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Headstones of Lieutenant D. Corbett-Wilson, Royal Flying Corps, and Second Lieutenant I.N. Woodiwiss, Lincolnshire Regiment, Attd. (attached) Royal Flying Corps, both deceased May 10, 1915, and interred at Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez, France. © 2015 John M. Shea
View over the battlefield of the Loretto Heights, France. Notre Dame de Lorette, a pilgrimage site, stood on the Heights, and was, with Vimy Ridge, part of the high ground seized by German troops in the Race to the Sea after the Battle of the Marne in 1914. French commander Joffre hoped to capture Loretto Heights and Carency, a village the Germans had fortified, in the First Battle of Artois in December, 1914. He tried to take the hill again in mid-February, 1915.
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.
1898 postcard of German Southwest Africa including scenes of the capital of Greater Windhoek, a square in the city, and Major Leutwein, Governor from 1894 to 1904.
Memorial to the French Moroccan Division at Vimy Ridge. The face commemorates the Division's victory at the Second Battle of Artois, in which the Moroccan Division broke the German front for the first time and took Hill 140, their objective.Listed on the sides of the memorial are the sectors and battles where the Division fought:1914The ArdennesAugust 28 — La Fosse a l'EeauAugust 30 — BertoncourtSeptember 1 — AlincourtThe MarneSeptember 6 to 9 — Coizard, MondementDecember 30 — Ferme d'Alger1915BelgiumJanuary 28 — Nieuport, la Grande DuneArtoisMay 9 — la Cote 140June 16 — Ravin de SouchezChampagneSeptember 25 — Butte de Souain, Bois Sabot1916the SommeJuly 4 — Assevillers, Bellov en Santerre, Barleux1917ChampagneApril 17 — Moronvilliers, Mont sans Nom, AuberiveVerdunAugust 20 — Cumieres, Bois des Corbeaux, Forges Regnieville1918LorraineJanuary 8 — Flireythe SommeApril 26 — Villers-Bretonneux, Bois de Hangardthe AisneMay 30 — Vauxbuin, ChazelleJune 12 — AmblenyJuly 18 to 20 — Dommiers ChaudumSeptember 2 to 8 — Terny-Sorny, Moulin de Laffaux, AllemantNovember 11 — VictoryNovember 17 — Entered Chateau-Salins © 2013, John M. Shea
"To wrap up this day of emotions, we saw a French airplane hit the ground right between the two front lines. That night one of our patrols courageously went out to bring back the aviator, but he was burnt to a crisp, the airplane having caught fire when it crashed.The next day, no order having arrived for us to participate in the battle — about which no one appeared particularly upset — we made our customary trip up to the front-line trenches to relieve the battalion which was there." ((1), more)
"A new attack, which we undertook on the 11th [May, 1915], failed under flanking fire coming from the villages of Carency, Souchez, and Neuville-Saint-Vaast, and it was evident that these points of resistance must be captured before trying to advance to the ridge." ((2), more)
"Gabriele D'Annunzio, poet and demagogue, returned from his 'exile' in France, arriving in Rome on 12 May [1915] to be welcomed by a massive crowd of nearly 100,000. In his first address, from his hotel balcony, he told them: 'For three days a stink of treason has been suffocating us. . . . Romans, sweep away all the filth, chuck all the garbage back into the sewer. . . . Friends, it is no longer time for talk but for action.' The next day he declared: 'If it is a crime to incite citizens to violence, I shall boast of this crime. . . . Form platoons, form citizens patrols.' A thousand students, led by some professors, tried to storm the parliament building and then searched the streets 'for friends of Giolitti to assault.' Troops were called out to protect persons and property. The demagogues quickly termed these le radiose giornate — 'the Radiant Days' — pointing to these events as evidence of 'massive' support for intervention." ((3), more)
"Instead of making a stand to defend the colonial capital, the Schutztruppe retreated north to Omaruru, taking most of their prisoners with them. Windhoek, the territorial objective of the campaign, was occupied without a fight. The negotiations for the surrender of the town were carried on by telephone from Karibib — it was that kind of war.On 13 May 1915 Botha's valet wrote a note to Annie Botha: 'Dear Madame and all, me and the General took Windhoek yesterday. The General keeps well.'" ((4), more)
"The French offensive is languishing. Will it finish as the preceding ones have done, with insignificant gains? This is to be feared. The proportion of forces engaged allows no chance of successful offensives against troops as tough as the Germans, who are past masters in organisation, in the occupation of localities, farms, and, indeed, anything that can serve as a stongpoint." ((5), more)
(1) Corporal Louis Barthas was 35 when he was mobilized, and served in a unit held in reserve on May 9, 1915 during the Second Battle of Artois. Despite initial success in the center of the French line, the reserves were too far removed to help exploit the situation. The British were fighting the same day at Aubers Ridge on the French left.
Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914-1918 by Louis Barthas, pp. 61, 62, copyright © 2014 by Yale University, publisher: Yale University Press, publication date: 2014
(2) The great French offensive to seize the high ground of Vimy that began on May 9, 1915, advanced on a front of four miles, to a depth of two or three miles. But on either flank, there was no advance, and further progress could not be made without the reinforcements who were seven miles back. The French, including the Moroccan Division that had broken the German line, could not hold their position. In the coming days, the French proceeded as General Foch wrote, taking Carency on May 12. French Commander Joffre continued the Second Battle of Artois until June 24. The Germans held Vimy Ridge until the Canadians took it in 1917.
The Memoirs of Marshal Foch, translated by Col. T. Bentley Mott by Ferdinand Foch, page 208, copyright © 1931 by Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., publisher: Doubleday, Doran & Co., publication date: 1931
(3) On April 26, 1915, the Italian Ambassador to the United Kingdom signed the Pact of London committing Italy to enter the war on the side of the Entente Allies one month later. Prime Minister Antonio Salandra and Foreign Minister Sidney Sonnino were strong supporters of war against Austria-Hungary, Within Italy there was significant irredentist support for seizing ethnically Italian territory from Austria-Hungary, particularly Trentino and the port city of Trieste. There was also significant sentiment to remain neutral. Former (and future) Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti, who had held office during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911 and 1912, recognized that Italy was unprepared for war.
The Origins of World War I by Richard F. Hamilton and Holger H. Herwig, page 384, copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003, publisher: Cambridge University Press, publication date: 2003
(4) A hero and ultimately general in the Boer Wars against Great Britain, Louis Botha was a representative in the peace negotiations that led to an independent Transvaal, of which he became Prime Minister in 1907. When Trasvaal became part of the new British dominion of the Union of South Africa in 1910, Botha became its first Prime Minister. Four years later, despite the opposition of many Boers who supported Germany in the World War, Botha supported Great Britain, and acted on its request for South Africa to seize Germany's colony of Southwest Africa.
The Great War in Africa 1914-1918 by Byron Farwell, page 96, copyright © 1986 by Byron Farwell, publisher: W.W. Norton & Company, publication date: 1989
(5) Entry for May 14, 1915 from the diary of Belgian King Albert. The French launched their spring offensive — the Second Battle of Artois — on May 9, reaching its greatest success on that day. On May 12, King Albert met with French Commander Joffre who was 'fairly satisfied' with his offensive, but was stymied by 'the terrible stongpoints' the Germans manned. Nonetheless, Joffre continued the offensive until June 25.
The War Diaries of Albert I King of the Belgians by Albert I, pp. 39, 40, copyright © 1954, publisher: William Kimber
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