th Reserve Infantry Regiment of III Reserve Corps closes up to the Yser River just south of Schoore. By using the bayonet to clear out Belgian outposts east of the river, the defenders on the west bank have not been alarmed. Using the cover of night, engineers bridge the river at two places, and by dawn most of two battalions are on the west bank. The Germans are able to resist Belgian counterattacks, but the small bridgehead comes under fierce and sustained artillery fire, preventing reinforcement during the day. Only after nightfall can additional German soldiers get across the river.

To the south, a monumental attack is launched by the Germans against the British I and IV Corps. The British line around Ypres today forms a semi-circle, and it is against its northern and eastern portions that the attack falls. The bulk of the German XVI Reserve Corps, assisted by a division of XXIII Reserve Corps, throws itself against the line held by the British 1st Division between Bixschoote and Langemarck, while to the southeast the British 2nd Division spends most of the day under a heavy artillery bombardment before the Germans attempt to rush the enemy trenches at dusk. Further south, 7th Division of IV Corps is assaulted by the German XVII Reserve Corps south of Zonnebeke.

The trial of the four reserve corps consigned to the attack by Falkenhayn is now at hand. They form up for the advance, officers, some on horseback, in front, with the soldiers in massed ranks. The volunteers of the corps have had time only to learn the most basic parade-ground maneouvres, while those with prior military training have either forgotten the bulk of it or learnt it so long ago as to be practically useless. There are only a sprinkling of officers and NCOs through the corps who have seen combat in this war, and thus the infantry advance in the mass formations of peacetime - they have not gained the knowledge learnt at great cost over the past few months of the realities of the modern battlefield. The instructions for the formations are simple - advance and overwhelm the enemy. As they march into battle, some of the units begin to sing 'Deutschland über Alles' or 'Die Wacht am Rhein.' In part they do so as a recognition signal - so inexperienced are they that they fear firing on their own soldiers, so singing the two great German patriotic songs is an unmistakable signal of their identity. The singing also, however, reflects the great patriotism amongst in particular the volunteers, those who rushed to enlist in August 1914. These volunteers, many high school and university students, sometimes with their teachers alongside, represent the pinnacle of German war enthusiasm - they march into battle because they choose to, believing in the righteousness of their cause and the irresistibility of their advance.

Their singing reaches the British soldiers huddling in their meagre trenches opposite. As the Germans advance, flags flying in near-perfect parade-ground formation, the British open fire. The patriotism and enthusiasm of the German volunteers meets the fire of machine guns and rifles, and the result is never in doubt. Huge swathes are cut through the German ranks - the British regulars, trained to fire fifteen aimed rifle shots a minute, fire between 500 and 600 times today. Hundreds and hundreds of Germans are wounded and killed as they attempt to march to the British line. Now the inexperience of the reserve corps manifests itself in another way - they do not know when enemy fire is too intense to continue. Not knowing better, they continue to advance long after it becomes painfully obvious to those with battlefield experience that all further attacks will accomplish is pile the German bodies higher. Even when the Germans pull back, they simply reform and advance again. In some cases they get as close as fifty yards to the British trenches, a range at which no British regular could possibly miss. Even some of the British officers cannot help but admire the courage of the Germans in continuing to attack. But as the past few months have shown, courage against the machine gun can have only one outcome.

The German attacks accomplish nothing of strategic significance. The small village of Kortekeer is taken on the front of the British 1st Division, but no breakthrough is achieved and the British are quick to plan a counterattack. By nightfall the sound of singing has been replaced by the piteous moans of the wounded and dying. British soldiers peering through the twilight sees the fields before them covered by fallen Germans. Here and there a wounded German, sometimes variously with arms or legs missing, attempts to crawl to safety. Many of the German formations have lost half or more of their strength.

From today's attacks, and ones by the reserve corps in subsequent days, a legend will grow in Germany - the Kindermord, or Massacre of the Innocents. The proportion of the reserve corps composed of young volunteers is inflated, such that the attack is depicted as the ultimate expression of German patriotism. Far from being seen as a defeat, the Kindermord comes to be celebrated as the triumph of national will, of how no trial, however arduous, can extinguish the flame of German patriotism. The anniversary of the Kindermord comes to be celebrated each year in wartime Germany as a symbol of the unshakeable will of the German people and faith in ultimate victory. After the war, the Kindermord will be appropriated by the right, including the Nazis, for whom the Battle of Langemarck, as the Germans call it, becomes a key touchstone for the celebration of German militarism and the patriotism that was betrayed by the 'stab in the back.'

The reality of the Kindermord is more prosaic - the soldiers of the reserve corps die miserable deaths, often without even seeing the enemy or firing a shot. For many, the rude introduction to the realities of modern warfare become the last few seconds of their lives. They believed they were marching to victory; instead they advanced into oblivion.

Map: The German assaults on the British lines around Ypres, October 22nd and 23rd, 1914.



Along the line held by the British II Corps, an early morning German attack catches the 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment in the open digging trenches, and within a matter of minutes their numbers are reduced from 382 to 153. The battalion falls back and the Germans advance until held by reserve British forces. In light of the increasing pressure, and concerned about remaining in touch with French cavalry to his north, General Smith-Dorrien orders II Corps to withdraw tonight to a reserve trench line stretching from the La Bassée Canal to Fauquissart. The retreat is completed overnight without interference from the Germans.

Map: The southern portion of the line held by the British, October 1914. The thick red line is indicative of the line to which
II Corps withdrew to overnight.



Western Front: under the eyes of the Kaiser

This afternoon Germans launch a major attack on the village of St. Laurent, just east of Arras, under the eyes of the Kaiser, who has arrived to witness the fall of the city. The French Alpine Division, reinforced by cavalry that had just arrived, fight a desparate battle, and heavy fighting continues into the evening as the two forces struggle over the ruins of the village.

Ottoman war plan for hostilities against the Entente to Germany

Enver Pasha today transmits the Ottoman war plan for hostilities against the Entente to Germany. It was not a monumentally-detailed plan for mobilization and operations in the vein of one produced by the German General Staff. Indeed, it is not readily apparent that Enver sought any professional advice in developing it. Instead, the plan contains six 'options' for war, though not in any particular order. First, the 'new' Turkish fleet would bombard the Black Sea ports of Russia. Second would be the declaration of holy war against the Entente, inspiring their Muslim subjects to rebellion. Third, the Ottomans would hold the line in the Caucasus, tying down Russian units. Fourth would be an offensive against Egypt, possibly by XII Corps, seizing the Suez Canal as its first phase. Fifth, if Bulgaria entered the war the Ottomans would join with them in attacking Serbia. Finally, the possibility is raised of deploying Ottoman forces to the north Black Sea coast.

The importance of the document does not rest with its detailed plans for military operations, of which there are very few details given. Instead, the Ottoman war plan is designed primarily as a political document to demonstrate to the Germans the value of Ottoman military support. In particular, the invasion of Egypt, the option given the most detail in the plan, accomplishes something that the Germans themselves cannot - attack the British Empire directly. Thus by emphasizing Ottoman military potential against Britain, they enhance their stature in the eyes of the German General Staff. Pre-war dismissals by German officials of the military value of the Ottoman army give way to tantalizing and enticing possibilities of striking deadly blows against the British.

South Africa, Maritz rebellion: Boer dissidents decide to rise in rebellion against the government

In South Africa, the Boer dissidents decide to rise in rebellion against the government. They do so in protest of the war, the invasion of German South-West Africa, and conscription. They also draw support from landless Boers who fear the growing urbanization of the country will drive them into the cities and into the working-class, and those who feel the traditional Boer values of egalitarianism and republicanism are under threat. However, the rebellion divides the Boer populace, and significant pillars of the community, including both the Dutch Reformed Church and J. B. M. Hertzog, leader of the National Party, giving the Boer Rebellion the character of a domestic dispute among Boers, as opposed to a unified Boer uprising against British occupation and colonization.

East African campaign: German ports of Dar es Salaam and Tanga are declared to be open cities

In August the German ports of Dar es Salaam and Tanga in their East African colony were declared to be open cities, but today the British announce that they are voiding the agreements. They have developed plans for a two-pronged offensive against the northern portion of the colony, both utilizing units of the Indian Army - Detachment B of the Indian Expeditionary Force is to land and seize Tanga, while Detachment C will advance overland to Moshi. Once both towns are taken the British will control both ends of the railway that connects the two, placing them in position to advance on the central railway in the colony. The same railway, however, gives the defending Germans the ability to rapidly shift forces between the two threatened points.

Day 89 of the Great War, October 24th 1914

KARLSRUHE heads north

Captain Köhler of SMS KARLSRUHE, realizing that his released captives will almost certainly give away his position, heads north. With Cradock heading for the Pacific and British forces searching for him south of the equator, Köhler feels he will be safe attacking shore bases in the Caribbean. He dispatches his supply ships ASUNCION, HOFFNUG (ex-INDRANI) and RIO NEGRO to meet him at a later date, keeping only FARN as his collier.

Western Front: Germany crosses the Yser

The Entente crisis deepens today along the Yser. By dawn the Germans have secured five kilometres of the river, and all of 6th Reserve Division is on the west bank. Though the Germans continue to be unable to bring artillery or supplies across due to enemy bombardment, the Belgian defensive line on the river has been broken. The Belgian divisions are being ground down, and there are no reserves to relieve them. General d'Urbal authorizes the French 42nd Division at Nieuport to send a brigade to the Belgian centre to keep it from crumbling, which arrives this morning. Nevertheless, the north and centre of the Belgian line along the Yser is withdrawn to the Noordvaart and Beverdyk, small streams running north-south between the river to the east and the Nieuport-Dixmude railway embankment to the west. The German 4th Army also undertake a heavy bombardment of Dixmude, including by the massive siege guns used at Antwerp, clearing in preparation for a major attack on the town.

Western Front: British 7th Division get it rough

On the left of the French 17th Division the British 1st Division of I Corps has a relatively uneventful day, only experiencing heavy bombardment in the evening. The plan is to relieve 1st Division with two French territorial brigades, so that all of I Corps is out of the line and thus can be utilized in a British counteroffensive to the south. The heavy shelling in the evening, however, delays the handover of the trench line.

On the right of the French 17th Division, the British 7th Division of IV Corps has a very trying day. It sits holding the southeastern 'angle' of the Ypres salient, and comes under heavy attack throughout the day. The most critical moments come at the tiny village of Rethel, which sits just in front of Polygon Wood. This section of line was at the junction of two brigades, and was defended by the 2nd Battalion, Wiltshires and a company of 2nd Battalion Scots Guards. A preliminary bombardment begins at 430am, and in the early morning light two regiments of the German 53rd Reserve Division advance. The German artillery keeps firing as their infantry reaches Rethel which, though it places the infantry at risk of being hit by friendly fire, suppresses the British infantry - many are too busy hiding from enemy shells to fire on the German infantry advancing on their trenches. The Wiltshires initially are able to hold up the German advance, but the artillery fire has largely destroyed the position of the company of the Scots Guards - when the Germans reach the latter's position, they are able to easily overrun them and capture the British trench. This outflanks the Wiltshires, and the Germans are able to work their way down the trench, systematically wiping out the British defenders. The Wiltshires collapse, and most of the survivors fall into German hands.

The Germans had managed to blast a hole in the British line - there was nothing directly west of Rethel to hold the Germans. The commander of 7th Division had no further reserves at hand - they had been committed to hold against other German attacks today - so he calls on 2nd Division to the rear for any aid they can send. He also orders all of the headquarter staff, orderlies, clerks, and other administrative individuals to rally for a last stand.

The position of 7th Division is saved by the simple fact that the commander of the German 244th Regiment, who had achieved the breakthrough, had no idea that he had accomplished any such thing. He is content to remain at Rethel, and only tentatively sends part of his force into Polygon Wood after over two hours of relative inactivity. It is at this point that two battalions dispatched from 2nd Division arrive, and in desperate hand-to-hand fighting with the bayonet, the Germans are ejected from the Wood. Rethel remains in German hands, but the relief force is able to reconstitute the British line at the edge of Polygon Wood. For only the briefest of moments, the opportunity for a breakthrough appeared, but in the confusion of the battlefield it vanished before the Germans even knew it was there.

Photo: New French arrivals, seen here at Zonnebeke, helped their worn-out British allies.



Western Front: to the South

To the south the Germans launch a series of attacks near Gheluvelt this afternoon, but are repulsed. After a difficult day, 7th Division has held its line with the exception of the loss of Rethel. But the victories have not been without cost. In the fighting between the 22nd and today, 7th Division has lost just over 2800 men, or almost 40% of its total strength.

To the south, nine battalions from the German XIII and XIX Corps advance on positions of the British III Corps at Le Quesne, while elements of the German VII Corps, eager to come to grip with the enemy after they escaped unnoticed the day before, launch a series of methodical attacks on II Corps. In heavy fighting the British lines bend but do not break, and by midnight all ground lost in fighting earlier in the day has been recaptured.

Western Front: 4th Army shifts from the Ypres salient

From the perspective of the German 4th Army, the capture of the ruins of Rethel hardly compensates for both failures elsewhere and the French advance between Langemarck and Zonnebeke. The reserve corps have been thoroughly battered after several days of fighting, with casualties over 60% in some regiments. It is clear that they are no longer in any shape to undertake offensive operations, so the decision is made to order them to entrench and go on to the defensive. The situation to the north, however, is much more promising, with the expanding bridgehead across the Yser by III Reserve Corps. A breakthrough here might still achieve victory by sweeping along the Channel coast. Moreover, it is known that the French have reinforced the Belgian lines west of the Yser, which opens the possibility that they have no reserves left to support the defenders of Dixmude. The major focus of 4th Army thus shifts from the Ypres salient to the line Nieuport-Dixmude.

South Africa, Maritz rebellion: the rebellion goes on

In South Africa Marwitz's force, which had sparked the Boer Rebellion, is defeated by government forces led by Coen Brits at Kakamas. Marwitz briefly considers surrender, but the news of the general rebellion, in particular of De Wet in the Orange Free State and Beyers in the western Transvaal, encourages Marwitz to continue.

Western Front: BEF has some shortage of artillery shells

A shortage of artillery shells is becoming acute in the BEF. Field Marshal French today telegrams Kitchener that while his guns have fired as many as seventy-six shells per day, only the equivalent of seven rounds per day were arriving from Britain, and there were only one hundred fifty shells per gun that had not already been issued to the artillery positions. Kitchener advised that restrictions on ammunition expenditure be considered to avoid running out at a critical moment.

Map: the lines around Ypres, October 24th and 25th, 1914.

Day 91 of the Great War, October 26th 1914

Western Front

- Heavy German assaults on the Belgian left and centre of their line between Nieuport and Dixmude force the defenders back upon the railway embankment. King Albert pleads for further reinforcements from his allies; with the heavy fighting at Dixmude and to the south, they have none to give. The Belgian command staff begin to discuss a further withdrawal, and cavalry are posted on bridges to the rear to cover a potential retreat. King Albert, however, knowing such a withdrawal might unhinge the entire Entente line in Flanders and lead to the destruction of the Belgian army, forbids any retreat. The Belgians turn to the only other option available - the sea. Much of the land between Nieuport and Dixmude is below sea level, and the waters are kept out by a series of locks and sluices. If the locks can be opened at high tide, and closed at low tide, the land can be flooded, making further German assaults impossible. The trouble is finding any civilians in the area who actually know where the lock cranks are and the order in which they should be opened and closed. Fortuitously for the Belgians, an elderly lockkeeper named Hendrik Geeraert is found who knows how the lock system works.

- In Dixmude the bitter fighting has continued through this morning, when several battalions of Senegalese soldiers arrive to reinforce the defenders. The commander of the German XXII Reserve Corps reluctantly orders 43rd Reserve Division back to its starting trenches. Dixmude is now an utter ruin, and over the past two days of street fighting at least 161 civilians are deliberately killed by the attacking Germans.

- The focus of both Field Marshal French and General d'Urbal remains an attack to the northeast, along the lines attempted over the past few days. The French IX Corps is to be reinforced by 31st Division today, and General Haig orders an infantry and artillery brigade from 1st Division to support the French. Again, however, little progress is made. Given his approaching reinforcements, General Pierre Dubois of IX Corps decides to widen the breadth of his attack to include Poelcappelle and Passchendaele. This, however, disperses French strength instead of concentrating it. Moreover, the arrival of 31st Division is delayed by masses of refugees on the road, and only arrives at St. Julien, its assembly point, at 5pm, too late to participate in the day's attack. Some of the French formations are also badly managed - several wander in front of the British portion of the line, delaying the operations of both. French infantry struggle to advance under German rifle and artillery fire - at the village of Zonnebeke, the air is filled with clouds of red dust from brick houses annihilated by the explosion of German shells. At best IX Corps is able to advance between four and five hundred yards. On their south the British 2nd Division of I Corps make no progress, their advance disrupted early in the afternoon when a false report of an imminent German counterattack arrives at Haig's headquarters.

- At Kruiseecke, the plight of 20th Brigade of 7th Division worsens. The poorly-sited trenches have been under constant bombardment for thirty-six hours, with great numbers of British soldiers buried by collapsing trenches and sand blown into the air clogging rifles. The nerves of the defenders are thus already frail when a major German attack by fifteen battalions at 9am. After bitter fighting Germans begin to infiltrate the British line after 10am, which causes widespread chaos as some Germans shout out 'Retire! Retire!' Belief that a general retreat has been ordered appears entirely plausible to many of the companies, given the heavy bombardment and enemy attack. Individually and in small groups, British soldiers withdraw from their trenches and stream to the rear. Three miles of the front held by 20th Brigade have been lost, and the Germans are able to advance several thousand yards, capturing Kruiseecke in particular and 'caving in' the point of the British salient southeast of Ypres. 7th Division calls on I Corps and the Cavalry Corps for reinforcements, and when General Haig arrives to the rear of 20th Brigade's position he is 'astounded at the terror-stricken men coming back.' The reinforcements are able to create a new defensive line, and many soldiers of 20th Brigade who broke in the morning regain composure once they are out of the firing line. Nevertheless, the brigade suffers over a thousand casualties today, and 7th Division as a whole has lost 162 officers and 4320 other ranks over the past nine days of fighting, the losses constituting 44% and 37% of the numbers they arrived in France with.

Map: The salient around Ypres, October 26th to 29th, 1914.



- Along the front of the British II Corps, the German 14th Reserve Division of VII Corps launches a major assault today against the village of Neuve Chapelle. The weakest point of the British line was held by 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, which after two days of constant artillery bombardment and fighting had been reduced to two officers and seventeen soldiers. Many of this and neighbouring units had been repeatedly buried when trenches collapsed under shell fire. When the attack is launched at 4pm, the line held by 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles collapses, and Germans stream through Neuve Chapelle. The British battalions north and south of the village, however, are able to hold their trenches, and the reserve company of 1st Battalion, Wiltshires manages to plug the gap. This evening a counterattack is launched by a number of whatever companies could be assembled at short notice, which makes their co-ordination difficult. By the end of the day, the southern portion of Neuve Chapelle has been recaptured, but the old trench line and a number of houses remain in German hands.

Eastern Front

- Over the past few days Conrad's plan for an offensive by the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army in Poland has fallen apart. The Russian armies moving across the Vistula River have done so north-to-south, so that by the time Russians appear before 1st Army the bulk of the Russian forces are already west of the river. Thus instead of fighting only a portion of the enemy, 1st Army finds itself outnumbered almost two to one and have suffered forty thousand casualties. Today Conrad orders 1st Army to retreat to the southwest, joining the German 9th Army in retreat. The one salvation for the German and Austro-Hungarian armies is that the poor weather and logistical difficulties within the Russian army prevent an aggressive pursuit.

Ottoman Empire

- Today Talat Pasha, the Ottoman Minister of the Interior, orders the governor of the province of Van, located in eastern Anatolia, to remove the Christian Syriac population in Hakkri near the Persian border. In Talat's opinion, this population is potentially subversive, and ought to be relocated to western Anatolia where, safely distant from the Empire's borders, they would pose no security risk after the outbreak of war. Though the order is not implemented at present, it is an ominous portent of the attitude the Ottoman government will take towards ethnic minorities within the state and the measures to be undertaken against those deemed unreliable.

Naval operations: Atlantic Ocean

- SMS KARLSRUHE captures SS VAN DYCK, a 10,000-ton passenger ship bound from Buenos Aires to New York with a mixed cargo, including gold and silver bullion, mail and 1,000 tons of frozen meat, as well as 200 passengers. The passengers were put aboard the supply-ship ASUNCION, and she was dispatched to Para, Brazil. The rest of the day is spent stripping the ship of supplies, and Captain Köhler decides to put off her sinking until the next day.

Naval operations: Indian Ocean

- SMS EMDEN recoals at Nancowrie Island, part of the Nicobar chain. They find the harbor not only beautiful but well protected from storms. During the coaling operation SS BURESK is stripped of her name-plates, making her more difficult to recognize. She is then sent to a rendezvous point west of Sumatra, and, like Exford, told to wait until EMDEN shows up or her supplies run out, in which case she is to make for the nearest neutral port. EMDEN then sets a course for Penang at 12 knots.

Meanwhile, at Sabang, a group of islands off northern Sumatra, SS GLENTURRET sends a message to Penang requesting a boat to offload 20 tons of explosives when they arrive there on the 28th.

Day 93 of the Great War, October 28th 1914

Western Front

- This evening the Belgians make a second attempt at opening the locks, Hendrik Geeraert leading Belgian soldiers to lock gates just before the German lines. This time they get the timing right, and the North Sea begins to flood the area between the Yser River and the railway embankment. Meanwhile, the Germans launch attacks against the southern portion of the French line defending Dixmude, but are unable to make any progress against the fresh Senegalese units.

- As Army Group Fabeck begins to assemble for the planned offensive southeast of Ypres, both Fabeck and Falkenhayn decide that a preliminary operation is required to capture Gheluvelt, as continued British control of the village would allow them to pour fire on the northern flank of the main attack. Thus the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division, I Cavalry Corps, and XXVII Reserve Corps are instructed to co-operate in attacking Gheluvelt tomorrow morning. As the planning continues Falkenhayn orders 4th Army to cancel a scheduled attack nearby in order to be able to assist the push on Gheluvelt if necessary. When 4th Army headquarters signals the change in orders to XXVII Reserve Corps in the clear, the message is intercepted by the British.

- For their part, the leadership of the BEF had been growing in confidence over the past few days. There is a palpable sense that they have defeated the big German push - the attacks of the reserve corps - and that they are now going back over to the offensive. True, the gains of the French IX Corps have been minimal, a further attack today not securing anything of consequence, while recent setbacks such as the loss of Neuve Chapelle are dismissed as local events of no significance. There is also a belief that the Germans have shot their bolt, Sir John French writing Kitchener yesterday that the Germans were 'quite incapable of making any strong and sustained attack' - not the Field Marshal;s most insightful observation. When aerial reconnaissance reports the roads behind the German front clogged with vehicles, the general conclusion is that most are refugees fleeing the fighting, as opposed to reinforcements approaching the front.

Thus the interception of the German 4th Army's signal regarding the planned attack against Gheluvelt tomorrow does not cause quite the alarm it perhaps should. As the attack will fall on the junction of I Corps' 1st and 7th Division, plans are made to co-ordinate the artillery fire of those two divisions plus 2nd to the north, and they are authorized to exceed their daily quota of shell usage. However, the attention of both French and Haig remains on the offensive to the north, and orders remain for 2nd Division to advance. Moreover, the British reaction was slowed by poor communications - though I Corps HQ knows of the German attack by 3pm, it is not until midnight that the information reaches the headquarters of the relevant battalions. This delay is not the product of poor staff work, but rather the realities of modern communications in 1914. Almost all messages go either by telephone or messenger, and the lines of the former are frequently destroyed by shell fire, while the latter have to move in the open and in the range of enemy fire to get to front-line headquarters given that the rudimentary defences lack communication trenches.

- To the south, another counterattack is attempted against Neuve Chapelle. After a short preliminary bombardment the British advance at 1130am. The attack is a shambles - the soldiers are exhausted after several days of constant fighting and there are great difficulties coordinating the large number of small formations participating in the operation. The only success is registered by two companies of the 47th Sikhs who advanced on the village single-handedly. Astonishingly, they not only reach the ruins of Neuve Chapelle but in hand-to-hand combat force the German defenders back. The inevitable counterattack, however, pushes the 47th Sikhs out, and only 68 men survive from the 289 who began the attack.

Naval Operations: Pacific Ocean

Graf Spee's squadron departs Más Afuera for the coast of Chile.

In London the Admiralty sends a telegram to Admiral Cradock: "DEFENCE is to remain on east coast under orders of Stoddart. This will leave sufficient force on each side." So the admiral charged with facing Spee is finally told that he won't be getting the extra ship he was counting on. Unfortunately the message won't reach Cradock until November 1st.

Naval Operations: First Sea Lord Battenberg resigns

The first three months of the war at sea have not evolved as many in the British government and among the public. For a century the Royal Navy has been seen as the strongest naval power on earth, and that it was the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 that cemented this status. For a decade there has been an intense naval rivalry with Germany, centred on the construction of dreadnoughts. There was a general expectation that in the event of war, there would be another Trafalgar - a massive naval battle between both fleets after which the victor would rule the waves, and there being no doubt in Britain as to which side would triumph.

The war to date, however, have not delivered the expected victory. Both the Grand Fleet and the High Seas Fleet have largely remained confined to port and their home waters - the former through fear of submarines and mines, and the latter as a result of numerical inferiority. Further, while Admiral Jellicoe is undoubtedly correct that he does not need a naval victory at sea to secure the blockade, it does not make for particularly exciting war news from the navy, especially in contrast to the massive battles being waged across Europe, including by the BEF.

Moreover, the events that have occurred at sea have not been entirely in Britain's favour. Against the victory at the Battle of the Heligoland Bight must be set the escape of GOEBEN and BRESLAU, the loss of the three armoured cruisers in one morning off the Dutch coast, and the continued activity of both the German East Asiatic Squadron in the Pacific and the light cruiser EMDEN in the Indian Ocean. Often added to this list is the fall of Antwerp, where Churchill dispatched the naval brigades in what is now seen as a doomed attempt to save the city, and ended up having thousands taken prisoner or interned.

Criticism in the press of the navy's performance comes to be centred on the First Sea Lord, Louis of Battenberg. He is the military head of the Royal Navy, and his appointed as First Sea Lord in 1911 was the culmination of a lifelong career at sea. Born a German citizen to the ruling family of Hesse, he was and is related to most of the dynastic families of Europe, including Britain and Russia. His friendship with the second son of Queen Victoria led to him to become a British citizen at the age of fourteen upon his entry to the Royal Navy. There has never been any basis to doubt his loyalty to Britain - indeed, the Hohenzollern family of Kaiser Wilhelm II is one of the few that have a poor relationship with the Battenbergs, while his nephew, Prince Maurice of Battenberg, died at Ypres yesterday, fighting for the British.

However, in time of war, when Britain is involved in a life-or-death struggle with the Germans, it is not difficult for the conspiracy-minded to link the perceived poor performance of the Royal Navy with the German background of the First Sea Lord. In the cheap press the wildest rumours have flown - one suggested that as a German spy he had deliberately allowed the GOEBEN and BRESLAU to escape to Constantinople. Further, any admiral who has climbed the greasy pole of naval politics has left a trail of rivals, and in Battenberg's case they see a perfect opportunity to bring him down. A whisper campaign against the First Sea Lord has traveled among London's clubs, and have reached the highest ears.

Churchill and the Prime Minister decide that a change in command is needed to quell the rumours and remove the distractions of Battenberg's ancestry. The First Lord informs Battenberg that he must resign, and the latter does so with such great dignity, refusing to attack those who have defamed him, that there is a widespread sympathetic reaction among much of the British press. Such are the whims of the British press. Churchill, meanwhile, must find a new Sea Lord.

Naval Operations: Atlantic Ocean

During the night lookouts aboard SMS KARLSRUHE sight a ship travelling fully lit up. When the ship is stopped it turns out to be SS ROYAL SCEPTRE, an old freighter carrying a load of Brazilian coffee. The cargo is owned by a neutral country, so Captain Köhler decides to let her go.

Naval operations: Battle of Penang (Indian Ocean)

Sometime after midnight the false fourth funnel is hoisted aboard SMS EMDEN. At 0200 hours lookouts sight the lighthouse at Penang. They also see a freighter hove to in the channel. The crew are awakened and fed a good breakfast. Speed is reduced to 11 knots, as the harbor channel is tricky. Leutnant Lauterbach has been there several times before, when he was a merchant captain, so he is piloting the ship.

The mystery freighter is SS GLENTURRET, who had notified Penang two days earlier that she would be arriving this day with a load of explosives. GLENTURRET is waiting on a pilot boat to guide them into the port. At 0430 they sight the pilot boat. The pilot boat passes close by EMDEN, apparently mistaking her for a British cruiser, and heads for the freighter.

At 0450 the ship is cleared for action. Both torpedo tubes are loaded on the chance that the French armored cruisers DUPLEIX and MONTCALM might be in port. EMDEN is no match for even one of those ships, and it will be necessary to torpedo them immediately if she is to survive the encounter. When EMDEN enters the harbor itself they find many ships, but only one warship. This is ZEMCHUG, a Russian light cruiser about the equal of EMDEN.

Photo: Imperial Russian cruiser ZEMCHUG after 1909.



At 0505 torpedo officer Lt. Witthoeft is told to prepare to fire. At 0518 the German Naval ensign is raised and the order given. The range is 380 yards. Witthoeft fires his torpedo, which hits ZEMCHUG well below the waterline. The stern of the target is seen to lift completely out of the water. At the same time EMDEN'S 10cm guns open fire on the hapless Russian cruiser's forecastle area, the idea being to disable the crew before they can man their own guns. The forward area of ZEMCHUG is burning heavily, but the ship is still afloat. EMDEN is brought about and the port torpedo tube readied by Lt. Hohenzollern.

A few of ZEMCHUG'S crew manage to open fire. The shells pass over EMDEN and hit a Japanese freighter anchored further out in the harbor. EMDEN'S guns soon silence those of the Russian ship. At 0528 Witthoef fires the port torpedo from 700 yards. The target is struck under the bridge, and apparently detonates a magazine, for the ship is literally blown in half. Four minutes later the smoke clears, and all that can be seen of ZEMCHUG is her masts rising out of the water. Von Müller decides not to pick up survivors, as several boats can be seen rowing out to do exactly that.

At this point a small vessel comes into sight at the harbor entrance. Thinking it might be a torpedo boat, von Müller orders full speed toward the new ship. At a range of 6,000 yard EMDEN fires a salvo, then ceases when it is recognized as an unarmed patrol boat. One shell did hit the Sea Gull's funnel, but no one was harmed. Von Müller had planned on attacking the French destroyer FRONDE, the gunboat D'IBERVILLE and as many merchants as they could sink, but now EMDEN is headed toward the harbor entrance so he decides to continue outward.

As the cruiser is traversing the channel leading to the sea, KptLt. von Mücke calls the crew to the fantail and gives a description of the action for the men whose stations were below decks. The gun crews are cleaning their guns. At 0700 a ship is sighted ahead. The ship is again prepared for action. On approaching the new ship it can be seen that she is a freighter, flying the yellow flag which indicates she is carrying explosives. EMDEN orders GLENTURRET to stop and Lt. Lauterbach takes a boarding party across. Now another vessel comes into sight, and is clearly seen to be a warship. Lauterbach is recalled, but before departing he asks the captain of GLENTURRET to convey his apologies to the port officials for firing on Sea Gull and for not helping pick up survivors from ZHEMCUG.

The new ship can be seen to be a French destroyer, and fire is opened at 4,700 yards. EMDEN'S first two salvoes miss, but realizing her danger MOUSQUET turns directly into the third. Two shells strike the fleeing destroyer, one of them in the boiler room. The ship is enveloped in a cloud of steam. MOUSQUET fires a torpedo at EMDEN, which misses, and her guns open fire as well. They also miss, and after twelve salvoes from EMDEN the French ship is a floating wreck. The crew seem unwilling to surrender, so EMDEN opens fire again. After ten more salvoes MOUSQUET sinks bow first Apparently she hit bottom, and for awhile the stern is standing high above the water. Finally she settles and disappears. EMDEN'S boats are able to pick up a lieutenant and thirty-six sailors. Hohenzoller gives a vivid account of the ship's doctors trying to treat the wounded. Two of them have lost a leg and one man is slowly dying, wounded in the stomach with his intestines exposed.

Photo: French destroyer MOUSQUET before the war



The unwounded French captives, upon being treated well, tell their story. They had seen EMDEN entering the harbor, but the false funnel had done its job and they had thought the cruiser was English. The had no idea what was going on until they heard a torpedo explode. They had rushed into the channel to find out what had happened. The fourth funnel had worked again and they approached EMDEN, still mistaking her for a British ship. Their first hint at their mistake came when EMDEN opened fire. Some of the crew did everything possible to fight back, but when some men were blown overboard some others thought they had jumped deliberately, and followed suit. Mousquet's captain lost both his legs to shrapnel, and ordered his men to lash him to the bridge railing, so he could go down with his ship.

The French lieutenant was severely wounded in the foot, and this has to be amputated. His spirits are raised when he is told how many of his ship's crew were saved, and he fills Emden's officers in on events that have transpired in the rest of the world. They only now find out about the loss of MARKOMANNIA.

Then a new ship appears. This is the French destroyer PISTOLET, sister to FRONDO and MOSQUET. Her captain wisely uses his superior speed to stay out of range of EMDEN'S guns, and starts to shadow the German cruiser. EMDEN runs away at 22 knots. Later in the morning they pick up an open wireless message: "EMDEN at Penang!" At 1030 messages start coming in from warships in the region, saying they have recieved the distress call and are converging on the areal. A message sent by Pistolet tells how EMDEN' "assassinated" her sister ship. The destroyer continues to follow the cruiser, constantly relaying her position. EMDEN finally loses PISTOLET in a rain squall, then changes her course.

At 1600 hours EMDEN again changes course, heading for the Nicobar Islands. At 1800 the islands come into sight. At this point some worry arises on the part of the French prisoners that they are to be marooned there. The crew reassure them that this is not going to happen. At 2000 the port engine starts running hot and has to be shut down. EMDEN' has had a busy and productive day. The only regret is that they were unable to sink all the merchants in the harbor.

A 1914 German postcard depicting the Battle of Penang.



The attack has serious repercussions for the Allies. It turns out that ZEMCHUG had been patrolling the area, looking for EMDEN . When they told the British they needed to put into harbor for repairs, they were advised to anchor broadside to the harbor entrance, and keep their guns armed and manned. They had done none of these things. The captain was not aboard his ship, apparently spending the night with a woman he had met (some sources say she was his wife). There were only twelve rounds of ammunition at the guns, which were not manned. There is also a story that among ZEMCHUG'S casualties were sixty Chinese prostitutes. ZEMCHUG'S captain, Baron Cherkassov, and first officer Lieutenant Kulibin were later court-martialed. They were both convicted and reduced to the rank of common seaman. The baron was sentenced to three years in prison and Kulibin eighteen months.

Map from 1914 New York Times



Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War: Australia & Anzac

In Australia the Anzac troop convoy, which had originally planned to depart on September 22nd is held up for the third time. The first had been over worries about EMDEN and the second when Graf Spee's squadron had been sighted at Samoa. Now they are delayed yet again.