100 Years Ago Today

[Jimbuna]

19th September 1914

Western Front

The Aisne: Strong general German attacks: also on the Meuse forts (Verdun).

German 6th Army launches attacks around Flirey, France, located just south of Verdun.

First bombardment of Reims Cathedral by German artillery.

Eastern Front

300,000 Austro-Hungarian troops are on the Italian border in case Italy joins the Entente.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Admiral Troubridge recalled into enquiry into escape of "Goeben" and "Breslau".

Cattaro bombarded by French squadron.

First units of Indian Expeditionary Force "A" leave Egypt for Marseilles.

Political, etc.

Mr. Lloyd George's speech to Welshmen on German barbarities.

British and French Governments guarantee to Belgium the integrity of her colonies.

Secret agreement for mutual support concluded between Russian and Rumanian Governments.

Ship Losses:

Gamma ( Norway): The schooner was wrecked on Vlieland, Friesland, Netherlands with some loss of life.
Ocean ( Sweden): The schooner was wrecked on Vlieland. Her crew were rescued.

[Sailor Steve]

September 19:

"A great flood of luxury and sloth which had submerged the land is receding and a new Britain is appearing. We can see for the first time the fundamental things that matter in life, and that have been obscured from our vision by the tropical growth of prosperity."
-David Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, talking of Britain's newfound sense of sacrifice and determination in a speech at Queen's Hall, London, September 19, 1914

SMS Karlsruhe recieves a radio signal from the German consul in Pernambuco, Brazil, asking if they have seen SS Indrani. The consul had purchased her load of coal for use by German raiders and Indrani was now overdue. Captain Köhler has that cargo in hand but decides not to respond to the signal in case his reply is intercepted by the British. Since he already has the coal Köhler decides to keep Indrani as his personal collier.

In the Indian Ocean SMS Emden takes advantage of another beautiful day to practice recoaling at sea, from their faithful collier Markomannia. That night they pick up several wireless signals from 'QMD', and reckon from their strength that HMS Hampshire is no more than ten miles away.

[Jimbuna]

20th September 1914

Western Front

The Aisne: Heavy fighting round Noyon and Reims. Bombardment of Reims Cathedral.

Eastern Front

East Prussian Frontier: Russians abandon Augustovo: Germans lay siege to Osovyets.

Political, etc.

32-year-old Colonel George S. Patton of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) writes to his father from the Western Front in France, recounting his experiences during the American-led offensive against the Germans at Saint-Mihiel earlier that month.

China institutes martial law in several cities and provinces, as a precaution against a possible rebellion.

Naval and Overseas Operations

H.M.S. "Pegasus" disabled by German cruiser "Konigsberg" at Zanzibar.

PEGASUS, 3rd class or light cruiser, Pelorus-class, 2,135t, 1897, 8‑4in/8-3pdr QF/2-18in tt, 20kts, c224 crew, Cape of Good Hope Station in August 1914, sent to East Africa, Capt John Alexander Ingles, during searches for Königsberg (10-4.1in), Pegasus had developed machinery defects and put into Zanzibar to repair them, also partly to protect the port. Although there was no indication Königsberg was in the vicinity, armed tug Helmuth patrolled the South Channel, Pegasus's men slept at their guns at night and steam was kept at two hours notice as she lay off the town. Helmuth saw a vessel approaching at 0525, steamed out to warn her off and received two blank rounds, Königsberg opened fire from 9,000yds and straddled the outranged Pegasus, within 8min all engaged guns were disabled but after a five minute pause the shelling continued. Königsberg ceased fire at 0555 and withdrew having done little damage to the town itself. Although badly holed on the water line, Pegasus was still afloat with engines untouched, attempts were made to beach her, but she turned over and sank in Zanzibar harbour around 1415; 1 officer and 31 ratings killed, 1 officer and 1 rating DOW the same day, followed by one rating each on 26th, 27th, 6/10, 8/10, a total of 38 (Rn - 2 officers DOW, 24 crew killed, five more DOW, 55 wounded; ke - 31 lost), survivors rescued by boats from collier Banffshire. Königsberg returned to the Rufuji River delta and was not discovered there until the end of October.

SMS Königsberg


HMS Pegasus


Ship Losses:

HMS Pegasus ( Royal Navy): World War I: The Pelorus-class cruiser was shelled and sunk by SMS Königsberg ( Kaiserliche Marine) in Zanzibar harbour with the loss of 38 of her 224 crew. The wreck was scrapped in 1955.
USRC Tahoma (Ensign of the United States Revenue-Marine (1868).png United States Revenue Cutter Service): The cutter ran aground on an uncharted rock off of the Aleutian Islands.
HMS Yarmouth II ( Royal Navy): The ship was driven ashore between Margate and Westgate-on-Sea, Kent.

[Sailor Steve]

September 20:

Speaking of the pushing-back of the Germans to the Aisne river, Winston Churchill writes to a friend "Doom has fallen upon Prussian military arrogance. Time and determination are all that is needed."

Sometime after midnight, after several hours sailing southward and well away from HMS Hampshire, Karl von Müller alters course to the east for the port city of Madras (today called Chennai), 1145 nautical miles from Rangoon and not quite three days steaming for Emden at 12 knots. The intent is to raid an enemy port at the opposite end of the Bay of Bengal from previous operations.

[Jimbuna]

21st September 1914

Western Front

The Aisne: French recover Noyon and advance to Lassigny in effort to turn the German right wing.

Troyon again attack.

Eastern Front

East Prussian Frontier: Germans reach the Niemen.

Galicia: Russians take Jaroslau.

Political, etc.

Mr. Winston Churchill's Liverpool speech.

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:— It is well that the force and spirit of all classes and interests in the British Empire are all flowing together into one great channel, and moves forward to the realization of the whole strength of the British people. The times in which we live are terrible; the course of events has passed outside the boundaries of the most daring imagination. The actual facts are so stunning, the scale of all the phenomena presented to our view so vast, that we can only feel, each one of us, that we must just lay hold of the next obvious simple step which duty indicates. [Cheers.] How we shall reach the end we cannot see now. But the immediate step before us we can see quite plainly. [Cheers.]

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Great_...r/Churchill_(2)

Naval and Overseas Operations

Japanese warplanes and warships begin shelling German forts in Tsingtao, China.

German armed forces in New Guinea surrender to the Australian Expeditionary Force.

Ship Losses:

Belgian King ( United Kingdom): The cargo liner foundered in the Black Sea off Cape Kureli, Ottoman Turkey with the loss of 22 of the 120 people on board. Survivors were rescued by Princesse Eugenie ( Russia).
Cornish City ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 245 nautical miles (454 km) south west of the St Paul Rocks, Brazil by SMS Karlsruhe ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

September 21:

A storm has been brewing off the Dutch coast, in more ways than one, for more than a day. The three old armored cruisers Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue, have been patrolling there, looking for German activity. By nightfall the storm as picked up to full gale force, and the squadron of destroyers escorting them has been sent home as the small destroyers of that time could not survive in such weather. Also in the area is a German submarine, U-9. In this weather she also cannot operate on the surface, so her captain, Otto Weddigen, has taken her to 100 meters to ride it out.

Graf Spee's squadron recoals in the lagoon at Bora Bora, part of the Society Islands and 124 nautical miles from Tahiti. Once the coaling is done Admiral von Spee sets course in that direction. Like captain von Müller, Spee, frustrated with his lack of success against the British and Australian squadrons, has decided to raid the port city of Papeete.

Off the coast of Brazil SMS Karlsruhe captures and sinks the Dutch freighter Maria, 3,648 tons, with gunfire. Later that night or early the next morning she captures and scuttles the British steamer Cornish City, 3,816 tons.

SMS Königsberg is back at her hideaway in the Rufiji river, but she is now in trouble. Her engines were already in need of overhaul, but the high-speed retreat after her attack on Pegasus has left her with burst pipes and damaged valves and guages. A machine shop would be needed to make repairs, as no spares are available anywhere in Africa.

The crew of SMS Emden spend the day at gun practice, in anticipation of a possible encounter with British warships during tomorrow's raid on Madras. Even if this didn't happen the Emden would still have to deal with the St. George Battery, a group of 5.9" guns. Though these were old they were still larger than Emden's 4.1" guns.

[Jimbuna]

22nd September 1914

Western Front

The Aisne: A day of comparative calm.

First Battle of Picardy begins.

Eastern Front

Galicia: Russians approach Przemysl.

Aviation

First use of wireless telegraphy from aeroplane to artillery.

Dusseldorf: sheds raided by British airmen.

Naval and Overseas Operations

South Africa: Botha assumes command in place of Beyers.

"Emden" bombards Madras.

"Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" bombard Pepeete (French Tahiti).

H.M.S.'s "Aboukir", "Hogue" and "Cressy" sunk by submarine.

Southern Force (Adm Christian) had the task of keeping waters south of Dogger Bank clear of German torpedo craft and minelayers, also to protect troop movements across the English Channel. Patrols were carried out by Harwich Force (Cdre Tyrwhitt) with light cruiser leaders and 1st and 3rd DF's in cooperation with submarines of 8th Overseas Flotilla, and supported by armoured cruiser Euryalus (flag), attached light cruiser Amethyst, and 7th CS or Cruiser Force C with armoured cruisers Bacchante (flag, Adm Campbell), Cressy, Aboukir, Hogue, based on the Nore. One patrol area was off the Dogger Bank and one in the Broad Fourteens off the Dutch coast, weather was so bad on 17th that both destroyer flotillas had to be ordered home, leaving only the Dogger Bank being watched by Euryalus, Hogue and Aboukir, with Cressy back home coaling and Bacchante in dock for repairs.

The Admiralty was already aware the armoured cruisers were not suitable for this work and plans were in hand to reassign the "Live Bait Squadron" to less risky duties. On the 19th, only the patrol in the Broad Fourteens was to be maintained, but the weather was still too bad for destroyers to come out. On the 20th, Adm Christian had to leave in Euryalus to coal and for repairs to his wireless, and was unable to transfer his flag to Aboukir because of heavy seas. Command therefore passed to Aboukir’s Capt Drummond, who was joined by the re-coaled Cressy. Still no destroyers could join them then or thoughout the 21st, but then Fearless (Cdre Tyrwhitt) and eight destroyers were able to leave Harwich. Early on the 22nd, Admiralty received message "Aboukir and Hogue sinking" and more ships were sent out.

Cruiser Force C, the three large or 1st class armoured cruisers (Cressy-class, 12,000t, 2-9.2in/12-6in/14-12pdr/2-18in tt, 21kts, c700 crew) was steaming abreast and unescorted in a northeasterly direction i.e. towards German bases at the time, two miles apart, at 10kts and not zig-zagging, although on the lookout for submarines and each with two guns loaded and crews closed up. Aboukir was torpedoed at 0630, Hogue started rescue operations but was then torpedoed herself, followed by Cressy, all sunk by U.9 (Lt-Cdr Otto Weddigen) in 52.18N, 03.41E, about 30 miles W by S of Ymuiden (dx - off Maas LV); over 1,460 men were lost including many old reservists and young midshipmen, more than the British losses at the Battle of Trafalgar, 60 officers and 777 men were saved in total by Dutch steamships Flora (170), Titan (147), Lowestoft sailing trawlers Coriander and J.G.C. (280) and ships of Harwich Force which arrived at 1045:

HMS Aboukir


HMS Cressey


HMS Houge


U.9


Ship Losses:

HMS Aboukir ( Royal Navy): Action of 22 September 1914: The Cressy-class cruiser was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off the Dutch coast by SM U-9 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 527 lives.
HMS Cressy ( Royal Navy): Action of 22 September 1914: The Cressy-class cruiser was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off the Dutch coast by SM U-9 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMS Hogue ( Royal Navy): Action of 22 September 1914: The Cressy-class cruiser was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off the Dutch coast by SM U-9 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Kilmarnock ( United Kingdom): The trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 31 nautical miles (57 km) east of Spurn Point, Yorkshire with the loss of six of her crew.
Mauritzia ( Sweden): The schooner was driven ashore on Öland and was wrecked.[18]
Rothenfield ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was sunk as a blockship in Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands.
Rio Iguassu ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 155 nautical miles (287 km) south west by west of the St Paul Rocks, Brazil by SMS Karlsruhe ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Urmston Grange ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was sunk as a blockship in Scapa Flow.
Zélée ( French Navy): The gunboat was shelled and sunk at Papeete, Tahiti by SMS Gneisenau and SMS Scharnhorst (both Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

September 22:

Two Sopwith Tabloids, piloted by Major Eugene Gerrard and Lieutenant Charles Collett, mount a raid on the Zeppelin shed at Golzheim, outside Dusselforf. Gerrard has to land with an engine problem, but Collet manages to drop three bombs on the facility. One lands outside the shed, and the blast breaks some windows. The other two fail to explode. Meanwhile Lieutenant Reginald Marix in another Tabloid and Lieutenant-Commander Spenser Grey and observer Lieutenant Edward Newton Clare in a B.E.2 attempt to attack the sheds at Cologne but are forced to turn back due to increasingly bad weather.



The day dawns clear over the North Sea. According to the account given by Johann Spiess, first officer of U-9, they surfaced to find the sky completely cloudless. Spiess spots three small smoke columns in the distance and alerts captain Weddigen, who is at breakfast. Weddigen comes to the bridge and looks at the smoke for some time, then orders a dive. Over the next several minutes he makes repeated periscope observations. Finally he tells his crew "Three light cruisers. Four funnels. Probably Town-class boats." Speiss considers this to be revenge for U-15, as HMS Birmingham had been a Town-class cruiser.

The three ships keep on their course, directly for U-9's position. At 06:20 Weddigen orders one torpedo to be fired. The stopwatch counts out thirty-one seconds and the sound of an explosion is heard.

HMS Aboukir is hit on the starboard beam and immediately begins to list. The officers of Cressy and Hogue assume their sister ship has struck a mine, and rush to the rescue. Aboard U-9 the empty torpedo tube is reloaded. This same boat and crew had been the very first to reload a torpedo underwater, back in July, and they are skilled at the maneuver. At 07:55, range 300 yards, Weddigen sends both his torpedoes toward Hogue and orders full astern. With the tubes empty U-9 bobs to the surface and Hogue's guns open up on her as both torpedoes strike home. Weddigen and Speiss get their boat under control and underwater. At the same time Aboukir also sinks beneath the waves. Ten minutes later Hogue rolls over and disappears as well.

With his batteries getting low Weddigen orders the last bow torpedo loaded, but turns the boat around to give Cressy both stern tubes. Lookouts aboard the cruiser spot the wakes and the captain orders a turn-away to comb the torpedoes. The first misses but the second strikes home. Weddigen again turns his boat around and fires his last eel. It is a good shot, and Cressy begins to sink.

"The periscope revealed a fearful picture. The giant with four funnels turned slowly over to port. Men climbed like ants over her side and then, as she turned turtle completely, they ran about on her broad flat keel until, in a few minutes, she disappeared beneath the waves. We watched, fascinated, with a sense of tragic horror. For long minutes we were lost as if in some kind of a trance."
-Johann Spies

U-9 creeps slowly away until out of sight of the carnage she has created, then surfaces to recharge her depleted batteries. Weddigen then spends the night at the bottom of the Channel. On the morning of the 23rd they surface and head for Wilhelmshaven. It is only upon arriving in port that they find that, rather than the light cruisers they had supposed, they have actually destroyed three large armored cruisers. Otto Weddigen will become the first German Naval officer to win the Pour le Mérite.



In the Pacific, at dawn Maximilian von Spee and this armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau reach Papeete. The French have heard about Spee's visit to Appia, and they are ready. The fort opens fire on the two ships. They return fire and the fort's guns are soon quiet. Also silenced are the guns of the gunboat Zelée, which have been mounted ashore. Zelée herself and the captured German merchant Walküre are sunk. The governor of Tahiti orders their coal stores set on fire. Spee realizes the raid now has no point, and his ships turn away toward the Marquesas.



Off the coast of Brazil SMS Karlsruhe comes across SS Rio Iguassu, carrying coal to Brazil. The crew are taken aboard one of the supply ships and Rio Iguassu is scuttled. Later in the day Karlsruhe comes across SS Ascaro, carrying grain from Brazil to Italy. Since Italy is neutral the ship is allowed to proceed on its way.



In the Bay of Bengal SMS Emden mounts her raid on Madras just after dark. Captain von Müller has his men bathe and put on clean clothes to help prevent infections if they are wounded. The lifeboats are filled with water to help prevent fires if they are hit. At sunset the false fourth funnel is erected. The lights of Madras are sighted at around 20:00 hours. The officers are surprised - they had expected the city to be blacked out. At 21:00 the ship is cleared for action and speed raised to 17 knots. At 21:45 the ship is turned to port and stopped, about 3,000 yards from the city. The forward searchlight is turned on and the order given to open fire. Von Müller has ordered his gunnery officer, Lt. Gaede, to be sure that no shells land in the city. The target is the oil tanks at the port. The first salvo is long, but the second found its target. Flames erupt from the stricken oil tank, and fire is switched to the next in line. Two shells find their target, but nothing happens. The tank is empty. The third tank bursts into flame almost immediately. At this point the shore batteries open fire. Some shells fall with 100 yards or so, but Emden is not hit.

After 125 rounds von Müller gives the cease-fire order. Several oil tanks and some port buildings have been destroyed. Given the number of shells fired casualties were light. One shell hit the steamer Chupra at its dock. Joseph Fletcher has the dubious distinction of being the only merchant sailor ever killed by Emden. Von Müller orders the ship's lights turned so anyone looking can see the ship steaming away to the north. Once well clear of the city the lights are doused and Emden turns southward. Prince Franz Josef of Hohenzollern writes that in the morning they could see the smoke clouds sixty miles away.

Estimates of the fuel oil burned range from 300,000 to 425,000 gallons, at a cost of roughly 20 million gold marks. More importantly, citizens are fleeing the city and British guarantees of safety are now met with extreme skepticism. Merchants and bankers leave the city, wrecking its economy for weeks. Shipping is halted throughout the region. Karl von Müller and SMS Emden are becoming a legend.

"The escape of the Emden from the bay of Bengal is most unsatisfactory, and I do not understand on what principle the operations of the four cruisers Hampshire, Yarmouth, Dupleix, and Chickuma have been concerned. From the chart, they appear to be working entirely disconnected and with total lack of direction."
-First Sea Lord Winston Churchill

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

20th September 1914


Political, etc.

32-year-old Colonel George S. Patton of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) writes to his father from the Western Front in France, recounting his experiences during the American-led offensive against the Germans at Saint-Mihiel earlier that month.

In september 1914, 28 year-old George S. Patton was a 2nd Lieutenant assigned to Fort Meyer, Virginia.

You are 4 years too early. Does'nt anyone proof read these posts?

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

Does'nt anyone proof read these posts?

It's difficult. I've had a few discussions about mistakes. When someone points out an error in mine I try to go back and fix it, or discuss why I think it's not a error. While I have the authority to edit other people's posts, I'm reluctant to do so for relatively minor reasons. On the other hand corrections such as yours are more than welcome, as they help remind us that having the facts correct in a thread such as this is the most important thing.

In this case you are correct about the date. It should be 1918 rather than 1914.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...hiel-offensive

[Bilge_Rat]

Steve, I was only kidding. I love this thread.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

Steve, I was only kidding. I love this thread.

I recognize that. It's still true, though. Corrections are always welcome.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

In september 1914, 28 year-old George S. Patton was a 2nd Lieutenant assigned to Fort Meyer, Virginia.

You are 4 years too early. Does'nt anyone proof read these posts?

Obviously not me...I was only four years off

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...hiel-offensive

Well spotted

[Jimbuna]

23rd September 1914

Western Front

The Aisne: The battle extends northward along the River Oise.

Southern Front

Bosnia: Serbians and Montenegrins make progress towards Sarajevo.

Naval and Overseas Operations

British force joins Japanese army before Tsingtau. Force landed September 22nd; in action September 24th.

Political etc.

Marconi Wireless Company plans suit to challenge U.S. censorship laws on wireless communications.

Ship Losses:

Rebono ( United Kingdom): The trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) east by north of the Spurn Lightship ( United Kingdom) with the loss of a crew member.

[Sailor Steve]

September 23:

Based on the appearances of Graf Spee's armored cruisers at the Carolines, Samoa, and now Tahiti, Australian Admiral George Edwin Patey concludes that his guess that Spee was heading for South America was correct. The Admiralty reaches a different conclusion and wires him the following orders: "It is very probable that Gneisenau and Scharnhorst may repeat attacks similar to one at Papeete; they may be expected to return towards Samoa, Fiji and even New Zealand. Making Suva your base, search in these waters." The Admiralty's main concern is the safety of ANZAC troop convoys, and they consider the damage Spee might do if he continues eastward to be of less importance. First Sea Lord Winston Churchill writes "At any rate for several weeks we need not worry about their ships." Of course this also means that for several weeks Spee need not worry about Allied warships.


Since repairs to SMS Königsberg will take many weeks, Captain Looff sets up a telephone and telegraph network thoughout his area, intended to notify him of any British warships long before they can reach his hideaway. He also dismounts all his ship's smaller guns and begins to dig gun emplacements and trenches in case the enemy tries to land soldiers. Looff also is in contact with the wireless station at the German Southwest Africa city of Windhoek, so he has immediate access to his superiors in Berlin.

The nearest British ship to Zanzibar is HMS Chatham, escorting troop transports in the Red Sea. Captain Sidney Drury-Lowe recieves orders to proceed to Aden and recoal, then to head south and "...destroy the Königsberg at all costs." This message is also sent to the two new cruisers Dartmouth and Weymouth, but they are at Bombay and Port Said, so it will be two weeks before they can be in a position to search for Königsberg.


SMS Emden is proceeding southward, captain von Müller intending to try his luck around Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Before dawn they meet up with their collier, Markomannia. They pass the French port of Pondicherry (Puducherry) and the British port of Cuddalore, hoping to find some merchant shipping in the wide open bays which serve as harbors to those cities, but meet with disappointment.