100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

March 3, 1917

Air War:
German pilot Friedrich Altemeier, flying an Albatros D.III with Jasta 24, shoots down a SPAD VII for victory number 1. Jasta War Chronology lists the victim as a Nieuport, and The Aerodrome website specifies a Nieuport 17, but the French Air Service War Chronology says the only French fighter lost this day was that of S/Lt Auguste Leduil, listed as missing, so his SPAD was Altemeier's likely opponent.



Back on February 2nd, 1916 British trawler King Stephen came upon the wrecked Zeppelin L-19 (LZ-54). Deciding that the 16 armed Germans hoping for rescue could easily overwhelm his own crew, captain William Martin set out to find a patrol boat that could handle the situation. Finding no warships in the area, Martin returned to shore. It turned out later that Martin was fishing in a restricted zone and gave a false location to the Royal Navy. The German airmen all drowned in the stormy sea and Martin came under fire from the German press. The trawler was put on a wanted list by the German Naval High Command. Martin even received hate mail from British citizens. Obsessed with the idea that the Germans were hunting him and with his health failing, William Martin died on March 3rd, 1917, age 45. King Stephen was later captured by the Germans and scuttled, and her crew taken prisoner, but treated well after it was discovered that her current skipper was not Martin.
Per Wrecksite.eu. Wiki gives the date of Martin's death as February 24th.




North Atlantic Ocean, west of Ireland:
Richard Hartmann, commanding U-49, sinks two British freighters 150 miles west of Fastnet:
SS Newstead, 2,836 tons, bound from Barry for Naples with a load of coal. Fifteen crew members are lost.
SS Sagamore, 5,197 tons, carrying a general cargo from Boston to Liverpool. Fifty-two casualties.
Hartmann's score is now 24 ships and 54,002 tons.



Ireland:
Otto Wünsche, in U-70, torpedoes British freighter SS Kincardine, 4,108 tons, travelling from Cardiff to Genoa with a load of coal; off Tearaght Island. His score is now 43 ships and 59,377 tons.

Scotland:
British freighter SS Meldon, 2,514 tons, out of Penarth with a load of coal, hits a mine laid off Gavellock, in the Firth of Lorne, by Otto Dröscher in U-78. His score is now 9 ships and 14,821 tons.

British freighter SS Lord Antrim, 2,773 tons, travelling from Dublin to Glasgow, runs aground. Location given is Fourchu, but the only port by that name is in Nova Scotia. Other details unavailable.



English Channel:
Berndt Buß, in U-48, sinks British passenger ship SS Connaught, 2,646 tons, en route from Le Havre to Southampton carrying only passengers. His score is now 16 ships and 44,053 tons.

Hans Rose, in U-53, uses his deck gun to sink Greek freighter SS Theodoros Pangalos, 2,838 tons, at the western end of the Channel. His score is now 20 ships and 40,959 tons.



North Sea:
Victor Dieckmann, in U-61, sinks Danish freighter SS Rosborg, 1,877 tons, travelling from Baltimore to Kirkwall and Aarhus with a load of maize. His score is now 11 ships and 11,298 tons.

His Majesty's Trawler Northumbria, 211 tons, hits a mine laid off May Island by Ernst Rosenow and UC-29. His score is now 9 ships and 7,390 tons.

Portuguese freighter SS Setubal, 1,312 tons, is wrecked at Tol Pedn, Penwith, Cornwal.

Kurt Bernis, in UC-41, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Ring, 998 tons, en route from Skien to Charente with a load of ammonium nitrate, off Berwick, Scotland. His score is now 3 ships and 2,734 tons.
Norwegian freighter SS Elfi, 1,120 tons, carrying a load of timber from Bergen to London, hits a mine laid by Bernis off Abbs Head. The damaged ship makes safe port.



Norway:
Alfred von Glasenapp, in U-80, stops and scuttles Norwegian sailing vessel Hermes, 785 tons, carrying a load of oilcake from Savannah to Randers; off Udsire (modern Utsira). His score is now 6 ships and 22,265 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Leading U-Boat ace Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks Italian sailing vessel Anna E., 41 tons, in the Straight of Sicily. His score is now 150 ships and 311,314 tons.

Ernst von Voigt, in UC-35, torpedoes British freighter SS River Forth, 4,421 tons, en route from Barry to Alexandria with a load of coal plus general cargo. His score is now 6 ships and 24,987 tons.

Otto Launburg, in UC-37, sinks British freighter SS Craigendoran, 2,789 tons, carrying a load of coal from Barry to Malta, off Cap Sigli, Algeria. His score is now 13 ships and 25,600 tons.



South Africa:
HMFM Trent is still attempting to tow the two lighters from Algoa Bay to Durban. At 0105 hours, in heavy winds and high seas, the tow rope breaks again. The crew of Trent can only watch as the two lighters drift away in the dark. At 0530 the drifting lighters are spotted. A working party is sent over to re-attach the tow ropes. By 1000 the wind and sea have calmed and the tow is going well. At nightfall there is only a slight swell and occassional rain shower.

[Jimbuna]

4th March 1917

Western Front

French coup-de-main between Oise and Aisne, south of Mouvron.

Germans gain footing in Caurieres Wood (Verdun).

At Verdun, German troops attack on a 2-mile line and manage to capture 572 French prisoners. French artillery checks further advances.

Enemy front and support lines captured east of Bouchvesnes (north of Somme).

German withdrawal on the Ancre and Somme front still continues. British troops advance two-thirds of a mile on a two-mile front.

Eastern Front

Russian gas attack near Krevo (south-east of Vilna).

the Sereth Romanians bombard region of Calieni.

Southern Front

Enemy attack in force east of Gorizia driven back with heavy loss.

Austrians massing in Trentino.

Italians occupy heights in Costabella group (Avisio).

Naval and Overseas Operations

Naval aeroplanes bomb Brebach (Saarbrucken).

Political, etc.

German Foreign Secretary Zimmermann admits that his telegram is authentic: “I cannot deny it. It is true.”

Chinese cabinet crisis due to disagreement as to policy with regard to Germany.

"Flemish" deputation received by German Chancellor.

Ship Losses:

Narcis (Belgium) The cargo ship sprang a leak in the Atlantic Ocean. She developed a 32° list on 5 March, and was abandoned on 6 March at 49°30′N 22°17′W. Narcis was later sunk by gunfire from Taramac ( United Kingdom) as she was a danger to navigation.
The Macbain (United Kingdom) The barquentine was scuttled in the English Channel 20 nautical miles (37 km) south of Portland Bill, Dorset by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Rhodanthe (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 330 nautical miles (610 km) north north west of the Cape Verde Islands, Portugal by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were taken as prisoners of war.
Turritella (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Indian Ocean by SMS Wolf ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

March 4, 1917

Air War:
1105 Canadian RNAS pilot Raymond Collishaw, flying Sopwith Pup N6160, shoots down a Halberstadt D.II for victory number 4.

1115 A group of four FE.2ds share the downing of an LVG two-seater.
A5439 Lt A.E. Boultbee, ?; Sgt J. Brown, ?
7693 Reginald George Malcolm, 1; Leonard Herbert Emsden, 1.
7025 William Matheson, 4; Lt W.A. Barnes, ?
A780 Lt R.N.L. Munro, ?; Lt G. Goodburn, ?

1115 English RNAS pilot Leonard Henry Rochford, in Sopwith Pup N5199, shoots down an Albatros D.I for victory number 1.

1130 German ace Werner Voss, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down BE.2d 6252 for victory number 12. Reginald James Moody and Edmund Eric Horn are both killed.

1135 South African RFC pilot Christopher Joseph Quintin Brand, in Nieuport 17 A6668, shoots down a Roland C.II for victory number 1.

1145 Canadian RNAS pilot John Joseph Malone, flying Sopwith Pup 9898, shoots down a Halberstadt D.II for victory number 1.

1150 German pilot Karl Emil Schäfer, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down Sopwith 1½ Strutter A1109 for victory number 2. 2nd Lts P.L. Wood and A.H. Fenton, last seen over Lens, are listed as Missing In Action.

1218 English pilot Robert Saundby, in FE. 8 6431, and Lt A. Fraser, in FE.8 7622, team up to shoot down a rare Siemens-Schuckert D.I. Victory number 4 for Saundby, unknown for Fraser. The SSW D.1 was a copy of a captured Nieuport 17, built by Siemens-Schuckert Werke with the unusual Siemens-Halske engine, which attempted to counter the extreme torque of the rotary by having the engine and propeller rotate in the opposite direction from each other. Only two are listed as being at the front at the end of April, but at least 100 were built, so whether the claim is accurate is unknown.

1245 German ace Manfred von Richthofen, in a Halberstadt D.II, BE.2d 5785 for victory number 22.
According to von Richthofen

I had started all by myself and was just looking for my Staffel when I spotted a single BE. My first attack was apparently a failure as my adversary tried to escape by curves and dives. After having forced my adversary downwards from 2,800 to 1,200 metres, he imagined himself safe and flew straight on once more. I took advantage of this, put myself behind him and fired some 500 shots at him. My adversary dived, but in such a steep way that I could not follow. According to our infantry observations, the plane crashed to the ground in front of our trenches.

This BE.2 was originally thought to be 6252, but it crashed around 1130 and was later confirmed to have been Voss's kill. The only BE.2 reporting action at this time was 5785, flown by James Benjamin Evelyn Crosbee, with observer John Edward Prance. Prance was wounded but not badly, and Crosbee got their plane home safely.

1350 German pilot Herbert Schröder, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down Sopwith Pup N6170 for victory number 1. Lt H.R. Wambolt is listed as Missing.

1405 German pilot Hans Kummetz, flying an Albatros D.III, shoots down Sopwith Pup N6165 for victory number 1. Lt J.P. White is listed as Missing.

1610 Irish RFC pilot Thomas Falcon Hazell, in Nieuport 17 A6604, shoots down a "Hostile Aircraft" for victory number 1.

1620 Manfred von Richthofen shoots down Sopwith 1½ Strutter A1108 for victory 23. 2nd Lts Herbert John Green and Alexander William Reid are both killed.

Accompanied by five of my planes, I attacked an enemy squadron above Acheville. The Sopwith I had singled out flew for quite a while in my fire. After the 400th shot, plane lost a wing while making a curve. Machine hurtled downward. It is not worth while to have plane taken back, as parts are all over Acheville and surroundings. Two machine guns were seized by my Staffel. (One Lewis gun No. 20024 and one Maxim gun L.7500).

1630 German ace Renatus Theiller, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down aircraft number A4163 for victory number 10. 2nd Lts B.W. Hill and W. Harms are both killed. There is a problem with this listing, which is that every source lists the plane as an RE.8, which is backed up by UK Serials website. The problem is that the RE.8 was a single-seat fighter.

(unknown time) German ace Friedrich Mannschott, flying an Albatros D.II, shoots down a Caudron two-seater for victory number 9. Possibly Sous-Lieutenants Royer (wounded) and Bonet, who landed their Caudron G.4 safely.

1645 Mannschott destroys an observation balloon over South Belleville for victory number 10.

1715 Renatus Theiller shoots down FE.2b A5441 for victory number 11. 2nd Lt L.W. Beale and AM2 A. Davin manage to land on their own side of the lines.

1720 German pilot Josef Flink, in Albatros D.III 1942/16, shoots down a Nieuport 17 for victory number 1.

French pilots Marcel Joseph Maurice Nogues and Joseph de Sevin, both in Nieuports, share an "Enemy Aircraft". Victory number 1 for Nogues, number 2 for de Sevin.

Swiss volunteer in French service Martin Trepp, in a Nieuport, shares an "Enemy Aircraft" with adj Lebeau. Number 2 for Trepp, number 3 for Lebeau.



English Channel:
Berndt Buß, commanding U-48, stops and scuttles British barquentine The Macbain, 291 tons, travelling in ballast from Cherbourg to Fowey. His score is now 17 vessels and 44,344 tons. Buß also attacks British schooner Adelaide, 180 tons, with his deck gun, but the crippled ship is towed into Brixham.



South Africa:
HMFM Trent notes moderate winds and seas, with an occassional rain squall, and towing going well. She is joined by light cruiser HMS Hyacinth.



United States:
American schooner Harold Blekum, 192 tons, bound from Kodiak, Alaska for Seattle, Washington with a load of empty gasoline barrels, is stranded in Ugak Bay, Alaska.



Mid-Atlantic:
On March 1 the German raider SMS Wolf sighted a ship and launched her seaplane Wolfchen to investigate. This turned out to be British freighter SS Jumna, 4,152 tons. Wolf attempts to fire a warning shot, but the gun is fired before being trained and five German sailors on deck are killed. Jumna stops and Wolf forces her to act as supply ship. Three days later, on March 4th, Jumna is sunk.

German raider SMS Möwe captures and scuttles British freighter SS Rhodanthe, 3,060 tons, en route to Cuba to pick up a load of sugar; 300 miles north-northwest of São Vicente, Cape Verde Islands.

[Jimbuna]

5th March 1917

Western Front

German attack west of Pont-a-Mousson fails; attempts to recapture Bouchvesnes repulsed.

British progress on Ancre front towards Bapaume Ridge.

Southern Front

Sharp fighting in the Dolomites.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Engagement with Turkish rearguard at Laj (nine miles south-east of Ctesiphon).

Russians occupy Kangavar, south of Hamadan.

Turks abandon strong position west of Shalal (Sinai Peninsula).

Political, etc.

Austrian reply to U.S. memorandum re: new submarine warfare.

President Wilson's inaugural address at opening of his second term.

Lord Milner returns from Allied Conference at Petrograd.

Marshal Arz von Straussenburg is appointed the new Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army.


According to a British report, 123 British vessels were sunk by the Germans in February, while 9,463 ships were able to safely enter port.

12 pacifist US Senators successfully filibuster a bill that would have armed merchant ships to protect them from German submarines.

US Secretary of the Navy Daniels announces he will immediately exercise emergency powers to commandeer private shipyards to produce warships.

Ship Losses:

HMT Campania II (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date with the loss of all hands.
Copenhagen (United Kingdom) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 8 nautical miles (15 km) east of the Noord Hinder Lightship ( Netherlands) by SM UC-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of six lives.
Federico Confalonieri (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of Ireland (51°50′N 13°32′W) by SM U-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Guadiana (Portugal) The sailing vessel was set afire and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Ireland by SM UC-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Salvatore (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Malta Channel by SM UC-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

March 5, 1917

Ireland:
Hans Rose, commanding U-53, sinks Italian freighter SS Federico Confalonieri, 4,434 tons, bound from Sgunto for the Clyde River with an unspecified cargo. His score is now 21 ships and 45,393 tons.

Kurt Tebbenjohanns, in UC-44, sets fire to Portuguese sailing vessel Gaudiana, 326 tons, heading for England with a load of wood. His score is now 7 ships and 2,012 tons.

Norwegian sailing ship Ilala, 1,375 tons, carrying a load of maize from Buenos Aires to Vaksdal, is dismasted in a storm and is abandoned. The crew are rescued by British freighter SS Albanian. Albanian is armed, and sinks Ilala with her guns to prevent any other ships hitting the wreck.



North Sea:
Georg Gerth, in UC-61, sinks British passenger ship SS Copenhagen, 2,570 tons, travelling from Harwich to Hoek van Holland. His score is now 4 ships and 3,592 tons.



Malta Channel:
Otto Launburg, in UC-37, sinks Italian sailing vessel Salvatore, bringing his score to 14 ships and 25,719 tons.



South Africa:
Early in the morning HMFM Trent records a strong headwind and rough sea. At 1100 hours it is noted that the towed lighters are shipping water. at 2145 Trent's engines are stopped when the lighters star pulling heavily to starboard. At 2320 the forward lighter sinks and the towrope parts.



Gulf of Aden:
German auxiliary minelayer SMS Iltis is laying a minefield when spotted by British sloop HMS Odin and cruiser HMS Fox. To prevent capture Iltis is scuttled by her own crew. Iltis was originally the German freighter SS Gutenfels. Captured by the British at the beginning of the war and renamed SS Polavon. In 1915 she was sold to Anglo-Saxon Petroleum and renamed SS Turritella. Recaptured by SMS Wolf on February 27, 1917 off Columbo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and converted to an auxiliary minelayer.



United States:
American schooner Henry Withington, 483 tons, travelling in ballast from Stockton, Maine to New York City, runs aground off Boston Harbor.



South Atlantic Ocean:
German raider SMS Seeadler captures and sinks French barque Dupleix, 2,206 tons.

[Jimbuna]

6th March 1917

Western Front

British line extends south of Somme to neighbourhood of Reims, twice the length of a year before.

Despite a blizzard, fighting continues in Verdun, with French forces successfully defending their trenches from German attacks.

Eastern Front

Night attack on German positions south of Brzezany fails.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

British cavalry 14 miles from Baghdad.

Political, etc.

U.S. Supreme Court decides "Appam" case in favour of British owners.

Paris is suffering from a potato shortage, and French women are urged to grow potatoes and other foodstuffs instead of flowers.

German Reichstag budget committee unanimously approves Zimmermann’s attempts to secure an alliance with Mexico against the U.S.

Ship Losses:

Caldergrove (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 200 nautical miles (370 km) west north west of the Fastnet Rock (51°30′N 14°51′W) by SM U-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nineteen crew.
Cornelia (United Kingdom) The coaster was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 9 nautical miles (17 km) of the Skellig Islands, County Kerry (51°47′N 10°43′W) by SM UC-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Fenay Lodge (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 250 nautical miles (460 km) north west of the Fastnet Rock (51°24′N 16°11′W) by SM U-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four crew.
Porto di Smirne (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 150 nautical miles (280 km) south west of Cape Matapan, Greece by SM U-65 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Sawa Maru (Japan) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 30 nautical miles (56 km) west of Bull Rock, County Cork, United Kingdom by SM UC-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

March 6, 1917

Air War:
1040 Irish RNAS pilot Francis Dominic Casey, flying Sopwith Pup N5163, shoots down a Halberstadt D.II for victory number 1.

1050 English RFC pilot Edwin Benbow, in FE.8 A4871, claims an Albatros D.II shot down for victory number 8.

1050 Irish RFC pilot Robert Gregory, in FE.8 6384, claims a Halberstadt D.II for victory number 3.

Both these claims are made in the middle of a raging dogfight broght on when Jasta 11 attacks Sopwith 1½ Strutters of 43 Squadron, which in turn are supported by FE.8s of 40 Squadron. At 1200 German time (1100 British time) Hans-Georg Eduard Lübbert is wounded and forced from the fight in his Albatros D.II. Manfred von Richtofen wrote his mother later that he had also been shot down on this day. While attacking a Sopwith he heard a loud bang, and felt some liquid swirling around his cockpit. Realizing that his fuel tank had been hit he dove vertically out of the fight. Benbow said that the Albatros he attacked had gone down in flames, while Gregory said "his" Halberstadt had gone down out of control. There has been much discussion as to who shot down whom, and it will likely never be resolved. What is known is that after he landed von Richthofen had a nap, ate lunch with the front-line troops and was back in the air in the late afternoon.

1100 English RFC pilot Harold Harrington Balfour, in Sopwith 1½ Strutter A1097 with 2nd Lt A. Roberts as observer, shoots down a Halberstadt fighter for victory number 1.

1130 German pilot Hans Kummetz, probably in an Albatros D.III, shoots down Nieuport 16 A208 for victory number 2. 2nd Lt P.S. Joyce is listed as Missing.

1145 German pilot Karl Schäfer, flying an Albatros D.III, shoots down Sopwith 1½ Strutter A978 for victory number 3. Lt S.J. Pepper and Cpt T.D. Stuart are both killed.

1155 Karl Schäfer shoots down a second 1½ Strutter for victory number 4. Details unknown.

1230 German pilot Kurt Robert Wilhelm Wolff, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down BE.2d 5856 for victory number 1. 2nd Lts G.M. Underwood and A.E. Watts are both killed.

1315 German pilot Heinrich Gontermann, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down BE.2d A1948 for victory number 2. 2nd Lts F.E. Hills and A.G. Ryall are both taken prisoner.

1320 German pilot Adolf Schulte, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down FE.2d 1953 for victory number 3. Cpt W.S.R. Bloomfield and 2nd Lt V.O. Lonsdale are both killed.

1335 Hans Kummetz scores his second kill of the day - Morane 'P' A268. Lts C.W. Short and S.M. Fraser are both wounded, Short dying later. There is some discrepancy in this record, as The Aerodrome website and Jasta War Chronology both list the aircraft as a D.H.2, which is a single-seater. UK Serials website and The Aerodrome's serial number section both show it as a Morane 'P', which seems the more likely candidate.

1345 German pilot Edmund Nathanael, in an Albatros, shoots down a Morane for victory number 1. No details.

1350 German pilot Wilhelm Cymera, flying an Albatros D.II, shoots down a Nieuport for victory number 2. No details.

1635 German ace Werner Voss, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down DH.2 7491 for victory number 13. Cpt Herbert Gordon Southon is wounded and taken prisoner.

1645 Prussia-born German pilot Wladek Kralewski, in an Albatros D.II, shoots down an FE.2b for victory number 1. No details.

1700 German ace Manfren von Richthofen, in a Halberstadt D.II, shoots down BE.2e A2785 for victory number 24. Gerald Maurice Gosset-Bibby and Geoffrey Joseph Ogilvie Brichta are both killed.

Together with Leutnant Allmenröder, I attacked two enemy artillery flyers at a low altitude over the other side. The wings of the plane I attacked came off; it dashed down and smashed on the ground.

German pilot Bruno Loerzer, flying an Albatros D.III, shoots down a Nieuport for victory number 3.

English aces Selden Long and Eric Pashley, in DH.2s share the downing of a German two-seater. Number 9 for Long, number 8 for Pashley. This would be the last aerial victory for both. Selden Long will serve again in World War 2 and live until 1952. Eric Pashley will be killed in action on March 17th.

French pilot Jacques Ortoli, in a Nieuport, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 4.

French pilot Edmond Pillon, in a Nieuport, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 2.

Fench pilot Armand Pinsard, in a SPAD VII, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 5.



North Atlantic, west of Ireland:
Paul Wagenfür, commanding U-44, sinks two British freighters 200 miles west of Fastnet:
SS Caldergrove, 4,327 tons, bound from Havana for Queenstown with a load of sugar.
SS Fenay Lodge, 3,223 tons, en route froo Mobile to Cherbourg with a load of pit props.
Wagenfür's score is now 14 ships and 39,269 tons.



Ireland:
Erwin Sebelin, in UC-43, sinks two ships off the Skeligs:
British freighter SS Cornelia, 903 tons, carryig a load of pitwood from Oporto to Cardiff; scuttled.
Japanese freighter Sawa Maru, 2,578 tons, en route from Huelva to Newport; torpedo.
Sebelin's score is now 10 ships and 11,526 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, sinks Italian freighter SS Porto de Smirne, 2,576 tons, carrying a load of flour from Genoa to Alexandria. His score is now 8 ships and 26,242 tons.



South Africa:
Cruiser HMS Hyacinth locates the surviving lighter and sends a cutter to HMFM Trent to assist rigging a new tow-rope. Unsure of the fate of the first lighter, Hyacinth stays in the area looking for it while Trent gets underway. Yet again the wind is behind them as is a heavy following sea, and the towing is rough.

[Jimbuna]

7th March 1917

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Three Turkish columns in western Persia continue retreat, converging on Baghdad road at Kangavar; main column thrown from Assadabad Pass by pursuing Russians.

Proclamation by Ulema of Mecca to the Faithful published.

Political, etc.

Italy will begin arming merchant ships and give award money prizes to those who sink or disable submarines.

Recruiting for W.A.A.C. temporarily completed. 114,803 enrolled for National Service to date.

National manifestation at Sorbonne, Paris, for triumph of right.

Austrian Minister of War orders 17 and 18 year-old males to report immediately for military service.

Ship Losses:

Adalands (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 8 nautical miles (15 km) south west of the Fastnet Rock by SM UC-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Antonio (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 17 (Ralph Wenninger) and sank in the English Channel 7 nautical miles (13 km) off Dartmouth, Devon with the loss of eleven of her crew.
Baron Wemyss (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 73 nautical miles (135 km) north west by west of the Fastnet Rock (51°40′N 11°30′W) by SM UC-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
Naamah (United Kingdom) The trawler was shelled and sunk in the North Sea 35 nautical miles (65 km) south by east of North Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands by SM UC-76 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Navarra (Norway) The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of the Eddystone Lighthouse, Cornwall, United Kingdom (49°36′N 4°12′W) by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nineteen crew.
Ohio (France) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 152 nautical miles (282 km) north west of the Skellig Islands, County Kerry, United Kingdom (51°45′N 14°30′W) by SM U-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMT Vivanti (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date.
Vulcana (United Kingdom) The trawler was shelled and sunk in the North Sea 40 nautical miles (74 km) east south east of the Auskerry Lighthouse, Orkney Islands by SM UC-76 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
Westwick (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 44 (Kurt Tebbenjohanns) and sank in the Irish Sea 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) south of Roche Point, Queenstown, County Cork. Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

March 7, 1917

Air War:
Russian pilots Donat Aduiovich Makeenok, flying a Nieuport 21, and Vasili Yanchenkoin a Nieuport 11, share the downing of an "Enemy Aircraft". Victory number 1 for Makeenok, number 4 for Yanchenko.

German pilot Arthur Schorisch, flying for Jasta 12 and probably in an Albatros D.III, claims an FE.2 for victory number 1.

Russian pilot Vladimir Ivanovich Strizhevsky, in a Nieuport 21, brings down an unidentified aircraft for victory number 1.



North Atlantic Ocean, west of Ireland:
Paul Wagenfür, commanding U-44, torpedoes French freighter SS Ohio, 8,719 tons, bound from New York for Le Havre with a general cargo, inluding copper, cotton, meat and vehicles. His score is now 15 ships and 47,988 tons.

Erwin Sebelin, in UC-43, sinks British freighter SS Baron Wemyss, 1,605 tons, carrying a general cargo from Huelva to Clyde. His score is now 11 ships and 13,131 tons.



Ireland:
Kurt Tebbenjohanns, in UC-44. sinks Norwegian freighter SS Adalands, 1,577 tons, en route from Rufisque to Hull with a load of ground nuts; off Fastnet.
Meanwhile British freighter SS Westwick, 5,694 tons, hits a mine laid by UC-44 off the Roche's Point Lighthouse.
Tebbenjohanns' score is now 9 ships and 9,283 tons.



English Channel:
Berndt Buß, in U-48, attacks Norwegian freighter SS Navarra, 1,261 tons, en route from Goteborg to Nantes with aload of paper and wood pulp. First he fires a torpedo, which misses, then he sinks her with his deck gun. The ship is listed as Missing until March 13, when a lifeboat washes up on the Scilly Islands. All 19 crew lost. His score is now 21 ships and 52,613 tons.

British freighter SS Antonio, 2,652 tons, carrying a load of hay from Barry to Cherbourg, hits a mine laid off Dartmouth by Ralph Wenninger in UC-17. His score is now 55 ships and 47,560 tons.



North Sea:
Wilhelm Barten, in UC-76, opens his U-Boat career with the sinking of two British trawlers off the Orkney Islands:
Naamah, 269 tons.
Vulcana, 219 tons.
Barten's opening score is 2 vessels and 488 tons.



Durban, South Africa:
After six days at sea HMFM Trent arrives at Durban with the one surviving lighter in tow. At 1108 a harbour pilot boards the liner and tugboat Escombe takes over the task of towing the lighter into the harbour. At 1240 Trent ties up at 'A' Shed for coaling.

[Jimbuna]

8th March 1917

Western Front

In Champagne, French regain most of salient lost on 15 February between Butte de Mesnil and Maisons de Champagne.

Slight British advance in Ancre valley.

Five enemy raids against British positions north of Wulverghem (Messines).

Eastern Front

Romanians lose three heights (late Russian positions) north-west of Ocna (Moldavia).

Enemy repulsed near Mitau (Riga).

Southern Front

Several days' shelling of Monastir reported.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Tigris bridged and Turks driven from position six miles from Baghdad.

British effect surprise crossing of Diala river (Mesopotamia).

Russians on road from Hamadan rout Turks, who withdraw to Hajiabad.

Naval and Overseas Operations

SS Storstad, a Norwegian ship known for accidentally hitting the Empress of Ireland and causing 1000+ deaths, is sunk by a German U-boat SM U-62.

Political, etc.

Civil mobilisation report tabled in French Senate: civilians of both sexes, 17 to 60, included.

Interim report of Dardanelles Commission issued.

Wireless communication between U.S.A. and Germany suspended.

President Wilson decides to arm American ships against submarines.

Prussian government blames the illegal use of ration cards for contributing to the lack of potatoes and bread in Germany.

The February Revolution begins in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). Riots break out across the city due to food shortages.

Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general known for his namesake airships, has passed away.


Ship Losses:

Ares (Netherlands) The tanker was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 40 nautical miles (74 km) west of Cascais, Portugal (38°12′N 10°19′W) by SM UC-74 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Dunbarmoor (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 180 nautical miles (330 km) west north west of the Fastnet Rock (51°22′N 14°31′W) by SM U-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of twelve crew.
Georgian United Kingdom The cargo ship was torpeded and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 52 nautical miles (96 km) north of Cape Sidero, Crete, Greece (36°13′N 26°05′W) by SM UB-47 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.
Silas (Norway) The barque was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Ireland (52°10′N 16°00′W) by SM U-44 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Storstad (United Kingdom) The collier was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 45 nautical miles (83 km) west south west of the Fastnet Rock (51°20′N 11°50′W) by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three crew.
Vega (Russia) The barque was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (51°00′N 12°00′W) by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

March 8, 1917

German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, inventor of the first practical dirigible airship, dies at age 78. Zeppelin had a long and varied career, travelling to the United States in 1863 (age 25) to serve as an observer with the Union Army. After a few months Zeppelin left to explore the rest of America. In St. Paul, Minnesota, he took a ride with German-born balloonist John Steiner. In 1874 Zeppelin began to make notes for the design of a steerable airship. In 1890 Zeppelin left the army and began working full-time, building Luftschiff Zeppelin 1 in 1900.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_von_Zeppelin
http://www.airships.net/airship-peop...-von-zeppelin/

Zeppelin, second from right, with the Union Army in 1863.


First flight of LZ-1, July 2, 1900.




Air War:
Bulgarian-born German pilot Rudof von Eschwege, still flyin a Fokker E.III over Greece, claims a Nieuport 12 shot down, but it is unconfirmed.



Atlantic Ocean, west of Ireland:
Paul Wagenfür, commanding U-44, sinks two ships roughly 200 miles west of FAstnet:
British freighter SS Dunbarmoor, 3,651 tons, bound from Rosario for Manchester with a load of wheat.
Norwegian sailing ship Silas, travelling in ballast from Bordeaux to Grimstad.
Wagenfür's score is now 17 ships and 52,389 tons.

Ernst Hashagen, in U-62, sinks two ships near the Scilly Isles:
Norwegian freighter SS Storstad, 6,028 tons, carrying a load of maize from Buenos Aires to Rotterdam.
Russian barque Vega, 452 tons, en route from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Fleetwood with a load of logwood.
Hashagen's score is now 11 ships and 10,751 tons.



Portugal:
Wilhelm Marschall, in UC-74, captures Dutch tanker MV Ares, 3,783 tons, carrying a load of benzine from Port Said to Rouen, and sinks her with a torpedo; 40 miles off Cascais. This is his first sinking.



Mediterranean Sea:
Wolfgang Steinbauer, in UB-47, sinks British freighter SS Georgian, 5,088 tons, bringing his score to 16 ships and 77,316 tons.



Durban, South Africa:
HMFM Trent is still coaling, meanwhile stores for HMS Severn are moved ashore. Coaling is finished at 1630, Trent having taken on 964 tons.



United States:
American schooner Frank Pendleton, 1,343 tons, en route from Hampton Roads to New York with a load of coal, is wrecked.



Atlantic Ocean:
Norwegian barque Blanca, 1,581 tons, carrying a load of maize from Buenos Aires to Århus, goes missing and is not heard from again.

[Jimbuna]

9th March 1917

Western Front

French repulse attacks in Champagne and north of Bois des Caurieres.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Passage of Diala forced: British advance on Baghdad.

Russians attack retreating Turks near Sivas (Asia Minor).

Russian scouts advance south-west from Sakis; Sinnah (Persian Kurdistan) captured.

General retreat of Turks in Persia.

Russian troops invite Persian Government to resume possession of towns occupied by Russians in Persia.

Political, etc.

World shortage of wheat foreshadowed by French Chamber.

Lord Devenport sanctions maximum food prices.

Food problem at Petrograd becomes urgent.

Around 200,000 protestors flood the streets of St. Petersburg, demanding the end to the war and overthrow of the Tsar.

Dutch authorities officially notified by Germany that safety is guaranteed for shipping along a strip of North Sea from Holland to Norway.

Ship Losses:

Abeja (United Kingdom) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the English Channel 20 nautical miles (37 km) south west by south of Start Point (49°53′N 3°42′W) by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Cavour (Italy) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Ireland (51°15′N 6°55′W) by SM U-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Dana (Norway) The coaster was sunk in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south of Sumburgh Head, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom by SM UC-76 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
East Point (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 9 nautical miles (17 km) east by south of the Eddystone Lighthouse by SM U-48 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMS Fauvette (Royal Navy) The armed boarding steamer struck a mine and sank in The Downs (51°24′N 1°29′E with the loss of fourteen of her crew.
Inverlogie (United Kingdom) The barque was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km) south west of the Smalls Lighthouse by SM U-70 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Lars Fostenes (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Cork, United Kingdom by SM U-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Laurits (Denmark) The schooner was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, United Kingdom by SM UC-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Spartan (Norway) The barque was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 75 nautical miles (139 km) south west of the Fastnet Rock (50°26′N 10°45′W) by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

Editorial Cartoon: 'We may have to inoculate him' ─ Chicago Tribune.

[Sailor Steve]

March 9, 1917

Air War:
1030 German pilot Karl Almenröder, flying an Albatros D.III, shoots down FE.8 6399 for victory number 2. 2nd Lt R.E. Nave is severely wounded.

1120 German pilot Karl Schäfer, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down FE.8 6379 for victory number 5. 2nd Lt W.B. Hills is taken prisoner.

1120 German pilot Kurt Wolff, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down FE.8 6456 for victory number 2. 2nd Lt Thomas Aloyims Shepard has his controls shot out but manages to land on the German side and is taken prisoner.

1122 Karl Schäfer scores his second victory of the day, shooting down FE.8 4874 for number 6.

1155 German ace Manfred von Richthofen, flying the wounded Hans-Georg Lübbert's Albatros D.II, shoots down DH.2 A2571 for victory number 25. Lt Arthur John Pearson is killed.

1515 German ace Friedrich Mannschott, in an Albatros D.III, destroys a French observation balloon for victory number 11. Observer Maurice Guillotin bails out safely.



Scotland:
Erwin Sebelin, in UC-43, sinks Danish schooner Laurits, 183 tons, bound from Valencia for Copenhagen with a load of oilcake. His score is now 12 ships and 13,314 tons.



Ireland:
British coaster Conisbro' Castle, 192 tons, is wrecked at Medalland Bay, Ireland.



Celtic Deep:
Otto Wünsche, in U-70, captures British barque Inverlogie, 2,347 tons, en route from Barry to Archangelsk with a load of coal, and sinks her with a torpedo; off the Smalls Lighthouse. His score is now 44 ships and 61,724 tons.



Celtic Sea:
Victor Dieckmann, in U-63, stops Norwegian barque Spartan, 2,287 tons, heading from New York tp Liverpool with a load of petroleum, and sinks her with a torpedo. His score is now 12 ships and 13,585 tons.

Hans Rose, in U-53, sinks two Allied ships:
Italian freighter SS Cavour, 1,929 tons, steaming from Clyde to Genoa with a load of coal.
Norwegian freighter SS Lars Fostenes, 2,118 tons, carrying a general cargo from New York to Rotterdam.
His score is now 23 ships and 49,440 tons.


English Channel:
Berndt Buß, in U-48, sinks two ships:
British schooner Abeja, 174 tons, travelling in ballast from Granville to Fowey, is sunk with the deck gun 20 miles southwest of Start Point.
British freighter SS East Point, 5,234 tons, en route from London to Philadelphia with a general cargo. U-48 torpedoes East Point off the Eddystone Lighthouse. The ship will later sink, with no casualties, but for now continues on her way. Buß returns to periscope depth and U-48 is rammed in the conning tower by East Point, apparently accidentally. The conning tower hatch is forced open and the torpedo officer and one sailor drop into the control room. Buß and Steuermann Adolf Bergmann are both rendered unconscious and nothing can be done as the sea is pouring into the control room. The lower hatch is sealed and the two offiers ane drowned when the boat sinks and the conning tower floods. U-48 sinks out of control and hits bottom at 70 metres. After some repairs the crew, now led by Oberleutnant zur See der Reserve Hinrich Hermann Hashagen, manage to get her to 50 metres. In the evening they surface and make repairs as best they can. Berndt Buß and Adolf Bergmann are buried at sea. On a test dive it is discovered that the conning tower is still flooding, but at a slow enough rate that the boat is controllable under water. The voyage home is begun.
Buß' final score is 21 ships and 52,613 tons.



North Sea:
British destroyer HMS Albacore, 440 tons, hits a mine laid by Kurt Tebbenjohanns in UC-44. The damaged ship makes port and is repaired.

Wilhelm Barten, in UC-76, sinks British freighter SS Dana, 753 tons, carrying a load of condensed milk from Christiania to Hull, off Sumbrough Head in the Shetland Islands. His score is now 3 ships and 1,241 tons.



Durban, South Africa:
No sooner is HFMF Trent back in harbour than one of her crew deserts. Meanwhile the local police return two other deserters and arrest two more men. At 1047 Trent is dispatched to aid SS Baron Minto, which has run afoul of the lighter which was lost and believed sunk four days earlier.



Australia:
Australian trawler Dunskey, 34 tons, en route from Albany to Nornalup with a load of supplies, is lot off Wilson's Inlet. All 7 crew are rescued.

Atlantic Ocean:
British brig Maggie Belle, 134 tons, is lost to a fire in Lombo Gordo, in the Azores.

[Jimbuna]

10th March 1917

Western Front

British capture Irles (Ancre); 292 prisoners.

Eastern Front

Romanians and Russians counter-attack to regain Magyaros Ridge (Moldavia) lost on 8 March.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Turks forced back to within three miles of Baghdad.

Naval

German submarine SM UC-43, which is credited with sinking 13 ships during her career, is sunk by the HMS G13 with loss of all hands.

Political, etc.

Tsar Nicholas II orders the Petrograd garrison to disperse the “impermissible” riots and crowds with rifle fire.

Due to strikes and demonstrations, most of the industries in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) come to a halt.

President Wilson orders the U.S. Navy Department to begin arming merchant ships to protect them from submarines.

Canada bans women and children from traveling on ships that would pass through areas where submarines are active.

Ship Losses:

Algol (Norway) The coaster was shelled and sunk in the North Sea east of the Shetland Islands, United Kingdom (60°20′N 0°50′E) by SM U-81 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her eighteen crew took to the lifeboats but were not rescued.
Asbjørn (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 13 nautical miles (24 km) north north west of Ouessant, Finistère, France by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Angola (Portugal) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 112 nautical miles (207 km) south west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Esmereldas (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 420 nautical miles (780 km) west of Lisbon, Portugal by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were taken as prisoners of war.
Guglielmotti (Italian Royal Navy) On her maiden voyage, the Pacinotti'-class submarine was sunk in the Ligurian Sea northwest of Capraia by gunfire and ramming by the sloop HMS Cyclamen ( Royal Navy) after Cyclamen mistook her for a German submarine.
James Burton Cook (United Kingdom) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) south south east of Málaga, Spain by SM UC-74 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Marie (France) The schooner was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km) north of the Seven Stones reef by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Mediterranean (United Kingdom) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 13 nautical miles (24 km) south of Hook Point, County Waterford by SM U-70 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Otaki (United Kingdom) The refrigerated cargo liner was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 420 nautical miles (780 km) west of Lisbon by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of six of her crew. Survivors were taken as prisoners of war. Her captain was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his action in attacking Möwe.
Skreien (Norway) The coaster was scuttled in the North Sea 60 nautical miles (110 km) east of Lerwick, Shetland Islands by SM U-81 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.
T. Crowley (United Kingdom) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 12 nautical miles (22 km) south of Hook Point by SM U-70 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SM UC-43 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UC II submarine was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea north of Muckle Flugga, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom (60°57′N 1°11′W) by HMS G13 ( Royal Navy) with the loss of all 26 crew.

[August]

100 years ago today my great grandfathers unit, the 8th Bavarian Infantry Regiment was pulled off the Somme front and sent to a rest camp behind the lines. They will stay there until the beginning of April where they will take positions on the line at the northern end of Vimy Ridge.