100 Years Ago Today

[Jimbuna]

26th November 1915

Western Front

Raid of 23 aeroplanes on German camp near Albert.

Eastern Front

German troops begin retreating from Mitau (Jelgava), which had served as their forward base in their drive towards Riga.

Southern Front

British aircraft bombard the railway line between Constantinople and Dedeagac (Alexandroupoli).

Serbians refuse German Peace Offers; condition being that they allow Germans free passage.

Serbian troops retreat from the Kosovo plain. Austro-Hungarian troops also cross the Montenegrin border.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Russians defeat Turks and Kurds and occupy Karaj and Yengi Iman, 40 miles from Teheran.

Political etc.

Mr Stanton, Independent Labour candidate, stands as protest against pacifist and anti-recruiting policy of late Keir Hardie, and wins seat by 4,206.

Wilson administration proposes increased income taxes to meet deficits due to the enlarged military spending.

France issues a new loan to cover military expenditure. General Joffre urges troops to write home to promote subscriptions to the loan.

Ship Losses:

Tringa ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 30 nautical miles (56 km) east of the Galite Islands, Tunisia (38°07′N 9°28′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three crew.

[Sailor Steve]

November 26, 1915:

English Channel:
French freighter SS Socotra, 6,009 tons, bound from Brisbane to London with a general cargo, runs aground off Le Touquet, France.

Black Sea, White Sea, North Sea?:
British freighter SS Shipcote, 4,151 tons, carrying a load of grain from Arkhangelsk to Le Havre, departs the former port and is not heard from again.

Mediterranean Sea:
Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, sinks British freighter SS Tringa, 2,154 tons, travelling in ballast from Malta to Gibraltar. His score is now 33 ships and 87,475 tons.

Canada:
Canadian schooner Dlyndon, 99 tons, travelling from Guysborough, Nova Scotia to New York, runs aground off Liverpool, N.S.

[Jimbuna]

27th November 1915

Western Front

German attack north of "Labyrinth" (Artois) repulsed.

Southern Front

Large supplies munitions arrives Ruschuk.

40,000 Austro-Germans expected.

Germany announces that central Serbia has been secured and over 11,000 Serbians have been taken prisoner.

Romanian precautionary mines laid in Danube.

Aided by opened supply lines to Germany, Ottoman forces capture a length of Allied trenches in Gallipoli.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Grand Sheikh of the Senussi maintains friendly attitude towards Egyptian Government.

Political etc.

Romania refuses German and Austro-Hungarian requests to use the Danube to transport ships to the Black Sea.

Karl Schultz, a German deserter who arrived to the U.S. as a stowaway, will be interned at Ellis Island, sparing him from Germany & Allies.

Lord Kitchener travels to Rome and consults with Premier Salandra to discuss the situation in the Balkans.

Ship Losses:

Kingsway ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) east south east of Cape Bon, Tunisia (37°00′N 11°22′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.
Klar ( United Kingdom): The coaster struck a mine laid by UC 1 (Egon von Wernerand) sank in the North Sea off North Foreland, Kent.
Omara ( France): The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) north of Cape Bon (37°08′N 10°55′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Tanis ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) north of Zembra, Tunisia (37°11′N 10°49′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

A bomb-proof bunker near Avricourt, taken or published today.

[Sailor Steve]

November 27, 1915:

North Sea:
British freighter SS Klar, 518 tons, carrying a load of coal from Tyne to Rouen, runs onto a mine laid by Egon von Werner in UC-1, bringing his score to 9 ships and 8,680 tons.

Norwegian motor freighter MV Hvitveis, 693 tons, bound from Goole to Rouen with a load of coal, sinks just off the Humber River after colliding with SS Ulla.



Mediterranean Sea
Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, sinks British freighters SS Kingsway, 3,647 tons, travelling in ballast from Malta to Huleva, and Tanis, 3,655 tons, carrying a general cargo from Liverpool to Alexandria; and French coaster SS Omara, 435 tons, all off the coast of Tunis. His score is now 36 ships and 95,212 tons.

[Jimbuna]

28th November 1915

Eastern Front

German 82nd Divisional Staff surprised and taken prisoner near Pinsk; two generals captured.

Southern Front

Bulgarian and Austro-Germans advancing on Monastir.

Successful Italian attacks on the Carso and slopes to the north-west.

Lord Kitchener visits Greece, south-east and Italian fronts.

Germany announces that the Serbian campaign has been completed and that all major Serbian units have been routed.

Aviation

Colonel Maitland of the Royal Naval Air Service successfully parachutes from 10,000 feet in the air, a world record.

Naval and Overseas Operations

German submarine and aeroplane destroyed by British seaplanes off Belgium.

Political etc.

London institutes a “no drinks between meals” policy. Alcohol can only be served between 1:00-2:30 and between 6:30-9:30.

Canadian government commandeers wheat supplies in order to control prices and feed Allied troops.

V.K. Wellington Koo, 27-years-old, is appointed the new Chinese ambassador to the United States.


Ship Losses:

HM Gunboat Shaitan ( Royal Navy): The auxiliary river gunboat was lost on this date.
HMT William Morrison ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea (51°53′N 1°31′E) with the loss of three of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

November 28, 1915:

Air War:
0950 English pilot Jack Armand Cunningham, flying Vickers FB.5 2343 with "AM1 Smith" as gunner, brings down an LVG two-seater for kill number 1.

English pilot Duncan William Grinnel-Milne and observer "Cpt Strong", in a BE.2c, manage to shoot down an Albatros two-seater. It is Grinnel-Milne's first victory.



North Sea:
His Majesty's Trawler William Morrison, 212 tons, hits a mine laid by Franz Wäger in UC-7. Wäger's score is now 9 ships and 16,272 tons.



Baltic Sea:
Russian minelaying submarine Akula is lost off Ventspils due to the explosion of one of her own mines. The sub was listed as "Missing" for 99 years until the discovery of the wreck in the summer of 2014.



Bay of Biscay:
British freighter SS Star of New Zealand, 4,417 tons, carrying a cargo of frozen meat from Montevideo to Le Havre, runs aground near Brest, France.



United States:
American schooner SV Alexander Gibson, 1,997 tons, bound from Sewall's Point, Virginia to Boston, Massachussetts with a load of coal, runs aground on Five Fathom Bank, New Jersey.

[Jimbuna]

29th November 1915

Eastern Front

Successful Russian action at Illuskt (Dvina).

Bulgaria begins moving troops from the Ottoman border to the Romanian border as the Allies try to negotiate Romania’s entry into the war.

Southern Front

Bulgars claim 17,000 prisoners at Prizrend.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

British troops under Townshend retreat down the Tigris as Ottoman troops continue their pursuit.

Naval

German submarine SM UC-13 runs aground east of the Bosporus. The submarine is scuttled and the crew is rescued by the Ottomans.

Political etc.

Canadian output munitions largely increased.

A Radium Sanatorium is opened in New York City, which will use radiation to combat cancer.

Poland is in a state of famine, with hundreds of thousands suffering from lack of food. Polish industry has been paralyzed as well.

Kaiser Wilhelm visits Vienna to meet Emperor Franz Joseph, their first meeting since the beginning of the war.

Ship Losses:

Dotterel ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the English Channel 4.75 nautical miles (8.80 km) north by east of Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France with the loss of five of her crew.
HMS Duchess of Hamilton ( Royal Navy): The auxiliary minesweeper struck a mine in the Thames Estuary (51°47′N 1°40′E) and sank with the loss of nine of her crew.
Maliniche ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 50 nautical miles (93 km) east of Malta (35°35′N 15°22′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SM UC-13 ( Kaiserliche Marine): The Type UC I submarine ran aground in the Black Sea (41°00′N 30°08′E) and was scuttled.
Zarifis ( Greece): The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranea Sea 100 nautical miles (190 km) east of Malta (35°15′N 16°33′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

November 29, 1915:

North Sea:
British passenger ferry turned auxiliary minesweeper Duchess of Hamilton, 533 tons, runs on a mine laid by Erwin Waßner in UC-3. Waßner's score is now 7 ships and 8,709 tons.



British freighter SS Dotterel, 1,596 tons, hits a mine laid by Herbert Pustkuchen in UC-5, bringing his score to 17 ships and 21,809 tons.



British trawler FV Fitzroy, 132 tons, goes missing while on a fishing voyage.



Black Sea:
UC-13, commanded by Johannes Kirchner, runs aground in a storm near the Melen River. The crew scuttles the boat and is rescued by Turkish ships. Kirchner will later command UC-23.



Mediterranian Sea:
Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, sinks British freighter SS Malinche, 1,868 tons, bound from Piraeus to New York with a general cargo; and Greek freighter SS Zarifis, 2,904 tons, carrying a cargo of fruit from Alexandria to Hull. His score is now 38 ships and 99,984 tons.



Italian freighter SS Trentino, 1,383 tons, travelling from Oran, Algeria to St. Louis du Rhône, France with a cargo of wheat, is wrecked off Saint Pol, Spain.



Brazil:
Swedish sailing ship SV Emma, carrying a load of cement from Aalborg to Santos, is wrecked off the coast of Brazil.

[Jimbuna]

30th November 1915

Western Front

Artillery activity along whole front.

Southern Front

Italians progress towards Gorizia.

German troops capture the city of Prizren from the Serbians. It was the last remaining major city in Serbian hands.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Rearguard actions on Tigris; Turks strongly reinforced.

British casualties during retreat of 80 miles, 4,567 men and two gunboats.

Political etc.

King Nicholas appeals for help to Diplomatic Corps.

French Chamber of Deputies sees a fierce debate on conscription, with Socialists opposing the conscription of 18 and 19 year olds.

The Reichstag opens today for a new session. Secretary of the Imperial Treasury urges members to tax war profits to cover expenditure.

Ship Losses:

Colenso ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 95 nautical miles (176 km) east south east of Malta (35°34′N 16°33′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
Langton Hall ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 112 nautical miles (207 km) east south east of Malta by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Middleton ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 75 nautical miles (139 km) south west by west of Gavdos, Greece by SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four crew.

MERCHANT SHIPPING
British, Allied and Neutral ships lost to enemy submarines, mines and cruisers etc in the month - 63 ships of 152,000 tons gross (Lloyd's War Losses).

[Sailor Steve]

November 30, 1915:

Air War:
Turkish pilot Oberleutnant Ali Riza and observer Leutnant Ibrahmim Orhan, in an Albatros C.I, shoot down a Farman two-seater, scoring the first confirmed kill for the Turkish Air Force.



North Sea:
Norwegian schooner SV Leon, 302 tons, carrying a load of coal from Granton to Porsgrund, is abandoned in a storm.

Swedish freighter SS Skane, 1,667 tons, travelling from Stockholm to Calais with a load of timber, runs onto Whitby Rock on the North Yorkshire coast in good weather. On December 1 a tug will free the ship, but she will have to be beached as she is holed and sinking. Tugs will take off the remaining crew and a salvage crew put aboard, but they will have to be taken off when a storm comes.



Irish Sea:
British sailing ship SV Chile, 2054 tons, en route from the River Clyde to Halifax, is forced ashore in a storm near Burrow Head. The crew all reach shore safely.



Mediterranean Sea:
Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, sinks British freighters SS Colenso, 3,861 tons, bound from Hull to Bombay with a general cargo; and Langton Hall, 4,437 tons, heading from Calcutta to New York with a general cargo. His score is now 40 ships and 108,282 tons.

Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks British freighter SS Middleton, 2,506 tons, carrying a cargo of sandbags from Mudros to Alexandria. Forstmann's score is now 34 ships and 74,302 tons.

[Jimbuna]

1st December 1915

Southern Front

Following Germany, Bulgaria also announces that it has concluded major combat operations in Serbia.

Naval and Overseas Operations

German naval control over Swedish boats exposed.

Political etc.

To oppose the British Raj, the Provisional Government of India is founded in Kabul by Indian exiles supported by the Central Powers.

"Transito" Syndicate formed, to expedite goods via Sweden to Russia.

Germany bans the export of snowshoes due to military reasons. Restriction on phonographs, watches, and other items are lifted.

Order in Council in Britain requires all persons, British or alien, to have passports when traveling out of the country.

Ship Losses:

Clan Maclean ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 100 nautical miles (190 km) east south east of Malta (35°39′N 16°43′E) by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of twelve crew.
HMS Comet ( Royal Navy): The gunboat was lost on this date.
HM Gunboat Firefly ( Royal Navy): The Fly-class gunboat was lost on this date.

[Sailor Steve]

December 1, 1915:

Mediterranean Sea:
Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, sinks British freighters SS Clan Macleod, 4,796 tons, bound from Chittalgong to London with a general cargo; and Umeta, 5,312 tons, travelling in ballast from Port Said to Marseille. This brings his score to 42 ships and 118,390 tons.

[Jimbuna]

2nd December 1915

Eastern Front

Enemy driven back left bank Styr river (Galicia).

Southern Front

Invasion of north-western Montenegro reported by German H.Q.

Political etc.

Socialists in the German Reichstag query Chancellor under what conditions will Germany enter peace negotiations with the Allies.

Frank A. Vanderlip warns American businesses that they should not grow dependent on demand produced by the war in Europe.

Greek monarchy submits its position on neutrality, stating it is focused on keeping gains it made during the Balkan Wars.

Prince Takahito, fourth son of Japan’s Emperor Yoshihito is born (he celebrates his 100th birthday today).


Ship Losses:

Commodore ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was scuttled in the Mediterranean Sea 160 nautical miles (300 km) east south east of Malta by SM U-33 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.

[Sailor Steve]

December 2, 1915:

British Isles:
British barque SV Elizabeth founders off Green Cove.



North Sea:
British trawler FV Jackdaw, 150 tons, runs aground and sinks off Burra Ness, Yell Island, the Shetlands. The same trawler had previously foundered in the Mersey River in 1895, but was salvaged and returned to service.

Swedish freighter SS Norvik, 1,633 tons, is sunk by a mine while carrying a load of coal from Grimsby to Stockholm.

British ketch SV Swansea, 52 tons, is lost off Newcastle Harbour.



Sea of Aland:
Swedish freighter SS Brynhild, 1,179 tons, bound from Stockholm to Raumo, Finland, is wrecked in a storm off Grisslehamn.



Mediterranean Sea:
Konrad Gansser, commanding U-33, finishes his fifth war patrol with the sinking of British freighter SS Commodore, 5,858 tons, travelling in ballast from Salonica to Marseille. His score is now 43 ships and 124,248 tons.



German East Africa:
British monitor HMS Severn, while patrolling off Kilwa Kivinje, spots an object floating in the water. The crew are called to General Quarters as the object is approached. At 0925 a boat is lowered to pick up the object, which turns out to be a toy catamaran.

[Jimbuna]

3rd December 1915

Western Front

General Joffre appointed Commander-in-Chief of the French Armies, except those in North Africa.

Eastern Front

Austrian offensive repulsed at several points in Galicia.

Southern Front

Defeat of Serbians by Bulgars on the White Drin river: much booty taken.

Greece allows Serbian troops to retreat across its borders without disarming them.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

British troops under General Townshend retreat to the town of Kut, Iraq with Ottoman troops in pursuit.

Naval and Overseas Operations

British submarine sinks Turkish T.B.D., Sea of Marmora, two officers and 40 men saved.

Political etc.

British casualties in all theatres of war given by Prime Minister.

Recall of Captains Boy-Ed and von Papen requested by U.S.A.

Swedish shipping grievances against England.

Italian Foreign Minister Baron Sonnino states Italy will continue to fight until Serbia is able to win back its freedom.

Ship Losses:

Dante ( Italy): The coaster was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Sollum, Egypt (32°20′N 26°19′E) by SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMT Etoile Polaire ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler struck a mine and sank in the English Channel off the South Goodwin Lightship ( United Kingdom).
Yar Hissar ( Ottoman Navy): The Durandal-class destroyer was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Ismid by HMS E11 ( Royal Navy) with the loss of 42 of her 85 crew. HMS E11 rescued 42 survivors.
Zuaia ( Italy): The tanker was destroyed by fire at Popvile.
Helmsmuir (Great Britain): The cargo ship carrying a cargo of sugar from Mauritius was sunk by U 39 (Walter Forstmann), 66 miles SxE of Gavdo Island. Her crew survived.