Diary November 1, 1915

Charles Nungesser
The French ‘ace’ Charles Nungesser.
Diary for Monday, November 1, 1915:

Air War

In November Lambe of Royal Navy Air Service obtains official authorization for two­-wing bombing force in Dunkirk area.
Royal Flying Corps 5th Wing estab­lished in Egypt (Nos 14 and 17 Squadrons plus ‘X’ Aircraft Park).
Western Front: In November Nungesser joins Esc N65 near Nancy after first victory on unauthorized night sortie (Croix de Guerre and 8 days’ detention); Second victory on November 28.

Western Front

Sir J French’s (BEF) 15 October 1915 Dispatch published: he attempts to cancel his responsibility for Loos failure by deliberately mistiming the hour he transferred the reserves into Haig’s hands.
Champagne: ­German bombardment on front of 5 miles followed by regular attack by troops from Eastern Front.
Petain’s report on failed offensive advocates attrition by artillery attacks before 3:1 decisive blow.

Eastern Front

Colonel Knox estimates Russian strength at 650,000 infantrymen; 4,000 field-guns; 2,590 MGs; only 14 heavier guns per corps. Russian losses to date 4.36 million (1.74 million PoWs).
Western Russia: Battle of Dvinsk ends in stalemate.

Southern Fronts

Serbia: Serbs evacuate Kragujevac, blowing up arsenal and evading Mackensen’s trap. 5,000 Serb troops hold Babuna Pass southeast of Uskub (Skopje) against Bulgars for a week.
Salonika: French 122nd Division (18,000 men) lands (ready November 8). In November the British Army daily newspaper The Balkan News begins published for duration of war.

Middle East

Turkey: In November Turk Army at peak strength of 800,000 soldiers in 52 divisions.
Britain: Grey to McMahon: ‘What we want is Arab help now against the Turks’.

African Fronts

South Africa offers infantry brigade, 2 battalions and 2 mounted regiments for East Africa.

Sea War

Mediterranean: During November U-boats sink 44 Allied and neutral ships (only 23 British in all seas) totalling 152,882t, especially off Crete and Malta.
Baltic­: Disturbances over food and officers in Russian battleship Gangut and cruiser Rurik at Helsinki, order soon restored (50 arrests). Both ships in minelaying operations near Gotland island on November 10-11.
Arctic: In November Royal Navy 7th Cruiser Squadron begins escorting convoys to White Sea (Archangel).

Secret War

In November British Board of Invention and Research sends 3 scientists to Hawkcraig (Firth of Forth) to work on sound receivers, one listens to Royal Navy submarine with head in water (team moved to Harwich in November 1916).

Home Fronts

France: In November R Benjamin’s heroic war novel Gaspard pub­lished (150,000 copies), wins Prix Goncourt.
10,000 anonymous denunciations of supposed deserters from Front.
Britain: Telegraph charges up 3d to 9d per 12 words.


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