The rulers of the Central Powers — Kaisers Wilhelm and Franz Joseph, Tsar Ferdinand, and Mohammed V — surrounded by the Allies: Belgium, Britain, France, Italy to the west, the Balkan states of Montenegro, Serbia, and Greece, where Britain and France ensure Greek participation in the war, and Russia its strength bolstered by Japan's munitions supplies. Out to sea, the British, French, and Italian navies stand guard, with that of Russia in the distance. Portugal likely stands at the lower left. By 1916, Serbia was already occupied by the Central Powers.

L'Actualite par la carte postale (1916)

Troisième Année de Guerre

L'Offensive Générale Enserre les Empires Centraux



The News in Postcards (1916)

Third Year of the War

The General Offensive Encircles the Central Powers

Other views: Larger

Monday, February 1, 1915

"On the left bank of the Vistula, in the region of Sochaczev, the Russians are engaged in a series of partial, short attacks which correspond closely with what the Grand Duke Nicholas has called 'as active a defense as possible.' In the Bukovina they are slowly retreating owing to the shortage of ammunition."

Quotation Context

Entry from the memoirs of Maurice Paléologue, French Ambassador to Russia, for Monday, Febuary 1, 1915. The ammunition shortage which affected all combatants at the end of 1914 and early 1915 was particularly acute for the Russians. With inadequate production capacity, they imported shells and weapons from Japan and the United States. On the Vistula River, the Russians faced the German Army. In the Bukovina, they were retreating before Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf's winter offensive, one costly to both sides.

Source

An Ambassador's Memoirs Vol. I by Maurice Paléologue, page 271, publisher: George H. Doran Company, publication date: 1925

Tags

Shell Shortage, 1915-02-01, 1915, February, Russia