100 Years Ago Today

[August]

August 23rd 1914 Lorraine France

My Great Grandfather August and his comrades in the 8th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, now a part of the 33rd Reserve Division, 5th Army (Crown Prince) are in action at Etain. It will not go well for them. By the 26th a sister company will be down to 75 men.

[Jimbuna]

24th August

General Retreat from the Line of the Sambre and the Meuse; British fall back from Mons; Germans massacre civilians at Dinant and occupy Tournai, but driven from Malines; French offensive north of Nancy.

Russians advancing in East Prussia.

Austrians advance in Poland beyond Kyeltsi.

Cattaro, Austrian Adriatic port, bombarded by Franco-British fleet.

British Lieutenant Maurice Dease is killed in action. He will become the 1st recipient of the Victoria Cross in WWI:

Nimy Bridge was being defended by a single company of the 4th Royal Fusiliers and a machine-gun section with Dease in command. The gun fire was intense, and the casualties very heavy, but the lieutenant went on firing in spite of his wounds, until he was hit for the fifth time and was carried away.

Though two or three times badly wounded he continued to control the fire of his machine guns at Mons on 23rd Aug., until all his men were shot. He died of his wounds.

~SALUTE~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Dease
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/c...nes-ceremonies

China states it will not interfere with Japanese attacks on the German concession at Tsingtao.

[Catfish]

Moved to WW1 thread, tks Steve

[Sailor Steve]

August 24:

With the French retreating from Charleroi and the Ardennes and the British falling back from Mons, victory seems to be on the side of the Germans. As will become evident later, the Allied withdrawal is orderly, with much rearguard fighting, and is being done under the orders of superiors who are trying to reorganize a more effective defense. The troops are tired, but not demoralized, and the Germans are in much the same condition, so pursuit is slow and careful.

With the Japanese declaration of war on Germany Berlin restaurants start refusing to serve Japanese customers. Within a week Japanese civilians in Germany are being interred at the camp at Ruhleben, outside Berlin.

In an early "friendly fire" incident, the French airship Dupuy-de-Lôme is shot down by French ground troops.

Captain H.C. Jackson and Lieutenant E.L. Conran of No.3 Squadron make the first British bombing attack on three German aircraft parked near Lessines. As with many of these early attempts, they missed.

SMS Dresden captures SS Holmwood, a British cargo ship of 4223 tons, off the southern coast of Brazil.

SMS Karlsruhe departs Maracá Island for a rendezvous with the collier Stadt Schleswig at São João.

SMS Emden travels slowly southward through the Molucca Sea, planning to rendesvous with a collier at Timor in the morning hours of the 25th, when the cool morning air will make the work easier for the crew. Coaling usually involved loading bags of coal from one ship to another (done by hoist), breaking the bags open and dumping them down the coal chutes to the bunkers and then cleaning the coal dust from everywhere, a back-breaking all-day job. In this case Emden was carrying extra coal in bags tied down to the weather deck, so all that was needed was to get them on board and secure; still several hours of hard labor best done before the extreme heat of the day sets in.

[TarJak]

25 August 1914

The Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle of NZ, publishes an interesting article on the state of opposing naval forces in the Pacific and Far East: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi...CC19140825.2.6

The KING (is) pleased to give orders for the following promotion in the Most Honourable Order of the Bath:

To be an Ordinary Member of the Military Division of the Second Class, or Knights Commanders, of the said Most Honourable Order:
Rear-Admiral Archibald Gordon Henry Wilson Moore, C. V. O., C. B.

Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary.

SMS EMDEN steamed through the Sunda Strait picking up radio signals from Dutch warships and on hearing on Siamese radio station Singora of the capture of Liege and Namur, there was a great deal of celebration amongst the crew.

On passing the Tiger Islands that night, the radio office picked up news of the Japanese declaration of war on Dutch radio.

German troops stationed in the Belgian village of Louvain during the opening month of World War I burn and loot much of the town, executing hundreds of civilians.

By nightfall of the 25 August 1914 the retreating II Corps was being closely pursued by the German First Army. I Corps was some way away to the east, and although the newly-arrived 4th Division was moving up alongside II Corps it was clear that the disorganised and greatly fatigued units faced a calamity the next day if the withdrawal was forced to continue. Corps Commander Horace Smith-Dorrien ordered II Corps to stand and fight. The units of the Corps were arranged in the open downs to the west of the small town of Le Cateau.

Germans take Sedan; Maubeuge invested; Mulhausen again evacuated by the French.

Last Namur fort is silenced.

Austrian First Army defeats Russians at Krasnik and advances towards Lyublin.

End of First Austrian invasion of Serbia resulting in complete defeat of the Austrians with heavy losses.

Tepe in Cameroon occupied by the Allies.


Lord Kitchener's first speech as Secretary of State for War. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi...P19140901.2.91

HMS HAMPSHIRE arrives in Hong Kong.

Antwerp bombed by Zeppelins. This was the first instance of bombing of a civilian population as opposed to purely military targets.

[Sailor Steve]

Loved the newspaper article.

"A cable last week stated that the Emden had tried conclusions with the Russian cruiser Askold off the coast of North China, and that both went to the bottom of the sea."


Gotta love the news that gets spread around in wartime.

[TarJak]

I love Kitchener's speech: "As a soldier, I have no politics..."

Given what happened, maybe he should have.

[Jimbuna]

25th August

Serbian forces defeat the Austro-Hungarian invasion at the battle of Cer, expelling all enemy troops from Serbia.

4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards and 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers charge German guns at the Action of Elouges.

First use of aircraft for patrol purposes (over retreating British forces in France).

Battle of Malines begins.

Valenciennes taken by German forces.

Battle of the Mortagne (Vosges) begins.

Valenciennes taken by German forces.

First Battle of Krasnik (Poland) ends.

French Government issue new decree defining contraband.

Loss of three British trawlers:
Kesteven: scuttled in the North Sea 69 nautical miles (128 km) east north east of the Inner Dowsing Lightship by a Kaiserliche Marine torpedo boat. Her crew were taken as prisoners of war.
Lindsey: scuttled in the North Sea 70 nautical miles (130 km) east north east of the Inner Dowsing Lightship by a Kaiserliche Marine torpedo boat. Her crew were taken as prisoners of war.
Porpoise: scuttled in the North Sea 70 nautical miles (130 km) east north east of the Inner Dowsing Lightship by a Kaiserliche Marine torpedo boat. Her crew were taken as prisoners of war.

[Sailor Steve]

August 25:

The Belgian army begins a successful counter-attack on Louvain. In a panic German troops begin to burn the city. Among the buildings destroyed is the University Library, founded in 1426. Thousands of ancient manuscripts are lost forever. The bigger coup for Entente (Allied) propagandists is the partial burning of the city cathedral. Still more civilians are executed as snipers and spies.

SMS Emden and SS Markomannia arrive at the rendesvous point off Timor. Yet again the expected collier fails to appear, and again Emden has to use the dwindling coal supplies from Markomannia. Some of the crew are sent ashore to hunt for food. After coaling the ships set a course for the island of Tanah Jampeia.

On a lighter note, the first aerial 'victory' of the war took place when a trio of B.E.2c aircraft, led by Hubert Harvey-Kelly (the first British pilot to land in France for the war) encounted a lone Taube and proceeded to buzz the hapless German, none of them being armed. Panicked by the game of 'chicken', the German pilot landed in a field and disappeared into the forest. Harvey-Kelly took a trophy from the Taube and then burned it.

There is a further story that Harvey-Kelly discovered that the Taube had been disabled by pistol fire from an Avro 504, the 'gunner' being Cuthbert Euan Charles Rabagliati and the pilot C.W. 'Daddy' Wilson, and that Harvey-Kelly handed his trophy over to Wilson. If that story is true, the Rabagliati should be credited for the first 'kill' of the war, and perhaps ever. I could only find one source for that part of the story, so take it for what it's worth.

[TarJak]

26 August 1914

HMAS PIONEER, (3rd class cruiser), captured the German merchant vessel THURINGEN, off Fremantle, WA.

For long hours during the morning of 26 August, the British force at Le Ceteau, notably the field artillery, held overwhelming numbers of the enemy at bay and inflicted severe losses. British tactics were similar to those at Mons. The infantry produced intensive and accurate rifle fire, while the field artillery fired air-bursting shrapnel rounds on the unprotected enemy. Many field guns were fired at point-blank range over open sights. Some were withdrawn just as the enemy infantry closed in. For the second time in three days, the British force engaged withdrew just in time. Miraculously, the exhausted II Corps disengaged and withdrew towards the south during the afternoon. Smith-Dorrien's decision to turn II Corps around from retreat and to stand against the German advance at Le Cateau paid off handsomely. Heavy casualties were inflicted on the Germans and another delay imposed on their Schlieffen timetable. To the east, I Corps was able to move further away from the advance parties of the Germans. However, a rift grew between Sir John French (who had initially ordered a continuation of the retreat) and Smith-Dorrien as a result of this action. It was to have serious consequences in 1915.

The total British casualties at Le Cateau amounted to 7,812 of all ranks, killed, wounded and missing.
38 field guns were lost.




The Rearguard Affair of Le Grand Fayt: an action associated with the Battle of Le Cateau : http://www.1914-1918.net/bat2A.html

The Battle of Tannenberg commenced: The morning of the 26th opened with the First Russian Army advancing west towards Königsberg, meeting little resistance. The troops that were formerly directly in front of them had moved to the south, facing the Second Army's right flank. There was still time to close the gap between the Russian armies and thereby threaten the German movements, which by this point were being reported back to Russian headquarters. Nevertheless, on the night of the 25th, the Russian field commander sent orders for the First Army to continue directly west to Königsberg, orders that were once again intercepted by the Germans.

Due to François' delays, XVII German Corps opened the battle proper. They met the two separated divisions of VI Russian Corps near Seeburg and Bischofstein, turning them both back toward the border in disarray. The right flank of the Second Russian Army was now open. In the meantime, the Russian advance toward Tannenberg continued to be blocked by XX German Corps in front of them. Their only success were in the center, where XIII Russian Corps advanced toward Allenstein unopposed.

Douai, Noyon, Longwy and Cambrai occupied by German forces.

First Battle of Lemberg (Galicia.) begins.

Battle of Zamosc-Komarow begins.

German forces in Togoland capitulate to the Allied forces.

The British cargo ship Holmwood was captured and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 180 nautical miles (330 km) east of Pernambuco, Brazil by SMS Dresden

The SMS Magdeburg ran aground in the Baltic Sea off Odensholm, Estonia. She was subsequently attacked by Admiral Makarov and Gromoboi (both Imperial Russian Navy) and sank with the loss of 15 lives.

The battle off Rio de Oro on 26 August 1914 began when the German raider Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was caught by surprise in a harbor, taking on coal from three German and Austrian colliers. Highflyer, badly outgunning the German auxiliary cruiser, first demanded surrender, but the German commander argued that the British had violated Spain's neutrality.
The British disregarded this because the Germans had already violated Spain's neutrality by taking over a week to resupply in a neutral port. So a battle began, from 15:10 to 16:45 the two ships bombarded each other, sometimes dodging the shots. Eventually, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse exhausted her ammunition and began to flee the battle. Now out of ammunition, running from several larger guns, the crew scuttled their ship and abandoned her to the Atlantic. The German sailors made it to shore and escaped into the Saharan Desert.

Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse became the first passenger liner to sink during World War I. For years, the wreck of the German commerce raider was identifiable because its starboard side remained above the waterline until the ship was scrapped in 1952. One Briton was killed and six others wounded. German casualties are unknown. British sources at the time insisted the German auxiliary cruiser was sunk by Highflyer's crew but eventually stories from the surviving German seamen began to circulate, thus ending Britain's claim. Despite whether or not the Germans scuttled their ship or whether the British sank the raider, the British were still responsible for the raider's end.


General Galliéni appointed Governor of Paris (see October 30th, 1915).

M. Messimy, French Minister for War, [Appointed June 14th, 1914.] resigns.

M. Delcassé succeeds M. Doumergue [Appointed August 3rd, 1914.] as French Foreign Minister.

A Memorial service was held at St Thomas Church, Orchard Street, Portland Square for the first two British pilots to die in the war, E.W.C. Perry and H.E. Parfitt. Their deaths on 16 August was later part of a major controversy over the attitude of the RFC to its pilots’ safety. Perry and Parfitt were among the last to take off from Amiens on 16 August. As they took off in their BE8 (number 625), the aeroplane stalled at about 150 feet from the ground – losing speed from climbing too quickly or with too little power. The aircraft turned over on its side and fell to the ground, where it caught fire. Both men were killed. They were the first British airmen ever to die in a theatre of war; Perry was also the first British officer fatality of the war (the majority of British servicemen who died before or on 16 August died in the UK). They had a full military funeral in Amiens with flag-draped coffins escorted by soldiers and senior officers, as well as members of the RFC.

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

August 25:

On a lighter note, the first aerial 'victory' of the war took place when a trio of B.E.2c aircraft, led by Hubert Harvey-Kelly (the first British pilot to land in France for the war) encounted a lone Taube and proceeded to buzz the hapless German, none of them being armed. Panicked by the game of 'chicken', the German pilot landed in a field and disappeared into the forest. Harvey-Kelly took a trophy from the Taube and then burned it.

There is a further story that Harvey-Kelly discovered that the Taube had been disabled by pistol fire from an Avro 504, the 'gunner' being Cuthbert Euan Charles Rabagliati and the pilot C.W. 'Daddy' Wilson, and that Harvey-Kelly handed his trophy over to Wilson. If that story is true, the Rabagliati should be credited for the first 'kill' of the war, and perhaps ever. I could only find one source for that part of the story, so take it for what it's worth.

Interesting. I've got Harvey-Kelly's action dated on the 26th August 1914.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Interesting. I've got Harvey-Kelly's action dated on the 26th August 1914.

Wiki says the 26th. At least one poster on The Aerodrome forum also says the 26th. The book Aces High, by Alan Clark, which is the source I originally took the story from, says the 25th. The article from The Western Front association website, which is also the source for the Euan Rabagliatti version of the story, says the 25th. There seems to be evidence supporting both dates.

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Wiki says the 26th. At least one poster on The Aerodrome forum also says the 26th. The book Aces High, by Alan Clark, which is the source I originally took the story from, says the 25th. The article from The Western Front association website, which is also the source for the Euan Rabagliatti version of the story, says the 25th. There seems to be evidence supporting both dates.

Could simply be a date/time lapse in reporting. Primary sources may have been dated for both days depending on when they were written.

[Jimbuna]

26th August

Western Front

Elements of the newly forming French 6th Army begin to arrive in Amiens, on the far left of the Allied line

Smith-Dorrien decides that he is compelled to make a stand against the advancing Germans - the Battle of Le Cateau: British II Corps briefly checks the advance of Kluck’s 1st Army in hard fighting, loosing 8,000 men but managing to safely withdraw - scratch French forces block Kluck’s attempts to outflank the BEF to the west - Kluck believes that the BEF has been shattered

Louvain destroyed by the Germans.

Stunned by Haig’s excited report from Landrecies, John French has I Corps retreat south, away from II Corps; Chief of Staff Murray suffers a mental collapse

Joffre, Sir John French and Lanrezac hold a confused meeting at St. Quentin

Showing signs of panic, John French moves his headquarters to Noyon

The French liaison officer reports to GQG that the BEF has been crushed

German forces completely invest the bypassed fortress of Maubeuge

The Battle of the Meuse: de Langle’s French 4th Army holds off the German 4th Army along the Meuse south of Sedan

A gap opens between the French 4th and 5th Armies

End of French attempt to recover Alsace-Lorraine: French fall back in St. Die region.

Joffre disbands the Army of Alsace

Two German corps are transferred from the Western to the Eastern Front

Eastern Front

In East Prussia, the German 8th Army retook Soldau: Samsonov's communications cut, thus forcing an ever widening gap between the Russian 1st and 2nd Armies. This set the stage for the Battle of Tannenberg, 40 km southwest of Allenstein.

Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich visited General Zhilinskiy's NW Front HQ at Bialystok.

Galicia: Beginning of operations against Lemberg.

Southern Front

Novi Bazar evacuated by the Austrians.

Naval and Overseas Operations

In the Baltic Sea, the German cruiser Magdeburg ran aground in heavy fog on Odensholm island at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. Unable to re-float her, the German Captain was forced to abandon ship. Russian destroyers soon found the ship, captured the commander and 56 crew. The boarding party discovered an invaluable German naval signal code book and cipher table, which were quickly copied and sent to the British.

Action between H.M.S. "Highflyer" and German armed merchant cruiser "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" off the Rio de Oro: latter sunk

Togoland conquered by the Allies: town of Atakpame occupied.

Politic, etc.

Messimy refuses to resign as War Minister, forcing the government to fall

M. Delcassé succeeds M. Doumergue [Appointed August 3rd, 1914.] as French Foreign Minister.

Michel is removed; Gallieni becomes Military Governor of Paris.

Ship Losses:

Admiral Sampson ( United States): collided with Princess Victoria ( United Kingdom) and sank in Puget Sound off Point No Point, Washington.
Holmwood ( United Kingdom): was captured and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 180 nautical miles (330 km) east of Pernambuco, Brazil by SMS Dresden ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse ( Germany): Battle of Río de Oro: The ocean liner was scuttled off Rio de Oro, Spanish Sahara following a battle with HMS Highflyer ( Royal Navy)


SMS Magdeburg
SMS Magdeburg ( Kaiserliche Marine): The Magdeburg-class cruiser ran aground in the Baltic Sea off Odensholm, Estonia. She was subsequently attacked by Admiral Makarov and Gromoboi (both Imperial Russian Navy) and sank with the loss of 15 lives.
Skeatti Sogeli ( Denmark): The coaster struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom.

[Sailor Steve]

August 26:

Two days after SMS Dresden captured SS Holmwood Captain Lüdecke decides to sink the British freighter. After removing the crew and taking what supplies they could use, Holmwood is sunk using scuttling charges.

SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was one of the great pre-war passenger liners. Built in 1897, she once took the prize for the fastest liner on the seas. With the outbreak of war she was camoflaged, armed with six 10.5cm (4.1") guns, labeled an Armed Merchant Cruiser, and ordered to prey on Allied shipping. On August 7 she captured the fishing trawler Tubal Cain. After taking the crew aboard his own ship Captain Reymann sank the 227-ton trawler with gunfire. Her next victim was a little more substantial. On August 16 it was the 7,392-ton passenger/cargo ship SS Kaipara. Again Reyman took the crew on board his own ship before sinking the New Zealand-owned ship. Lastly Kaiser Wilhelm encountered the Nyanza, of 3,066 tons, later that same day. Again the crew were taken aboard Kaiser Wilhelm, and again the merchant was sunk. Sometime later Kaiser Wilhelm encountered two liners, SS Galician and Arlanza. Upon finding that they had women and children aboard, Reymann made the decision to let both ships go.

The 26th of August found Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse at the Spanish West African colony of Rio de Oro, taking on coal from two colliers, one German and one Austrian. Some sources say there was a third collier helping out. Some thirty British warships were on the lookout for Kaiser Wilhelm. The one that found her was HMS Highflyer, an old 2nd-class cruiser built in 1898, commanded by Henry Tritton Buller. As the British ship came in sight, Captain Reyman transferred his prisoners to the colliers and prepared his ship for battle. Buller called for Kaiser to surrender. Reymann claimed the protection of neutral waters. This claim was denied as Kaiser had already been in those same waters for several days, well beyond the 24-hour limit. The battle lasted from 15:10 to 16:45. Kaiser was no match for Highflyer's eleven 6" guns. The Germans scuttled their ship and the survivors made for shore.

An eyewitness account of the battle:




SMS Magdeburg was a German light cruiser operating in the Baltic Sea. Magdeburg had shelled the port of Libau on August 2 and the Dagerot lighthouse on the 12th. On August 17 Magdeburg had barely escaped a battle with two Russian armored cruisers, and only because the Russian commander thought that a pair of German armored cruisers were in the area. On August 26 Magdeburg's luck ran out when she ran aground near the Odensholm lighthouse. Despite efforts by the destroyer V26 to tow her off. The heavy Russian protected cruisers Bogatyr and Pallada showed up and began shelling Magdeburg with their multiple 8" and 6" guns. Despite attempts by Magdeburg's crew to destroy their ship the Russians captured the German ship, complete with code-books and cypher key, which were shared with the British Royal Navy.