Year 1915

Diary for Wednesday, May 5, 1915: Southern Fronts Austro-Italian frontier: Cadorna learns that Italy committed to war by May 26. Austrian COS Conrad changes his mind, now accepts that ‘war […]

Diary for Tuesday, May 4, 1915: Western Front German GHO moves to Pless, Silesia. Artois: French bombardment by 1,073 guns (690,000 shells) and 92 mortars begins. Flanders – Ypres: Battle

Diary for Monday, May 3, 1915: Politics ITALY DENOUNCES TRIPLE ALLIANCE. Western Front Artois: French preliminary bombardment begins. Germans expect offensive for next day. Eastern Front Galicia: 12-mile gap in

Diary for Sunday, May 2, 1915: Western Front Flanders – Ypres: Gas attacks near St Julien-Fortuin. These and similar ones on next day are repulsed. Eastern Front Galicia: After 4-hours

Diary for Saturday, May 1, 1915: Eastern Front Galicia – AUSTRO-GERMAN OFFENSIVE: BATTLE OF GORLICE-TARNOW (until May 5) starts with 610­ gun bombardment including gas shells. Baltic Provinces: Lauenstein occupies

Diary for Friday, April 30, 1915: Middle East Enver Pasha orders Liman to ‘drive the invaders into the sea’; 2 divisions from Asia Minor transferred to Gallipoli. Allied losses now

Diary for Thursday, April 29, 1915: Air War Britain: First raid by German Army Zeppelin: LZ38 (Linnarz) drops IB’s at Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (opportunity targets); some damage

Diary for Wednesday, April 28, 1915: Middle East Gallipoli – First Battle of Krithia: 14,000 Allies advance 2 miles (3,000 casualties). Anzac troops: 2 Royal Marines battalions to reinforce. Yemen­:

Diary for Tuesday, April 27, 1915: Western Front Ypres: Allies advance, French recapture Lizerne. Field Marshal French replaces Smith­-Dorrien by Plumer in command of British Second Army because of former’s

Diary for Monday, April 26, 1915: Middle East Gallipoli: Hill 141 stormed and V Beach secured. Turk attacks on Anzac and Y Beaches repulsed but latter abandoned in panic. Western

Diary for Sunday, April 25, 1915: Middle East BRITISH LANDINGS ON GALLIPOLI PENINSULA: 33,000 Allies land round Cape Helles, at Anzac Cove (mistakenly) and Kum Kale in Asia (3,000 French

Diary for Saturday, April 24, 1915: Western Front Ypres – Battle of St Julien begins: with 0400 hours gas cloud aid Germans capture St Julien. Franco-Belgians hold west of Lizerne.

Diary for Friday, April 23, 1915: Western Front Ypres – Second German gas attack: they take Langemarck, Steenstraate bridge and positions south of Lizerne as Allied counterattack collapses. First Canadian

Diary for Thursday, April 22, 1915: Western Front SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES (until May 13): Battle of Graven­stafel (Ridge) (until April 23). Big Berthas shell Ypres. FIRST WESTERN FRONT POISON

Diary for Wednesday, April 21, 1915: Eastern Front 8 German divisions begin rail move (60 trains per day) to south of Cracow. Russians discover this from April 25. Austrians repulsed

Diary for Tuesday, April 20, 1915: Eastern Front Austrian High Command estimate 1,001,000 Austro­-Germans (11 armies) fighting 1,540,000 Russians on 720­-mile front. Western Front Flanders: Gas shells test­fired at Hill

Diary for Monday, April 19, 1915: Air War Western Front: Morane ‘L’ fighter (Lt Roland Garros) , damaged by German rifleman Schlenst­edt in Courtrai rail station, makes forced landing behind

Diary for Sunday, April 18, 1915: Neutrals Holland­: International Women’s Peace Congress opens in Hague (1,136 delegates from 12 countries). British Admiralty suspen­sion of ferries (22 April-1 May) stops 25

Diary for Saturday, April 17, 1915: Sea War Dardanelles­: British submarine E15 lost aground (24 PoWs) near Kephez Point, destroyed by Majestic’s picket boat next day, but E14 gets through.

Diary for Friday, April 16, 1915: Politics Austria: Government finds Italy’s territory proposals mainly unacceptable. Western Front Artois: Unsuccessful German attacks at Notre-Dame de Lorette. Middle East Persia: Kalil Bey