Year 1915

Diary for Tuesday, April 13, 1915: Air War Western Front: German Army airship L235 damaged by AA fire while bombing Poperinghe and wrecked in forced landing near Ypres. Western Front […]

Diary for Monday, April 12, 1915: Middle East Mesopota­mia – Battle of Shaiba (until April 14) southwest of Basra: 6,156 British soldiers (1,265 casualties) rout 12,000 Turks (3,177 casualties and

Diary for Sunday, April 11, 1915: Air War Germany: Zeppelin VGO I (Staaken R I) giant trimotor bomber first flies. Western Front Somme: French engaged in heavy fighting near Albert.

Diary for Saturday, April 10, 1915: Eastern Front Carpathians: Ivanov halts offensive in spring thaw but continues southwest of Rostoki Pass until April 16 where counter-attacks repulsed on April 18-19.

Diary for Friday, April 9, 1915: Eastern Front German CoS Falkenhayn decides to attack in the East; Kaiser sanctions on April 13. 8 divisions from Western Front ordered to move

Diary for Thursday, April 8, 1915: Politics Italy: Government demands Trentino, Dalmatian islands, Gorizia and Gardisca with primacy in Albania as Austria’s price for her neutrality, presses for reply until

Diary for Wednesday, April 7, 1915: Western Front Flanders: 1st Canadian Division transferred to Second Army, takes over vulnerable North Ypres salient from French. Middle East Egypt: First units sail

Diary for Tuesday, April 6, 1915: Eastern Front East Prussia: Russians advance in Niemen border area and progress near Suvalki on April 9. Carpathians: Marwitz’s Beskidenkorps counter-offensive with 2 divisions

Diary for Monday, April 5, 1915: Western Front Meuse-Argonne: French First and Third Armies attack in very bad weather, aiming to flatten out St Mihiel salient. Little progress against MG

Diary for Sunday, April 4, 1915: Western Front Flanders: General Putz takes over Detachement de Belgique (aka Groupement d’Elver­dinghe). General Bülow of German Second Army put on retired list after

Diary for Saturday, April 3, 1915: Eastern Front Hoffmann diary: ‘Every day Russian airmen throw down proclamations on us: Surrender, lay down your arms, your wives and children are starving

Diary for Friday, April 2, 1915: Western Front First full-scale German gas trial behind lines, mildly gases the scientists responsible. Argonne: German attack at Bagatelle. Eastern Front Bukovina: No Austrian

Diary for Thursday, April 1, 1915: Air War Dardanelles: In April first German airmen in action. Western Front: Lieutenant R Garros of Escadrille MS 23 in Morane ‘N’ shoots down

Diary for Wednesday, March 31, 1915: Western Front German Army ration strength 5,029,672 men. Sea War Germany: U-boats sank 29 ships (161 British lives lost) worth 89,517t in March, more

Diary for Tuesday, March 30, 1915: Western Front Flanders: Intelligence officers of XV Corps, French Tenth Army, learn from PoWs that extensive German preparations near Zillebeke east of Ypres to

Diary for Monday, March 29, 1915: Middle East Egypt: General Hamilton inspects 20,000 Anzacs troops for the Dardanelles (2,480 NZ reinforcements arrived on March 26). Western Front First German Gas

Diary for Sunday, March 28, 1915: Western Front Aisne: General Kluck severely wounded in leg by French shell, visiting trenches near Vailly, aged 68; Fabeck replaces him in command of

Diary for Saturday, Mach 27, 1915: Middle East Armenia­: Russians recapture Artvin on Upper Chorok. Turks evacuate Batumi on March 29. Mahmud Kamil Pasha replaces Hasan Izzet Pasha as C-in-C

Diary for Friday, March 26, 1915: Western Front Alsace: Despite German use of flamethrowers, French storm fortified summit of Hart­mannsweilerkopf and exploit 160 yards (ca. 146 m) along 2 ridges

Diary for Thursday, March 25, 1915: Western Front Artois: French re-control Notre Dame de Lorette Ridge and repulse counter-attack. Eastern Front Galicia: Only 1/3 of 4th Siberian Reserve Rifle Regiment