100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

January 6:

The Admiralty, London: First Sea Lord Fisher replies to Admiral Sturdee: "The last paragraph of your signal is improper and such observations must not be repeated. Their Lordships await your written report and dispatches before coming to any conclusion."



Cape Horn: HMS Bristol and Glasgow backtrack and return to the Atlantic.



Atlantic Ocean: HMS Invincible departs St. Vincent for Gibraltar.

[Jimbuna]

7th January 1915

Western Front

French occupy Burnhaupt-le-Haut (Alsace).

Eastern Front

Heavy German attacks on lower Ravka repulsed.

Political, etc.

British Note with "preliminary observations" in reply to American Note of 29 December 1914 on interference with neutral trade.

Germany issues a general order forbidding its troops from fraternizing with the enemy to prevent another Christmas truce.

French cabinet approves measure to prohibit the sale of absinthe and other similar liquors.

French Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes a report documenting 300 war crimes committed by German troops.

Romania asks the U.S. to handle diplomatic issues in Berlin if ties are cut between Germany and Romania, suggesting it will join the Allies.

Ship Losses:

Elfrida ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) east north east of Scarborough, Yorkshire.

Arizona paper prints photo of two Royal Navy subs that the paper claims will protect England from German Naval Raiders. However it doesn't realize that the two subs it put on their front page have already been sunk by the German Navy:
http://thisdayinwwi.tumblr.com/post/...ing-mistake-on

For months the Kaiser has blocked Zeppelin raids on London because he didn't want to hurt his cousins in the British Royal Family. On This Day the Kaiser has finally approved London Zeppelin Bombing raids.

[Sailor Steve]

January 7:

Petrograd, Russia: A Bolshevik group puts out pamphlets calling upon average Russians to not pay their monthly rent. In Constantinople Alexander Helphand tells the German ambassador to Turkey that Russian revolutionaries have the same interests as the German government.



Cape Horn: HMS Bristol and Glasgow sail around the Horn to Port Tamar, on the western end of the Strait of Magellan.



Atlantic Ocean: Two days behind her sister, HMS Inflexible arrives at St. Vincent.



Indian Ocean: Three weeks and one day after the sinking of the schooner Ayesha, SS Choising arrives at the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Kptlt von Mücke has spent the time carefully avoiding any ships sighted by his crew. They arrive off the Island of Perim during the day and put back out to see upon sighting an unknown ship. This later turns out to be a French mail packet. After dark Choising again enters the straits of Perim. Since the steamer is helpless against even the smallest warship, von Mücke plans to run the ship aground and take to the boats should an enemy come near. Against this possibility he has the steamer's three largest boats swung out and provisioned for eight weeks at sea. With these precautions taken Choising enters the Red Sea.

[Jimbuna]

8th January 1915

Western Front

French carry Hill 132, north of Soissons, and capture Perthes (Champagne).

Germans retake Burnhaupt-le-Haut.

Political etc.

Count Berchtold, Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary, protests to Italy for occupying Avlona, Albania.

Sec. of State Bryan states the U.S. will not pursue charges that Germany used illegal expanding bullets, as it would violate neutrality.

Abbas II, deposed leader of Egypt, predicts that Egyptians will revolt against British rule.

[Sailor Steve]

January 8:

Cape Horn: HMS Bristol spends the day at Port Tamar, making minor repairs and repainting the ship's hull, while Glasgow patrols the area around Punta Arenas.



Atlantic Ocean: HMS Inflexible spends the day coaling, then departs for Gibraltar, still two days behind Invincible.



Red Sea: SS Choising makes her way slowly through the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, hugging the African (western) shoreline. At one point the lighthouse at Perim illuminates the small freighter. They can see two British warships off the Perim shore talking to each other with blinker lights, but apparently the enemy ships don't see them. Von Mücke keeps his ship off the usual trade lanes and manages to reach the large seaport city of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, shortly after dark. They are relieved to see that the dock is well lit, then are surprised to see the lights grow closer together as they get nearer to it. Von Mücke orders Choising's captain to reverse course and put some distance between the ship and the unknown activity ashore.

Once several miles out at sea von Mücke orders the ship's boats lowered and his crew aboard them. He tells Choising's captain to take his ship further down the coast and return to the drop-off point again after dark. He is to do this for two days, then proceed to Massowa. With this done von Mücke and his men set the boats' sails and head back towards Al Hudaydah.

[Jimbuna]

9th January 1915

Western Front

German counter-attacks near Soissons and at Perthes repulsed.

Naval and Overseas Operations

North Atlantic
Charybdis, old light cruiser, Astraea-class, 4,360t, 12th CS, operating in South Western Approaches in 1914. Damaged in collision presumably in Atlantic. Laid up at Bermuda, commissioned for harbour service in 1917, converted to cargo carrier March 1918 for mercantile operation.

Capture of the last rebels in the Transvaal announced.

Political, etc.

British answer to U.S. Note of 29 December 1914 published.

Mahatma Gandhi returns to India after spending several years in South Africa.

President Wilson: “There may come a time when the American people will have to judge whether I know what I am talking about or not.”

[Sailor Steve]

January 9:

Cape Horn: HMS Bristol explores the western channels of the Strait of Magellan. Glasgow is patrolling the eastern side, off the Argentina coast. Newcastle is sailing southward along the Chilean coast. Carnarvon meanwhile puts into Port William in the Falklands.



Red Sea: Hellmuth von Mücke and his men sail and row their boats to the harbor at Al Hudaydah, where they find that their mysterious moving lights belong to the French armored cruiser Desaix and the Italian freighter Juliana. The boats are rowed down the coast where they are anchored and the masts and rigging taken down. Von Mücke determines to spend the time ashore finding out who has control of the area. While heading toward the shore they encounter an Arab fishing boat. Unfortunately the sole occupant speaks no German, so they continue toward the beach. About 800 meters out they run aground in the shallow surf. Unwilling to risk their heavy equipment getting ruined in the waves, von Mücke has rafts made out of the boats' masts plus some extra boards and life jackets. The machine guns are taken ashore first.

Once safely on shore the Germans are approached by two different locals, neither of whom speaks other than their own language. Finally they are confronted by a man wearing a uniform and riding a camel. This man dismounts and von Mücke approaches him. When about 200 meters away he is confronted by a raised rifle. Von Mücke stops and tries to look friendly. The man lowers the rifle and von Mücke moves closer. after a few paces the man raises his rifle again. This game is repeated until von Mücke is within about 50 meters, at which point the man keeps his rifle pointing at him. The man makes a sign indicating that the Germans should not move from that spot, mounts his camel and rides off toward the city. Once he is out of sight the crew bring the rest of their equipment ashore and prepare to move off into the desert.

While von Mücke is explaining to his men that their best course now will be to hide in the desert until dark and then return to Choising, they are approached by a large body of Bedouins, eighty to one hundred, all armed. These spread out into a skirmish line and disappear behind some sand dunes. Von Mücke breaks his men into a similar formation and waits. Soon they are confronted by a group of twelve men. When they show that they are unarmed the Kapitanleutnant removes his pistol and sword and approaches them. When is attempts to speak to them in German, English, French and Malay all fail he shows them his ship's war flag. When this also doesn't work he tries the merchant flag. Still the men do not understand. Von Mücke then takes out a German coin and points to the picture of the Kaiser. The Arabs then start saying "Aleman!" He points to his men and himself and says "Aleman! Aleman!" Suddenly the rest of the group runs over the dunes toward them, shouting and yelling. They stack their arms and begin picking up the Germans' equipment and luggage and dragging the machine guns behind them in the direction of Al Hudaydah. One of the men speaks a little English, and tells von Mücke that the city is controlled by the Turks.

After some time another large group of locals come out and start shooting at them. The group surrounding them manage to convince the new party that they are friends. An hour later this incident is repeated. By the time they are within sight of the city they are escorted by a singing, dancing party of almost eight hundred armed men. As they approach the city gates they are met by a large party of regular Turkish soldiers escorting a handful of city officials. Once inside the Germans find themselves at the center of a parade made up of most of the citizens of Al Hudaydah. A building is turned into a barracks for the men and the officers are quartered in a very nice house. From the upstairs windows they can see the French cruiser anchored in the bay.

At 1700 hours the German officers attend a meeting with their Turkish counterparts to discuss their options. They are told they can obtain nautical charts in the city if they choose to proceed by sea, but the whole area is crawling with British and French gunboats and, as they have already seen, the occasional cruiser. Overland might be the better option, but there is no railroad in the region so any journey that way will have to be by camel. Whatever decision they make will have to be taken quickly, as the Turks are certain there are spies in the city and it is only a matter of hours before the Allies know the Germans are there.

It will take close to two weeks to prepare for a land journey, but von Mücke sees no other choice but to make the preparations and hope they remain undiscovered. Using fireballs he sends a pre-arranged signal to Choising: "Caution! Hostile ships! Proceed at once to Massowa." They then settle into their new home to prepare for the second stage of their great journey.

[Jimbuna]

10th January 1915

Western Front

French make further progress at Hill 132 and north of Perthes.

16 German aeroplanes attempt to cross Channel, but, foiled by the weather, bomb Dunkirk.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Turks reported advancing on Suez Canal.

British defence of Muscat (Eastern Arabia).

Naval

The Turkish gunboat HIZIR REIS hits a mine near the third barrage while returning from patrol. The boat is seriously damaged forward and is towed to Istinye for docking and inspection. Repairs prove difficult and the boat is not returned to service until the middle of the year.

Political etc.

Deputy of the Romanian Parliament declares that the country’s entry in the war will quickly end it.

Great Britain publishes a preliminary reply to the U.S. complaint that Britain is interfering with U.S. shipping.

Governor Blease of South Carolina pardons 1500 prisoners, all of whom had been convicted of various crimes.

Ship Losses:

Potaro ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was captured and scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 560 nautical miles (1,040 km) east by north of Pernambucp, Brazil by SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her 47 crew were taken as prisoners of war.

Soldiers of the 11th Australian infantry battalion on the great pyramid of Giza, January 10th 1915.

[Sailor Steve]

January 10:

English Channel: HMS Mersey and Severn leave Dunkirk, where they have been stationed since December 15th, for Dover. Another heavy storm keeps forcing Mersey off course. Her crew rig a sail out of the canvas bridge fences. This works quite well, and in the future monitors will be provided with sails for just this purpose.

[Jimbuna]

11th January 1915

Western Front

German counter-attacks repulsed and fresh progress made by French north of Soissons.

Fierce fighting at Beausejour Farm (Champagne).

Belgians in Marcinelle riot due to the shortage of food; German occupiers order the distribution of bread to appease the populace.

Diplomatic etc.

Rumanian Government negotiate loan of £5,000,000 in Great Britain.

[Sailor Steve]

January 11:

English Channel: HMS Humber, Mersey and Severn anchor in the Medway River. All three need repair work, Severn being the worst with dozens of sprung rivets, all of them leaking severely.



Atlantic Ocean: HMS Invincible arrives at Gibraltar. Admiral Sturdee composes an official report on the Falklands action, explaining the reasons for his actions in great detail.

[Jimbuna]

12th January 1915

Western Front

Germans recapture eastern slopes of Hill 132 (Soissons).

Eastern Front

Russians capture several villages near Rosog (East Prussia).

Naval and Overseas Operations

German East Africa Campaign - Mafia Is, S of Zanzibar and off Rufuji River captured by troops of King's African Rifles. Old light cruiser Fox, armed merchant cruiser Kinfauns Castle took part. supported to seaward by light cruiser Weymouth, gunboat Duplex and ex-German tug Adjutant.

Union forces occupy Raman's Drift (Orange River).

Political, etc.

German use of poison shells reported from Paris.

Ottoman Empire agrees to apologize to Italy over the Hodeidah Incident, where police stormed the Italian embassy to arrest a British consul.

French President Poincare visits the frontlines to present the colors for the bluejackets stationed at Nieuwpoort.

Arisaka Nariakira, Japanese soldier and inventor of the Arisaka rifle, has died.


Ship Losses:

Nile ( United Kingdom): The passenger ship struck the Howaro Rock and consequently foundered in the Inland Sea of Japan. All on board were rescued by Fukuku Maru ( Japan).

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Ottoman Empire agrees to apologize to Italy over the Hodeidah Incident, where police stormed the Italian embassy to arrest a British consul.

Articles I've been reading are interesting. The Turkish police attacked the British Consulate, but the Consul escaped to the Italian Consul. The Turks then surrounded the Italian Consulate with soldiers and cannon, breaking down the door and opening fire. One servant was wounded and both Consuls taken prisoner. The date was January 7th. The Italian government protested and gave the Turks until the 10th to release the prisoners. The Turks delayed but finally complied on the 12th.

What interests me is that Hodeidah is the same word used by von Mücke, the same city I have used the native Arabic name for: Al Hudaydah. Von Mücke and his men arrived in the city two days after the incident and were there when it was resolved, yet he does not mention it at all.



Nothing of import happened on the sea and air fronts on January 12, 1915

[Jimbuna]

13th January 1915

Western Front

Germans recover all Hill 132, and take the heights of Vregny.

Eastern Front

Russians advance on Lower Vistula and occupy Serpets north of Plotsk.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Battle of Kara Urgan (Armenia), which has lasted several days, continues desperately.

Turks occupy Tabriz (Persia).

Naval and Overseas Operations

Orkneys
ROEDEAN, ex-Roebuck, auxiliary screw minesweeper, railway packet, 1,094/1897, Great Western Railway Co, Milford Haven-reg, hired 2/10/14, armed with 1 or 2-12pdr, Pennant No.M.35, renamed Roedean 12/14, Cdr Stephen Pidgeon RNR. Sank at entrance to Longhope Sound, SE Hoy island (wi - in 58.48.36N, 03.09.48W), cause originally not recorded; no lives lost. “Wreck Index” notes that one source describes her as mined, but with Hepper, goes on to confirm that she actually dragged her anchor in bad weather, collided with the bow of harbour repair hulk Fisgard, ex-Imperieuse, was holed, and foundered as she passed down the starboard side of Fisgard. Cdr Pidgeon was reprimanded for only having one anchor out.

Atlantic off N Ireland
VIKNOR, ex-Viking or The Viking, Admiralty armed merchant cruiser, ex-cruise ship, 5,386/1888, Viking Cruise Co, 15kts, hired 19/11/14, Pennant No.M.82, 10th CS Grand Fleet, Cdr Ernest Ballantyne, most northerly ship on Northern Patrol line B north of the Shetlands. On the 11th, at around 62N, 02.24W, intercepted Norwegian SS Bergensfiord carrying an important German secret service agent and other nationals from New York, Viknor ordered to put prize crew on board, escort the Norwegian ship towards Lerwick, then continue on to Liverpool with a total of eight German prisoners. Last message from Viknor on 13th (He – off Malin Head; ss - at 1600 in 56.18N, 09W, course S21ºW), nothing more was heard of her. Probably 13th - Believed sunk off Northern Ireland by one of Berlin's mines broken free by heavy gales off Tory Island (Rn - foundered in heavy weather; C - Wrecked on north coast of Ireland), wreckage and bodies washed ashore at Portrush; 294 lives lost - 22 officers, 196 ratings, 74 MN and 1 canteen staff plus prisoners, no survivors.

Germans attack Jasin (German East Africa).

Political, etc.

British War Council resolve that the Admiralty should prepare for a naval expedition in February against the Dardanelles.

Resignation of Count Berchtold, Austro-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is succeeded by Baron Stephen Burian.


Ship Losses:

Amalia Scotto ( Italy): The cargo ship was driven against the quayside in a gale at Naples and sank.
HMS Roedean ( Royal Navy): The auxiliary minesweeper was driven onto HMS Imperieuse ( Royal Navy) and sank off Hoy, Orkney Islands. The wreck was cleared 1953–56.
HMS Viknor ( Royal Navy): The auxiliary cruiser struck a mine in the Atlantic Ocean off Tory Island, County Donegal and sank with the loss of all 295 crew.
SM U-31 ( Kaiserliche Marine): The Type U 31 submarine struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off the east coast of the United Kingdom with the loss of all 31 crew.

[Sailor Steve]

January 13:

"The more one sees of the Germans, and these are far below the average in type, the more one begins to feel that there is a long, long road ahead for the Allies before these determined people are broken."
-Stanley Washburn, correspondent to The Times with the Russian army, after interviewing German prisoners outside Warsaw

London: British high command decides to launch a naval attack against Turkey. The aim is to open the Dardanelles to shipping between Britain and Russia. Envoys in France are ordered to seek French help in the campaign.



Cape Horn: HMS Bristol reports " Lost overboard by accident brushes paint Patt 4 one in No." In the navy, the most minor incident is recorded in the ship's log.



Falkland Islands: HMS Carnarvon meets with Otranto and Celtic.



Atlantic Ocean: HMS Inflexible arrives at Gibraltar.