Diary March 1, 1915

HMS Cornwallis at Dardanelles
HMS Cornwallis in action at the Dardanelles.
Diary for Monday, March 1, 1915:

Sea War

Britain: Government declare it ‘WOULD PRE­VENT COMMODITIES OF ANY KIND ENTERING OR LEAVING GERMANY’. But, owing to fear of alienating USA and other neutrals, large cargoes continue to reach Germany via Dutch and Scandinavian ports, till 1917.
Dardanelles: 50 Royal Marines and sailors destroy 15 guns, 4 MGs and 2 searchlights at entrance. 3 British battleships engage 8 Forts and French ships shell Bulair next day.
Adriatic: Austrian Navy raids Montenegrin port Antivari.

Western Front

During March a German 70-man storm detachment with armored shields suffers 50% losses. French first issue hand grenades to troops (improvised ones earlier made at front).
Flanders: A rare Indian desertion (15 men) to Germans who return them and others to Indian Northwest Frontier.
Champagne: French establish new line, since February 16 they have advanced 2,000 yds in Perthes-Beausejour sector. French capture trenches to 1,000 yds on 3 1/2-mile front. Unsuccessful attacks by 2 Prussian Guard regiments northeast of Mesnil until March 4.

Eastern Front

Poland: Heavy fighting near Grodno and Osovyels until next day as Russian Tenth Army counterattacks.
Carpathians: ­Austrian attacks repulsed until March 9 but Hungarian General Szurmay holds Uzsok Pass, three times refusing orders evacuating during March.

Southern Front

Serbia: British Serbian Relief Fund and Red Cross Society open typhus isolation colony; 16 workers including organizer Lady Paget stricken (March 6-24) leaving one sister for 300 patients for a week until 2nd Serbian Relief Fund surgical unit supplies four more nurses.

Middle East

Dardanelles: Corps Expeditionnaire d ‘Orient formed for Dardanelles. By now 5 Turk divisions are in this theater (3 added in February).
Persia: General Nazarbekov re­occupies Dilman, Azerbaijan.
Palestine: Djemal told by Constantinople to seek Jewish co-operation.

African Fronts

East Africa: Royal Navy blockade formally begins, of a 600-mile coast line.

Air War

France: In March French Navy decides to introduce small non-rigid airships for Anti-submarine and mine sweeping duties.
Turkey: During March German crews to ferry 6 aircraft from Southern Hungary to Bulgaria and thence rail them to Constantinople: 3 arrive safely, 3 other impounded by Bulgaria. Henceforth, until October 11, 1915 aircraft for Turkey flown direct from Hungary to Adrianople.
Western Front: Cdt Baron de Tricornet, Marquis de Rose, forms world’s first specialized fighter aircraft unit (Esc MS12), equipped with MS type ‘L’ ‘Parasol’ two-seaters based at Rosnay near Reims.
Royal Flying Corps 3rd Wing formed at St Omer. RFC flies 141 bombing missions until June 20, but only 3 are definite successful.

Politics

Anglo-French Declaration to prevent trade with or by Ger­many in all ships sailing after March 11 (US protests on March 5).

Secret War­

France: In March French physicist Paul Langevin begins echo-ranging research in Paris (Seine underwater tests end 1915, at Toulon 1916).
Austria: Major Primavesi of Austrian Intelligence organizes censors’ group for Italy in March.


Home Fronts

Britain: Food prices increased by 24%.

Oval@3x 2

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