A Swiss postcard of 'The European War' in 1914. The Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary face enemies to the east, west, and south. Germany is fighting the war it tried to avoid, battling Russia to the east and France to the west. Germany had also hoped to avoid fighting England which came to the aid of neutral (and prostrate) Belgium, and straddles the Channel. Austria-Hungary also fights on two fronts, against Russia to the east and Serbia and Montenegro to the south. Italy, the third member of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, declared neutrality, and looks on. Other neutral nations include Spain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. Japan enters from the east to battle Germany. The German Fleet stays close to port in the North and Baltic Seas while a German Zeppelin targets England. The Austro-Hungarian Fleet keeps watch in the Adriatic. Turkey is not represented, and entered the war at the end of October, 1914; Italy in late May, 1915.

Der Europäische Krieg

The European War

Reverse:

Kriegskarte No. 61. Verlag K. Essig, Basel

Kunstanstalt (Art Institute) Frobenius A.G. Basel

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Wednesday, December 8, 1915

"By the end of 1915, with no sign of the promised breakthrough, morale was beginning to flag. 'It's maddening the way people think,' commented Alfred Joubert (124th Infantry) on 8 December. They've gone off the idea of war and many talk about surrendering. . . . Happily they don't suit action to the word.' Meanwhile Sous-lieutenant Pierre Masson (261st Infantry) wrote with considerable prescience: 'an immense weariness seems to be weighing on everyone and neither side can feel triumphant. We wondered if perhaps we were heading for a worse catastrophe: one of morale.'"

Quotation Context

And after sixteen months of war, German troops still held nearly all of Belgium and a large swath of northern France, including its industrial heartland. French commander Joseph Joffre's spring and autumn offensives had ended with little gain. Nor had France's allies fared well: A combined German and Austro-Hungarian offensive had driven the Russians from Polish Russia, and Italy's May entry into the war had failed to deliver on its promise and had not dislodged Austria-Hungary from any significant territory. In contrast Bulgaria's casting off of neutrality had assured the swift defeat of France's ally Serbia. The Franco-British invasion at Gallipoli was ending in defeat and evacuation. In both the home front and the trenches, there were French who believed a negotiated settlement was needed.

Source

They Shall Not Pass: The French Army on the Western Front 1914-1918 by Ian Sumner, pp. 94, 95, copyright © Ian Sumner 2012, publisher: Pen and Sword, publication date: 2012

Tags

1915-12-08, 1915, December, morale, surrender