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Ludwig sends Happy Pentecost wishes from Russia on a card of birch bark decorated with a sprig. Pentecost, the Christian celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on Christ's Apostles, fell on June 11 in 1916.
Sunset over the trenches; a watercolor by J.M., July 9, 1916. Signed J.M 9/7/16
Hand-painted miniatures of Mecca and the Ka'abah from the Islamic prayer book 'Prayers to Muhammed,' composed by Muhammed b. Suleyman al-Jazuli.
The white Russian bear, dyed red with Austro-Hungarian blood, triumphs over the Habsburg Eagle. Russian was victorious in Galicia in 1914 and early 1915. A postcard by Bianchi.
Greetings from the aviator city of Gotha! Postcard with a view of the city of Gotha, Germany, of a pilot in a bi-plane, and an Albatros bi-plane (evidently the same plane and pilot) at the Gotha airfield. Field postmarked December 12, 1916 by the Ersatz Flieger Abteilung, the Reserve Flying Section, Gotha.
"During the evening we saw to our surprise companies of cavalrymen returning to Buchach; their oboz followed them. Some of the wounded told us there had been a severe counter-attack and certain sectors of the Russian Front Line had been forced to withdraw. We listened in consternation. Withdraw! Does that mean retreat? We asked first one man, then another, but no one knew what had happened. Our doctors thought it wise to despatch all our wounded to Dzurin. After they had left we felt better; at least one great responsibility had been lifted from our shoulders. As far as we were concerned, we must remain at our posts. We finished cleaning the rooms and then, all very tired, we decided to retire. The divans were hard and pillowless, but they provided makeshift beds." ((1), more)
"On June 12, Brusilov announced that in the advances that his men had made since the start of his offensive eight days earlier, they had captured 2,992 Austrian officers, 190,000 Austrian soldiers, 216 heavy guns, 645 machine guns and 196 howitzers. One third of the Austrian forces facing him had been taken captive. Within another five days the Russians had occupied Czernowitz, the most easterly Austro-Hungarian city, and a center of culture and commercial enterprise." ((2), more)
"While the British troops were engaged with the Turks in Mesopotamia and Palestine, the Arabs seized the opportunity to throw off the hated Turkish yoke. Simultaneous uprisings took place in the Hedjaz district of Arabia. The leader of this revolt was Hussein-ibn-Ali, Grand Sherif of Mecca, and the most powerful prince of Western and Central Arabia. As hereditary keeper of the Holy Places and head of the tribe of the Prophet, he was regarded with reverence by the Arabs.Hussein, on June 5th [1916], proclaimed the independence of Arabia at Mecca. The population greeted the announcement with cheers, but the Turkish garrison rejected his summons to surrender, opening fire on the Great Mosque with heavy artillery. Rallying the loyal Arabs to his standard, Hussein overcame the resistance of the Turkish garrison, compelling their surrender on June 13th, and taking 1100 prisoners." ((3), more)
"If there remain any Germans still hopeful for their cause, let them realize to-day, when the Central Powers have lost the initiative and are finding a difficulty in refilling their ranks, Russia has not yet reached the zenith of her power, which will only be approached next year, when she will have the largest and best army since the beginning of the War. Next year we shall have material on an equality with the enemy and a superiority in human resources, which should steadily increase as long as the War endures. Our new levies which come in next year equal our best troops, and, as I believe, they are far superior to anything which the enemy can still find to send against us for next year's campaign." ((4), more)
"A squadron of German planes bombed London on June 14th, killing 97 persons and injuring 437, including 120 women and children." ((5), more)
(1) Florence Farmborough, an English nurse serving with the Russian Red Cross, writing on June 11, 1916 (May 29 Old Style) as Russia's Brusilov Offensive continued. The next day, Farmborough hears reports that German troops had arrived to support the Austro-Hungarian front. Austro-Hungarian Commander-in-Chief Conrad von Hötzendorf had also begun to redeploy two divisions from his Asiago Offensive in northern Italy to face the Russians.
Nurse at the Russian Front, a Diary 1914-18 by Florence Farmborough, page 197, copyright © 1974 by Florence Farmborough, publisher: Constable and Company Limited, publication date: 1974
(2) Russian General Alexsei Brusilov prepared for his great Offensive in ways other Russian generals had not. Czernowitz in the Bukovina, had a population of approximately 87,0000.
The First World War, a Complete History by Martin Gilbert, page 254, copyright © 1994 by Martin Gilbert, publisher: Henry Holt and Company, publication date: 1994
(3) The Ottoman Empire included Turkey and a great arc of territory stretching from the Suez Canal through Palestine and Syria to Mesopotamia and the Gulf of Persia. In early 1915, Turkish forces had attacked the Suez Canal but been driven off by British forces who soon began preparing advance on Palestine. In Mesopotamia, a British, primarily Indian, army at Kut-al-Amara had surrendered to Turkish besiegers on April 29, 1916 after a siege of nearly five months. The British encouraged the nascent Arab revolt and provided some arms and military expertise.
King's Complete History of the World War by W.C. King, page 262, copyright © 1922, by W.C. King, publisher: The History Associates, publication date: 1922
(4) Extract by Russian General Alexsei Brusilov writing after the success of his offensive against the Central Powers, particularly Austria-Hungary. Within little more than a week of launching his attack, Brusilov had taken nearly 200,000 Austro-Hungarian prisoners, one in three of the men opposing him.
The Great Events of the Great War in Seven Volumes by Charles F. Horne, Vol. IV, 1916, p. 200, copyright © 1920 by The National Alumnia, publisher: The National Alumni, publication date: 1920
(5) LondonGothaThis quotation is suspect. The Sky on Fire (Fredette) has airplane bombing beginning in 1917. Gilbert has no mention of this significant loss of life.
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