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German artillery moving through a village in the Carpathian mountains. From a drawing by Anton Hoffmann.
An English battle cruiser under fire in the Battle of Dogger Bank, January 24, 1915. From a painting by Willy Stöwer.
Map of the Artois region north of the city of Arras, France, from The Illustrated War News, Part 41, May 19, 1915. The French launched the Second Battle of Artois on May 9, 1915 to try to capture the heights of Notre Dame de Lorette and Vimy.
Great Britain declared the entire North Sea a military zone as of November 5, 1914, imposing a blockade of Germany with nets, mines, and ships from Scotland across the northern end of the North Sea, and at the mouth of the English Channel. Germany's response depended on its submarine fleet.
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.
"To throw the Russian army out of the Carpathians and reestablish a solid foothold in Galicia, Conrad counterattacked, sending three armies forward on January 23[, 1915]. One Austro-Hungarian army, Boroevic's Third, would take the passes of the western Carpathians; Linsingen's Südarmee would seize the central passes, and further east General Karl von Pflanzer-Baltin's Army Group (which would shortly be renamed the Seventh Army) would attack through the Bukovina to strike the Russian flank. As Falkenhayn had predicted, nothing substantial could be expected in this ice-bound wilderness, even the usually exculpatory Austrian general staff history judging the counteroffensive toward Przemysl — directed by Conrad from his comfortable headquarters in Teschen — 'a cruel folly.'" ((1), more)
". . . a tremendous picture, although we could hear almost nothing of the thunder of the guns, because of the noise of our engines. The Blücher was left behind as our forces steamed off and she was unable to follow. The four English battlecruisers fired at her together. She replied for as long as she could, until she was completely shrouded in smoke and apparently on fire. At 1207 she heeled over and capsized. We then observed the enemy's withdrawal, and followed our forces as rearguard. You can imagine how distressing it was for me to watch the Blücher capsize, and be helpless to do anything but observe and report. We didn't drop bombs on the English ships. We had no chance because the clouds were at 1,300 feet. If we had dared to fly over them at this altitude, we would have been shot down." ((2), more)
"Early on the 25th January [1915] a deserter brought notice of an enemy attack on a larger scale against Cuinchy, now held by the 1st Brigade, and the French on its right; and against Givenchy, held by the 3rd Brigade. An attack did take place an hour and a half later, units of the German 84th Brigade (XIV. Corps) advancing south, and units of the 79th Brigade (VII. Corps)) north of the canal." ((3), more)
"On January 26, 1915, it was announced that the German Federal Council had decided to take under its control all the stocks of corn and flour in the country, on and from February 1st. It was at once anticipated that this measure would cause the British Government to regard all cargoes of foodstuffs destined for Germany as consigned to the German Government, and therefore contraband of war." ((4), more)
"The discussions in London, meanwhile, were bogged down over a question of sequence. Italy wanted territorial assurances prior to involvement; Britain wished the commitment first. During the fall and winter months, the resolution of this issue was not an urgent concern. On 21 December, Cadorna completed his plan for an attack on Austria-Hungary. It would, on paper at least, bring Italian troops into the heart of Slovenia within forty-five days, this in preparation for 'a drive on Vienna.' At a cabinet meeting in late January 1915, Zupelli declared that the army could not move before mid-April." ((5), more)
(1) Conrad, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, was Chief of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff until his dismissal in 1917. He had lost Galicia and Bukovina, Austria-Hungary's northeastern provinces, on the Russian side of the Carpathian Mountains, in 1914, and hoped to regain them in his offensive. He also hoped to end the threat of the Russians advancing through the Carpathian passes into Hungary. Erich von Falkenhayn, commander of the German Army, did not believe that war would be won on the eastern front, but rather in the west against France and England. Przemyśl was Austria-Hungary's greatest fortress city in Galicia.
A Mad Catastrophe by Geoffrey Wawro, pp. 349, 350, copyright © 2014 by Geoffrey Wawro, publisher: Basic Books
(2) Extract from an account of the January 24, 1915 Battle of Dogger Bank by Lieutenant-Commander Heinrich Mathy who was overhead in Zeppelin L5 when the German battleship Blücher sank. The previous day, the British had decoded a German wireless message that a battle squadron of the German Fleet would cruise into the North Sea. Royal Navy squadrons under Admiral David Beatty and Commodore Tyrwhitt sailed to join and intercept them. The German fleet included four battle-cruisers, six light cruisers, and twenty-two destroyers. The English had five battle-cruisers, four light cruisers, and thirty-five destroyers. Shortly after dawn on January 24, the three forces converged. Outnumbered, the German fleet turned to flee to port. On both sides, the ships were the among the fastest in their fleets, but the English ships were faster, and slowly closed a gap that had been as much as 14 miles.About 9:00 AM, the British began firing on the Blücher and the other German battleships. The British had the advantage, but over the course of nearly two hours the wireless and signalling lights of Admiral Beatty's ship were destroyed, and he could communicate only by signal flags. When the British thought they had seen a submarine periscope, Beatty feared they were sailing into a trap, and turned his ships to avoid the danger, intending to continue the fight. In the smoke and confusion, officers on Beatty's other ships understood the signal flags to be orders to turn away from the main fleet and focus on Blücher. By the time Beatty clarified his commands, the German fleet had escaped.
Naval Battles of the First World War by Geoffrey Bennett, pp. 144, 145, copyright © Geoffrey Bennett 1968, 1974, publisher: Pan Books, publication date: 1983
(3) Excerpt from a history of British Military Operations in France and Belgium, 1915. The previous paragraph notes that, 'the front was never at rest ; but the principal combats took place in two areas,' one of them being in front of Cuinchy on the La Bassée Canal. Cuinchy is immediately south of the Canal, Givenchy immediately north.
Military Operations France and Belgium, 1915, Vol. I, Winter 1914-15: Battle of Neuve Chappelle : Battle of Ypres [Second] by J. E. Edmonds, pp. 29, 30, copyright © asserted, publisher: Macmillan and Co., Limited, publication date: 1927
(4) Great Britain declared the entire North Sea a military zone as of November 5, 1914. It was well-positioned to impose a blockade of Germany with nets, mines, and ships from Scotland across the northern end of the North Sea, and at the mouth of the English Channel. Other Allied points of control included Gibraltar, Suez, and locations off Barcelona, Spain and Genoa, Italy.Britain's blockade became increasingly restrictive as neutral ships were stopped and boarded, originally for military supplies, but increasingly for anything that could have a military use.
The Great Events of the Great War in Seven Volumes by Charles F. Horne, Vol. III, 1915, p. 55, copyright © 1920 by The National Alumnia, publisher: The National Alumni, publication date: 1920
(5) Italy, Germany, and Austria-Hungary comprised the Triple Alliance. During the July 1914 Crisis, Italy concluded that Austria-Hungary's attack on Serbia did not meet the terms of the Alliance, as the war was not defensive, and did not require Italy's support. Italy declared neutrality on August 3, 1914. With a standing army of over a million men, both sides tried to entice Italy into war. In discussions in London, the Entente Allies offered Austro-Hungarian territory including Trentino (South Tyrolia) and Trieste as spoils of war. Germany pressured Austria-Hungary to cede these same territories to prevent Italy joining France, Britain, and Russia in their war. General Luigi Cadorna was Chief of Staff of the Italian Army; General Vittorio Zupelli the country's War Minister.
The Origins of World War I by Richard F. Hamilton and Holger H. Herwig, page 381, copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003, publisher: Cambridge University Press, publication date: 2003
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