World War One

[Sailor Steve]

I've just finished watching the '1915 Spring Offensive' episode of the BBC's The Great War series. If you haven't seen this show yet I strongly recommend it. This episode has some great movie footage as well as photographs of heavy trucks pulling heavy cannons through the mud, soldiers from both sides enlarging trenches, even motion pictures of Russian soldiers being fed by the Germans after surrendering. Also there are several old British soldiers describing the first gas attacks. It's a real eye-opener.

[Sailor Steve]

"A member of the German Bahnschutzwache, or Railway Protection Guard, shoots down the well-known French airman Roland Garros in his flight over German positions in Flanders, France, on a bombing raid."

I've tracked this statement through several websites, which was easy because they all quote it verbatim. What I haven't found is who wrote it first, or any corroborating original document. it seems to be one of those internet things that gets copied from place to place without anyone ever checking it.

There are a couple of sources that say Garros was brought down by ground fire, but others simply say that a clogged fuel line was the culprit. Whatever the cause, the Morane parasol fell into the hands of Idflieg, who then invited all the major manufacturers to copy or improve upon Garros' deflector plate system. It was eventually the Fokker corporation who came up with the first working interrupter gear, applying them to their existing M.5 monoplanes to create the legendary eindekkers.

More on this here and in the '100 Years' thread when the time comes.

[Aktungbby]

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/battles/second-ypres-1915/prelude/garros-captured.htm
A report of the incident on 18th April was written by the leader of the Bahnschutzwache unit, Feldwebelleutnant Schlendstedt, and published in the Bulletin of the German 4th Army:

“At about 7 o'clock in the evening of 18 April two enemy aircraft, flying very high, appeared over the area between Sainte-Katherine and Lendelede. One was shot at by one of our Ballonabwehrkanone and he disappeared in the direction of Menin. The other flew away over Lendelede in a north-easterly direction. At that moment we saw a southbound train approaching on the railway line Ingelmunster-Kortrijk. Suddenly the plane went into a steep dive of about 60 degrees from a height of about 2,000 metres to about 40 metres from the ground. He flew over the train in a loop and as he rose up into the sky again with his wings almost vertical, he threw a bomb at the train. Fortunately it missed the target and there was no damage. The bomb landed about 40 metres east of the track and blew a crater about one metre deep and two metres in diameter. The driver of the locomotive brought the train to a stop.
As the plane had swooped down over the train the Bahnschutzwache troops had fired on it following my order to open fire. We shot at him from a distance of only 100 metres as he flew past. After he had thrown his bomb at the train he tried to escape, switching his engine on again and climbing to about 700 metres through the shots fired by our troops. But suddenly the plane began to sway about in the sky, the engine fell silent, and the pilot began to glide the plane down in the direction of Hulste.
I immediately got on on my bicycle and set off to chase the plane, accompanied by some of the men from my unit on foot. As soon as the plane landed the pilot set it on fire and ran to a farmhouse in Hulst. I was the first to arrive at the scene of the burning plane. Several others soon joined me and my men, including some dragoons from a Württemberger cavalry brigade, as we searched for the airman in Hulste.” (1) In some accounts this includes the statement: "on my order to shoot' At any rate it's a detailed officer's eye-witness account-to give it verisimilitude, and pretty well settles the matter IMHO. A bullet probably hit a fuel line and Garros had a better day than Von Richthofen or Mannock- also hit fatally by ground fire. At least as good as Forstner's description of the sea dragon!

[Catfish]

^ thanks for posting

Garros, after spending 3 years as a POW, was then able to flee to Belgium, and from there to France. After some flying hours, he rejoined the french air force and shot down at least one more german plane. He settled into Escadrille 26 to pilot a Spad, and claimed two victories on 2 October 1918, one of which was confirmed. On 5 October 1918, he was shot down and killed near Vouziers, a month before the end of the war and one day before his 30th birthday.


regarding Forstner .. i like Mosasaurs and their relatives .. but we should probably call this "dichterische Freiheit", to avoid harsher words
Although .. one cannot be 100 percent sure

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/battles/second-ypres-1915/prelude/garros-captured.htm

Very nice, and a seemingly valid account. The site itself however, has two glaring mistakes. The picture they have, as copied by yourself, is not the Morane L as cited but rather a Morane N. Second, they have this comment:

Within a few hours of his forced landing on 18th April by the German 4th Army, as described above, the machine-gun firing device and the Morane's propellor were sent to the Fokker aircraft factory in Germany.

This is emphatically not true. In his autobiography Flying Dutchman Fokker himself claims that the Morane was handed directly to him, and he took a machine gun home with him and designed and built a synchronizer gear in just 48 hours. Idflieg's Deputy Director Major Helmut Förster, in his article 'Die Entwicklung der Fliegerei im Weltkriege' (Walter von Eberhardt, Unsere Luftstreitkrafte, 1930), wrote that Idflieg showed the Morane to pretty much every major German aircraft manufacturer, including LVG and Albatros. It would seem that Fokker engineers had already developed a working synchronizer gear but had no opportunity to test it. Once the device was installed and proven Franz Schneider of LVG would sue Fokker, since the latter's gear was taken directly from Schneider's original 1913 patent. Fokker refused to pay the fine, even when ordered by a court to do so on 1926. In 1933 Schneider again tried to sue Fokker but this time the courts rejected the lawsuit.

At any rate, thanks for finding that account. It helps clear things up a bit.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Catfish

^ thanks for posting


regarding Forstner .. i like Mosasaurs and their relatives .. but we should probably call this "dichterische Freiheit", to avoid harsher words
Although .. one cannot be 100 percent sure

NO WAY MAN! A Uboat kaleun asea (with six officers on the con with him) sees what he sees and that's IT BBY! http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2302055#post2302055

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Very nice, and a seemingly valid account. The site itself however, has two glaring mistakes. The picture they have, as copied by yourself, is not the Morane L as cited but rather a Morane N.
At any rate, thanks for finding that account. It helps clear things up a bit.

Your welcome! A little too BLUE TO B TRUE! The account lists interesting maneuvers by the Garros plane: an almost vertical climb-to throw the bomb; a loop; and an engine restart and an 'escape climb' through gunfire to 700 meters (from 40 meters) Very detailed-lending to credibility- and accurate enough to indicate not a carburetor induced engine quit. Mauser fire or a machine gun? at a range of 'only 100 meters' is pretty point blank. No doubt the officer saw it all from a good vantagepoint... I doubt M. Garros was paying attention to details just then

[Aktungbby]

I have flown my Morane twice. It is a most comic affair, but I think I shall like it when I get more used to it.

Sometimes, flying a moraine is a terminal affair: As with the famous disappearance of 1947's StarDust Avro Lancaster which was gone for 50 years until remnants...and remains turned up in the Andes glaciers's 'terminal moraine' 90% of the aircraft is still in the glacier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_BSAA_Avro_Lancastrian_Star_Dust_accident

[Jimbuna]

GALLIPOLI

Following the entry of the Ottoman Empire into World War I, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill developed a plan for attacking the Dardanelles. Using the ships of the Royal Navy, Churchill believed, partially due to faulty intelligence, that the straits could be forced, opening the way for a direct assault on Constantinople. This plan was approved and several of the Royal Navy's older battleships were transferred to the Mediterranean. Operations against the Dardanelles began on February 19, 1915, with British ships under Admiral Sir Sackville Carden bombarding Turkish defenses with little effect.A second attack was made on the 25th which succeeded in forcing the Turks to fall back to their second line of defenses. Entering the straits British warships engaged the Turks again on March 1, however their minesweepers were prevented from clearing the channel due to heavy fire. Another attempt to remove the mines failed on the 13th, leading Carden to resign.
His replacement, Rear Admiral John de Robeck, launched a massive assault on Turkish defenses on the 18th. This failed and resulted in the sinking of two old British and one French battleship after they struck mines.With the failure of the naval campaign, it became clear to Allied leaders that a ground force was going to be needed to eliminate the Turkish artillery on the Gallipoli Peninsula which commanded the straits. This mission was delegated to General Sir Ian Hamilton and the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. This command included the newly formed Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), the 29th Division, the Royal Naval Division, and the French Oriental Expeditionary Corps. Security for the operation was lax and the Turks spent six weeks preparing for the anticipated assault.Opposing the Allies was the Turkish 5th Army commanded by General Otto Liman von Sanders, the German advisor to the Ottoman army. Hamilton's plan called for landings at Cape Helles, near the tip of the peninsula, with the ANZACs landing further up the Aegean coast just north of Gaba Tepe. While the 29th Division was to advance north to take the forts along the straits, the ANZACs were to cut across the peninsula to prevent the retreat or reinforcement of the Turkish defenders. The first landings began on April 25, 1915, and were badly mismanaged.Meeting stiff resistance at Cape Helles, British troops took heavy casualties as they landed and after heavy fighting were finally able to overwhelm the defenders. To the north, the ANZACs faired slightly better though they missed their intended landing beaches by about a mile. Pushing inland from "Anzac Cove," they were able to gain a shallow foothold. Two days later, Turkish troops under Mustafa Kemal attempted to drive the ANZACs back into the sea, but were defeated by tenacious defending and naval gunfire. At Helles, Hamilton, now supported by French troops, pushed north towards the village of Krithia.Attacking on April 28, Hamilton's men were unable to take the village. With his advance stalled in the face of determined resistance, the front began to mirror the trench warfare of France. Another attempt was made to take Krithia on May 6. Pushing hard, Allied forces only gained a quarter mile while suffering heavy casualties. At Anzac Cove, Kemal launched a massive counterattack on May 19. Unable to throw the ANZACs back, he suffered over 10,000 casualties in the attempt. On June 4, a final attempt was made against Krithia with no success.After a limited victory at Gully Ravine in late June, Hamilton accepted that the Helles front had become a stalemate. Seeking to move around the Turkish lines, Hamilton re-embarked two divisions and had them landed at Sulva Bay, just north of Anzac Cove, on August 6. This was supported by diversionary attacks at Anzac and Helles. Coming ashore, Lt. General Sir Frederick Stopford's men moved too slowly and the Turks were able to occupy the heights overlooking their position. As a result, the British troops were quickly locked into their beachhead. In the supporting action to the south, the ANZACs were able to win a rare victory at Lone Pine, though their main assaults on Chunuk Bair and Hill 971 failed.On August 21, Hamilton attempted to revive the offensive at Sulva Bay with attacks on Scimitar Hill and Hill 60. Fighting in brutal heat, these were beaten off and by the 29th the battle had ended. With the failure of Hamilton's August Offensive, fighting calmed as British leaders debated the future of the campaign. In October, Hamilton was replaced by Lt. General Sir Charles Monro. After reviewing his command, and influenced by the entry of Bulgaria into the war on the side of the Central Powers, Monro recommended evacuating Gallipoli. Following a visit from Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener, Monro's evacuation plan war approved. Beginning on December 7, troop levels were drawn down with those at Sulva Bay and Anzac Cove departing first. The last Allied forces departed Gallipoli on January 9, 1916, when the final troops embarked at Helles.

Aftermath

The Gallipoli Campaign cost the Allies 141,113 killed and wounded and the Turks 195,000. Gallipoli proved to be the Turks' greatest victory of the war. In London, the campaign's failure led to the demotion of Winston Churchill and contributed to the collapse of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith's government. The fighting at Gallipoli proved a galvanizing national experience for Australia and New Zealand, which had not previously fought in a major conflict. As a result, the anniversary of the landings, April 25, is celebrated as ANZAC Day and is both nations' most significant day of military remembrance.
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/.../gallipoli.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zyj4kqt#zswc9j6

[Sailor Steve]

Gallipoli tie-in: These Australian and New Zealand soldiers are the same ones who came here on the First Anzac Convoy. That's the one which was delayed because of the attacks in the Indian Ocean by SMS Emden. That delay meant that the convoy was only fifty miles away when Emden attacked the radio station at the Cocos Islands on November 9th, which led to HMAS Sydney stopping Emden.

These same men have been training in Egypt for this very invasion ever since.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Seeking to move around the Turkish lines, Hamilton re-embarked two divisions and had them landed at Sulva Bay, just north of Anzac Cove, on August 6. This was supported by diversionary attacks at Anzac and Helles. Coming ashore, Lt. General Sir Frederick Stopford's men moved too slowly and the Turks were able to occupy the heights overlooking their position. As a result, the British troops were quickly locked into their beachhead. In the supporting action to the south, the ANZACs were able to win a rare victory at Lone Pine, though their main assaults on Chunuk Bair and Hill 971 failed.

This was the action my great-grandfather was involved in, he was in one of the two divisions (The 5th (Service) Wiltshire Regiment) which was transferred from Cape Helles to Sulva Bay.
The situation around Chunuk Bair was a confused mess, the New Zealand troops initially captured Chunuk Bair and Brigadier General Anthony Baldwin moved forward with several brigades (including the Wiltshire Regiment) to a position known as 'the farm'.



Things started falling apart when Baldwins men were unable to locate the farm in the dark, while Colonel Malone and the New Zealand brigade were not only harrassed by the Ottomans but also shelled by their own side repeatedly (Malone himself was killed by a misdirected shell on the 8th).
On the night of the 9th, the New Zealand force was finally relieved by some of the Wiltshires and the 6th Battalion of The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. The Wiltshires were told by the New Zealand officer who escorted them to their position that it was a safe spot, and as such they began digging their dugouts and stacked their rifles and equipment out of the way in order to remain comfortable...not expecting action.

The Wiltshire Regiments war diary describes the morning of the 10th August 1915:

(01.00): Battalion moves away in single file less D company and part of B Company. Order of march C - Machine guns - A - B companies "Move by a steep and winding course to a cup-shaped deformation at the head of the Gulley to the right and some distance in front of our salient." (Words of 2 Lieut R.W.M. Dewhurst one of the few officers on the march who subsequently survived.) The Battalion was guided, as far as I am able to ascertain by a New Zealand Officer. Here they arrived two hours before sunrise (0300) and the men were told to dig into dugouts and make themselves comfortable as the position was quite safe. Men therefore removed equipment and rifles.
(0430) As soon as it was light machine guns opened on the men lying in their dug outs. About 1/4 of an hour later there was a rush of Turks from both sides of the depression which drove the men, unarmed and unequipped down the gulley (SALZLI BEIT). The bottom of the gulley commanded by machine guns and so escape was cut off. Three courses were possible:-

1. To rush past the machine guns down the Sazli Beit, this was tried but in nearly all cases proved fatal.
2. To climb the northern slope of the ravine under fire and try to escape over the top. This was done in a few cases
with success.
3. Hide in Gulley till night; this also was done with more success. (A party of 5 men was rescued from the Gulley
having been there 16 days from August 10th to August 26th. They reported numbers of men, who were wounded,
unable to get away and died of exhaustion and starvation.).

Parties arrived on the Beach in fours, fives, and some carried bodies during the 11th, 12th and 13th unarmed, unequipped and demoralised.

I have fair reason to believe that my Great-Grandfather was one of the five men who were rescued from the Gulley on the 26th August. The evidence is thus:



You'll note that the Date of Admission on the left is the 26th August, but the date of the wound on the right is the 10th. He and the rest of the men in the Gulley owe their lives to three people who would be awarded the DCM for their actions.

9213 Pte WJ Head.
For conspicuous bravery and resource. Private Head was one of a party of seven, who became seperated from their regiment during the fighting on the 10th August 1915 at Chunuk Bair and who remained within the enemy's lines for over fifteeen days . Although wounded three times between 10th and 26th of August , he collected food for his wounded comrades from the bodies of the dead, this being the sole and very slender supply. He displayed the finest qualities of endurance and leadership in keeping up the spirits of the survivors in most trying conditions. (LG 16.11.15)

9416 Pte R Humphries
For conspicuous gallantry between the 10th and 26th August 1915, ay Chunuk Bair . Private Humphries was one of a party who were lost outside our lines for over a fortnight, at the end of which time, although greatly exhausted and weakened by privation , he, with the greatest bravery , made his way in, and so brought about the rescue of his comrades, In the course of his return he was constantly exposed to heavy fire, and only succeeded with the utmost difficulty. He did not hesitate at once to return and act as a guide to the relieving party. (LG 16.11.15)

11574 L/Cpl AG Scott
For conspicuous gallantry between the 10th and 26th August 1915, ay Chunuk Bair . Lance-Corporal Scott was one of a party who were lost outside our lines for over a fortnight, at the end of which time, although greatly exhausted and weakened by privation , he, with the greatest bravery , made his way in, and so brought about the rescue of his comrades, In the course of his return he was constantly exposed to heavy fire, and only succeeded with the utmost difficulty. He did not hesitate at once to return and act as a guide to the relieving party. (LG 16.11.15)

Such was the dismemberment of the Wiltshires that it took a while to reform, as noted in the diary of the 25th:

This Diary of the fortunes of the 5th (Service) Battalion. 5th Wiltshire Regiment is continued by H.B.L Braund, Lieut and Acting Adjutant since Capt A.C.S. Belcher, Adj. Killed in action 10.8.15 Owing to the events to be detailed herein there has been a considerable hiatus in the compilation of this diary due to the temporary disorganisation of the Regiment and the incompleteness of the narrative will be due to this cause. H.B.L Braund Lieut 5th Wilts 25.8.15. Two men L/C Scott. Pte A Humphries arrive in hospital having escaped from Sazli Beit after 16 days confinement, almost without food. Immediate organisation of search party under Capt Greany - unsuccessful on night of 25th - successful on night of 26th. Men discovered in an exhausted condition, two badly wounded. Congratulation from General.

But reform it did, and continued in occasional action in Gallipoli until the withdrawal of forces, where it was sent to Egypt and then on to Mesopotamia.

My Great-Grandfather left the 5th Wiltshires after his time spent in Aldernay hospital back in England, he joined the 6th Wiltshires in January 1916 where he would stay until being wounded on the 3rd July 1916 during the attack of La Boisselle in the Battle of the Somme.
This put him out of action until March the next year when he joined the 1st Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment, winning the Military Medal for action between the 7th and 10th of July 1917 during the assault on Messines Ridge where he, to quote the London Gazette, "acting as orderly, shewed the greatest devotion to duty in carrying messages backwards and forwards from an advanced position. On one occasion although buried and stunned by a shell, he brought back a message of great importance", however on the 21st August 1917, the now Corporal Edward Clack was badly wounded, quite possibly during an aerial attack on the 1st Wiltshires as they camped at the Dominion Camp, and he was sent back to England to recover and finally join the 3rd Wiltshires, the reserve battalion which had spent the war in the Home Islands. Here he remained until the end of hostilities, being demobbed as Acting Lance Sergeant in March 1919.

[Downunderjock]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

To start things off I found an interesting article on the BBC a few months back that tried to debunk some of the most common myths about the Great War. I'm sure some of them can be cannon fodder for...debate.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25776836

1. It was the bloodiest war in history to that point. The 1850-1864 Taiping Rebellion in China killed more.

2. Most soldiers died. For British soldiers it was 11.5%, less than during the Crimean War.

3. Men lived in the trenches for years on end. More like 10 days a month and three in a row at the front line tops.

4. The upper class got off lightly. The death rate was 12% of soldiers, 17% of officers. Eton lost more than 1,000 former pupils - 20% of those who served.

5. 'Lions led by donkeys'. Over 200 generals killed, injured or captured and a unique type of war was won organizing a multinational force.

6. Gallipoli was fought by Australians and New Zealanders. British losses were higher than both Australian and NZ and the French lost more than the Australians.

7. Tactics on the Western Front remained unchanged despite repeated failure. There were significant equipment and tactical changes during the war, from planes to helmets.

8. No-one won. Germany surrendered before the country was crushed as it would be in WWII. It was still a loss to Germany.

9. The Versailles Treaty was extremely harsh. Germany was still the biggest and richest country in Europe and much of the reparations went unenforced. It was not as harsh as after WWII.

10. Everyone hated it. Those not on the front line often had better food, more money and more freedom than at home.

To Dread Knot and others.

You are correct about us, Aussie's and Kiwis losses at Gallipoli was not as great as the Brits, French and even the Turks.

We where not exactly, under Generals, from our only country, and wrong beach, among other things.

Just, as the Brits, had a similar problems.
Like guess where the generals were, far out to sea on ships.

If, I may ask you and others to read my Thread/ Posts under the heading ANZAC DAY. and tell me, if you like your thoughts.

Maybe, for us it hurt just as much, esp when you consider the families, of the fallen and wounded, could not travel, to such a place, so easily, as per distance. (same for Europe.)

Their is a book called "Distant Grief" that talks of the work of the newly formed CWGC, and it's work as time went on. You all might like to have a read.

This book, not only looked at what, the CWGC was doing or did, but it also, looked from the point of view of Australian and possibly, Kiwi families, Govts, via letters or newspaper articles, to and from the newly appointed, CWGC.

We here in OZ, even back in WW1, via letters from families, wanted the lads, to be brought home, for proper burial. (I gather the same, for most of the Allies and even the Germans, too. etc.)

However, as I kinda knew and the book, talks of the reasons, for it not to be possible. We may be able to do that now days, but back in WW1 and WW2, there were a lot of things that could have gone wrong, mid travel by sea, etc.

As an example, the "Battle of Krithia" in Gallipoli, after a 60 minutes show about, why all Govts, won't even look, at where the fallen, might be buried.
Let alone, place a formal memorial, to honour them all. (Turks, too.)

Some feel, they should be brought back home. even after nye 100 years on.

Like the Fromelles, lads, they where reburied, now with proper headstone, etc. not brought home.

(just like we have some lads, who actually have headstones, in a grave at a cemetery well looked after, who fell in the Vietnam war, some in Malaysia, one in Singapore CWG.)

However, for both these groups, one war historian, (I think an Australian.) feels, and some agree. That for both groups, the WW1 lads and these Vietnam lads, should remain where they are resting, at least they are with their mates, and other allied friends. (even their foe.)

And I hate, to say this, but I think the same way. No disrespect to descendants, etc. The Viet lads, are at least resting in a proper grave etc.

Those of the WW1 group, maybe one day, they too, might have like they did for the Fromelles lads.

So, if you get the chance to get hole of this book, I might be a grown man of 49+, but I can tell you, it left a tear in my eye.

[Jimbuna]

Sinking of the Lusitania

On February 4, 1915, the German government declared the seas around the British Isles to be a war zone and that beginning February 18, Allied ships in the area would be sunk without warning. As Lusitania was scheduled to reach Liverpool on March 6, the Admiralty provided Captain Daniel Dow with instructions on how to avoid submarines. With the liner approaching, two destroyers were dispatched to escort Lusitania into port. Unsure whether the approaching warships were British or German, Dow eluded them and reached Liverpool on his own.

The following month, Lusitania departed for New York on April 17, with Captain William Thomas Turner in command. The commodore of the Cunard fleet, Turner was an experienced mariner and reached New York on the 24th. During this time, several concerned German-American citizens approached the German embassy in an effort to avoid controversy should the liner be attacked by a u-boat. Taking their concerns to heart, the embassy placed ads in fifty American newspapers on April 22 warning that neutral travelers aboard British-flagged vessels en route to the war zone sailed at their own risk.

Usually printed next to Lusitania's sailing announcement, the German warning caused some agitation in the press and concern among the ship's passengers. Citing that the ship's speed made it nearly invulnerable to attack, Turner and his officers worked to calm those aboard. Sailing on May 1 as scheduled, Lusitania departed Pier 54 and began its return voyage. While the liner was crossing the Atlantic, U-20, commanded by Captain Lieutenant Walther Schwieger, was operating off the west and south coasts of Ireland. Between May 5 and 6, Schwieger sank three merchant vessels.

His activity led the Admiralty, who was tracking his movements via intercepts, to issue submarine warnings for the south coast of Ireland. Turner twice received this message on May 6 and took several precautions including closing watertight doors, swinging out the lifeboats, doubling the lookouts, and blacking out the ship. Trusting the ship's speed, he did not begin following a zi-zag course as recommended by the Admiralty. Upon receiving another warning around 11:00 AM on May 7, he turned northeast towards the coast, incorrectly believing that submarines would likely keep to the open sea.

Possessing only three torpedoes and low on fuel, Schwieger had decided to return to base when a vessel was spotted around 1:00 PM. Diving, U-20 moved to investigate. Encountering fog, Turner slowed to 18 knots as the liner steered for Queenstown (Cosh), Ireland. As Lusitania crossed his bow, Schwieger opened fire at 2:10 PM. His torpedo hit the liner below the bridge on the starboard side. It was quickly followed by a second explosion in the starboard bow. While many theories have been put forward, the second was most likely caused by an internal steam explosion.



Immediately sending an SOS, Turner tried steering the ship towards the coast with the goal of beaching it, but the steering failed to respond. Listing at 15 degrees, the engines pushed the ship forward, driving more water into the hull. Six minutes after the hit, the bow slipped under the water, which along with the increasingly list, severely hampered efforts to launch the lifeboats. As chaos swept the liner's decks, many lifeboats were lost due to the ship's speed or spilled their passengers as they were lowered. Around 2:28, eighteen minutes after the torpedo hit, Lusitania slipped beneath the waves approximately eight miles off the Old Head of Kinsale.





Aftermath:

The sinking claimed the lives of 1,198 of Lusitania's passengers and crew, with only 761 surviving. Among the dead were 128 American citizens. Immediately inciting international outrage, the sinking quickly turned public opinion against Germany and its allies. The German government attempted to justify the sinking by stating that Lusitania was classified as an auxiliary cruiser and was carrying military cargo. They were technically correct on both counts, as Lusitania was under orders to ram u-boats and its cargo included a shipment of bullets, 3-inch shells, and fuses.

Outraged at the death of American citizens, many in the United States called for President Woodrow Wilson to declare war on Germany. While encouraged by the British, Wilson refused and urged restraint. Issuing three diplomatic notes in May, June, and July, Wilson affirmed the rights of US citizens to travel safely at sea and warned that future sinkings would be viewed as "deliberately unfriendly." Following the sinking of the liner SS Arabic in August, American pressure bore fruit as the Germans offered an indemnity and issued orders prohibiting their commanders from surprise attacks on merchant vessels. That September, the Germans halted their campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare. Its resumption, along with other provocative acts such as the Zimmermann Telegram, would ultimately pull the United States into the conflict.

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/.../lusitania.htm

[Aktungbby]

Fifteen minutes after he had fired his torpedo, Schwieger noted in his war diary:
"It looks as if the ship will stay afloat only for a very short time. [I gave order to] dive to 25 metres (82 ft) and leave the area seawards. I couldn't have fired another torpedo into this mass of humans desperately trying to save themselves." There was at the time and remains now a great controversy about the sinking, over whether Lusitania was smuggling contraband war material to England and over the number of torpedoes Schwieger fired.
Before he got back to the docks at Wilhelmshaven for refuelling and resupply, the United States had formally protested to Berlin against the brutality of his action.
KaiserWilhelm II wrote in the margins of the American note, "Utterly impertinent", "outrageous", and "this is the most insolent thing in tone and bearing that I have had to read since the Japanese note last August." Nevertheless, to keep America out of the war, in June the Kaiser was compelled to rescind unrestricted submarine warfare and require all passenger liners be left unmolested.
On 4 September 1915 Schwieger was back at sea with U-20, 85 nautical miles (157 km) off the Fastnet Rock in the south Irish Sea. This rock held one of the key navigational markers in the western ocean, the Fastnet Lighthouse, and any ships passing in and out of the Irish Sea would be within visual contact of it.
RMS Hesperian was now beginning a new run outward bound from Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal, with a general cargo, also doubling as a hospital ship, and carrying about 800 passengers. She was attacked off the Fastnet, a landmark islet in the north Atlantic, off the south-west coast of Ireland. The "Only a few days before, Count Bernsdorff, the German Ambassador, had assured the United States government that passenger liners will not be sunk without warning and without ensuring the safety of the non combatants aboard providing that the liners do not try to escape or offer resistance."
This time, Schwieger was received with official disgust upon his return to Wilhelmshaven. Ordered to report to Berlin to explain himself, he was required to apologise for having sunk another passenger liner in defiance of a direct order not to do so again. He complained about his treatment in Berlin thereafter.
After his death in 1917, his submarine having struck a mine off the Frisian Islands, Schwieger was forgiven in Berlin. He received Germany's highest decoration, the Pour le Mérite. At the time of his death, Schwieger had sunk 49 ships with 183,883 tons-with three submarines on 34 missions. He was the Sixth most successful commander of WWI.[wiki] The Hesperian sank over a day after being torpedoed, on 6 September 1915, while being towed to Ireland. Thirty-two people were killed when a lifeboat upset while lowering. Hesperian was also carrying the body of Lusitania victim Frances Stephens on her last voyage, with Mrs. Stephens being sunk twice by the same submarine and commander. The body of Mrs. Stephens was still aboard as well. Mrs. Stephens’ casket, presumably still in Hesperian‘s hold, now lies not far from the Lusitania wreck which took her life. http://www.rmslusitania.info/people/saloon/frances-stephens/ The Hesperian sank over a day after being torpedoed, on 6 September 1915, while being towed to Ireland. The survivors were rescued during the night by several wary British ships in the vicinity and taken to Ireland. One man who had been blinded on the Western Front had his sight restored by the shock of the explosion. A boy had been left behind, sleeping in his bunk, throughout the sinking. The ship’s watertight bulkheads kept the ship afloat; the vessel was evacuated in less than an hour. Only the captain and several officers had remained on board as a skeleton crew. Captain Main hoped to beach the Hesperian or have her towed to Queenstown. The ship never made it. On 6 September 1915, Hesperian succumbed to the waves, sinking some 37 miles from land and not far from the Lusitania wreck.
Fastnet Lighthouse: Both a beacon and a deathtrap. U-20's notorious hunting ground.

[Sailor Steve]

I've just finished watching Lusitania: Murder on the Atlantic (aka Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at sea).


I had not heard of this film until today, when I watched Iambecomelife's excellent tribute. Despite the lurid title, the made-for-TV movie is very even handed, telling the story from both sides fairly faithfully. There are quite a few anachronisms, but that has to be expected given the low budget involved.

The events are recreated well, and stick mostly to the known facts. I recommend it.

[Aktungbby]

Strangely compelling reading discover'd while searching for [any] photo of the SS Queen Wilhelmina beached on the beach at Bondi-Carrs( see map- a naval graveyard it seems for several vessels) after being torpedoed by a U-boat http://www.fusilier.co.uk/north_east_northumberland_ww1_great_war_casualties/ww1_index.html Queen Wilhelmina , 3,590/1898, Furness, Withy & Co, Sunderland, London-reg, Mr E Dickinson, Leith for Fowey in ballast. Hit and damaged 20 miles S by E of Longstone, Outer Farne Is (L - 20 miles N by W of), beached at Bondicar, 1½m SSE of Amble (55.19N, 01.26W), total loss (+L/te/un/wi) Longstone lighthouse built 1828...a dreadful lonely place; It would appear that u-boats stalked prey near known navigation beacons such as this location or Fastnet as with the Lusitania."The island was a bleak situation to endure and the isolation must have been terrible, often storms were so bad as to drive the Lightkeeper's family into the upper rooms of the tower to seek refuge, the waves being so enormous that they covered the living quarters."