Year 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 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