Real time Discusion thread

United Kingdom: Nivelle Visits London

The end of the year had seen a changeover in military leadership in France, with General Nivelle taking over from Joffre. This was especially welcome to Lloyd George’s new government in Britain; he had been appalled by the extreme casualties on the Somme and hoped that Nivelle’s new strategies would bring greater results with less bloodshed. Nivelle visited London on January 15, and made an excellent impression among British politicians, aided by his fluent command of English. Lloyd George, an advocate of phrenology, had also been impressed with the shape of Nivelle’s head. Lloyd George was somewhat disappointed, however, when Nivelle declined to attack Haig publicly.

Nivelle’s plan, which he presented to the War Cabinet and British military leadership, called for the British to make a diversionary attack around Arras, while the French readied their primary blow along the Aisne. This was welcomed by Lloyd George, realizing that the British secondary role in the plan meant they would likely suffer fewer casualties. However, the massing of 1.2 million French soldiers for the offensive meant that the British would need to take over further sections of the French line; this would require British reinforcements to arrive from the front in Palestine, delaying Nivelle’s plan.

CIGS Robertson raised additional concerns: the German defenses on the Aisne were incredibly small, Nivelle’s experiences on a small scale at Verdun would not necessarily generalize to a broad front, and the second and third German lines could not be destroyed in the initial bombardment, so the breakthrough would take longer than Nivelle planned. Nivelle’s promise that if unsuccessful, the battle could be halted to prevent excessive casualties, was also rejected by Robertson: “once a battle was engaged it could not be broken off as if it were a mere raid or a stick of chocolate.” The new line would be tactically untenable, requiring additional attacks and a continued committment of troops.

None of these objections swayed Lloyd George or the War Cabinet, who enthusiastically endorsed Nivelle’s plan and ordered the Army to do their utmost to back it.

United States: German Ambassador to the United States Requests $50,000 to Bribe Members of US Congress

With the intercepted Zimmerman Telegram still a closely guarded secret, the British cryptographers of Room 40 decoded another incriminating message on January 23. This was a telegram sent to Berlin from its Ambassador in the United States, Count von Bernsdorff. Bernsdorff requested $50,000 to influence members of Congress towards a pro-German stance. This was hardly the first time the ambassador had tried his hand at sneaky tactics - he had also played a key role helping German agents in the United States conduct sabotage. Britain held on to this message as well, and countered by releasing a photo of Count von Bernsdorff “in a swimming costume with his arms around two similarly dressed women, neither of whom was his wife,” which they released to the press.

With the intercepted Zimmerman Telegram still a closely guarded secret, the British cryptographers of Room 40 decoded another incriminating message on January 23. This was a telegram sent to Berlin from its Ambassador in the United States, Count von Bernsdorff. Bernsdorff requested $50,000 to influence members of Congress towards a pro-German stance. This was hardly the first time the ambassador had tried his hand at sneaky tactics - he had also played a key role helping German agents in the United States conduct sabotage. Britain held on to this message as well, and countered by releasing a photo of Count von Bernsdorff “in a swimming costume with his arms around two similarly dressed women, neither of whom was his wife,” which they released to the press.

Southwold and Wangford, on the Suffolk coast, are shelled this night by German destroyers; no casualties.

Naval operations: German Destroyer Shells Suffolk Coast, British Cruiser Sunk by Mine off Ireland

The inhabitants of the Suffolk coast awoke to a nasty sound on the night of January 25. Explosions soon confirmed the sound they heard were German shells, fired by an offshore destroyer. Fortunately, the firing ceased with no casualties after about three minutes, because the German ship could not identify any targets on the shore, thanks to Britain’s blackout.

Between 02.45 and 03.16 hours, the sailing vessel 'Hassan' (80 tons) was rammed five times by U-431 in the Eastern Med south of Cyprus. At 03.33 hours, the U-boat shelled the vessel with her 8.8cm and 2cm gun and set her on fire. The U-boat then left the burning and sinking ship.