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Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu, from John Masefield's 'Gallipoli.'
German and Austro-Hungarian forces under the command of generals von Hindenburg and Archduke Friedrich besieged Warsaw, and took it during the Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive. Austrians von Hötzendorf, Friedrich, and Pflanzer-Baltin form the bottom of the ring; the others are German. The flag and shield of Germany are on the bottom left; those of Austria and Hungary the bottom right.
The poet, novelist, and political activist Gabriele d'Annunzio speaking in favor of Italy's entry into the war on the side of the Entente Allies, and against 'Giolittismo' at the Costanzi Theater in Rome, May, 1915. Giovanni Giolitti was five-time Prime Minister of Italy, and opposed intervention in the Great War. Illustration by Achille Beltrame.
Kaiser Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary starts in dismay at the approach of an Italian Army. Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on May 23, 1915. The agreement the Emperor refers to was the Triple Alliance between Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy.
"'Poor Simpson of 3rd F.A. was killed early in morning while still doing good work with the donkey.' The imperturbable manner in which this man, born in South Shields, County Durham, but enlisting in a West Australian unit, had brought wounded men down to the beach with the aid of his donkey was already growing into a legend which in due honour to Simpson was to symbolize the brave work done by men of all the field ambulance units." ((1), more)
"Thursday, May 20, 1915The Russian General Staff estimate that the Austro-German forces employed against Russia amount to not less than 55 corps and 20 cavalry divisions. Of these 55 corps three have just arrived from France." ((2), more)
"21st May [1915]The Italian Parliament has decided to enter the war, the deputies in favour numbering 407 against 74, while the senators were unanimous. This is the most important and the happiest event since the Battle of the Marne." ((3), more)
"Oddly, the thing that gave me the greatest fear was not bullet or bomb but Turkish planes flying over and dropping metal darts on us. They were about six inches long, very sharply pointed, and spun as they descended. I hated the thought of a dart dropping on my head. They seemed worse than bullets. You couldn't see bullets; they're past you even before you know they're coming. You could see shells arriving. You could see a four-inch shell coming over like a black cricket ball and you never knew exactly where it was going to land. You just hoped it was going to land somewhere you weren't. Big shells were best in that respect. What they called 'whiz bang' shrapnel was more treacherous. You couldn't see it coming. It burst and either got you or missed you. We were never free of shrapnel and shell, or of casualties." ((4), more)
"With unexampled treachery and greed the King of Italy has forgotten the fraternal obligations which were binding on him as an ally of our Monarchy. From the outbreak of the war, when he should have stood at the side of our brave armies, the treacherous king played the role of a masked trickster, acting with duplicity and all along maintaining secret contacts with our enemies. This treachery culminated on the night of 22/3 May in his declaration of war on our Monarchy. Our supreme commander is convinced that our ever valiant and glorious armies will answer this contemptible treachery of a faithless enemy with such a blow that the traitor will come to recognize that by starting war against us in this shameless and treacherous fashion he has encompassed his own destruction. We firmly believe that with the help of God the day will soon dawn when the plains of Italy will see once more the victors of Santa Lucia, Vicenza, Novarra and Custozza. We want to win, we must win and win we certainly shall!" ((5), more)
(1) Australian John Simpson Kirkpatrick, a stretcher bearer with the ANZAC Third Field Ambulance unit, landed on Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, the first day of the Allied invasion. In the three and a half weeks before his death on May 19, he used four donkeys to help him transport the wounded to the relative safety of the shore and transfer to a hospital ship. Legend credits him and his donkeys with bearing 300 wounded from the battle lines. The first sentence of the quotation is by Edney Moore of the Australian Medical Corps.
Men of Gallipoli: The Dardanelles and Gallipoli Experience August 1914 to January 1916 by Peter Liddle, pp. 155, 156, copyright © Peter Liddle, 1976, publisher: David and Charles, publication date: 1976
(2) Entry for Thursday, May 20, 1915, from the memoirs of Maurice Paléologue, French Ambassador in Russia. Begun on May 2, the German-Austro-Hungarian Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive continued to expand and push back the Russians. The Austro-Hungarian Army, which had squandered hundreds of thousands of men in the initial battles of 1914, and in fighting in the Carpathians in the early months of 1915, required German support to have any chance against Russia. To expand on his success on the Eastern Front, German Commander-in-Chief Falkenhayn drew down his forces on the Western Front.
An Ambassador's Memoirs Vol. I by Maurice Paléologue, page 340, publisher: George H. Doran Company, publication date: 1925
(3) Diary entry for May 21, 1915 by Belgian King Albert.
The War Diaries of Albert I King of the Belgians by Albert I, page 41, copyright © 1954, publisher: William Kimber
(4) From the account of New Zealander Sergeant John Skinner of his time on Gallipoli. Within a week of the April 25, 1915 invasion, Skinner's Otago Battalion had lost 800 of its 1,000 men. Darts or fléchettes were used by both sides, and could simply be dropped from a plane. Vanes on the tail ensured they fell vertically and could spin as Skinner describes. They were particularly effective before the widespread introduction of metal helmets.
Voices of Gallipoli by Maurice Shadbolt, pp. 72, 73, copyright © 1988 Maurice Shadbolt, publisher: Hodder and Stoughton, publication date: 1988
(5) Excerpt from Jaroslav Hašek's novel The Good Soldier Švejk. Švejk (or Schweik) was a foot soldier in an Austro-Hungarian Czech battalion on its way to the Russian front lines when his battalion learned that Italy had declared war on Austria-Hungary. The men are assembled, and their captain, 'in an unusually exalted voice,' reads them the order above. The speaker is Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph, who is affronted not only by Italy, but by Italian King Victor Emmanuel. With Austria-Hungary and Germany, Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance, but had declared neutrality at the beginning of the war. The battles the Emperor refers to were Austrian victories over the Italians in the First Italian War of Independence in 1848.
The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek, pp. 512, 513, copyright © Cecil Parrott, 1973 (translation), publisher: Penguin
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