05-1915

Diary for Monday, May 10, 1915: Neutrals USA: President Wilson Lusitania speech: ‘There is such a thing as a man being too proud to fight’. Germany assures US that neutral […]

Diary for Sunday, May 9, 1915: Western Front ALLIED SPRING OFFENSIVE begins: French estimate only 4 1/2 German Western Front reserve divisions (actually 7 1/2, but only 2 in north),

Diary for Saturday, May 8, 1915: Air War Britain: British airship SS1 snares telegraph wires and crashes in flames. First coastal station for anti-submarine patrol airships opened at Capel (Folkestone).

Diary for Friday, May 7, 1915: Sea War Irish Sea: Unescorted unarmed British Cunard liner LUSITANIA (32,000t) SUNK in 20 minutes, torpedoed from 765 yards (0.7 km) without warning off

Diary for Thursday, May 6, 1915: Eastern Front Galicia: Austrian Fourth Army occupies Tarnow, takes 30,000 PoWs until May 8. Carpathians: Kornilov and 48th Division cut off, surrender to Austrians.

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 Monday, May 31, 1915: Politics USA: Government dissatisfied with German Lusitania reply. British Ambassador says Lusitania never carried guns (untrue). Germany: Baron Wangenheim cables Berlin on need to

Diary for Sunday, May 30, 1915: Eastern Front Galicia: Austro-Germans shell Przemysl forts; American cameraman John A Everets films it. Western Front Flanders: German attack at Hooge. Artois: French gains

Diary for Saturday, May 29, 1915: Sea War Channel: First UC-type minelaying boat patrol from Zeebrugge UC11 (Schmidt) lays 12 mines off South Foreland, Downs, first of 420 mines in

Diary for Friday, May 28, 1915: Politics Germany: Bethmann denounces Italy in Reichstag. German reply puts all Lusitania responsibility on Britain. Home Fronts Germany: First Reichstag annexation debate. Ceylon: Riots

Diary for Thursday, May 27, 1915: Southern Fronts Italian Front: General Boroevic (from Third Army outside Przemysl, Eastern Front) takes over new Austrian Fifth Army, orders that ‘the troops should

Diary for Wednesday, May 26, 1915: Western Front Flanders: ‘Two Years’ position warfare (i.e. completely stalemated, trench warfare) on Yser begun. Death of Captain Grenfell, British war poet (poem ‘Into

Diary for Tuesday, May 25, 1915: Sea War Dardanelles: U21 (Hersing) sinks British battleships Triumph (73 lost) off Gaba Tepe and Majestic (on May 27, 43 lost), capsizes in 7

Diary for Monday, May 24, 1915: Western Front Ypres – Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge (until May 25): 4 German divisions attack, capture Mouse-trap Farm, but lose other gains despite a

Diary for Sunday, May 23, 1915: Southern Fronts ITALY ENTERS WAR. Austrian guns in Carnic Alps fire first shots shortly before midnight. Politics ITALY DECLARES WAR ON AUSTRIA. See also:

Diary for Saturday, May 22, 1915: Sea War Black Sea: Russian battleship Pantelimon torpedoed but not sunk. Western Front Flanders: British advance south of Quinque Rue. Southern Fronts Austro-Italian frontier: