100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

June 19, 1916

Air War:
French pilot Jean Chaput, flying an unnamed Nieuport, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 5. While he doesn't name the type of plane he fought, KG1 commander Ernst Freiherr von Gersdorf was shot down and killed this day.



North Sea:
The Corton Light Vessel snags the mooring line of a mine laid by Otto Ehrentraut in UC-6. When the line is taken up the mine explodes, sinking the ship.

French trawler St. Jacques, 72 tons, runs on a mine laid several months earler by Matthaias von Schmettow, also in UC-6. Von Schmettow's score is now 38 ships and 49,190 tons.



Kattegat:
British submarine G-4 sinks German freighter SS Ems, travelling from Oslo to Lübeck. Details unknown.



Gulf of Bothnia:
Swedish freighter SS Oxelösund, 3,262 tons, carrying a load of wood pulp from Holmsund, Sweden to Northfleet, England, capsizes and sinks off Gävle, Sweden.



Balearic Sea:
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, commanding U-35, having moved further westward, sinks two more ships:
French schooner France et Russie, 329 tons, traveling from St. Louis, France, to Arzers and Fécamp.
Italian barquentine Mario C, 398 tons, route and cargo unknown.
Von Arnauld's score is now 32 ships and 74,500 tons.

[Jimbuna]

20th June 1916

Eastern Front

Germans penetrate Russian lines at Smorgon (Vilna), but are driven out; Russians cross Sereth (south of Czernowitz).

Southern Front

Slight Italian advance on Asiago plateau.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Capture of Mecca, Jeddah and most of Taif, and siege of Medina, by Sherif of Mecca, reported.

Naval and Overseas Operations

General Smuts' despatch on operations in German East Africa published.

Political, etc.

France, Britain, and Russia publish their intentions to restrict German and Austro-Hungarian trade after the war.

Kaiser Wilhelm leaves Berlin to visit the frontlines at Verdun.

Bread riots occur across Greece as the Entente continues its blockade of the country.

Former King Manuel of Portugal sprains his ankle while playing a mixed doubles tennis match at the Queen’s Club in London.

Ship Losses:

Merkuriy (Russia) The ship struck a mine laid by UC 15 (Albrecht von Dewitz) and sank in the Black Sea 13 nautical miles (24 km) off Odessa with the loss of 272 lives.
Oxelösund (Sweden) The cargo ship capsized and sank in Gefle Bay with the loss of a crew member.

[Sailor Steve]

June 20, 1916

Air War:
Austrian pilot Jószef Kiss de Elemér de Ittebe and Bohemian observer Georg Kenzian, flying Hansa-Brandenburg C.I 51.23, shoot down a Farman two-seater. Victory number 1 for Kiss, number 2 for Kenzian.

German pilot Eugen Weiss and observer Albert Dietlen, flying a two-seater, shoot down a Nieuport for victory number 1.

German observer Otto Christian Schmidt, riding in a two-seater with an unnamed pilot, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft", also number 1.



Arctic Ocean:
Norwegian fishing vessel Jasai, 62 tons, is lost in the ice while on a fishing expedition.



Black Sea:
Russian freighter SS Merkury, 762 tons, bound from Otchakov to Odessa, runs on a mine laid by Albrecht von Dewitz in UC-15. His score is now 3 ships and 1,224 tons.



Adriatic Sea:
Austro-Hungarian fre ighter SS Adelsberg, 1,120 tons, travelling from Aplato (Split), Croatia to Fiume (modern Rijeka, Croatia), hits a mine laid by an unknown ship in the Zirona Channel. Three crewmwmbers lost.



German East Africa:
Old light cruiser HMS Challenger leads an attack on German-held Maziwi Island.
0850 After discussing plans with the captains of Manica and Childers, Manica launches a seaplane and the three ships weigh anchor and proceed inside the reefs surrounding the island.
0917 German troops open fire on Challenger with field guns.
0919 Challenger returns fire.
0920 Manica's seaplane returns.
0930 Challenger records being 2.6 miles from Maziwi Island.
0945 Challenger reports enemy gunss silenced.
0950 Manica puts up recconnaissance balloon.
1025 Challenger records being 1.6 miles from Maziwi Island.
1030 After continuing to fire for another forty-five minutes, Challenger ceases fire.
1100 Manica's balloon is taken back in due to rain and mist.
1230 Manica hoists out seaplane for another flight.
1345 Manica reports seaplane damaged due to heavy swells.
1430 Ships report all gear stowed and heading back to sea.



Canada:
Canadian schooner Annie Coggins, 22 tons, founders off Avonport, Nova Scotia.

British freighter Arachne, 2,491 tons, carrying a load of 6,091 tons of grain from Montreal to Cork, Ireland, runs aground off Pointe Plate, St. Pierre and Miuelon Island.

Canadian Great Lakes vessel SS Stormount, 1,955 tons. travelling from Philadelphia to Sydney, Nova Scotia, runs aground at Gull Ledge, off Marie Joseph Island, Nova Scotia.

[Jimbuna]

21st June 1916

Western Front

Battle of Verdun: Germans repulsed at Mort Homme and west and south of Vaux Fort; German gains in Firmin Wood and Chenois Wood.

Eastern Front

Russians occupy Radautz (south of Czernowitz); Germans repulsed in areas of Dvinsk, Vilna and Lutsk; Russians take trenches on Strypa.

Southern Front

Further Italian advance on Asiago plateau.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Sir J. Maxwell's despatches on operations in Egypt (16 June 1915 to 9 April 1916) published.

Naval and Overseas Operations

U.S.A. troops fight Mexicans at Carrizal.

Political, etc.

Skouloud - his Greek Cabinet resigns.

Ship Losses:

Françoise d'Amboise (France) The barque was sunk in the North Sea 68 nautical miles (126 km) north west of Fair Isle, United Kingdom (60°00′N 3°45′W) by SM U-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, they were rescued by a Swedish ship.

Otis Tarda (Netherlands) The coaster struck a mine laid by UC 6 (Otto Ehrentraut) and sank in the North Sea 11 nautical miles (20 km) south west of the Newarp Lightship ( United Kingdom) (52°39′N 2°10′E). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

June 21, 1916

Air War:
French ace Jean Chaput, flying a Nieuport (probably 11, but it doesn't say), shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" and a Rumpler two-seater for victories number 6 and 7.



North Sea:
2350 Bruno Hoppe, commanding U-22, stops French barque Françoise d’Amboise, 1,973 tons, bound from Leith for Valparaiso with a load of coke. Hoppe orders Cpt Tranchant to abandon his ship and row to a Swedish fishing boat several miles away. U-22 then asks the French captain for his ship's papers, which are examined and returned. Hoppe then sinks the barque with a torpedo. The Swedish vessel rescues the French crew. Hoppe's score is now 10 ships and 22,992 tons.

Dutch freighter SS Otis Tarda, 759 tons, carrying a general cargo from Rotterdam to Goole, hits a mine laid by Otto Ehrentraut in UC-6. His score is now 5 ships and 2,650 tons.



German East Africa:
HMS Challenger once again leads an attack, this time on Ulenge Island.
0300 Challenger anchors off Mansa Bay. Lt Lunt leads an armed crew in a cutter towed by steam cutter to cut communication wires between Ulenge Island and the mainland.
0400 Challenger enters Mansa Bay.
0455 Challenger drops anchor.
0500 Lt Lunt and his party return to HMS Challenger.
0650 Light cruiser HMS Talbot, gunboats Echo and Childers and SS Barjora, carrying troops, all anchor in Mansa Bay.
0655 Challenger, Talbot and the gunboats weigh anchor and begin patrolling the area to cover troop landings as needed.
0900 Troop landings completed.
1750 HMS Talbot opens fire on Changoliani Village.

Note: The ships' logs contain no details on the ground action at Ulenge Island, if there was any. One source indicates that around 240 British troops landed at Ulenge and waded to the mainland. Whether and why they would wade to the mainland from the island when perfectly good boats were available is not said. Perhaps it was meant that they waded ashore at the island.

[Jimbuna]

22nd June 1916

Western Front

Battle of Verdun: Heavy German attacks repulsed on both sides of the Meuse; French regain ground at Firmin Wood.

Germans repulsed at Givenchy.

Germans introduce new phosgene (Green Cross) gas near Fleury.

Eastern Front

Russians repulse attacks west of Minsk; Russians advance in Bukovina.

Aviation

New French bomber "escadrilles" created for attacks on German industrial centers raid Karlsruhe, killing 120 civilians and wounding 150 more.

Political, etc.

During a secret session of the French Chamber of Deputies, the government survives a vote of confidence by 440 to 97.

Demands of Allies accepted. M. Zaimis Premier. Embargo on Greek shipping relaxed.

Ship Losses:

HMT Laurel Crown (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by U 75 (Curt Beitzen) and sank in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Orkney Islands (59°08′N 3°22′W) with the loss of nine of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

June 22, 1916

Air War:
1915 English Pilot Charles Meridith Bouverie Chapman, flying DH.2 6016, shoots down an LVG two-seater for victory number 1.

In this same action Canadian RFC pilot Arthur Gerald Knight, in DH.2 6011, also brings down an LVG for kill number 1. There is a chance they both scored the same aircraft, but they may have attacked a bombing formation. The records aren't clear.

German pilot Willy Glinkerman, in a Fokker E.III, claims his first kill, a Caudron two-seater. In a French air raid on Karlsruhe, four Caudrons were shot down. Three were claimed by various eindecker pilots, with one going unclaimed.

French ace Georges Guynemer and pilot André Chainat, both in Nieuport 11s, work together to bring down an LVG two-seater. Victory number 9 for Guynemer, number 4 for Chainat.

German pilot Kurt Haber, having moved from two-seaters to a Fokker E.III, shoots down a Farman two-seater for victory number 3. The record is uncertain, but Escadrille MF29 lost an airplane, number1897, pilot Sgt Marc Robert Auzanneau and Soldat Schmidt.

German pilot Ernst Hess, in a Fokker E.III, claims an Nieuport 12 for victory number 2.

German ace Walter Höhndorf, flying a Fokker E.III, claims a Farman two-seater for victory number 6. Four Farmans were brought down this day, so Höhndorf's victim is uncertain.

German pilot Max von Mulzer, in a Fokker E.III, shoots down FE.2b 5209 for victory number 5. 2nd Lt John L.P. Armstrong is mortally wounded, but manages to land his aeroplane before dying. Sgt. G. Topliffe taken prisoner.

French ace Charles Nungesser, in a Nieuport 16, shoots down a German two-seater for victory number 10.

A German Lt. Schülcke is also credited with a victory this day, probably his only one. He claims a Nieuport shot down while scouting the German 34th infantry. There was a Nieuport 12 brought down, number 1221, flown by Lt Edmond Enos and Cpl Leon-Jean-Marie Petit, but the correlation is speculative. Since there was apparently only one, it may have been Hess or Schülcke.



North Sea:
His Majesty's Drifter Laurel Crown, 81 tons, hits a mine laid by Curt Beitzen in U-75, bringing his score to 2 ships and 10,932 tons.



German East Africa:
Cruiser HMS Challenger covers HMS Manica as a seaplane is sent over Kokotoni Bay and Ushungu, on the mainland opposite Mazimi Island.

British monitor HMS Mersey, anchored at Songa Songa Island, sends a dhow to the mainland with two spies.

[Jimbuna]

23rd June 1916

Western Front

At Verdun, German troops capture Hills 320 and 321 and Fort Thiaumont, but face strong French resistance.

Around 30,000 German troops at Verdun launch an attack against Fort Souville, with fighting centered around the village of Fleury.

Eastern Front

Austro-Germans checked on the Zurawno-Demeszknowiec line (Dniester front).

Naval

French destroyer Fourche is sunk by a submarine while it was rescuing survivors of the Citta di Messina.


Political, etc.

Munitions Bill introduced by Mr. Lloyd George.

Irish Nationalist convention in Ulster votes 475 to 265, accepting exclusion from Irish Home Rule until at least to the end of the war.

Ship Losses:

Burma (United Kingdom) The coaster struck a mine laid by UC 6 (Otto Ehrentraut) and sank in the North Sea 15 nautical miles (28 km) east of Harwich, Essex (52°08′30″N 1°45′30″E) with the loss of seven of her crew.
Citta di Messina (Regia Marina) The auxiliary cruiser was sunk in the Adriatic Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) east of Otranto, Apulia by SM U-15 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). All on board survived.
Fourche (French Navy) The Bouclier-class destroyer was torpedoed and sunk in the Adriatic Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) east of Otranto (40°09′N 18°48′E) by SM U-15 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy).
Giuseppina (Italy) The full-rigged ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea east of Vinaròs, Castellón, Spain (40°35′N 1°25′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Hérault (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 45 nautical miles (83 km) north west of Cabo San Antonio, Spain (39°25′N 0°45′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

June 23, 1916

Air War:
Sopwith Triplane prototype N500 is sent to France for evaluation. According to legend it was refueled and sent into action 15 minutes after its arrival.

Austro-Hungarian pilot Julius Busa and observer Hermann Klecker, flying Lloyd C.II 42.45, are credited with victories number 1 and 2. Their victims are listed only as "Biplane".

Italian-born pilot Jacques Ortoli, flying a Nieuport 11 for the French air service, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft", for victory number 3.

German ace Kurt Wintgens, flying a Fokker E.III, shoots down Nieuport 16 1334, from Escadrille N124, for victory number. Victor Chapman becomes the first American pilot killed in action.

There is some confusion concerning the date, with some sources citing the 24th rather than the 23rd. It may be in part due to this newspaper article.



The header is dated the 24th, and the article says "yesterday", but at the foot it says the article was published the 25th. German records show that Wintgens filed the claim on the 23rd. Also claiming the 23rd is this photograph.





North Sea:
British freighter SS Burma, 706 tons, travelling in ballast from London to Goole, hits a mine laid by Otto Ehrentraut in UC-6, bringing Ehrentraut's score to 6 ships and 3,356 tons.



Norwegian Sea:
Norwegian ketch Alisa, 75 tons, runs aground off Borgarnes, Iceland.



Balearic Sea:
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, commanding U-35, stops and sinks Italian sailing ship Giuseppina, 1,872 tons, bound from Savona for Baltimore with an unspecified cargo.
Von Arnauld also sinks French passenger ship SS L'Hérault, 2,299 tons, travelling from Cette to Oran. This brings his score to 34 ships and 78,671 tons.



Adriatic/Ionian Sea:
Friedrich Fändrich, in Austrian submarine U-15, torpedoes Italian freighter SS Citta Di Messina, 3,495 tons, and French destroyer Fourche, 745 tons. The destroyer is stopped at the time, rescuing survivors from Citta Di Messina. Fändrich's score is now 5 ships and 6,592 tons.



Sulu Sea:
Portuguese freighter SS Fernando Poo, 3,824 tons, travelling from Barcelona to Manila, runs aground at Antibeg Island.

[Jimbuna]

24th June 1916

Western Front

German troops reach 5 kilometers from Verdun. General Joffre dispatches four additional French divisions as reinforcements.

Germans repulsed in an attack on the heights of the Meuse.

Political, etc.

British memorandum on neutral commerce handed to U.S. Ambassador.

Mr. Asquith announces forthcoming bill on the registration and organisation of national resources.

German Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg denies in an interview that Germany is seeking to annex Belgium.

Mexican government urges its citizens currently living in the United States to return home.

Pope Benedict appeals to President Wilson and General Carranza to avert war between the United States and Mexico.

[Sailor Steve]

June 24, 1916

Air War:
French pilot Albert Deullin, flying a Nieuport (probably 11 or 16), destroys a German observation balloon for victory number 5.



Balearic Sea:
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, commanding U-35, sinks five more Allied ships:
British freighter SS Canford Chine, 2,398 tons, travelling in ballast from Marseille to Porman.
French sailing brig Checchina, 184 tons, route and cargo unlisted.
Japanese freighter Daiyetsu Maru, 3,184 tons, out of Marseille for an unlisted destination.
Italian barque San Francesco, 1,060 tons, bound from Buenos Aires for Genoa with a load of Campeche wood.
Italian sailing ship Saturnina Fanny, 1,568 tons, also carrying Campeche wood from Buenos Aires to Genoa.
His score is now 39 ships and 87,065 tons.



Red Sea:
Coaster SS Barawa (nationality not listed), 294 tons, carrying a load of grain from Port Sudan to Massowah, runs aground at Ras Kasab, near Suakim.



German East Africa:
Armed merchant cruiser HMS Himalaya brings a fresh load of troops from Durban to Kilindini Island, then joins the squadron there.

0020 Light cruiser HMS Hyacinth spots what appears to be a signal light near Shuka.
0121 After maneuvering closer to shore, Hyacinth fires one round at the light. Reports light extinguished.

[Jimbuna]

25th June 1916

Western Front

Continued fighting north of Arras and on the heights of the Meuse.

French airmen bomb railway station at Douai.

Eastern Front

Russians fight a rearguard action at Bobrka.

Southern Front

Austrians repulsed in the Carnic Alps.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Bukoba (German port on L. Vict. Nyanza), destroyed by British column.

Political, etc.

British War Office announces 500 more women have been accepted as army cooks, bringing the total up to 2000.

French Chamber of Deputies appropriates 25 million Francs for propaganda purposes overseas.

Ship Losses:

Clara (Italy) The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 85 nautical miles (157 km) north of Majorca, Spain (40°55′N 5°15′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Fournel (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Barcelona, Spain (41°50′N 5°00′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

June 25, 1916

Air War:
1600 English pilot Albert Ball, flying Nieuport 16 5173, shoots down a German observation balloon for victory number 5.

German ace Walter Höhndorf, in a Fokker E.III, shoots down Caudron G.4 1202 for victory number 7. Slt Joseph Ransom and Cpl Bresch are both killed.

Russian pilots Ivan Orlov and Vasili Ivanovich Yanchenko, in Nieuport 11s, share Aviatik B.III 30.30. Victory number 2 for Orlov, number 1 for Yanchenko.

Also killed this day is German Leutnant Erwin Tütschulte of FA 23, in a fight with an FE.2b. His loss is unclaimed by any Allied pilot.



Baltic Sea:
German freighter SS Norderney, 4,867 tons, carrying a load of iron ore from Sweden to Germany, is sunk by a mine off Cap Arkona, Rügen Island, Germany.



Mediterranean Sea:
Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, commanding U-35, has moved eastward again from the Balearic Sea into the northern Mediterranean, where he sinks two more ships:
Italian freighter SS Clara, 5,503 tons, bound from Portoferralo for Norfolk with an unnamed cargo.
French freighter SS Fournel, 2,047 tons, carrying a general cargo from Slt. Louis du Rhône to Algiers and Oran.
Von Arnauld's score is now 41 ships and 87,065 tons.



Greek freighter SS Nitsa, 3,370 tons, travelling from Norfolk, Virginia, USA to Savona, Italy, is lost, possibly due to grounding.

[Jimbuna]

26th June 1916

Western Front

Battle of Verdun: French gain near Thiaumont work.

British patrols active.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Russians advance west in northern Persia.

Turks prepare to leave Mosul.

Turks driven from Lake Urmia (Persia).

Political, etc.

General demobilisation ordered in Greece.

Germans threaten to stop Swiss coal supply if their cotton purchases are not delivered.

President Wilson rejects a proposal by Latin American diplomats who offered to mediate between the U.S. and Mexico to avoid war.

Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia announces it is producing gas bombs, incendiary bombs, and grenades for the U.S. Army.

Australian William Jackson awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in a raid near Armentières, France.


Irish nationalist Roger Casement go on trial for treason. He had been smuggled into Ireland by Germany. He has been stripped of his knighthood.


Ship Losses:

Astrologer (United Kingdom) The coaster struck a mine laid by UC 1 (Kurt Ramien) and sank in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south south east of Lowestoft, Suffolk with the loss of eleven of her crew.
HMT Tugela (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 1 (Kurt Ramien) and sank in the North Sea off Lowestoft with the loss of nine of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

June 26, 1916

Air War:
0800 Australian RFC pilot Lancelot Richardson and English gunner Leslie Simpson Court, in FE.2b 4283, claim an eindecker for victories number 2 and 1 respectively. No German pilots died this day, so he must have landed safely.

In the same fight German ace Max von Mulzer, in a Fokker E.III, shoots down FE.2b 5212. Pilot R.C.B. Riley manages to crash on his own side of the lines, but gunner Lt Eric Hinckes Bird is killed in the action.

Two other British gunners are killed in this fight, but in both cases the pilots manage to evade the Germans and make it safely home.

French pilot Marcel Robert Leopold Bloch, in a Nieuport 11, shoots down a balloon for victory number 1.

French pilot Lucien Jailler, in a Nieuport 11, also brings down a balloon for number 4.



North Sea:
British freighter SS Astrologer, 912 tons, bound from Leith for Dunkerque with a general cargo plus a load of coal, hits a mine laid by Kurt Ramien in UC-1.
Also striking a mine laid by Ramien is His Majesty's Trawler Tugela, 233 tons. on minesweeping operations. Ramien's score is now 5 ships and 15,805 tons.



Whitefish Bay, Canadian side, Lake Superior:
Canadian wooden steamer SS Panther,1,373 tons, is rammed by SS James J. Hill in heavy fog off Parisienne Island. The captain of the Hill manages to keep the two ships locked together until all of Panther's crew are safely aboard his own ship, then backs off and let's Panther sink.

SS Panther