Real time Discusion thread

Unlike in France, where winter stalled the largest operations, the cold months meant a resumption of fighting in the Middle East. In Mesopotamia, British and Indian forces probed the Ottoman positions on the Tigris. Newly led by Major-General Stanley Maude, the British hoped to recapture Kut, site of the humiliating surrender in 1916 of a British army in spring 1916. The fall of Kut would mean the renewal of an advance on Baghdad. Attacking from the low-lying plain of the River Hal, south of Kut, British forces bypassed most of the Ottoman forces on the Tigris and began methodically to drive the Turks up the river.

In an effort to slip valuable supplies past the Allied blockade of the Central Powers, German agents were trying harder and harder to conceal these supplies in otherwise innocuous goods. One attempt was prevented today in New York, thanks to the use of an X-ray machine operated by Richard Muller of Columbia University. After examining the X-ray plates taken of several unusually large bales of hay to be loaded on the British liner SS Cretic, he found them to be suspiciously “cloudy,” and had some of the bales opened up. Inside were several large rubber sheets–highly valuable for the German war effort. All 178 bales had multiple sheets of rubber inside. Of course, exporting rubber was not a crime in the neutral United States, so the only possible criminal charge for the exporter was mislabeling.

Rhey retreated to a nearby trench and waited for the infantry attack. However, their ancient 1874 black-powder rifles gave away their positions with puffs of smoke, and they had to retreat again. Incredibly, they managed to counterattack twice and recover their gun, destroying its breach block so it could not be re-used before finally retreating.

It is unclear whether Wilson approved of these proposals being made in his name. It is certain, however, he would most likely have been able to ensure an American commitment to the war on these terms in 1916, and he never brought the proposal before his cabinet or Congress.

MALAYSIA

Parit Sulong - About 145 Australian troops, trapped by a Japanese roadblock trying to break through swamp and jungle to reach British lines. Before setting off, they leave their wounded at the roadside, "lying huddled around trees, smoking calmly, unafraid."The Japanese capture the men and shoot them. More and more still...."