lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 3, 2022 2:49:01 GMT
Day 1095 of the Great War, August 3rd 1917YouTube (The Battle of Passchendaele - Mutiny in the German Navy)Western Front: Third Ypres: Rain and Poor Progress Compel Haig to Postpone AttackIn a rare piece of wartime history, the newspapers in London, Paris, Washington D.C., Berlin, and Vienna all reported victory on August 1, 1917. That was the first day after the Third Battle of Ypres opened. One French and two British armies had attacked the Germans at Flanders, hoping to finally break out of the Ypres Salient. General Haig’s chief of intelligence, Glaswegian John Charteris, reported only good news back to the government: German armies “visibly cracking,” “Moderately good progress,” etc. On the ground things looked different. The Germans had not yet even committed their reserves. Meanwhile a horrendous downpour, even by the standards of the Western Front, opened up on July 31 in the afternoon and would hardly relent for the rest of the battle. An English nurse near the front wrote in her diary about the “Soaking hopeless rain, the worst luck that could happen. Poor Sir Douglas Haig…” Flanders clay turned into mud and bogged down tanks and trucks. Mules sank up to their heads. Bringing up ammo and bringing back the wounded became Herculean tasks. Rifle squads fought over German pillboxes in the quagmire, storming them with grenades and light machine guns. Hand-to-hand fights were frequent. But every time a German position fell, another one right behind it would open up on the conquerors, forcing an endless fight over places with names like Château Wood, which were uniformly just more patches of shell-holes and mud. Photo: Battles of Ypres. A 12inch howitzer on railway mounting about to fire. Brielen, 3 August 1917 Photo: A 12-inch howitzer on railway mounting of the 104th Siege Battery, R.G.A, near Salvation Corner, just north of Ypres, 3 August 1917 Eastern FrontFall of Czernowitz. Kimpolung (Romanian front) evacuated. East Africa Campaign Heavy fighting German East Africa; enemy compelled to withdraw along Lindi-Masasi road (80 miles south-west of Port Lindi). United States: The Green Corn Rebellion: Oklahoma rises up against the warSince the USA declared war on Germany it has been struggling to build a large army that can take on the Germans in France. Conscription has been introduced, so now men are being compelled to take part in the war whether they want to or not. This is not a development greeted with universal enthusiasm. While some go on the run to avoid the draft, a group of farmers and rural folk in Oklahoma go considerably further. Motivated by anti-war sentiment and fear of the effects of conscription on their families’ livelihoods, several hundred (perhaps a thousand) of these anti-conscription activists come together and resolve to bring an end to the war. They stage a rebellion, planning a march on Washington where, joined by similar groups from across the country, they will overthrow Wilson and take America out of the war. On the way they will live off the land, roasting green corn, thereby giving their rebellion its name. The Green Corn Rebellion proves to be short-lived. More law-abiding elements in Oklahoma quickly form a militia and face down the rebels. After a few shots are fired (killing three) the rebellion breaks. The authorities carry out mass arrests and prepare to send the rebels for trial. They also prepare to crack down on the various socialist and anarchist groups seen as being behind the unrest. Russia: Kerensky shuts down the Finnish parliament but loses Czernowitz to AustriaKerensky has been emboldened by the recent failure of radicals to overthrow the Provisional Government. Now the Russian Prime Minister flexes his muscles, arranging for loyal troops to shut down Finland’s parliament, the Sejm. The Sejm had a socialist majority following elections earlier this year and it recently passed a resolution declaring Finland’s effective independence from Russia. This unilateral separation is unacceptable to Kerensky (and to many on both right and left in Russia); his shutting down of the unruly Finnish parliament is widely supported in Russia. Even in Finland many conservatives support the measure, fearing that without the link to Russia the Finnish socialists would be uncontrollable. Kerensky finds it harder to bend the army to his will. He has appointed Kornilov as its commander in chief and accepted his demands for the reintroduction of the death penalty for desertion. But Kornilov’s attempts at repression are a failure. The army continues to disintegrate and the Germans and Austro-Hungarians continue their advance that began with their counter-attacks against Kerensky’s offensive. Now they recover the Galician town of Czernowitz, captured by the Russians in Brusilov’s offensive last year. The Russian army looks increasingly unable to prevent further advances by the enemy. Aerial operations: MonoplaneToday, the Air Board placed an order for 125 Bristol M1c’s. The Bristol M1c is a monoplane based on the Bristol M1A which had made its maiden flight on 14 July 1916. It was of conventional wood and fabric construction, with a carefully streamlined circular cross-section fuselage. The wing was shoulder mounted and was braced with flying wires running from the wing to the lower fuselage and landing wires from the wings to a cabane made of two semi-circular steel tube hoops positioned over the pilot’s cockpit. A 110 horsepower Clerget rotary engine drove a two-bladed propeller fitted with a large hemispherical spinner to reduce drag. During official testing, it reached a speed of 128 miles per hour and climbed to 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in 8 minutes 30 seconds, although the forward and downward view was criticised by test pilots. The War Office ordered four modified aircraft, designated M1B, in October 1916. These differed from the first prototype in having a more conventional cabane consisting of a pyramid of four straight steel struts, a large clear-view cut-out panel in the starboard wing root to give improved view for landing and a single Vickers machine gun mounted on the port wing root. Despite excellent performance – it had a maximum speed some 30-50 mph (50–80 km/h) higher than any of the contemporary German Fokker Eindecker and French Morane-Saulnier N monoplanes – it was rejected by the Air Ministry for service on the Western Front, officially because its landing speed of 49 mph was considered too high for small French airfields. However, many in the RFC high command also believed that monoplane aircraft were inherently unsafe in combat. The RFC had imposed a ban on monoplanes after the crash of one of the Bristol-Coanda Monoplanes on 10 September 1912, and despite the subsequent 1913 Monoplane Committee clearing the design type there persisted a deep-rooted suspicion of monoplanes – reinforced by the RFC’s underwhelming experience with various Morane-Saulnier monoplanes, especially the Morane-Saulnier N, which was also criticised for its high landing speed. Eventually the aircraft saw some action on the secondary fronts and was used extensively for training. It was also popular as a personal mount for senior officers. Naval operations: ship lossesAUBE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) north west of the Île d'Yeu, Vendée, France (46°56′N 2°28′W) by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of one of her 30 crew. Survivors were rescued by BOUVREUIL ( French Navy). BEECHPARK (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) south of St Mary's, Isles of Scilly (49°51′N 6°17′W) by SM UC-75 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. HALLDOR (Norway) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 90 nautical miles (170 km) west of Gibraltar (36°58′N 6°51′W) by SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. HORNCHURCH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 29 (Ernst Rosenow) and sank in the North Sea 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) north east of Coquet Island, Northumberland with the loss of two of her crew. RENEE MARTHE (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the English Channel west of Prawle Point, Devon, United Kingdom by SM UB-31 ( Kaiserliche Marine). SAN NICOLA (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by SM UC-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 4, 2022 2:47:58 GMT
Day 1096 of the Great War, August 4th 1917
Eastern Front
Russians rally and attack enemy on Zbrucz River; elsewhere Russian retreat continues.
United Kingdom
King and Queen attend special service at Westminster Abbey for third anniversary of war.
France
Despite three years of war, France has 3 million soldiers at the front, a million more than in 1914.
France introduces bread rations, with each person receiving 500 grams per day.
Russia
M. Kerenski withdraws resignation at request of All Parties Conference; new Cabinet constituted.
Statues and antiques worth 1.5 million rubles are stolen from the Senate and Synod building in Petrograd.
Liberia: Liberia Declares War on Germany
Most of Africa was involved in the war, as most of Africa was colonized by the belligerent powers or their dominions. The sole exceptions were the few Spanish colonies in Africa and the two independent countries of Ethiopia (despite Turkish intrigues) and Liberia. Liberia, founded by freed American slaves “colonized” in Africa, was essentially an American protectorate, and was undoubtedly influenced to enter the war once the United States did (though not as directly as Cuba or Panama were).
On August 4, Liberia declared war on Germany, and was able to seize German-owned businesses and interned German ships. They also hoped that entry into the war would give them access to more favorable credit for foreign loans from the Allies (which became necessary due to disruptions in trade caused by the U-boat campaign), and that a spot at the peace table would make sure that Liberia was not harmed by any changes in the map of Africa that would occur after the war. They were not able to participate in the war militarily, as their small armed forces were necessary to keep the Liberians of American origin in power (as the native African population would not be enfranchised until well after World War II).
In 1918, a long-range German submarine did shell Monrovia, sinking the Liberian Navy’s only ship and damaging their powerful wireless station.
Aerial operations: Opportunities
Whilst the British offensive launched on 31 July has continued, the poor weather has also continued, limiting most flying for the last two days. Today some aircraft got up but spent most of the time attacking whatever targets of opportunity they could find.
For example, Lieutenant James Bass Finch and Lieutenant Arthur Sleep and Lieutenant Frank Warren Curtis and 2nd Class Air Mechanic F N Bell from 9 Squadron RFC attacked enemy transport in Langemarck from 900 feet in their RE8s.
Captain Robert Benedict Bourdillon from 27 Squadron RFC dropped one 230-lb and four 20-lb bombs from 5,700 feet on Cortemarck Station.
32 Squadron RFC attacked enemy trenches in their DH5s. 2nd Lieutenant William Raymond Fish reported hits on enemy troops. However, 2nd Lieutenant Lockhart Frederick Charles St Clair was hit by anti aircraft fire. His DH5 (A9404) crashed and he was wounded.
The only casualty today was 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Frank Preston Thwaites Dennett from 52 Squadron RFC who was wounded in the stomach whilst carrying out some experimental work with kite balloons in his RE8. No details are available about the pilot or the aircraft. Dennett died of his wounds the following day.
Whilst the British offensive launched on 31 July has continued, the poor weather has also continued, limiting most flying for the last two days. Today some aircraft got up but spent most of the time attacking whatever targets of opportunity they could find.
Naval operations: ship losses
ANGELINA T. (Italy) The brigantine was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea north of Cape Corse, Corsica, France (42°41′N 10°04′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
AZIRA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 6 nautical miles (11 km) south east of Seaham, County Durham by SM UB-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
BRITISH MONARCH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by U 72 (Johannes Feldkirchner) and sank in the Mediterranean Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) south south west of Porquerolles, Var, France. Her crew survived.
CAIRNSTRATH (United Kingdom) the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay 6 nautical miles (11 km) south south west of the Île du Pilier, Vendée, France (47°00′N 2°29′W) by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 22 of her 23 crew. The survivor was rescued by Victoire ( France).
COUNTESS OF WAR (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay 55 nautical miles (102 km) north of Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France (44°27′N 1°48′W) by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 20 crew.
SM UC-44 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UC II submarine was sunk by one of her own mines off the coast of Ireland (52°07′N 6°59′W) with the loss of all 26 crew. The wreck was raised in September 1917 and scrapped.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 5, 2022 7:28:23 GMT
Day 1097 of the Great War, August 5th 1917Western FrontGermans regain footing in Hollebeke, but are driven out in course of day. Photo: Service to commemorate the beginning of the 4th year of the War at the First Army Headquarters at Ranchicourt, 5 August 1917. The troops marching past General Henry Horne, GOC the 1st army, after the service Photo: Service to commemorate the beginning of the 4th year of the War at the First Army Headquarters at Ranchicourt, 5 August 1917. General Henry Horne, Arthur, the Prince of Connaughttaking the salute from New Zealanders in the march past Eastern FrontEnemy now 10 miles east of Czernowitz. Vama (Bukovina front) occupied by enemy. Germany: Zimmermann Replaced as German Foreign Secretary Despite his unbelievable errors in first sending, and then admitting to, his telegram to Mexico, Zimmermann stayed on as German Foreign Secretary well after the United States entered the war, resigning only on August 5. He was replaced by Richard von Kühlmann, a diplomat with extensive experience in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the Ottoman Empire. Kühlmann was handpicked by Hindenburg and Ludendorff, the former of which called him “clever and energetic.” However, they soon came to disagree on very basic matters of policy. Kühlmann realized that Germany was on track to lose the war, and wanted to negotiate a peace as quickly as possible, using Germany’s occupation of Belgium and northern France as leverage. With Chancellor Michaelis, he suggested that they try to negotiate a separate peace with the United Kingdom. This was curtly rejected by Hindenburg and Ludendorff, though Kühlmann would continue to be a thorn in their side over the next year, though he was ultimately fired in July 1918 for saying in public what he had been urging in private for his entire tenure. Argentina Argentina breaks off talks with Germany over the sinking of an Argentinian ship by a U-boat due to slow progress of negotiations. Aerial operations: Ashmore in chargeFollowing Smuts preliminary report on home defence, it was recommended that a senior officer of air experience should be placed in executive command, under the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, of the defences of the London area. Today, Brigadier-General Edward Bailey Ashmore was appointed. His command embraced the whole area considered to be liable to aeroplane attack and was, therefore, much wider than the term ‘London Air Defence Area’ implies. It included: (i) the whole of the anti-aircraft fixed defences (guns and lights) in the anti-aircraft commands of London, Harwich, Thames and Medway, and Dover, with the Eastern Command detached defences. (ii) such anti-aircraft mobile batteries as were placed at his disposal. These included the mobile brigade and the anti-aircraft mobile batteries then in the Harwich and Dover anti-aircraft defence commands. (iii) such Royal Flying Corps home defence units as were placed at his disposal. When the command began these were the home defence squadrons, Nos. 51, 75, 37, 39, 50, and 78. Others were added later. (iv) the aircraft observation posts under the Commandant, Observer Corps, Royal Defence Corps, in the warning districts roughly east of the line, Grantham—Portsmouth. Naval operations: ship lossesHMT BOVIC (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date. HMS BRANCONDALE (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was damaged in the Atlantic Ocean 120 nautical miles (220 km) north west of Tory Island, County Donegal by SM U-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. She was taken in tow, but sank on 7 August. CAMPO LIBRE (Spain) The fishing vessel was sunk in the Bay of Biscay 40 nautical miles (74 km) off Bilbao, Biscay (44°10′N 2°45′W) by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Kathleen (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 90 nautical miles (170 km) west of the Skellig Islands, County Kerry (52°10′N 12°20′W) by SM U-100 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. RYTON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship rammed SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine) in the Atlantic Ocean (35°57′N 7°07′W) and sank due to damage received. Her crew survived. SAUTERNES (France) The coaster was sunk in the Bay of Biscay 9 nautical miles (17 km) off Cap Ferrat, Alpes-Maritimes by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 6, 2022 5:50:03 GMT
Day 1098 of the Great War, August 6th 1917Eastern FrontSlight Russian rally in Czernowitz region. Romanian Campaign: Battle of MarasestiThe Germans had for some time been planning a renewed offensive in Romania, to try to knock them out of the war for good. Romania’s initial successes in a late July offensive around Mărăști changed the German plans; the timetable of the attack was brought forward, and its location moved. Instead of attacking across the Siret, it would take place purely on its west bank, to relieve pressure on the area being attacked by the Romanians. By late July, however, the Romanian offensive had stopped, rendering this unnecessary, but the change in plans remained. Many of the commanders on the ground were unenthusiastic; infrastructure in the area was poor, staying on the near side of the Siret diminished the chance of a breakthrough, and Romanian artillery could enfilade the advance from the heights on the far side of the Siret. Nevertheless, Mackensen was optimistic. Many of the troops in the area were Russian, who, it was assumed, would collapse at the first pressure. The Germans opened their attack with an artillery barrage (including poison gas) at 4:30 AM on August 6, followed by the infantry three hours later.The defending Russians, outnumbered and low in morale, soon fell back–some units in more disarray than others. The Germans advanced over six miles in some places on the first day–but this was along the banks of the Siret itself. As a result, the Allied lines were actually shortened by the attack, and the Romanian artillery fire from the other side of the Siret caused “painfully” high casualties. The Romanians were able to destroy the bridges over the Siret in the area (in some cases only after the Russians finished retreating over them), preventing the Germans from capturing them. Despite the Romanians having less than a day’s warning of the attack from aerial reconnaissance, reinforcements were able to arrive by that evening and stabilize the front. After two more days of fierce fighting, the Germans had advanced several miles over a broad front and captured 3000 PoWs, but at the cost of heavy casualties and with no sign of a breakthrough that would lead to a defeat of Romania. Russia M. Kerenski (Prime Minister, War and Marine), forms National Ministry. M. Tereshchenko, Foreign Minister. United Kingdom: Russian Troops in ScotlandA bank holiday in Britain on August 6, but wars do not stop for holidays. Still, there was some excitement to be had from news from the Scottish port of Invergordon, where 3,000 Russian troops had arrived as a gesture of inter-Allied solidarity on their way to the Western Front. In 1914 rumors had abounded that columns of Russian troops would come streaming through Britain on their way to France. The hoped-for reinforcements never materialized. The soldiers of the Russian Legion in Scotland probably did not cut as dashing an image as people had imagined in 1917. In contrast to the American doughboys who had come through London earlier that summer, the Russians must have cut a gloomy figure of an army that politicians in Parliament were starting to think was on its last legs. Photo: Russian Troops in Scotland Naval operations: ship lossesALFRED (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea off Dunquerque, Nord by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine). ARGALIA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 81 nautical miles (150 km) north west by west of Tory Island, County Donegal by SM U-94 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew. BAYSOTO (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 33 nautical miles (61 km) south east by east of Girdleness, Aberdeenshire (56°58′N 1°50′W) by SM UC-42 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. CAMPANA (United States) The tanker was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 143 nautical miles (265 km) off the Île de Ré, Charente Maritime, France (46°08′N 5°30′W) by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Six survivors were taken as prisoners of war. EL KADDRA NR. 53 (Tunisia) The boat was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by SM UC-27 ( Kaiserliche Marine). EUGENIA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 7.5 nautical miles (13.9 km) west north west of the Fastnet Rock by SM U-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. FANE (Norway) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 63 (Karsten von Heydebreck) and sank in the North Sea off the Inner Dowsing Lightship ( United Kingdom) (53°21′N 0°38′E) with the loss of four of her crew. JENNY (Denmark) The brig was scuttled in the North Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) east north east of Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom (54°55′N 0°53′W) by SM UB-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. MATUNGA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Pacific Ocean 300 nautical miles (560 km) east of Riche Island, New Guinea by SMS Wolf ( Kaiserliche Marine). NARCISSUS (United Kingdom) The drifter was scuttled in the North Sea 12 nautical miles (22 km) south east of the mouth of the River Tyne (54°55′N 1°05′W) by SM UB-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. POLANNA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east of Whitby, Yorkshire by SM UC-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew. ROSEMOUNT (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 45 nautical miles (83 km) north east by north of Muckle Flugga, Shetland Islands by SM U-101 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. TAILSMAN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the North Sea 7 nautical miles (13 km) east south east of Hartlepool (54°44′N 1°10′W) by SM UB-41 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 7, 2022 6:26:46 GMT
Day 1099 of the Great War, August 7th 1917Romanian CampaignVon Mackensen crosses the Susitza river, and takes 3,000 prisoners. Map: Map of the Battle of Mărășești on its first day (August 7, 1917) LiberiaLiberian declaration of war on Germany, dated 4 August, published. United StatesRepresentatives of Allied nations meet in New York to discuss standardizing airplane parts. RussiaElihu Root, U.S. diplomat to Russia, declares recent news about riots and revolution in Russia are exaggerated. Russian Provisional Government release lists of spies, informers and agent provocateurs who were in the former Tsar Nicholas’s pay. Russian Ministry of Justice orders the arrest of Leon Trotsky for his part in the recent clashes between the government and Bolsheviks. United States: US Army and Red Cross ReorganizedThe United States had not been involved in a conflict of this magnitude since the Civil War, and its organization reflected that fact. On August 7, it was announced that Corps and Armies would be formed for the first time since the Civil War. The size of a division would also be reduced from 28,000 men to 19,000 men; the original size was deemed too large for a divisional commander to control and communicate with on the chaotic modern battlefield. While the United States insisted that it would maintain an independent command in Europe, this brought her in line with her Allies there. Divisions were also granted a large increase in machine guns and artillery compared to pre-war practices, which the three years of fighting had shown would be quite necessary. At the same time, it was announced that the American Red Cross would be reorganized on a military basis for the duration of the war. Officers of the Red Cross would be given military rank (though they would not be granted military pay); its new chairman, former President Taft, was thus now a major general. The Red Cross would also no longer accept nurses of German origin for overseas service; ostensibly this was to make sure they would not be detained by overzealous French officials upon arrival in Europe, but more likely was simply a reflection of growing anti-German hysteria in the United States. Aerial operations: Dunning diesSquadron Commander E.H. Dunning fails at his 2nd attempt to land on a moving ship and is killed. Aerial operations: OtrantoBack in February 1917 the Navy decided to establish a base at Otranto on the heel of Italy for anti-submarine patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean. Later in May 1917, at a conference held between the Italian, French, and British air service officers in the Adriatic, under the presidency of the Italian vice-admiral, the organization of the Allied aircraft patrols in the lower Adriatic, and in the Ionian Sea, was decided upon. Patrol zones were allotted to the three Allied air services. 6 Wing RNAS, now based are Otranto, was responsible for: (i) by seaplanes, eight miles north of, and parallel with, the drifter line, (ii) by seaplanes, ten miles north of proposed northern hydrophone line^ with the object of compelling U-boats to dive, and (iii) by aeroplanes, along the western side of the Otranto Straits and to the southward of Cape Sta. Maria di Leuca, to prevent U-boats making a landfall. The patrols began in June 1917. Sopwith strutter aeroplanes, which could get away quickly, were used chiefly as stand-by aircraft to be sent up immediately news came of the sighting of a U-boat. The U-boat com- manders, however, increased their caution, and no sub- marine was attacked by the naval aircraft until the 8th of August, when seaplanes found a U-boat previously reported by the look-out station. She dived before the seaplanes could get into position for effective attack, but she was reported to the French aircraft base at Corfu, and when the U-boat came up later she was found by French pilots who claimed that they destroyed her with bombs. Naval operations: new Second Sea LordVice-Admiral Sir R. Wemyss succeeds Admiral Sir C. Burney as Second Sea Lord; Mr. A. G. Anderson, Controller. Naval operations: ship lossesCHRISTIANE (United States) The barque was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 200 nautical miles (370 km) east of São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal (37°40′N 20°40′W) by SM U-155 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. ESEMPLARE (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (35°00′N 1°37′E) by SM UC-27 ( Kaiserliche Marine). IRAN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 200 nautical miles (370 km) east south east of Santa Maria Island, Azores by SM U-155 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. JARL (Sweden) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 130 nautical miles (240 km) south west of the Faroe Islands (59°45′N 9°28′W) by SM U-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine).[50] The ship had previously been taken by a British prize crew for visitation in a British port. One of the British prize crew was killed by the explosion. ONESTA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea off the Inner Dowsing Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. OTHALIA (Sweden) The cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the North Sea 50 nautical miles (93 km) east of the Orkney Islands, United Kingdom[53] (59°00′N 0°58′W) by SM UC-30 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Othalia was towed in to Kirkwall where she was declared a constructive total loss. Subsequently fitted with a new stern section and returned to service. PORT CURTIS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 70 nautical miles (130 km) west of Penmarc'h, Finistère, France (47°30′N 6°00′W) by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. TRENTO (Italy) The cargo ship was captured and scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 150 nautical miles (280 km) west north west of Ouessant, Finistère by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 8, 2022 2:52:52 GMT
Day 1100 of the Great War, August 8th 1917
Western Front
Wet weather continues in Flanders.
French make progress north-west of Bixschoote.
Romanian Campaign: Battle of Oituz
The German attack at Mărășești was not the Central Powers’ only planned offensive against the Romanians for early August. At the same time, the Austrians planned to attack around Oituz, to the north of where the Romanians had launched their offensive in late July; the Austrians hoped that they could outflank the small salient created by Averescu’s advance. During the planning phase in late July, the Oituz sector was defended by Russian troops deemed by Austrian intelligence to be highly unreliable, and likely to break if attacked. In early August, those Russians were replaced with Romanians; the Austrians brought in more troops to compensate.
The Austrians had many advantages on the eve of the attack. The Romanians were overextended by their advance in July, leaving this sector relatively undermanned, and with essentially no reserves. The Romanian trenches themselves were relatively primitive, though the hilly terrain would help them. Finally, the Romanians had no warning that the attack was coming, even believing that the Austrians were reducing their presence in the sector.
The Austrians attacked on the morning of August 8th. The Romanians put up a spirited defense, often launching counterattacks of their own. However, by the night of the 9th, the Romanians had lost 1200 PoWs and were falling back all along the line. The Romanians, having no more than a single battalion in reserve, were afraid of a complete Austrian breakthrough.
The success did not come without cost for the Austrian forces, however, nor for the German units attacking with them. One of the casualties on the first day of the battle was a 23-year-old Rudolf Hess, shot through the left lung. This would end his career in the infantry; he would spend the remainder of the war convalescing or in training as a pilot. While he would not serve in combat again in the First World War, his pilot’s training would lead to his ultimate fate in the Second.
Spain
Spain helps to provide arrangements for the safe passage of hospital ships.
United Kingdom
Irish Home Rule Convention reopens in Dublin after it was adjourned in July to discuss the future of Ireland.
United States: African-American Groups Protest Racism and Segregation in the US Military
When the United States entered World War One in 1917, its military had 10,000 black soldiers. Black Americans had served in the military since the Civil War, and as “Buffalo soldiers” on the frontiers and against the Spanish, but they were relegated to their own units, usually staffed by white officers.
At America’s entry into World War One, many more African-Americans joined up. They came with various motives: many wanted to prove they could fight as well as any other, that they deserved to be treated equally or “as a man”, to escape racism and poverty at home, or maybe just because they were bored. Meanwhile 13% of draftees were black, despite blacks making up only 10& of the population. Yet for many the American military would only extend the racism they faced at home.
Many African-American units were sent to train in the Jim Crow south, where southern white drill instructors tormented them. Not all branches of the American military allowed black men to serve; the Marines refused black recruits. The National Guard tried to address the problem by prohibiting black soldiers from training in the south. This attempted solution dodged the root cause and sparked uproar with groups like the NAACP, the National Association for hte Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights group formed by W.E.B. DuBois.
These groups protested racism in the military in major American cities. “We protest against any order by the government based upon race discrimination,” the Chicago Tribune reported a spokesman saying.
“We demand the same treatment and training for all United States soldiers regardless of race or color. Let our government stand for one country, one flag, one duty for all citizens and for real democracy in our own country as well as for democracy in Europe.”
Aerial operations: Last Hurrah
A week ago 111 Squadron RFC was formed at Dier-el-Belah in Palestine with a nucleus flight from 14 Squadron RFC. The Squadron was to be the first dedicated fighter squadron in the area but at the time it had to make do with collection of Vickers FB19 Mark 2s, Bristol MC1s, and DH2s – aircraft deemed unsuitable for the Western Front, or in the case of the DH2 now obsolete.
Nevertheless, today the Squadron scored its first victory today when a DH2 (A2628 – which had only arrived the day before) piloted by 2nd Lieutenant Robert Crawford Steele got into a fight with two enemy aircraft. Both were driven off one apparently out of control.
This is likely the last combat victory for the DH2 in any theatre.
Aerial operations: FBA
Out in Malta, RNAS crews have been patrolling the Mediterranean for u-boats since the end of 1916. None has been destroyed to date, but it is believed by the British commanders that the patrols are worthwhile because they restrict he movement of submarines on the surface and provide warning for shipping.
In June 1917 they were reinforced by two FBA Type H flying boats (of only four used by the RNAS). This was a single engine pusher designed by Franco-British Aviation. Those supplied to the RNAS were built under licence in Italy.
Today, Flight Lieutenant William Edgar Robinson and Sub-Lieutenant John Charles Alphonse Jenks were on patrol in their FBA when they experienced engine trouble and were forced to ditch in the sea. They drifted for several days before reaching the Libyan coast somewhere between Tripoli and Mishurata. They were taken prisoner by Turkish forces. They were assumed lost until news reached the British in September 1917.
In the meantime they were both awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government (on 29 August 1917).
Naval operations: ship losses
BERLENGAS (Portugal) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay 90 nautical miles (170 km) south west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (47°00′N 5°15′W) by SM UC-77 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
BRETON (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (37°30′N 9°19′E) by SM UC-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
GEORGE A. MARSH (United States) The schooner sank in Lake Ontario during a storm with the loss of twelve lives HMS DUNRAVEN (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was torpedoed and shelled in the Bay of Biscay off Ouessant, Finistère, France by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. Survivors were rescued by HMS Christopher ( Royal Navy). HMS dUNRAVEN sank on 10 August.
LLANISHEN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 8 nautical miles (15 km) north by east of Cape Creus, Spain 42°25′N 3°20′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two crew.
MARIE JESUS PROTEGEZ NOUS (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea off Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 9, 2022 2:47:26 GMT
Day 1101 of the Great War, August 9th 1917Western FrontSuccess British raids in Lens district. Photo: British troops drawing bombs from a store in a reserve trench near Pilckem, 9 August 1917 Eastern FrontMackensen presses his offensive, threatening communications of Russo-Romanian armies; after three days fighting Russo-Romanians expelled. Macedonian Front; Robertson Fumes as Only One British Division Leaves SalonikaIn July, Lloyd George had announced to his Allies that he intended to strip a British division from Salonika for service in Palestine. Lloyd George had always had an attraction to the Palestine front, hoping to “liberate” Jerusalem from the Turks. Additionally, full Greek entry into the war meant that Greek forces could replace British ones. The French, long the greatest champions of the Salonika adventure, and the Serbians, who felt they were being abandoned, vehemently protested this move. Chief of the Imperial General Staff Robertson, on the other hand, felt it did not go far enough: “The Salonika forces will never materially contribute to the winning of the war, while we may well lose it if we fail to have sufficient shipping…” He wanted to fall back to a shorter line in Thessaly, freeing up all but a handful of Allied divisions while the Greeks and Serbs held the line against the Bulgarians. Understandably, the Serbians were outraged at Robertson’s suggestion, all but threatening they would leave the war if it was followed through. At a conference in London on August 7 and 8, Lloyd George reaffirmed that he was transferring a division out of Salonika, but promised not to withdraw any more troops unless unexpected events occurred and after a full discussion with the Allies. Robertson fumed in a letter to Haig on August 9: The Conference lasted two days. It was of the usual character and resulted in the usual waste of time….[Lloyd George] is a real bad ‘un. The other members of the War Cabinet seem afraid of him….Curzon a gas-bag. Bonar Law equals Bonar Law. Smuts has good instinct but lacks knowledge. Back at Salonika, Sarrail refused to let Lloyd George’s decision affect his planning or troop disposition. The British line was stretched thin by the withdrawal of a division, but Sarrail refused to provide any reinforcements for the ninety miles of British front along the Struma for over two months. If the Bulgarians were to attack in force, General Milne warned, they would be in threat of being overrun. CanadaThird reading of Compulsory Military Service Bill for Canada passed. Austria-HungaryCount Esterhazy, Hungarian Prime Minister, resigns. Naval operations: British naval losses in past 6 monthsIn the past six months, more than 642 British ships have been sunk, with total tonnage equaling 3 million tons. United States: Congress Passes Food and Fuel Control BillAfter plenty of debate, the US Congress passed a piece of emergency legislation on August 9, 1917. The Food and Fuel Control Act, or the Lever bill , after its sponsor South Carolina Rep. Asbury Lever, enacted limits on certain foodstuffs and other essential items. With so much American grain being shipped to the Allies, Wilson deemed it necessary to conserve more at home. The act was very contentious, particularly in the agricultural American Midwest, where its mandated prices on crops hurt farmers, and also because it allowed the government to forbid the use of grain to make alcohol - creating a form of prohibition by other means. The bill also created two new government institutions, the Food Administration and the Fuel Adminitration. Industrialist Herbert Hoover headed the former, fixing crop prices, overseeing exports, and discouraging hoarders. Hoover also encouraged voluntary shows of patriotism, such as “meatless Tuesdays,” “sweetless Saturdays,” and wheatless Mondays and Wednesdays. Aerial operations: Wireless Interception SchemeFollowing its work with the Army in July, 4 Naval Wing had returned to naval work off the Belgian coast. Today however, 4 Naval Wing was tasked with specialist wireless interception work on behalf of the Fourth Army which had relieved the French in the coastal area. The purpose of wireless interception is to try and disrupt enemy aircraft communications with their own artillery. This works by having a ground station which signals to patrolling aircraft details of enemy aeroplanes working in the area. One flight from each Squadron is kept in readiness to respond to signals. Once a signal is received the flight leader flies over the Station to learn what was the latest position of the enemy aircraft. This was conveyed by means of markings on the ground. The area opposite the Fourth Army front was divided into three numbered sectors. An oblong grid, laid out near the Wireless Station, was divided to correspond with these, and a white disk indicated in which sector the enemy aeroplanes were working. An arrow of white strips gave further indication of their bearing from the station, and bars on either side of the arrow told of their height. Aerial operations: Orlyak bombedThis morning enemy guns started shelling the British aerodrome of ‘A’ Flight 17 Squadron RFC at Orlyak on the Salonika Front, the opening rounds falling on the officers’ lines and on the hangars. The crews attempted to move the aeroplanes, but the remarkable accuracy of the fire made this impossible and two aeroplanes, two hangars, and a workshop lorry were destroyed. The shelling lasted half an hour, during which 250 rounds fell, No casualties resulted as all the personnel had sought shelter in a nullah. The positions from which the enemy guns were firing were quickly discovered in Kalendra wood. In the afternoon they were shelled by XVI Corps heavy guns, and then bombed by two BE12s. During the attack, they were engaged by Leutnant Rudolf von Eschwege from FAb30 who wounded one of the pilots Lieutenant Percy Michael Lewis Edmunds. Subsequently the aerodrome at Orlyak was evacuated by ‘A’ Flight which moved to Lahana. Naval operations: ship lossesAGNE (Sweden) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea[62] at (60°46′N 3°32′E) by SM U-60 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. ALFONSO (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (37°25′N 12°05′E) by SM UC-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Blagdon (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the North Sea 75 nautical miles (139 km) east by south of Muckle Flugga, Shetland Islands by SM U-78 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of twelve of her crew. She was abandoned by the survivors and was later sunk by SM U-100 ( Kaiserliche Marine). EXPORT (Russia) The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea 45 nautical miles (83 km) west of Sognefjord, Norway by SM U-60 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. FLORA (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Gulf of Lyons by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine). INDUSTRIA (Spain) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Gulf of Lyons by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine). JACK (United Kingdom) The tug was wrecked on the Bondicarr Rocks, in the North Sea off Amble, Northumberland. JEANNE (France) The cargo ship collided with a Norwegian merchant vessel and sank. Her crew were rescued. HMS RECRUIT (Royal Navy) The R-class destroyer struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with some loss of life. Another source indicates the ship was sunk by a torpedo from German submarine UB16. S. GERLANDO(Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (37°25′N 12°05′E) by SM UC-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 10, 2022 2:47:32 GMT
Day 1102 of the Great War, August 10th 1917YouTube (Despair everywhere)Western Front: Third Ypres: Offensive Postponed as British Wait for Break in Bad WeatherA frustrated British high command temporarily delayed actions in Ypres on August 10 due to bad weather. Sir Hubert Gough’s Third Army had made reasonable progress in the week since the battle started, but could go no further. It was not enough that the Germans had created an exceptionally formidable tangle of defenses around the Ypres salient; the weather had also conspired against the Allies. Rain lashed down after the second day of the battle and waterlogged the ground. Artillery shells churned the muck. Tanks could not move, and even the infantry was fighting from sinking. Haig was forced to put off more major attacks while he consolidated his current gains and waited for more favorable conditions. Eastern FrontMackensen beyond Susitsa river, strikes north at Romanians, always threatening rear of Russo-Romanian armies; enemy also advancing in northern Moldavia. Romanian Campaign: Rommel Leads Attack on Mount CosnaThe Austro-German attack around Oituz was reinforced on August 9 by the arrival of the Württemberg Mountain Battalion (WMB). Arriving from the Western Front, they assumed that the Romanians would be pushovers, and that victory over them would be as easy as it had been in 1916. They soon found the Romanians to be far more determined than they had expected, but they still achieved some impressive victories in their first days on the front. On August 9, elements of the WMB under Lt. Erwin Rommel infiltrated in along the Oituz river valley and threatened to surround the Romanians there, forcing them to fall back. In the wee hours of August 10, Rommel led infantry and machine gun detachments in silence up the slopes of Mt. Coṣna, launching a surprise attack from point blank range just before dawn, quickly forcing the Romanians back over a mile. Later that day, he was himself surprised by a Romanian patrol and was wounded in the arm; Rommel recalled a French officer with the patrol repeatedly shouting “Kill the German dogs!” Rommel remained on the front lines for the next two weeks despite his injury. The next day, Rommel led the assault on the summit of Mt. Coṣna itself; they took it quickly, but the fighting soon devolved into a series of counterattacks over the course of the day before the Romanians abandoned the peak. Rommel’s forces, by now exhausted after three days’ intense fighting, did not have the strength to advance down the far side. The Romanians were able to recover their strength; by August 13 they were in possession of the peak once again. United KingdomLabour Party Conference decides, by large majority, to send delegates to Stockholm Conference. ScandinaviaSince the start of the war, the neutral Scandinavian nations have lost 933 ships and around 500 men due to torpedoes or mines. CanadaCanada limits the use of beef, bacon, and white bread in public eating places and prohibits use of wheat in distillation of alcohol. United statesPhoto: United States Navy patrol vessel USS VITESSE , probably at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while being fitted out for U.S. Navy service
 Aerial operations: 1 Squadron backThe gloomy weather that had hung over the Western Front finally lifted and a full programme of flying took place all along the front today. 1 Squadron RFC is still flying a mixture of now obsolete Nieuports 17s and Nieuport 23s armed with only a single gun. A four strong patrol ran into a Jasta 3 patrol and in the ensuing dogfight, lost two of their number. 2nd Lieutenant John Frederick Henderson in Nieuport 17 A6618 was shot down and taken prisoner. Captain Alan Bishop Jarvis in Nieuport 23 B1559 was shot down and killed. Leutnant Kurt Wissemann claimed a victory iocer a Nieuport but it is unclear which of these two he shot down. In return Captsin Tom Falcon Hazell and Lieutenant Robert Alexander Birbeck both claimed to have shot down an Albatross though German sources do not detail any losses for that day. To make up for this, later in the evening Captain Philip Fletcher Fullard came accross a DFW C which he shot down and destroy. Unteroffizer King and Leutnant von Langen were the crew. Naval operations: ship lossesCAPELLA I (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 130 nautical miles (240 km) west of Galway, United Kingdom by SM U-86 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. LEALTA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Ionian Sea (35°45′N 16°05′E) by SM U-31 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived. MARGHERITA (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). ORION I (Norway) The auxiliary sailing vessel was scuttled in the North Sea 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom (57°42′N 0°45′W) by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. SOGLIMT (Norway) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 61°44′N 3°05′W) by SM U-75 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. TITO SPERI (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Cape Palinuro, Campania (40°01′N 15°11′E) by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was beached at Pisciotto but was declared a constructive total loss. WAR PATROL (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 69 (Erwin Waßner) and sank in the Atlantic Ocean 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) west of Penmarc'h, Finistère, France (47°48′N 4°25′W) with the loss of 14 of her 26 crew. Survivors were rescued by Taureau ( French Navy).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 11, 2022 2:57:43 GMT
Day 1103 of the Great War, August 11th 1917Western FrontHeavy German counter-attack east of Ypres repulsed. British line pressed back in Glencorse Wood. Photo: British officers in the captured German armoured observation post on a ruined house in St. Eloi, 11 August 1917 Eastern FrontMackensen crosses River Sereth at one point; claims 7,000 prisoners, Romanians stubbornly resisting, retire at Ocna. Sweden: Socialist Conference in Stockholm Falls Apart as Western Allies BarredThe Petrograd Soviet had been spearheading for some time a movement for an international socialist peace conference to be held in Switzerland–the intellectual heir, perhaps, to Jaurès’ efforts before the war. The idea gained traction outside of Russia, but ultimately the Western Allies decided they would have nothing to do with it. On August 11, Arthur Henderson, leader of the Labour Party in the UK, resigned from his position in Lloyd George’s cabinet after being forbidden to participate in the conference. Labour remained in the wartime coalition, Henderson being replaced by George Barnes. On the same day, the United States announced it would not be issuing passports for those traveling to the Stockholm Conference. Along with similar moves by the French, this put an end to any real hope that any useful peace conference could occur. There was still a conference held there in September, but it was dominated by more left-wing groups like the Bolsheviks, had no attendees from the Western Allies, and had no chance of influencing any of the belligerent governments without overthrowing them. United States: Teddy Roosevelt Calls for Censorship of German-language NewspapersFormer president Teddy Roosevelt made a speech in August 1917 in which he called for the muzzling of America’s significant German-language press. “I trust that Congress will pass a law refusing to allow any newspaper to be published in German or in the language of any other of our opponents… let [German-Americans]] talk in a language ordinary Americans understand - so we shall all know just what they are saying and doing. Although not on the level of racialiized hostility to Japanese-Americans during WW2, anti-German sentiment was a serious issue during World War One, particularly in America’s very Germanic Midwest. Patriotism was conflated with anti-Germanism. In Ohio, for example, Governor James Cox created an Americanization Committee that censored German language newspapers (of which there were very many in American at the time), and removing “pro-German” books from libraries. Aerial operations: GerevizFrom the enemy aerodrome and seaplane base at Gereviz, near Xanthe, German pilots made frequent bombing attacks on the British aerodrome at Thasos. The Royal Flying Corps co-operated with the naval pilots and with Greek pilots in a series of attacks on the base. Yesterday, five aeroplanes from 47 Squadron together with seven from 17 Squadron assembled at Marian aerodrome and flew in formation to Thasos, under the command of Major Justin Howard Herring. Today, with three naval aeroplanes, they made two attacks on Gereviz, during which bombs of a total weight of 3374lb. were dropped. In the morning raid, one of the naval pilots, who was acting as escort, held too far back and during an attack by three Halberstadt fighters was wounded. Otherwise the raids passed without incident, all pilots maintaining close formation which kept at a distance German fighters that took the air. The Royal Flying Corps pilots left Thasos immediately after returning from the second raid and reached the aerodrome at Salonika the same evening. Naval operations: ship lossesCITY OF ATHENS (United Kingdom) The passenger ship struck a mine and sank off Cape Town, South Africa with the loss of 19 of the 213 people on board. GLORIOSA Gloriosa (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Irish Sea 12 nautical miles (22 km) north by east of Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire by SM UC-51 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. HOLAR (Denmark) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) off Lerwick, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom by SM UC-30 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. HMT JAY(Royal Navy) The naval trawler was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off Southwold, Suffolk (55°19′N 1°49′E) by SM UB-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nine of her crew. SONNIE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north west of the Le Four Lighthouse, Ouessant, Finistère, France (48°34′N 4°55′W) by SM UC-77 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eleven of her crew.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 12, 2022 5:37:57 GMT
Day 1104 of the Great War, August 12th 1917
Western Front
Stormy weather in Ypres prevents large scale operations, but heavy artillery fire continues to be exchanged.
Eastern Front
Mountain front of Moldavia, Russo-Romanians take offensive.
United Kingdom
Arthur Henderson, British Labour Party Leader, resigns from the War Cabinet after it rejects his proposal for a peace conference.
Russia: Lenin in Hiding, Tsar Nicholas Moved to Tobolsk
Vladimir Lenin wanted nothing to do with the July Days, the failed leftist protests against the Provisional Government on July 17. Protestors had besieged the Bolshevik-led soviet and asked it to take the reins, but Lenin did not believe the time was ripe for revolution. Nevertheless, the Kerensky government cracked down by arresting Bolshevik leaders, including Trotsky and Kamenev. Lenin, however, escaped, and went into hiding in Finland.
Another problem of the Provisional Government left Petrograd in August when Tsar Nicholas II and his family were transported from Tsarskoye Selo, 15 miles south of the capital, and trained across the Urals to the Siberian city of Tobolsk. There Nicholas, Alexandra, and their five children lived in relative comfort in the governor’s house until March 1918. Nicholas had desperately hoped that the British government and his cousin, King George V, would give him asylum. Worried about a revolution of their own, the British declined.
Aerial operations: Frankfurt-on-the-Main
Two French bombers bomb Frankfurt-on-the-Main in retaliation for German bombings of Nancy and north of Paris.
Aerial operations: Southend bombed
Today, the Germans planned a raid on Chatham dockyard as strong winds prevented them from reaching London. 13 Gothas from Kagohl 3 set off but two were forced back early with engine troubles.
Around 1700 the formation appeared over Felixstowe but then flew southwest along the coast. One bomber broke from the formation and dropped four bombs on Margate around 1740. Minor damage was caused and a woman was injured. It later transpired that this machine was also suffering form engine trouble and eventually crash landed at Zeebrugge.
The remaining 10 aircraft continued to Rochford, where they dropped three bombs, two of which fell on the aerodrome of 61 Squadron RFC and wounded two mechanics.
Aircraft based at Roachford had taken off 30 minutes earlier along with a number of other and were climbing to attack the bombers who were at 15,000 feet. This appears to have spooked the formation somewhat as they abandoned their plan and turned around. They dropped their remaining bombs over Leigh, Westcliff, and Southend. Of the 17 bombs dropped on Southend, only eight exploded, but they caused extensive damage, killing 33 people and injuring at least another 40, including a large number of daytrippers returning to London at the railway station.
The raiders dropped two more bombs without damage and then went out to sea around 1800 hotly pursued by British fighters. Unfortunately the bombers had the height advantage and were well out to sea before anyone caught up with them.
Fuel shortages and gun jams meant most combats were brief and indecisive. Flight Sub-Lieutenant Harold Spencer. Kerby (in Sopwith Pup N6440) from the Walby Defence Flight, however, came across one Gotha around 4000ft below the rest which he forced down on the water. The aircraft overturned and one crew member was seen clinging on.
Kerby dropped a lifebelt and set off to find help. On the return journey the Kerby found four destroyers on their way to Dunkirk, and he fired Very lights to indicate that he wanted the destroyers to follow him to the wrecked Gotha. The destroyers ignored him and continued on their way. The German authorities later reported that the Gotha had been lost with its crew.
Kerby was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Naval operations: ship losses
ANSEDONIA (Italy) The barquentine was scuttled in the Tyrrhenian Sea (39°24′N 15°35′E) by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
ARDITA CARRARA (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Naples by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
BESTUM (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 150 nautical miles (280 km) west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly by SM U-93 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
BOGATYR (Denmark) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea (57°04′N 1°04′W) by SM UC-30 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
CUMBERLAND (United Kingdom) The passenger ship foundered in the Bass Strait.
ELEAZAR (United Kingdom) The fishing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Irish Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) south west by west of St. Ann's Head, Pembrokeshire by SM UC-51 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
FALKLAND (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) south by east of Mine Head, Cornwall by SM U-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 10 crew.
LEITENANT BURAKOV (Imperial Russian Navy) The former Leitenant Burakov-class destroyer), operating as a despatch vessel, struck a mine laid by UC 78 (Hans Kukat) and sank in the Baltic Sea off the Åland Islands, Sweden.
LYNORTA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 102 nautical miles (189 km) north west by north of Tory Island, County Donegal (56°25′N 10°30′W) by SM U-94 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of here crew.
MARIE ALFRED (France) The brigantine was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean north of Ouessant, Finistère by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
PAULINE LOUISA (France) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the English Channel north east of Ouessant (48°41′N 4°39′W) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Roanoake (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 100 nautical miles (190 km) west of the Butt of Lewis, Outer Hebrides (58°39′N 9°08′W) by SM UB-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SM U-44 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type U 43 submarine was rammed and sunk in the North Sea south of Norway (58°50′N 4°20′E) by HMS ORACLE ( Royal Navy) with the loss of all 44 crew.
URSUS MINOR (Norway) The barque was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 200 nautical miles (370 km) west of Ireland (55°29′N 15°33′W) by SM U-84 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 13, 2022 6:22:33 GMT
Day 1105 of the Great War, August 13th 1917
Eastern Front
Russo-Romanian offensive continues favourable to Allies (Ocna region).
Spain
Martial law in Spain.
Japan/United States relations
Japanese mission arrives in the U.S. to coordinate issues relating to the war against Germany.
United Kingdom: British Government Stops Labour Delegates from Attending Stockholm Peace Conference
Socialism and social democracy were popular platforms across Europe before the Great War - Germany’s Social Democrats were the largest political party. Yet when the war broke out, the respective socialist parties supported their governments and the conflict. But that consensus broke down as the war dragged on and especially after Russia’s February Revolution.
Inspired by the success of a moderate socialist revolution in Russia, socialist parties agreed to gather in Stockholm in September 1917 to discuss peace and the future of Europe. It was the third such meeting during the war, but the first with real optimism about a united front of workers in Europe. Socialist parties in Britain, France, the US, and in Germany and Austria-Hungary, were eager to attend.
The warring governments were cooler to the idea, however. French Premier Georges Clemenceau barred France’s socialists from attending. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George had at first been friendly to the conference, but worried about the attendance of delegates from the Labour Party. Some of the conference members were too radical for Britain and France’s liking - there would be both Bolsheviks and members of the Zimmerwald Movement there, a pro-peace group that included Vladimir Lenin. On August 13 the British government pulled passports from the British delegates who had planned to intend.
Germany: German Nobel Laureate Dies of Wounds
The German war effort had the backing of the vast majority of the German scientific community (Einstein notwithstanding), and many of them served in what ways they could. One of these was Eduard Buchner had won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1907 for proving that the fermentation reactions associated with yeast did not require living yeast cells to proceed, by grinding up dry yeast and extracting their intracellular fluid. This helped to disprove “vitalism,” the belief that there is something intrinsically different about living beings when it comes to the physical laws that describe them.
Buchner had volunteered for military service at the start of the war, and although he had been recalled for scientific duties at the end of 1915, volunteered again, at the age of 56, after American entry. He was commanding a ammunition transport unit near Marasesti when he was wounded by a Romanian shell on August 11; he died of his wounds two days later.
Aerial operations: DH4s forced up
55 Squadron RFC continued its pattern of daylight raids with an early morning attack on Deynze railway junction. They were attacked by enemy scouts and in the fighting Captain Francis McDougall Charlewood Turner and 2nd Lieutenant Reginald de Renzie Brett claimed to have destroyed one aircraft and driven down another in a vertical nose-dive with its engine full on, apparently out of control. Lieutenant Charles Bernard Waters and 2nd Lieutenant Gerald Mackie Smith succeeded in destroying one EA and one out of control, while three others were claimed driven down out of control by 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Stuart White and 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Frederick Castle; Lieutenant Alfred Gordon Whitehead and 2nd Lieutenant Harry Bell MacDonald and Lieutenant Clive Waddington Davies and 2nd Lieutenant William Ronald Cooke.
However, the mission was not without casualties. Davies and Cooke in DH4 (7429) were forced down and crash landed near Ramscappelle. Cooke was wounded though Davies was uninjured. Lieutenant Percy Byron McNally and 2nd Class Air Mechanic C Kelly in DH4 A2157 were shot down and killed near Melle by Leutnant Wilhelm Bockelmann from Jasta 11. Shortly after this, Lieutenant Percival Gordon Kirk and 2nd Lieutenant George Young-Fullalove were seen diving their DH4 (A7475) to attack an enemy aircraft. They were then seen to burst into flames and crash south of Ostdunkerke. Young-Fullalove was seen jumping from the burning aircraft. Both men were killed. Vitzfeldwebel Georg Strasser from Jasta 17 claimed the victory.
Around this time, RFC Headquarters issued orders for daylight bombings by DH4s to be conducted from at least 15,000 feet to reduce wastage of this type of aircraft which were in relatively short supply. One imagines this type of operation and the subsequent losses would have influenced this decision.
Naval operations: ship losses
AKASSA (United Kingdom) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 8 nautical miles (15 km) south east of Galley Head, County Cork (51°23′N 8°47′W) by SM UC-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seven lives.
ARCANGELO MICHELE (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Naples by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMS BERGAMOT (Royal Navy) The Anchusa-class sloop, operating as a Q-ship, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 70 nautical miles (130 km) off Killybegs, County Donegal (55°13′N 10°17′W) by SM U-84 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 14 of her 93 crew.
EMILLIE GALLINE (France) The barque was sunk in the English Channel 25 nautical miles (46 km) south south west of Start Point, Devon, United Kingdom (49°58′N 4°03′W) by SM UC-79 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
IL NUOVO LEONARDO (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Naples by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
MASTON (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 35 nautical miles (65 km) east north east of Cape Spartivento, Calabria, Italy (38°25′N 16°43′E) by SM U-28 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy) with the loss of two of her crew.
TURAKINA (United Kingdom) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 120 nautical miles (220 km) west south west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (48°30′N 8°34′W) by SM U-86 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 14, 2022 6:21:26 GMT
Day 1106 of the Great War, August 14th 1917
United Kingdom
Official British casualties during the first two weeks of August total 21,722 men killed, wounded, or missing.
United Kingdom: Lloyd George Criticizes Douglas Haig and Generals, Pushes for Sending British Troops to Italy instead of Western Front
News of stalemate at Ypres seemed to confirm David Lloyd George’s worst fears. He has opposed Haig’s offensive in Belgium, and indeed any plan to send more British troops to the Western Front. On August 14 he criticized his military advisors in a conversation with one of the King’s Private Secretaries. Lloyd George was a staunch “Easterner” and favored attacking Germany’s allies rather than Germany itself.
Britain had made an “egregious mistake in not throwing our weight on the side of Italy in order to take Trieste and then shake hands and make peace with Austria.” Haig, the great “Westerner,” who believed the war could only be won in France, was summoned to meet with the War Cabinet in September to justify continuing his offensive. He and Lloyd George would continue squabbling for the rest of the Passchendaele offensive, with the drastic result being that Lloyd George would refuse badly needed reinforcements for the Western Front.
China: China Declares War on Germany
After seeing off the attempt to restore Puyi and the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty to the throne, Duan Qirui renewed his efforts to bring China into the war. On August 14, these succeeded, and China declared war on Germany. Along with Siam’s declaration of war, this removed the last neutral country in East Asia where Germany could attempt to conduct business or espionage; only the Dutch East Indies remained.
China would not send soldiers to Europe, but further expanded its program to send laborers there. Many would serve quite close to the the front; of the approximately 200,000 sent to Europe, around 3000 were killed.
Many in the Chinese government hoped that their entry would lead to them reestablishing control over the German concessions in Tsingtao, and that a place at the peace conference might give them increased respect and negotiating position with the west. More immediately, however, the incentives were financial. Entry into the war meant they could stop paying indemnities for the Boxer Rebellion to Germany and Austria. They also entered negotiations with Japan to secure a large loan, which they hoped to use to defeat warlords in the south of the country–though Japan wanted Tsingtao for herself.
Many of those warlords instead soon backed Sun Yat-Sen, who set up a rival military government of his own in Canton [Guangzhou], steadfastly opposed to the war. This stance may also have been due to financial motivations, hoping that Germany would bankroll his efforts to take control of the country. It is possible he did receive some funding from the Germans, but it seems they ultimately did not find him (or further adventures in China) fruitful, and his government did not last more than nine months.
United States/Japan relations
Viscount Ishii, Japanese Ambassador, declares that U.S. and Japan will “march together, work together and fight together as comrades.”
Vatican City
Papal Note with proposals for peace sent to belligerent Governments published.
Russia
Former Tsar Nicholas II and his family is transported by the Russian government from their palace at Tsarskoye Selo to Tobolsk in the Urals.
Spain
Spanish government uses artillery in Barcelona and Sabadell to suppress revolutionaries connected to the railway strike.
Aerial operations: Hill 70
Tomorrow the Canadian Corps will attack Hill 70, east of the village of Loos which has been in German hands since September 1915.
In preparation for the attack, the RFC carried out carefully organized attacks. Overnight 10 Squadron bombed railway junctions and billets east of the Lens front, notably Carvin, Berclau, and Oignies in their Armstrong-Whitworths.
At Oignies a fire was started, and the pilot whose bombs caused the blaze went down to 500 feet, and finding that a number of men had gathered, dispersed them with his machine-gun.
Oignies was attacked again today by day-bombers from 25 Squadron in their DH4s, who dropped 28 20-lb. bombs on the village. The same squadron, late in the evening, attacked the German aerodrome at Dorignies, north of Douai, with forty 20-lb. bombs.
27 Squadron attacked Phalempin aerodrome from which aircraft worked over the Lens sector—in their Martinsydes with four 112-lb. and 32 20-lb. bombs).
During the night, 10 Squadron bombed the head-quarters and rest billets of the German divisions which were to be attacked. Fifty-one light-weight bombs were dropped by the squadron on Annay, Courrieres, Oignies, Carvin, Epinoy, and Pont-a-Vendin.
Naval operations: ship losses
ASTI(Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 220 nautical miles (410 km) west if the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom (48°15′N 10°15′W) by SM U-93 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
COSTANZA (Italy) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 63 (Karsten von Heydebreck) and sank in the North Sea 3.5 nautical miles (6.5 km) south east by east of the Inner Dowsing Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
JANE S. (United Kingdom) The fishing vessel struck a mine laid by UC 42 (Hans Albrecht Müller) and sank in the North Sea 11 nautical miles (20 km) south east of St Abb's Head, Berwickshire.
JULITA (Spain) The barque was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 35 nautical miles (65 km) off Alexandria, Egypt by SM UC-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
EUGENIA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) north of Cape Serrat, Tunisia (37°12′N 10°20′E) by SM UC-67 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
LUNA (Norway) The coaster was damaged in the North Sea 16 to 18 nautical miles (30 to 33 km) north of the Humber Lightship by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was beached at Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom but was later refloated.
MAJORKA (Norway) The full-rigged ship struck a mine laid by U 71 (Walter Gude) and sank in the North Sea north of Scotland (58°34′N 5°14′W). Her crew survived.
N. VERBECKMOENS (Netherlands) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Trevose Head, Cornwall, United Kingdom (50°47′N 4°45′W) by SM UC-51 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her crew.
HMS PRIZE (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean north west of Ireland by SM UB-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of all 27 crew.
THAMES (United Kingdom) The coaster was shelled and sunk in the North Sea (53°42′N 0°24′E) by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of all ten crew.
TUDDAL (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 150 nautical miles (280 km) south west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (46°45′N 7°00′W) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
UMBERTO I (Regia Marina) The armed merchant cruiser was torpedoed and sunk in the Ligurian Sea off Gallinara (44°04′N 8°15′E) by SM UC-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 26 of her crew.
WISBECH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 12 nautical miles (22 km) off Trevose Head by SM UC-51 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 15, 2022 2:46:10 GMT
Day 1107 of the Great War, August 15th 1917
Western Front: Battle of Hill 70
The first British efforts around Lens had petered out after a few days, but were renewed again around August 10, with limited success, and they were preparing more attacks in future. To divert the Germans from the area, the Canadians attacked near Lens on August 15. Their main target was not the city itself, but the unimaginatively-named Hill 70 on the outskirts of town, which commanded the surrounding area.
The Canadians’ plan was to secure the hill and inflict heavy casualties on the Germans attempting to retake the position. Incredibly detailed planning went into the artillery barrage. In some cases, guns would swap out their targets and the type of shell being used multiple times over the course of the barrage; gunners were urged to keep their ammunition carefully ordered to prevent mixups in the heat of battle.
The assault opened at 4:25 AM on August 15, and the Canadians were in possession of Hill 70 within twenty minutes; many units were at their final objectives and preparing for counterattacks twenty minutes after that. And the Germans did counterattack–twenty-one times in the next three days. The Canadian artillery, having in many cases calculated their trajectory to shoot at German staging areas ahead of time, inflicted severe casualties on the Germans; their commander, General Currie, wrote that “our gunners, machine-gunners, and infantry never had such targets.” The Canadians held on, despite the repeated infantry attacks, German shelling, mustard gas, and in one case flamethrowers, and would maintain control of Hill 70 for the remainder of the war. The attack did not divert any troops from Ypres, however, though it did tie up all the German troops around Lens.
Eastern Front
Romanian thrust in Ocna region carried no further.
Romanian 2nd Army and Russian 4th Army retreating south toward the Sereth; enemy take Soveia, renew offensive in Focsani region.
United Kingdom
American troops pass through London on their way to the front; Stars and Stripes and Union Jack flown side by side from House of Lords.
British police and soldiers raid premises of the Irish National Volunteers in Dublin, taking 100 rifles and 1300 rounds.
Netherlands
Shipment of several million eggs to Germany is stopped by the Dutch govt when Germany offers to pay for them with paper money, not gold.
France
City of Dijon, France considers resolutions to compel children over the age of 12 to work and to send prisoners to the front.
Aerial operations: Drifters
Out in the Mediterranean ‘G’ Flight RNAS, based on Lemnos has been experimenting in U-boat hunting by patrolling with hydroplane equipped drifters. Today, while on patrol the observer in a Henri Farman sighted a U-boat periscope near Lemnos.
Before the aeroplane got over her the submarine went under, but the aircraft dropped two 100-lb. delay-action bombs on the calculated position.
The aircraft then signalled a warning to the accompanying drifter by Aldis Lamp, which then sent wireless messages to Mudros. In answer to the wireless call, four other aircraft were sent out, but although they searched the area in conjunction with the drifter, the U-boat was not seen or heard again.
No German losses were reported at this time, so it is unlikely that the bombs did any damage.
Naval operations: ship losses
ALLEBARTHA (Denmark) The three-masted schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean north west of the Hebrides, United Kingdom (57°00′N 9°54′W) by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
ALICE(United Kingdom) The fishing vessel was scuttled in the North Sea off the mouth of the Humber (53°38′N 0°55′E) by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of all five crew.
BANDAI MARU Maru (Japan) The cargo ship was shelled in the Mediterranean Sea north east of Cape Bon, Tunisia (37°20′N 11°32′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was consequently scuttled.
BRODSTONE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 95 nautical miles (176 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (47°50′N 7°20′W) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.
HMT ETHEL & MILLIE(Royal Navy) The fishing smack, operating as a Q-ship under the name Boy Alfred was scuttled in the North Sea off the mouth of the Humber by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of all seven crew.
HMT G & E (Royal Navy) The fishing smack, operating as a Q-ship under the name Nelson was shelled and sunk in the North Sea off the mouth of the Humber by SM UC-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
HYLAS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) east of the Butt of Lewis (58°39′N 5°49′W) by SM U-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
NELSON (United Kingdom) The fishing vessel was sunk by UC-41 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
PHOEBE (France) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 21 (Werner von Zerboni di Sposetti) and sank in the Bay of Biscay south by west of Penmarc'h, Finistère (47°48′N 4°25′W). Her crew were rescued by Tauron ( French Navy).
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 16, 2022 2:49:54 GMT
Day 1108 of the Great War, August 16th 1917Western Front: Battle of LangemarckThe British offensive around Ypres had made some substantial gains in the first handful of days, but since then tenacious German resistance and continuing heavy rain had stopped the British advance. They attempted to resume in full force on August 16. The muddy conditions prevented tanks from being used, and also meant that many of the attacking troops could not get into place properly the night before (despite extensive delays due to the rain); this meant the British were, in many places, unfamiliar with the terrain they were attacking into. Photo: Pack mules taking up ammunition in wicker carriers. Note a shell-burst in the background. Pilckem Ridge, 16 August 1917 The assault began at 4:45 AM. In the center of the Ypres salient, the day’s efforts were uniformly unsuccessful. Advancing slowly over the waterlogged terrain, the infantry were often easy targets for Germans in shellholes or in fortified concrete positions left intact by the Allied shelling. German counterattacks and extensive German countershelling erased any gains in that sector. Poor artillery spotting (due to the weather and current German dominance of the skies) meant the German artillery operated unhindered for many hours after the initial bombardment; it is believed they fired half as many shells as the British during the day, and the British had been preparing for an offensive. In total, more shells were fired on August 16 than during the whole of the Franco-Prussian War. To the north, the British and French had more success, eventually overwhelming the German defenders and taking the ruined town of Langemarck in the afternoon. These modest gains, however, cost the Allies over 15000 casualties. Map: Diagram of Anglo-French advance to Bixschoote 31 July and Langemarck 16-18 August 1917 French advance on Craonne ridge. Eastern FrontRusso-Romanian army still retreating before Mackensen's offensive up Sereth valley. Baltareta bridgehead lost. In Ocna region enemy take offensive, also in Susitsa valley. Romanians hold their ground. Aerial operations: He’s back…back againFollowing his shooting down on 2 July 1917, Manfred Von Richthofen, the commander of JG1 has been on sick leave with a severe head wound. He returned to the front on 25 July despite being told by his doctors not to fly. Von Ricthofen went upon a few test flights but today took part in his first combat since returning. At 0625 this morning he encountered Lieutenant William Harold Trant Williams from 29 Squadron in his Nieuport 17 (A6611). Little is known about the combat, as it is one of his least documented and apparently not recorded inthe German archives at all. The only record was the order he placed for a silver cup to celebrate the victory. Though that too is now lost, disappearing as the Soviets overan Germany 28 years later. It’s also recorded that Williams was badly wounded and died a few day later on 22 August. After the fight Von Richthofen returned suffering from nausea, but despite this he continued to fly. Naval operations: HeligolandBritish and German destroyers in action in Bight of Heligoland. Naval operations: ship lossesSMS A13 (Kaiserliche Marine) The A1-class torpedo boat was bombed and sunk at Ostend, West Flanders, Belgium by a British Handley Page O/100 aircraft. ATHENIA (United Kingdom) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 7 nautical miles (13 km) north of Inishtrahull Island, County Donegal (55°33′N 7°23′W) by SM U-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 15 lives. HMS BRADFORD CITY (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was sunk in the Strait of Messina (38°10′N 15°36′E) by SM U-28 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived. CAROLINE KOCK (Denmark) The three-masted schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Hebrides, United Kingdom by SM U-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine with the loss of a crew member. DALPHIC (United Kingdom) The ocean liner was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 135 nautical miles (250 km) south west by west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (48°30′N 9°10′W) by SM UC-72 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five lives. EASTGATE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the Atlantic Ocean 120 nautical miles (220 km) south west by west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was beached by was later refloated. MANCHESTER ENGINEER (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km) south east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire by SM UC-16 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. PALATINE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) west north west of Canna, Inner Hebrides by SM U-75 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, but her captain was taken as a prisoner of war. SVANHOLM (Denmark) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea by SM U-94 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Aug 17, 2022 2:47:34 GMT
Day 1109 of the Great War, August 17th 1917YouTube (The Battle of Hill 70 - Mackensen Advances in Romania)Western Front: Nurse is First American Casualty of the WarMany of the first American military personnel in France were medical staff, attached to serve with British units. Among them was New York nurse Beatrice MacDonald, who had previously volunteered in an ambulance service in France in 1915. At the outcome of the war, she departed again for France along with a team from New York Presbyterian. On the night of August 17, the British clearing and triage station she was working at was attacked in a German air raid. While still working, her tent was hit by a German bomb, and she received a serious head wound, eventually losing an eye. MacDonald would be the first serious American military casualty of the war; all previous American casualties were either volunteers unaffiliated with the military, or too minor to necessitate any departure from duty. MacDonald demanded to return duty after her recovery, saying “I’ve only started doing my bit.” Photo: Battle of Langemarck. Shell bursting near an 8-inch howitzer battery near Boezinge. Three men are sheltering from splinters behind tree trunks, 17 August 1917 United Kingdom South African General Jan Smuts files a report to the British War Cabinet discussing the uses of air power in the Great War. He postulates an independent Air Force working with the Army and Navy, capable of bombing indutrial and population centers in enemy territory. Russia: Josef Stalin Elected to Bolshevik Central CommitteeIosif Vissarionovich Djugashvili was born in the Georgian town of Gori on December 21, 1879. The moniker he later took, Stalin, “steel,” was a pseudonym taken by a young revolutionary and burglar constantly on the run from authorities. He was sent to, and escaped from, Siberia in 1904, following which Russian Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin sponsored him for election to his party’s Central Committee. Stalin was captured again later and spent more years in Siberian exile. Russia’s worsening war rescued, him, however, when the army began conscripting political prisoners. A crippled arm then rescued Stalin from the front, although he bore some shame the rest of his life for escaping combat. When February 1917 came, the Tsar abdicated, and Lenin returned, Stalin took a role as a chief editor of Pravda, the party paper. In August 1917 he was re-elected to the Bolshevik Central Committee. His role in the October Revolution, however, was marginal, and Stalin would make his name only later during the Russian Civil War, when he served as political commissar for the Red Tenth Army defending Tsaristyn, the city that later bore his name. Aerial operations: “Defence of the empire”Following the publication of his interim report on air defence of London on 19 July, General Smuts has been working on the second part of his brief: “air organisation generally and the direction of air operations”. General Smuts had been reluctant to take on the job, as he did not want to get embroiled in the politics of the various disputes between the Air Committee, War Office, Admiralty and Ministry of Munitions. However, Lloyd George had persuaded him by nominally chairing the report and leaving Smuts to focus entirely on military matters. Today he presented his second report to the War Cabinet. This slim seven page report is the most important document in the formation of the Royal Air Force. His core recommendation was: “That an Air Ministry be instituted as soon as possible, consisting of a Minister with a consultative Board on the lines of the Army Council orAdmiralty Board, on which the several departmental activities of the Ministry will be represented; The Ministry to control and administer all matters in connection with aerial warfare of all kinds whatsoever, lncluding lighter-than-air as well as heavier-than-air-craft.” The report can be read in full here. The recommendation of course recognised that there might be short term inefficiencies, but as the War was expected to carry on into 1919, that it was worth making the change now. Smuts also had one eye on the future and would have gladdened the hearts of air enthusiasts such as Noel Pemberton-Billing with the lines: “Air Supremacy may in the long run become as important a factor in the defence of the empire as sea supremacy.”
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