The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

[lordroel]

Day 37 of the Great War, September 2nd 1914

In East Prussia, the Russian First Army digs in along a line running from Königsberg to the Masurian Lakes. The German Eighth Army, having completed the mopping up of the destroyed Russian Second Army, begins redeploying to attack the Russians.

Just before midnight on the 1st a German officer driving from von Kluck's headquarters to his division heads takes a wrong turn and is killed by a French patrol. His despatch case is taken to Colonel Marie Bertrand Alfred Fagalde of French Intelligence. Fagalde discovers a map showing the exact location of von Kluck's forces as well as the German general's exact plans for the following day. Von Kluck's plan is not to move south toward Paris, but south-east to attack the weak point where British and French armies meet.

The French situation is ever more desperate, with German forces seemingly unstoppable in their march south from Belgium. Although Joffre is preparing his counter-stroke, the invaders are drawing ever closer to Paris. There is every prospect of the capital being once more besieged (as it was in 1870) or consumed by fighting. To avoid being trapped in a frontline city, the French government now evacuate to Bordeaux in the south west.

Because of the German Imperial naval ensign which, in poor visibility liable to confusion with the White Ensign the Admiralty issued a succession of orders about the use of additional flags which says that ships are to hoist a Blue Ensign as well as a White Ensign when going into action or approaching a suspicious vessel.

Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War

The Japanese Army begins landing on the Shantung Peninsula in order to besiege Tsingtao. The destroyer SHIROTAYE runs aground and is destroyed by the German gunboat JAGUAR.

Postcard: German gunboat JAGUAR before the war



Viscount Edward Grey cables the Japanese Government on behalf of the Admiralty requesting that they "send a division of the Japanese Navy to cooperate with the British and French fleets primarily in the Mediterranean and ultimately in the decisive theatre of the naval war." Despite not wanting to send their ships so far afield, the Japanese used the invitation as an excuse to expand their influence in the Pacific. They agreed to assume larger responsibilities in the Pacific and to send a cruiser squadron to the 'South Seas' to try to locate the German warships and to destroy the German bases in the North Pacific islands.

[lordroel]

Day 38 of the Great War, September 3rd 1914

Royal Navy torpedo gunboat HMS SPEEDY struck a mine and sank in the North Sea along with a naval trawler, with the loss of one of her 91 crew (the other boat lost another five crew).

Photo: HMS SPEEDY before the war



SMS EMDEN approached the island of Simeulue during the evening hoping to meet the coaling ship ULM in Langini Harbour. The continued loud radio traffic from the British ship using the call sign QMD, puzzled the crew. The ship must have been in close proximity and later that evening they learned that evening had been the second time the EMDEN had escaped being located by enemy forces. The first had been in the Yellow Sea when EMDEN trailed the French squadron. The second was when QMD had apparently searched Langini Harbour as the EMDEN was navigating the islands to the North on the way to Langini. Luckily for EMDEN, QMD had been 24 hours too early.

SMS KARLSRUHE captures and scuttles SS Maple Branch, but not before removing part of a cargo of ship's stores and livestock.

Western Front: The French spot an opportunity

The German armies in France are continuing to charge across France. But they are outrunning their lines of supply and communication. Moltke has stayed back in Luxembourg and is unable to coordinate the actions of his armies. His subordinate commanders have to make their own decisions as to which way to march. They are choosing to pursue the retreating French and British to the south east rather than swing around Paris as originally envisaged in the invasion plan.

But as the German armies lurch along, a gap opens up between the 1st Army of Kluck and the 2nd Army of Bülow. French aircraft spot the increasing isolation of Kluck’s forces. Now Joffre starts contemplating a counter-attack that could surround and destroy the 1st German army.

Eastern Front: The Russians seize Lemberg

After suffering a series of defeats in eastern Galicia, the Austro-Hungarians fell back towards Lemberg. Now that important city falls to the Russians.

Battles of manoeuvre continue in Galicia. Conrad has sent troops from the south to reinforce Austro-Hungarian forces there, but Russia continues to enjoy the advantage.

German East Africa: KONINGSBERG in hidding

Off the coast of German East Africa, Captain Looff of SMS  KONINGSBERG hides his ship up the Rufiji River to overhaul her engines. This will take a very long time, as German supply ships have to elude the British patrol boat Pegasus. Fortunately for them Pegasus was the only ship the Royal Navy has in the vicinity, and she is old and worn out.

Map of the Rufiji Delta

[lordroel]

Day 39 of the Great War, September 4th 1914

YouTube (Plans Are Doomed to Fail - The Battle of Galicia)



The Russians launch a general offensive in Galicia, the Battle of Rawa Ruska, exploiting the confusion of the Austrians retreating from Lemberg and opening a gap between the Hapsburg armies in Galicia.

The German Sixth Army attacks the French Second Army in its defensive positions at the Grand Couronné de Nancy.

At 0600 SMS EMDEN moves into the bay at Simalur. Once again they are disappointed by the absence of the expected collier, and once again EMDEN has to take coal from MARKOMANNIA. At 0900 the ships are in position and coaling begins. This lasts all through the daytime heat, and at 2300 hours the job is still not done. The crew knock off, planning to continue early in the morning. The ship's second torpedo officer, Prince Franz Joseph of Hohenzollern, wrote an amusing account of sleeping on in a hammock on deck with his assistant, Lt.z.S Schall on a mattress underneath. The Prince was awakened by a loud yowling sound in the wee hours of the night. Upon investigation he discovered that the ship's cat had given birth to four kittens, between the legs of the still-sleeping Lt. Schall.

Western front: Preparing for the Battle of the Marne

Photo: French infantry as it prepares to fight the advancing enemy on the Marne



“The general fears nothing from the direction of Paris,” wrote a German officer, concerning von Kluck. Little did his army know that in Paris an army was readying for a blow that would be the culmination of a month’s fighting.

Gallieni decided to attack the moment he learned that the German flank had turned. But it was a risky gamble. For one thing, the Sixth Army, which was the core of the Paris force, was tired and damaged. The other problem was that he needed Joffre’s consent, and the support of the British.

Neither side was looking in particularly good shape. Forced marches every day for the Germans proved immensely exhausting. Many German soldiers fell to the ground like rocks the second they were done walking. In the coming battle, some would even be taken prisoner asleep or to tired to put up any resistance.

The French were battered, too. Lanrezac’s Fifth Army, which would be the other prong of the attack, was disorganized and wounded. Beyond the armies, France had lost her most important industrial regions, her wheat and sugarbeet areas, her mining centers and one sixth of her population. All these lingered beyond the German lines, and they would stay that way for the next four years.

Joffre took it upon himself to revitalize France’s armies. For him, this meant sacking their commanders. Lanrezac, Joffre’s far-sighted antagonist, was replaced with Franchet D'Esperey, a short man with an immense temper and a certain hyperactive quality.

Von Moltke, at German HQ in Luxembourg City, was having his doubts too. That day he learned of von Kluck’s refusal to guard the German flanks. Unlike his generals, von Moltke saw the threat presented by Paris. He realized that the Schlieffen Plan had failed. A new order he drafted that day recognized that the French armies had escaped the revered plan. He ordered his armies to halt and face the new danger.

In Paris, Gallieni was frantically calling Joffre to get consent to attack. He needed to go before the Germans could turn to face Paris. It was a race against the clock to decide the fate of France. But Joffre needed to think on the plan. Could he trust his tired and retreating soldiers to turn and attack again, all of a sudden? What if the attack failed?

At 10 o'clock that night, Joffre committed. The British were still retreating and could not be persuaded to help. His armies were bruised and worn. He decided to attack.

Balkan Front: Serbia invades Bosnia-Herzegovina

Serbia has already repelled an Austro-Hungarian invasion. Its forces have also crossed the Sava river and occupied the Austro-Hungarian town of Zemun. Many ethnic Serbs live in Zemun. Now they flee into Serbia proper, fearing reprisals should Austria-Hungary retake the town.

The Serbian army also crosses the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina. Here the Serbians are not alone, for the invasion force is aided by soldiers from Montenegro. The small mountain kingdom has entered the war on the side of their Serbian allies. Montenegro is a poor country, but its men have a reputation as fighters of great ferocity

[stevep]

   Lordroel

   One thing I would say on the video. I believe he's wrong to say that all the British professional forces had been sent to France and 2 of the 6 divisions of the BEF had been kept back in Britain while also the Territorials who could make up 14 divisions were being moblised.  The latter raised another 8 divisions later on as well as Kitchener's New Army. 

  Also while there was some concern about a possible German invasion I'm not sure they had anything spare for such an operation, let along relevant landing vehicles.  Definitely the German losses at Heligoland Blight wasn't materially a major factor in preventing any invasion attempt although it did make Wilhelm even more risk adverse about the HSF.

  Steve

[lordroel]

Sept 4, 2019 15:03:20 GMT stevep said:

   Lordroel

   One thing I would say on the video. I believe he's wrong to say that all the British professional forces had been sent to France and 2 of the 6 divisions of the BEF had been kept back in Britain while also the Territorials who could make up 14 divisions were being moblised.  The latter raised another 8 divisions later on as well as Kitchener's New Army. 

  Also while there was some concern about a possible German invasion I'm not sure they had anything spare for such an operation, let along relevant landing vehicles.  Definitely the German losses at Heligoland Blight wasn't materially a major factor in preventing any invasion attempt although it did make Wilhelm even more risk adverse about the HSF.

  Steve

Thanks for your as always insight stevep, but the BEF is still a long way until it’s reach it’s massive size it had in 1918.

[lordroel]

Day 40 of the Great War, September 5th 1914

Britain, France, and Russia pledge to make no separate peace with Germany or Austria-Hungary.

Kapitänleutnant Otto Hersing had just surfaced U-21 for a battery recharge off the Isle of May, at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, when the light cruiser HMS PATHFINDER was sighted. He immediately dove the boat, but was forced to watch as the cruiser sailed away. Hersing surfaced and resumed charging the batteries. The weather worsened and the waves were rising when a ship was spotted. It was PATHFINDER , patrolling in a pattern that brought her right back into U-21's sights. Hersing waited until the right moment and fired a single torpedo. It struck Pathfinder behind the bridge and apparently set off a magazine. The ship sank in just four minutes and the era of modern submarine warfare had begun. HMS Pathfinder was the first ship ever sunk with a self-propelled torpedo.

A German incursion into northern Rhodesia is beaten back at Abercorn.

Russian forces continue to press the attack in Galicia.

In order to make desperately-needed engine repairs HMS DRESDEN puts into a secluded bay at Isla Hoste, at the very tip of South America, on her way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, where Kpt.z.s von Lüdecke hopes to join von Spee's squadron.

In Langini Bay at Simalur SMS EMDEN resumed coaling at 0600 hours. The job needed to be finished quickly as the Dutch regulations only allowed one 24-hour stop by beligerent warships every three months. At 0800 EMDEN was approached by a small steam yacht flying the Dutch flag. A local government official came on board and insisted that EMDEN leave immediately, as her 24 hours were long past. Captain von Müller called for senior engineer Friedrich Ellerbroek, and pointedly asked him when the engines would be ready for sea. Ellerbroek caught on immediately and said repairs would take at least two more hours. Von Müller invited the official in and offered him whisky and soda. The crew had the coaling finished by 1100 and Emden was on her way, steaming south-eastward until the island was completely out of sight, then turning north toward the trade routes from Khota Raja to Colombo.

Newspaper: Daily Opinion first picture of Lord Kitchener, drawn by Alfred Leete.



Western Front: Sir John French agrees to help the French

Joffre is preparing to counter-attack the Germans, hoping to surround and destroy Kluck’s 1st Army. General Gallieni of the Paris garrison has sent his troops forward to join those preparing to strike the Germans.

Joffre is ruthlessly sacking generals he feels are not up to the coming struggle. Lanrezac has been relieved of command of the 5th Army, replaced by his more aggressive subordinate Franchet d’Espèrey. But there is one general Joffre cannot sack: Sir John French, commander of the British Expeditionary Force. Joffre needs the British to join the counter-attack but they are not subject to his orders. So he travels to French’s headquarters, outlines his plan, and begs him to commit his soldiers to the desperate battle. “Monsieur le Maréchal, c’est la France qui vous supplie“, he says. “Marshal, France is begging you”. French tries to reply in French, but his attempts at the language are incomprehensible. He turns to a more linguistically competent staff officer. “Damn it, I can’t explain. Tell him that all our men can do our fellows will do”.

[lordroel]

Day 41 of the Great War, September 6th 1914

At the siege of Tsingtao the first attack ever made from an aircraft carrier is launched from IJNS WAKAMIYA. A Farman seaplane is lowered into the water by crane, takes off and proceeds to bomb the Austro-Hungarian cruiser KAISERIN ELISABETH and the German gunboat JAGUAR. As with prior attempts in the European war, the 12-pound bombs all miss. Meanwhile WAKAMIYA'S other three planes carry out more successful attacks on radio stations and supply huts.

German troops attack the British positions at Nsanakong, Kamerun, driving the British back across the Nigerian border.

Serbian troops launch an offensive across the Sava into Austro-Hungarian territory.

The Russian offensive in Galicia continues to push the Austrians back.

German attacks on the Grand Couronné begin to force the French back on Nancy.

Maximilian von Spee's squadron arrives at Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, some 1162 nautical miles south of Hawaii, to find SMS NURNBERG waiting for them, having returned from Honolulu with supplies and news of the war in Europe. Spee then dispatches NURNBERG to destroy the wireless station at nearby Tabuaeran, or Fanning Island. Part of the news NURNBERG had brought was of the capture of German Samoa by New Zealand forces on August 29th. Spee decided to take SCHARNHORST and GNEISNAU to see what could be done.

In the Indian Ocean SMS EMDEN encounters heavy rain squalls. This is a relief as water supplies have been running low and there has been only enough for drinking, so the men and their clothes have been going unwashed. Every available container is put out to collect the rainwater. After showers and laundry the crew sets about scrubbing their ship clean for the first time in weeks.

Western Front: Kluck turns right

German armies are continuing to advance through France but now the French are ready to strike back. Joffre is hoping to hold the line of the Marne river. And he hopes to counter-attack and inflict a crushing defeat on the invaders.

Joffre has moved troops from the east to create a new formation, the 6th Army under Michel-Joseph Maunoury. This now menaces the right flank of Alexander von Kluck’s advancing German 1st Army. Kluck turns his force westward to face Maunoury, but in doing so he widens the gap between his army and Bülow’s to the east. Now the French are preparing to attack into this gap.

Photo: French infantrymen bayonet charge

[lordroel]

Day 42 of the Great War, September 7th 1914

Austrian troops begin their second invasion of Serbia, crossing the Drina with two armies.

Heavy fighting continues between the Russians and Austrians in Galicia.

The fortress of Maubeuge, well behind German lines on the Franco-Belgian frontier and besieged for two weeks, finally surrenders.

The BEF and the French Fifth Army advance across the Marne into a gap between the German First and Second Armies, while the attacking French Sixth Army is reinforced by troops brought forward from Paris in taxicabs.

The French are driven back near Nancy, while the Germans threaten to open a gap between the French First and Second Armies at St. Mihiel.

SMS EMDEN arrives at the Khota Raja-Colombo steamship route. After a day's cruising and seeing nothing, von Müller decides to move on to the Colombo-Rangoon route, crossing the Negabatang-Khota Raja line along the way.

East Prussia: the Germans turn on Rennenkampf

The Germans under Hindenburg and Ludendorff have destroyed one of the two Russian armies that had invaded East Prussia. Now they turn on the other, the Russian 1st Army under Rennenkampf. The Russians are in the vicinity of the Masurian Lakes complex and it is from them that this battle will take its name.

Moltke has sent two corps from the west to reinforce East Prussia, but Rennenkampf’s army still has a great numerical advantage. Nevertheless, the Germans push forward and launch a devastating attack on the Russians, initially concentrating against their southern flank.

Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War

A joint Australian army-navy expedition, the AN&MEF sailed for German New Guinea from Port Moresby embarked on board the auxilliary cruiser HMAS BERRIMA, escorted by HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS SYDNEY, HMAS ENCOUNTER, HMAS WAREGO, and HMAS YARRA, together with submarines HMAS AE1 and AE2.

SYDNEY, ENCOUNTER, BERRIMA and AOORGANI received orders to sail for Port Moresby where they arrived on September 4th to take on coal and oil and rendezvous with the remainder of the RAN fleet, the KANOWNA and several colliers. While in Port Moresby the ANMEF’s military commander, Colonel W. Holmes, inspected the men of the Kennedy Regiment who, although full of enthusiasm, were deemed to be unprepared and ill-equipped for active service. Consequently he recommended that they be returned to their home state. It transpired that the matter was resolved for him when the firemen in the ship in which they were embarked, the KANOWNA, mutinied, refusing to carry out their duties. This demonstration was centred on them having not volunteered for overseas active service. KANOWNA was subsequently ordered to proceed directly to Townsville, taking no further part in proceedings.

The rest of the force, then comprising SYDNEY, ENCOUNTER, PARRAMATTA, WAREGO, YARRA, AE1, AE2, AORANGI, BERRIMA, the oiler MUREX and collier KOOLONGA sailed on September 7th bound for Rossel Island and a rendezvous with HMAS AUSTRALIA which took place two days later. There Admiral Patey, Colonel Holmes, Captain Glossop, Commander Stevenson and Commander Cumberlege, of the destroyer flotilla, discussed the final plans for the attack on German New Guinea culminating in the release of an operational order for an attack on Rabaul.

Two points had been chosen for the landings, one at Rabaul, the seat of Government, the other at Herbertshöhe on the Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain. It was decided that the naval contingent should undertake the landing at Herbertshöhe. Patey’s orders were that should a preliminary reconnaissance of Blanche Bay reveal it to be empty of enemy ships, PARRAMATTA was to examine the jetty at Rabaul and report whether BERRIMA could berth there. Sydney, which had embarked 50 men of the naval contingent prior to sailing from Port Morseby, would meanwhile transfer 25 of them to the destroyers WAREGO and YARRA for landing four miles east of Herbertshöhe. The remaining 25 remained in Sydney to be landed at Herbertshöhe along with a 12 pounder gun. From there they would proceed inland to locate and destroy the enemy wireless stations. Intelligence indicated that two enemy wireless stations were operating in the area, one inland from Kabakaul at Bitapaka and the other at Herbertshöhe.

Map: the north east part of the Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain showing the area where the operation took place.



Photo: HMAS PARRAMATTA in Blanche Bay Rabaul, September 1914. Note her black painted hull and upper-works and splinter mats placed around the exposed bridge.



Elsewhere in the Pacific, a three funnelled warship flying the French flag, dropped anchor just off the North-West corner of Fanning Island, a low coral atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Two boatloads of men rowed ashore. they were from the German cruiser NURNBERG and the proceeded to wreck the cable station on the island. They harmed noone, but a demolition crew blew up the generators and accumulators and used axes to smash up the control room instruments and batteries. The landing party also looted all the gold sovereigns from the superintendent's safe where they found Alfred Smith's treasure map showing where he had hidden the spare instruments and the Fanning Island Volunteer Reserver's arms and ammunition. These were duly dug up and destroyed.

[lordroel]

Day 43 of the Great War, September 8th 1914

Fighting continues between Austrian and Serbian troops on the Drina.

Battles between the Austrian and Russian armies continue to rage in the vicinity of Lemberg.

The Russian First Army begins to retreat under the weight of German attacks.

The Germans fail to exploit the advantages gained on the Grand Couronné and the French hold fast. The Germans begin to shift troops north to deal with the situation on the Marne.

SMS LEIPZIG puts into Guaymas, Mexico, in the Gulf of California (or Sea of Cortez), to take on coal. LEIPZIG has been partrolling off Mexico since the start of the war. A couple of sources say LEIPZIG sank a British merchant a week or so later, but don't give the name or any other information.

In order to keep the German high command informed of his activities, Spee sent NURNBERG on September 8th to Honolulu to send word through neutral countries. Spee chose the ship because the British were aware she had left Mexican waters, and so her presence in Hawaii would not betray the movements of the entire East Asia Squadron. She was also ordered to contact German agents to instruct them to prepare coal stocks in South America for the squadron's use. NURNBERG brought back news of the Allied conquest of the German colony at Samoa.

Western Front: Battle of the Marne - the Allies launch their counter-attack

All along the line of the Marne, French and German troops are engaged in desperate fighting. On the western end of the line, Kluck’s 1st German Army is pressing hard against the French forces that had been menacing his right flank. Kluck is pleased with how things are going, for the French are being pushed back and he reckons that when they break Paris will fall.

But Kluck is in terrible danger. He has become separated from the 2nd Army of Bülow. Now the British Expeditionary Force and the French 5th Army of Franchet d’Espèrey is pushing into the gap. If the attack fails, France has lost the war. But if it succeeds, Kluck’s army will be surrounded and Bülow’s army too will be in danger of envelopment.

Photo: French forces at the First Battle of the Marne



Turkey, Neutrality ore War

Turkey refuses to close the Dardanelles to foreign ships despite strong German pressure to do so. The Treaty of Paris, 1856, and the Treaty of London, 1871, the signatories, England, France, Russia, Austria and Prussia had agreed that foreign war ships would be prohibited from entering the Dardanelles Straits while Turkey was at peace.

Early in 1914 the Germans sent their new and impressive battle cruiser Goeben, on a goodwill visit, a shrewd demonstration of the modern naval power of Germany. The Goeben lay at anchor off the Golden Horn on the Bosphorus for several weeks, while the Germans played on Turkey's fear that the Russians would seize the Dardanelles, and without German military protection would take them.

The Turk's acceptance of the GOEBEN'S presence was an implicit statement that Turkey was no longer 'at peace',

Turkey had placed orders with Britain some years beforehand for two modern Battleships, one was virtually complete. On August 3rd 1914, as the Turks were laying their mines in the Straits, Britain announced that it was taking over the Turkish Battleships ships for the Royal Navy, The Turks were shocked and dismayed and accused Britain of dishonesty.

Turkish anger was at its height when news came of Britain's declaration of war on Germany on  August 4th 1914, This brought back into the Turkish scene the battleship GOEBEN, which had been in the Mediterranean with its escort, the cruiser BRESLAU. Chased by the Royal Navy, the German ships sought sanctuary through the narrow neck of the Dardanelles.

By the end of September Turkey had violated all treaty rights concerning the Dardanelles, no vessel of any kind was allowed to enter. Britain, France, America and other nations protested, but took no action. By closing the Straits, Turkey and Germany separated Russia from its allies and destroyed it militarily, for it could no longer receive supplies from overseas by the southern route.

[lordroel]

Day 44 of the Great War, September 9th 1914

A German force is defeated at Karonga, Nyasaland.

The battles in eastern Galicia continue; the Russians threaten to encircle the Austrians near Lublin.

In East Prussia, German troops make significant gains at the southern end of the Russian line, threatening to unhinge the whole Russian position.

The German Sixth Army abandons its offensive against the Grand Couronné.

En route to the Colombo-Calcutta freighter route, at about 2300, the SMS EMDEN spotted a white light to the North about 4 degrees to starboard. The EMDEN, pressed forward at high speed, ordering the MARKOMANNIA to follow at 14 knots. General quarters was sounded as the EMDEN did not know whether the light belonged to a warship, a freighter or some other vessel. It was some time before the ship they were chasing took shape in the darkness and what they finally saw as a merchantman with one funnel. With steam up, the crew were dismayed to find that their "smokeless" Hungshan coal issued a rain of sparks from the funnels spoiling their chance of remaining undetected until the last minute. The freighter however, did not seem to notice what was closing in on her stern. Two warning shots were fired by EMDEN and the cruiser signalled for her to stop engines and not use her wireless. Leutnant Lauterbach and his boarding party armed with rifles and pistols, pulled alongside the stationary freighter. A radioman and signaller were part of the boarding party and the EMDEN waited tensely as the minutes ticked by until the message "Greek steamer PONTOPOROS." was received. The signal continued: "Loaded with 6500 tons of Indian coal for the British en route from Bombay to Calcutta." Muller decided to seize the cargo as contraband. A prize crew for watch and engine duty was dispatched to the PONTOPOROS, where Lauterbach, on orders from Muller, proposed to the Greek captain that he join the EMDEN under a German charter with generous compensation. The captain heartily agreed to that. EMDEN now had a lot of coal, and her presence in the Indian Ocean would not be revealed. Unfortunately the PONTOPOROS could only make 9 knots.

Balkan Front: The Austrians suffer another reverse in Serbia

The Austro-Hungarians have crossed the Drina near Velino Selo, attempting another invasion of Serbia. But they are unable to advance from their bridgehead and are suffering terribly from Serbian fire. Now they withdraw back across the river, suffering more casualties as they do. Corpses will float downstream for days.

Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War

HMAS MELBOURNE landed a party of 4 officers and 21 petty officers, under LCDR M. A. Blanfield, on Nauru to dismantle the German wireless station on the island. They do not occupy the island.

Photo: a platoon of German Reservists in German New Guinea, after the outbreak of war and shortly before the arrival of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF). 



Western Front: The Belgians sortie from Antwerp

After the fall of Liège the Belgian army withdrew to the fortified city of Antwerp. The Germans left only a small force to screen the city while the bulk of their army moved south into France. Now the Belgian army breaks out. They are not planning to liberate territory and hold it against the invaders; rather they are trying to disrupt the Germans’ supply lines and remind them that they are uninvited guests in the country.

Western Front: Battle of the Marne - the Germans retreat, averting disaster but losing the war

Kluck continues to push his German forces to the west, unaware of the British and French forces threatening to descend on his rear. But now Colonel Richard Hentsch, an emissary from Moltke (still back in Luxembourg), arrives at his headquarters. Moltke has sent Hentsch to check up on situation at the front, but it has taken him five days to get to Kluck’s headquarters.

Hentsch quickly realises the danger in which Kluck’s army finds itself. On Moltke’s authority, he orders Kluck to retreat to the river Aisne. The other German armies follow suit

The German retreat averts immediate disaster, but a quick victory over France is now impossible. “We have lost the war,” Moltke reputedly exclaims when he hears the news. On the French side, Joffre is disappointed that he has not been able to destroy any of the German armies, but he knows that this battle has been a great (though bloody) victory, one that has saved France from ignominious defeat.

Map of positions on September 9th

[lordroel]

Day 45 of the Great War, September 10th 1914

Fighting continues on the Drina front.

In eastern Galicia, the Austrian armies suffer heavily at the hands of the Russians.

Belgian cavalry reaches Leuven, but German troops are being shifted to deal with the Belgian sortie.

SMS KARLSHULE returns to her supply ships at Rocas, she departs with the two fastest, CREFELD and RIO NEGRO. The intent is to station the vessels 20 miles to either side of the cruiser. If a merchant is spotted the collier will approach first, hiding the presence of a German cruiser in the vicinity. It will also apprise Köhler of the presence of British warships before they can see him, increasing the chances of a quick escape.

Westen Front: West of Verdun

Crown Prince Wilhelm, commanding 5th Army, orders a final attack on the French 3rd Army opposite. His objective is to silent the dreaded French 75s, and decides to emulate the attack of Hausen's 3rd Army and launch a nighttime bayonet attack. At 2am, in a cold rain, a hundred thousand German soldiers with bayonets fixed rush towards the French positions. The attack is a dismal failure. From the start, the artillery of two French corps slaughter the advancing Germans with rapid and accurate artillery fire, and at 745am the French counterattack, driving back the panicked and disorganized Germans. The defeat breaks the offensive potential of 5th Army - among junior officers, leading from the front, casualties today are as high as 40%.

Eastern Front:Germans sieze the Town of Lyck

In East Prussia I Corps seizes the town of Lyck as it advances to the northeast. However, supply problems are bedeviling François' corps, and he is having trouble getting reserve forces to the front line. Moreover, Rennenkampt of the Russian 1st Army is conducting a skilled retreat, shifting forces along his front to keep the pursuing Germans off-balance, and the Russians are withdrawing out of the envelopment that was briefly threatened by the attack of I Corps.

Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War

The Australian government was advised that it was' very likely that Japanese ships and destroyers may cruise in the Pacific around Marianne and Caroline islands in order to hunt down the German squadron. In the following two weeks, Vice-Admiral George Patey, in command of HMAS AUSTRALIA which was helping the Commonwealth's troops to take control of German New Guinea, endeavoured to contact the Japanese squadrons in order to plan a joint sweep through the North Pacific islands. Patey realized that the Japanese and Australian roles would have to be rationalised at some point.

Western Front: Battle of the Marne

At 1240pm, Lieutenant-Colonel Hentsch returns to OHL in Luxembourg, and presents his report of his journey to Moltke. He assigns blame for the retreat to General Kluck, whose withdrawal of III and IX Corps to the Ourcq had created the gap through which the British had advanced. Perhaps to preempt criticism of himself, he claimed that 1st Army had already issued orders to retreat, and Hentsch's role was limited to indicated the direction in which they should withdraw. At present the retreat was limited to 1st and 2nd armies - 3rd Army was expected to be able to regroup south of Châlons-sur-Marne, while 4th and 5th armies could remain in place.

On hearing Hentsch's report, Moltke's mood temporarily revives - the withdrawal will close the gap between 1st and 2nd armies, after which they can go back over to the attack, and the rest of the armies will not have to yield their gains. Hentsch suggests to Moltke that he visit 3rd through 5th armies (but not 1st or 2nd) to see for himself their situations, and the Chief of the General Staff agrees to set out tomorrow morning. Moltke also places Kluck under Bülow orders for their withdrawal, implicitly assigning blame to Kluck for the gap that opened between the two.

If Moltke's mood has improved, his fellow officers at OHL are all too aware that a successful retreat is hardly something to be celebrated, given the objective of the German army in the West at the start of the campaign. Nor do they hesitate to assign blame, as General Moritz von Lyncker, chief of the Military Cabinet, commented today: 'In sum, one must appreciate that the entire operation - that is, the encirclement [of French forces] from the north and northwest - has been utterly unsuccessful. Moltke is totally crushed by events; his nerves are not up to the situation.'

As the German right withdraws, Joffre understands that the rapid pursuit of the enemy is now essential. As he states in his Particular Instruction No. 21 issued today, 'to affirm and exploit the success, it is necessary to pursue energetically and leave the enemy no respite: victory depends on the legs of our infantry.' The French armies, however, are exhausted from weeks of constant marching followed by the intense fighting along the Marne. Many simply lack the physical strength to pursue the retreating Germans as quickly as necessary to catch the retreating Germans. Today the most rapid advance is undertaken by the BEF - not surprising, given that it was much less involved in the fighting of the Marne than the French armies on either flank. I Corps engages in severe fighting with the German rear-guard near Château-Thierry, taking two thousand prisoners. However, the rear-guard does its job, allowing the bulk of the retreating German forces to avoid battle.

In German ranks, the bitter disappointment at the order to retreat has not led to despair or disorder. As exhausted as the German soldiers are, units remain intact and responsive to instructions from their commanding officers. Already thoughts are turning to the next phase of the campaign. Understanding that the war will now be longer than expected, orders are issued for the retreating soldiers to bring with them all equipment that might be of military value - in what could be seen as stereotypical Prussian efficiency, the dead are to be stripped of their weapons, ammunition, and even uniforms so they can be reused in the battles to come

SMS EMDEN strikes again

SMS EMDEN, in company with MARKOMANNIA and PONTOPOROS steamed west by northwest to reach the sea-lane between Colombo and Calcutta. At about 0900 from the north, smoke was spotted and the cruiser accelerated towards the source of the smoke. As the target became visible, it was clearly not a purpose built warship, but structures that could be seen on the deck indicated that it may have been a converted auxiliary cruiser. It was however flying a blue British flag instead of the White Ensign which would have marked a warship. As the ships closed, it became clear that the strange structures were not gun emplacements. As they drew near, EMDEN fired a warning shot and signaled the merchant to stop and not use their wireless. The message not to use the radio as repeated by megaphone when the ships were within shouting distance. Out of the stern porthole of the freighter, smoking papers flew overboard as the captain destroyed important documents that must not fall into enemy hands.

On the British flag, the sign of the Indian government was displayed indicating that they had chartered the vessel.

The ship was boarded by a search and prize led by Leutnant von Levetzow. According to its papers, it was the British 3.413 ton INDUS, built in 1904 which was plying a course between Calcutta and Bombay. Property of the shipping company James Nourse, the Indus had been chartered by the Indian government to take on troops in Bombay and had already been converted for troop carrying duties. The structures on the deck turned out to be horse stalls. Muller, running short on all sorts of provisions, ordered loading of what ever could be removed from the freighter, during this time the MARKOMANNIA and PONTOPOROS caught up.

Muller ordered the crew of the INDUS to be transferred to the MARKOMANNIA which was completed at around 1pm that afternoon and that scuttling charges be prepared for sinking the ship. At 3pm, ten shots were fired and the scuttling charges were used to finish her off. Mr George Reed, Second Officer of the Indus, remarked that the marksmanship of the EMDEN was poor

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Day 46 of the Great War, September 11th 1914

YouTube (Taxi To The Front – The First Battle of the Marne)



Fighting continues on the Drina.

The Germans are pushing the Russians out of East Prussia. Further south in Galica, their Austro-Hungarian allies are having less luck. Lemberg has fallen to the Russians. Conrad has been trying to stage his own counter-attack against the Russians, perhaps outflanking one of their advancing armies, but now he realises that his own forces are in danger of envelopment. He orders a withdrawal to the San river, which begins in some disorder. By now the Austro-Hungarians fighting the Russians have suffered some 350,000 casualties.

The Germans continue to attack the Russians in the vicinity of the Masurian Lakes. Initially things had not gone too badly for the Russians but by now they are in an increasingly desperate state. Rennenkampf, the Russian commander, realises that his men are in danger of being outflanked and encircled. Desperate to avoid the fate of Samsonov’s army at Tannenberg, he orders a general retreat back across the border.

Western Front: Battle of the Marne

At 4am, Moltke departs OHL to visit the headquarters of 3rd through 5th armies. At 5th Army, its commander Crown Prince Wilhelm assures Moltke that the situation is satisfactory, and paints an overly-rosy picture of the previous days' assault. At 11am he arrives at 3rd Army headquarters, where General Hausen argues that his force can hold its ground, despite several divisions being pushed back by Foch's 9th Army. Moltke, however, is concerned that the overstretched 3rd Army is barely combat effective. Just before 1pm Moltke arrives at 4th Army headquarters, where Duke Albrecht says he is confident he can hold his position and can loan units to 3rd Army to his west to shore up Hausen's line. While there, however, a message from Bülow arrives, stating that indications are the French are driving on Vitry-le-François, which poses a grave threat to 3rd Army. Moltke again gives in to his innate pessimism - fearing that 3rd Army is about to be shattered, he orders 3rd through 5th armies to retreat in conformity with 1st and 2nd Army. Thus the retreat of German forces now encompasses all those west of Verdun. Ground bitterly fought over and won in recent days is now yielded to the enemy and, his defeat now comprehensive, Moltke returns to the gloom of OHL.

The Germans are able to make good their retreat, as, despite a series of short, sharp fights between cavalry and German rearguards, the exhausted British and French forces remain unable to bring the bulk of the German armies to battle. A sudden rainfall and cold snap further impedes the Entente advance, deep mud slows horse-drawn carts and artillery. Clouds and mist, meanwhile, prevent aerial reconnaissance, leaving the Entente commanders in the dark as to German dispositions. Crucially they are in the dark as to whether the Germans are in a disorganized rout or are conducting a well-managed retreat and likely to halt and fight in the next couple of days. Overall, the British and French forces advance only fifteen kilometres

SMS EMDEN strikes again

The officers of SMS EMDEN oversee the division of the goods taken from SS INDUS the previous day. According to Prince Franz Joseph, first mate von Mücke "Sat like a Pasha on his treasures, and allotted them to the various divisions." They discovered that many of the articles were of no use, and since they were fast running out of room much of the haul was thrown overboard. As the crew was finishing their lunch another ship was sighted. SS LOVAT was a 6,012-ton British freighter equiped as a troop ship and bound for Bombay. The EMDEN now being loaded with supplies Captain von Müller took only newspapers from this fresh catch. As before the crew of the LOVAT were allowed to pack their possessions for transfer to the MARKOMANNIA, and the ship was sunk in the same manner as the INDUS had been. Like that ship, the LOVATt took a very long time to sink. So long, in fact, that she had still not quite gone down when darkness fell and EMDEN left her behind.

From the captured newspapers the crew of the Emden discovered that the war was almost over, Germany was on the verge of collapse and all that remained was the mopping up. Of course they recognized it for the propaganda it was, since they had previously read about the destruction of their own ship! On the other hand, a conversation overheard on MARKOMANNIA between the officers of Indus and LOVAT indicated that there were more empty troopships following behind the first two. EMDEN lay in wait, and sure enough at about 22:00 hours a ship was sighted heading their way, fully lit up as if there were no war.

It was SS KABINGA, 4,657 tons, bound for Bombay, Port Said and eventually New York. The cargo was mostly American, and sinking the ship would mean paying reparations for the lost goods. Also the captain of the KABINGA had his wife and children with him. These two factors convinced von Müller to take the ship as a prize rather than sink her. The growing fleet continued on its way.

Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War

Map: Location of Bita Paka, 1914. The highlighted area is shown in the map below.



The AN&MEF, supported by men from Australian warships, landed at Kabakaul, German New Guinea, (New Britain), to seize the German wireless station there. HMAS Ships AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY, ENCOUNTER, PARRAMATTA, YARRA, WARREGO, AE1 and AE2 supported this landing, and stood by to repel any German warships. The brigade forced their way inland, encountering strong resistance from German native troops lead by German Army Reserve officers, as the RAN advanced to seize the German wireless station. Five RAN and RN naval personnel were killed or died of wounds; LCDR C. B. Elwell, RN; AB W. G. V. Williams; AB J. E. Walker; AB H. W. Street; Signalman R. D. Moffatt; Also killed was Captain B. C. A. Pockley of the Australian Army Medical Corps. AB Williams was the first to be killed, and thus had the dubious honour of being the first Australian to be killed in action during WWI. LEUT T. A. Bond, RANR, distinguished himself in the advance by single handedly capturing 30 native troops, and was later awarded the DSO, which, although not gazetted until 1916, was technically the first decoration awarded to an Australian during WWI

The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) began recruiting on 11 August, consisting of a battalion of 1,000 infantry and a small battalion of 500 naval reservists and time-expired RN seaman. The force left Sydney on 19 August aboard the transport HMAT Berrima, a liner requisitioned from P&O, after a period of training near Townsville. The force sailed for Port Moresby to await the arrival of supporting RAN vessels. On 7 September the force, now including Australia, the cruisers Sydney and HMAS Encounter, the destroyers Parramatta, Warrego and Yarra, and the submarines HMAS AE1 and HMAS AE2, sailed for Rabaul. Meanwhile, on 9 September Melbourne landed a party on Nauru to destroy the wireless station, whereupon the German administrator promptly surrendered. On 11 September a force consisting primarily of naval reserve personnel was put ashore at Kabakaul to seize the wireless station located inland at Bitapaka. The landing force experienced strong initial resistance, and was forced to make small group attacks through the thick jungle to outflank the enemy. The wireless station was captured and destroyed. This attack resulted in Australia’s first combat casualties of the war—four sailors of the landing force and an attached Army doctor—Able Seaman Walker (he served as Courtney but was re-buried under his real name by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission), Able Seaman Williams, Able Seaman Street, Able Seaman Moffatt, and Captain Pockley (Australian Army Medical Corps). The other fatal casualty suffered during the operation was Lieutenant Commander Elwell, Royal Navy.

Photo: outdoors group portrait of staff of the Royal Australian Naval Brigade, Australian Navy and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF), after the operations against the Germans. The three officers from left to right in the centre row are: Lieutenant (Lt) L S Bracegirdle; Commander J A H Beresford and Lt R G Bowen.



At 6:00 am, Australia escorted Berrima into Karavia Bay, where the former lowered her picket boats to sweep for sea mines. On completion Australia returned to sea to protect the approaches to the bay and cover the unfolding operation ashore.

The initial landings, in what would became Australia’s first joint force operation, took place at dawn on 11 September 1914 when 25 petty officers and men under the command of Lieutenant R.G. Bowen, RAN, were landed from the Australian destroyers at Kabakaul with instructions to seize the wireless station at Bitapaka. With Bowen were Midshipman R.L. Buller, RANR and Captain B.C.A. Pockley of the Australian Army Medical Corps. They were soon reinforced by Gunners S.T.P. Yeo and C.F. Bacon and ten men sent ashore from Warrego and Yarra who were put to immediate use maintaining communications between the advancing landing party and the beach.

Bowen’s party was soon striking inland through dense jungle to secure their objective when a scouting party, having deviated from the main road, found itself directly in the rear of the German first line of defence comprising three Germans and 20 native soldiers. The German in charge, Sergeant-Major Mauderer, was shot and wounded by Petty Officer G.R. Palmer, RANR, and after a short skirmish the enemy surrendered.

The wounded Mauderer was given first aid before being directed by Lieutenant Bowen to walk ahead of the main body of Australians and announce in German that 800 troops had landed and that his comrades should surrender. Bowen’s deception was rewarded, for word filtered back to the commander of the German defences, Captain von Klewitz, that a superior force had landed.

Believing himself outnumbered, Klewitz consequently ordered a withdrawal of his forces inland, resulting in the break down of the entire scheme of German coastal defence. This left only Bitapaka’s defenders offering active resistance. At this juncture Captain Pockley drew Bowen’s attention to the worsening condition of Mauderer who he subsequently treated in the field, resulting in the amputation of his badly wounded hand.

Following this initial skirmish Bowen reassessed his party’s position sending Midshipmen Buller back to Kabakaul with the prisoners and instructions to send up reinforcements. Fifty nine men were subsequently drawn from the two destroyers, 14 armed with rifles and the rest with cutlass and pistols under the command of Lieutenant G.A. Hill, RNR.

This force reached Bowen’s group at about 10:00 am to find them halted by a series of enemy trenches, under fire from snipers positioned in the trees and with two of their number lying mortally wounded.

The first to have fallen was Able Seaman W.G.V. Williams who formed part of the communications link between Bowen’s party and the beach. After observing natives in a coconut plantation beside the road Williams called up the man next to him, Stoker W Kember, to investigate. As Kember did so Williams covered him. The natives were found to be hoeing among the palms seemingly presenting no threat. Williams then went ahead and was shot in the stomach from a concealed position in the bush. Kember rushed to his aid, carrying him for nearly half-a-mile back along the road.

Captain Pockley had just finished treating Mauderer when he learned that Williams had been shot. Escorted by Officer’s Steward A.O. Annear, the two set off to find the injured sailor. On locating him he instructed Kember and another to evacuate the injured man to the rear, at the same time removing his red-cross brassard and tying it around Kember’s hat to afford him a measure of protection. Pockley and Annear then set about returning to the front but also came under fire. After taking cover Pockley tried to move forward again but was shot and seriously wounded. Some time later he was evacuated and transferred to the Berrima where both he and Williams died later that afternoon.

Meanwhile Bowen and Hill agreed on the next phase of the operation and set about outflanking the enemy. However, as the new advance began Bowen himself was seriously wounded by a sniper, leaving Hill to take command and renewing a call for reinforcements.

At Kabakaul, Hill’s request for support was received by Commander Beresford who ordered No: 3 Company (Lieutenant O.W. Gillam, RANR) and No: 6 Company (Lieutenant T.A. Bond, RANR) of the Naval Reserve as well as a machine gun section (Captain J.L. Harcus) to land. Beresford himself then relocated ashore and was accompanied by Captain R.J.A. Travers, an Army intelligence officer.

Lieutenant Commander C.B. Elwell, RN was also landed taking command of half of No: 3 Company and pushing ahead at best possible speed. Lieutenant Gillam followed with the other half in support. The conditions ashore were becoming increasingly difficult. The sun was high in the sky, the day windless, the heat stifling and the road dusty which made for hard going in the jungle terrain.

As Elwell’s party advanced Able Seaman J.E. Walker (who enlisted and was known at the time as Able Seaman Courtney) was shot dead near a sharp bend in the track becoming the first Australian to be killed in action during the Great War. Two of Gillam’s men, Signalman R.D. Moffatt and Able Seaman D.S. Skillen were also hit, Moffatt succumbing to his injuries the next day. It was around this time that Gillam’s men also discovered the presence of wires laid through the bush that was correctly assumed to lead to a land mine buried beneath the road on which they were advancing. The wires were subsequently cut and a serious threat to the advance removed.

At about 1:00 pm, Elwell’s party arrived at Hill’s position who was receiving enemy fire coming from a trench positioned ahead of him. There Elwell assumed command ordering Hill to take charge of a flanking movement on the left whilst he took charge of a similar movement on the right.

Elwell slowly led his men forward until they were less than eighty yards from the German positions. There they fixed bayonets and charged in the face of rapid enemy fire. Elwell, sword in hand, was shot and killed leading this charge, leaving Hill to continue the attack with Lieutenant Gillam, whose timely arrival with the remainder of 3 Company carried the day.

The now overwhelmed defenders reluctantly agreed to the unconditional surrender of both the German forces and the wireless station. This was negotiated by Lieutenant Commander Beresford who then called for Lieutenant Bond, with No: 6 Company to be brought up to advance with Captain Harcus and his machine gun section to secure the wireless station. Also in their company were Captain Travers, the intelligence officer, and two German prisoners, who preceded the party carrying a white flag of truce.

During their advance to the wireless station Bond’s party encountered a series of enemy trenches. They successfully used the German speaking captives to negotiate the surrender of two of these but met resistance at a third constructed at the top of a steep cutting at the side of the road. There, one of the German captives, Ritter, attempted to rally those who had already surrendered and a brisk exchange of fire followed during which two of Bond’s men, Able Seamen J.H. Tonks and T. Sullivan were wounded and Able Seaman H.W. Street killed. Ritter and several of the natives fighting for the Germans also died in this exchange.

Leaving Harcus and his machine gun section to cover his advanced Bond accompanied by Captain Travers, Corporal C.C. Eitel, an interpreter from the machine gun section, and the remaining German, Kempf, walked on towards the wireless station. On the way they captured a German cyclist carrying a message to the Bitapaka garrison and a horseman who was ordered to go ahead to the wireless station with news of the German surrender and a message that further resistance was futile.

At a police barracks 1000 yards from the wireless station a group of eight Germans and twenty native troops was encountered. The Germans were armed with magazine pistols and the latter with rifles. Through Kempf they were ordered to surrender but they refused to comply. At this point Lieutenant Bond warned Travers to stand by with his revolver before turning quickly towards the Germans and snatching their pistols from their holsters. So surprised were they by Bond’s sudden and daring action they were unable to defend themselves. The immediate surrender followed and the prisoners marched off toward the wireless station which was found to be abandoned.

For his courage and quick-thinking Bond became the first Australian decorated during World War I, receiving a Distinguished Service Order.

News of the successful capture of the wireless station did not reach Admiral Patey until 1:00 am on 12 September. At 3:00 pm on 13 September the British flag was hoisted at Rabaul. The ceremony was held in an open space overlooking the harbour where the Australian fleet could be seen riding at anchor.

Within a few weeks most of the German territories in the area, including Bougainville and the Admiralty Islands, had been occupied without further opposition, at a cost of six dead and four wounded.

Members of the Australian Navy and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) bringing Captain (Capt) Brian Colden Antill Pockley, the medical officer, on board HMAT Berrima, his face is covered by his pith helmet.

Capt Pockley was wounded after he set out to find Able Seaman (AB) W. G. V. Williams who had been wounded by enemy fire during an Australian advance. Capt Pockley found AB Williams with Leading Stoker W. Kember who had carried him for nearly half a mile. Capt Pockley removed his red cross brassard and tied it to Leading Stoker Kember's hat, sending him to the rear with the wounded man, as he was returning Capt Pockley was fired upon and wounded. He was later picked up by an ambulance cart and carried to HMAT Berrima, where he and AB Williams died during the afternoon. AB Williams was the first Australian shot in the First World War and Capt Pockley was the first medical officer of the Australian Forces killed in the course of his duty.

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Day 47 of the Great War, September 12th 1914

Austrian and Serbian forces continue to clash on the Drina.

The Austrian retreat from Galicia continues; the Russian retreat from East Prussia continues; the German retreat from the Marne continues.

On this day the war reached the Falklands. Governor Allardyce received a message from Captain Milward, HM Consul in Punta Arenas, and what it contained made very uncomfortable reading. It reported that the German steamer SANTA ISABEL had loaded with livestock and large quantities of foodstuffs, and had left heading east along the Straits. Although the name DRESDEN had not been mentioned, it was clear to both Milward and Allardyce that this was the ship for which the supplies were intended. And if she was heading east it very likely meant that DRESDEN was hiding somewhere along the Atlantic coast south of the Plate and was thus within striking distance of the Falklands. The Volunteers were put on full-alert.

SMS EMDEN strikes again

Captain von Müller of EMDEN places guards on board KABINGA, intending to transfer prisoners during the day, and everyone finally gets to sleep. About three hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, the alarm is sounded again. This vessel is the English collier KILLIN, with 6000 tons of coal aboard. Since searching and sinking the ship would have to be done in daylight, KILLIN joined the fleet and everyone got to bed again.

Western Front: Battle of the Aisne

The German 1st and 2nd armies today cross the Aisne River, which flows east to west before entering the Oise River and Compiègne. To the north of the Aisne runs a long plateau several hundred feet above the river valley, and ending on average a mile north of the river. The western portion of this ridge is known as the Chemin des Dames after an east-west road named for the daughters of Louis XV. It is on the southern edge of this plateau that the Germans stop their retreat. Four weeks of constant movement is now at an end - as an example, III Corps of 1st Army has marched 653 kilometres since August 17th. Here the German soldiers begin to dig in, expecting the British and French armies following them will attack. This is the first appearance of a phenomenon that will in time become synonymous with the Western Front. At this time, the trenches are crude affairs - little more than glorified ditches. It takes time to learn how to construct the most effective trenches, using shelters, support trenches, zig-zagging trenches, etc. Of course, learning how to build trenches takes much less time than learning how to successfully attack them.

As the Germans dig in north of the Aisne, the British and French are closing up to the river itself. With most of the bridges blown, much of the day is spent in long-range artillery duels with German guns on the opposite banks. With continuing rain and poor visibility, the Entente armies are not yet aware that the Germans have stopped their retreat and are digging in. They are preparing to cross the Aisne tomorrow, and hope remains that the advance will continue - Joffre today dispatches two divisions to the French 6th Army on the far left of the line, hoping the additional strength will allow it to envelop the western flank of the German 1st Army.

Photo: General Joffre, the French Commander-in-Chief, reviewing French troops: Battle of the Aisne



Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War

Rabaul was occupied, unopposed, by troops from HMAS BERRIMA. The German administration fled inland to Toma, but faced with an advance by Australian troops from Herbertshohe, supported by gunfire from HMAS ENCOUNTER, they surrendered German New Guinea on September 17th. In coming months Australian vessels and troops were dispatched to search and occupy Germany's other territories including the New Guinea mainland, New Ireland, the Admiralty Islands, the Western Islands, Bougainville, and the German Solomons.

At nightfall on September 12th the main infantry battalion was landed at Rabaul to capture the town and the surrounding settlements. Rear Admiral George Edwin Patey, serving as commander-in-chief of the Australian fleet, sent a letter to his sister the following day writing: “We have now taken Rabaul and Herbertshöhe without opposition…” On that same day Private John Axtens wrote in his diary: “Proclamation read & flag hoisted at Rabaul.”

Photo: HMAS AUSTRALIA leading the ships of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force into Rabaul Harbour

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Day 48 of the Great War, September 13th 1914

E9 gets here first kill

The British sub HMS E9 sank the German aviso SMS HELA with all but two of her 178 crew captured.

Photo: HMS E9 before the war



Balkan Front: Battle of Drina River

The Austro-Hungarian 5th Army attempts a second time to cross the Drina River, hoping to take advantage of the success of XVI Corps to the south. Heavy rain hampers operations, and forces that do make it across the Drina find themselves under accurate fire from Serbian artillery.

Western Front: Battle of the Aisne

Map: The front lines along the Aisne River Sept. 13th to 14th, 1914.



After closing up to the Aisne River yesterday, today the British and Entente armies attempt to force a number of crossings. For the most part, the Germans do not defend at the river's edge, but rather are positioned on the heights to the north, and pouring accurate artillery fire down on advancing Entente forces. Most of the bridges over the Aisne have been destroyed, and the heavy rains have left the river deeper than usual, so much of the day is spent by engineers constructing and maintaining pontoon bridges over which infantry and artillery can pass. They do so under constant bombardment, and take heavy losses.

Nevertheless, at several places Entente units are able to secure bridgeheads across the Aisne. The French 6th Army faces the German 1st Army frontally and is unable to cross at Soissons due to artillery fire. They are, however, able to do so further west, about halfway between Soissons and the confluence of the Aisne and the Oise Rivers at Compiègne. To the east, by nightfall most of the BEF is across the Aisne and on the slopes leading up to the plateau to the north. Further upstream much of the French 5th Army had gotten across the Aisne, though the key crossing at Berry-au-Bac remained in German hands at nightfall. 5th Army also liberates Rheims today, cavalry patrols entering the city at 6am. Despite liberating several villages outside Rheims, the French advance is halted just north of the city, as 9th Army is unable to get across the Suippes River in strength. Crucially, Rheims remains in range of German artillery.

As the British and French get across the Aisne, the first units of the German 7th Army, transferred from Lorraine, arrive to man the front between 1st Army to its west and 2nd Army to its east. Thus the gap that had existed between the two German armies, and which played such a decisive role at the Marne, has been closed before the British and French were able to exploit its existence. The German retirement from the Marne has thus achieved its foremost objective - close the gap before the Entente can take advantage of it.

The open space to the northwest of the German 1st and French 6th armies appears to be the ideal place for cavalry to operate and potentially turn the flank of the enemy. In practice, cavalry proves unsuitable to this task. Crucially, the issue is not defensive weaponry, but the pace of operations. The first six weeks of the war in the west have demonstrated that cavalry divisions are all too quickly worn out. The rapid retreat in August, then the turn back northwards after the Marne, has left cavalry units, and in particular their horses, exhausted. Shoes for the horses frequently broke, stops for water were forbidden to maintain the pace of movement, and fodder was often nowhere to be found. Thus, even before the advent of trench warfare in the West, the cavalry was demonstrating that it could not execute the responsibilities it had been given - reconnaissance, flank protection, and screening. Today, General Sordet's Cavalry Corps, after an operation along the Oise River in the direction of Soissons, returns to French lines today exhausted and without having accomplished anything.

Western Front: The Belgians return to Antwerp

The Belgian army has sortied out of Antwerp. They have reached as far as Louvain and are shocked by the devastation inflicted there. Now they bring their great raid to an end, treturning to the security of the Antwerp fortifications.

East Prussia: the Russians flee from East Prussia

Less than a month ago two mighty Russian armies invaded East Prussia. Since then one of these has been destroyed by the Germans at Tannenberg. Now Rennenkampf leads the other back over the border into Lithuania. His army has been battered but at least he still has one. Nevertheless, the Battle of the Masurian Lakes is another triumph for the two German commanders, Paul von Hindenburg and his deputy Erich Ludendorff. Or rather, for Ludendorff, as Hindenburg is little more than a figurehead and a calming influence on his volatile subordinate.

Map: Eastern Front to September 26th 1914



Asian and Pacific Theatre of the Great War

The Union flag is hoisted over Rabaul for the first time as Admiral Patey took the official surrender from the German administration in Rabaul.

Australian forces capture Bougainville unopposed.

Photo: Raising the White Ensign at Madang



PROTECTOR Captures the MADANG

The former South Australian gunboat, HMAS PROTECTOR, captured the German merchant ship MADANG, off Herbertshohe, New Britain.

Drawing: PROTECTER in company with one of Australia's E class submarines during the expedition to seize German possession in New Britain.



SMS EMDEN strikes again

All of the EMDEN'S English captives, numbering well over 100 by now, are transferred from MARKOMANNIA to KABINGA, a laborious job requiring they be rowed in EMDEN'S cutters in a fairly high sea. Meanwhile scuttling charges have been laid in KILLIN and the seacocks opened. At about 1000 hours KILLIN was sunk. Hohenzollern gives vivid descriptions of mast and ventilators breaking loose in other ships, rising into the air with loud cracking sounds and then falling back into the sea. In KILLIN'S case it's the funnel which launches itself upward and then falls.

That same afternoon another ship is sighted, which turns out to be another English freighter, SS DIPLOMAT, 7615 tons. Von Müller decides to sink her immediately, and First Torpedo Officer Robert Witthoeft was given the job.

As DIPLOMAT was sinking yet another smoke plume was seen in the distance. This was found to be a neutral ship, the Italian steamer LOREDANO, bound for Calcutta. Captain von Müller tries to get the Italian Captain to take the English prisoners, now numbering 200 with the fresh captures, with him. Captain Giacopolo refuses to do so, even for money. Von Müller lets the ship go, and upon reaching Calcutta Giacopolo immediately alerts the British to EMDEN'S presence.

At 2200 hours that night EMDEN runs into another steamer. When this also turns out to be Italian, SS DANDOLO, von Müller wishes them well and sends them on their way.

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Day 49 of the Great War, September 14th 1914

HMAS ENCOUNTER, shells a German positions at Toma, New Britain. This was the first occasion a ship of the RAN had fired on an enemy.

The Austrian retreat from Galicia continues; the Russians complete their withdrawal from East Prussia.

CARMANIA versus CAP TRAFALGAR

At the island of Trindade, Brazil, a rocky islet in the South Atlantic, the British auxiliary cruiser CARMANIA catches the German auxiliary cruiser CAP TRAFALGAR coaling. The two converted liners engage in a gunnery duel lasting an hour and a half, at the end of which the German sinks. CARMANIA is badly damaged but survives.

Drawing: Sinking CAP TRAFALGAR



SCHARNHORST and GNEISNAU find a empty harbor

At dawn SCHARNHORST and GNEISNAU charged into the harbour at Apia (the capital of what had been German Samoa) only to find it empty of shipping. As they continued along the coast a boat came out with two German planters on board who gave details of the Allied landing and related how the German Governor had been badly treated before being taken into custody. When the squadron later swooped on the Falklands, one of their intentions was to capture the Governor in reprisal for the perceived mistreatment of their Governor at Samoa. As they left the island they made a feint to the NW then, once out of sight, headed east. For over three weeks von Spee had kept his enemies guessing. Now as he steamed away he could hear Apia radio reporting the attack.

Western Front: the Germans and French start trying to outflank each other

The Allies have been attacking the entrenched Germans along the line of the Aisne river. This sector acquires the colourful nickname of Chemin des Dames (way of the ladies), as two daughters of King Louis XV used to travel along a track here in the 18th century. The Allies are unable to break through the German positions. Now they too start to dig trenches.

Neither side is intent on just sitting here indefinitely, however. The front line to the east is now static but there is open country to the north west. Entrenching in the Chemin des Dames allows troops to be sent to try and turn the enemy’s open flank.

If a decisive victory cannot be won now, each side hopes to achieve other goals that should guarantee victory in the medium term. The French and British want to link up with the Belgians in Antwerp, denying the Germans access to the Channel coast. And the Germans hope to seize the Channel ports, which will allow them to disrupt Allied shipping and prevent reinforcement of the British in France.

Western Front: Moltke is pushed aside; Falkanhayn takes command

Helmuth von Moltke, German chief of staff, has always been something of a pessimist, but the failure at the Marne throws him into despair. He had gambled everything on a quick victory against France but his strategy has failed. Not merely is France still undefeated, Britain has come into the war on the side of the enemy, thanks to Moltke sending German troops through Belgium. Germany’s long-run situation is grim. Moltke suffers a breakdown and psychic collapse.

Moltke is clearly no longer up to the job of commanding the German army. He is replaced by another officer, Erich von Falkenhayn, the Prussian war minister. The news is kept from the public, with Moltke obliged to loiter at army headquarters in Luxembourg to give the impression he is still running the show, but Falkenhayn is now in command.

Unlike Moltke, Falkenhayn is not demoralized by the failure at the Marne. He is determined to do his utmost to secure a German victory in France before the end of the year.

SMS DRESDEN on the hunt

DRESDEN, In hiding behind Cape Horn, finished coaling from BADEN.

Acting on planted information, Good Hope, Monmouth, Glasgow and Otranto converged on Southern Brazil in search of DRESDEN. For the first time all the ships that would fight at Coronel were functioning as a unit. Cradock was now convinced that DRESDEN was well south and ordered his ships back to the Plate to coal.

At Port Stanley the mood was tense. If Allardyce was correct this was the first of the two days on which they might be attacked by DRESDEN.

SMS EMDEN strikes again

SMS Karlsruhe captures the frozen-meat carrier SS HIGHLAND HOPE. The ship is empty but she also has 1500 tons of coal. At this moment the Spanish freighter SS REINA VICTORIA sails into view. She radios them asking who they are. KARLSHURE replies that they are a British convoy. 100 miles to the north HMS Canopus hears the exchange. Captain Heathcote Grant knows of no such convoy in the area and wires Reina Victoria asking for her position. KARLSHURE hears this request and Captain Köhler abandons the coal and sinks Highland Hope, then heads westward toward the Brazilian coast at full speed.

The lookouts aboard SMS EMDEN sight what looks like the superstructure of a ship, and rush toward it. When they get closer they realize that it is a pagoda on the island of Puri and they are in shallow water. Fighting the current EMDEN finally makes her way back to deep water. Once at a safe distance from the shore the job of transferring all the prisoners to KABINGA continues. As the sea is much calmer the job will be finished this day. At this point smoke is sighted in the distance, and EMDEN leaves her charges and goes to investigate. It is another British ship, SS TRABBOCK, bound from Negapatang to Calcutta. The crew is put aboard KABINGA with the rest, and she is sent on her way. To the surprise of EMDEN'S crew the British prisoners give three cheers for the good treatment they have received at the hands of the Germans.

It is just growing dark when the scuttling charges aboard TRABBOCK are set off, and unlike the other ships this one explodes with a tremendous fireworks display. Apparently the coal dust had ignited, destroying the ship with a huge blast. Later that night a light was spotted, and EMDEN went to investigate. The other ship ran, and a lengthy stern chase ensued. When EMDEN finally caught up with the mystery vessel it turned out to be the British freighter CLAN MATHESON, loaded with everything from locomotives to a race horse. The crew was taken aboard MARKOMANNIA and the ship sunk as usual. Still later that same night radio messages were intercepted: The captain of the LOREDANO had reported their position and KABINGA radioed news of the sinkings and of their release. With their coal bunkers half empty EMDEN headed for the Andaman Islands to seek a safe place to recoal.

Loss of HMAS AE1

The Australian submarine HMAS AE1 disappears with all hands, 35, in the vicinity of Rabaul.

His Majesty’s Australian Submarine AE1 was launched in the yard of Vickers Ltd at Barrow-in-Furness England on May 22nd 1913. She commissioned at Portsmouth on February 28th 1914 under the command of Lieutenant Commander T F Besant, RN. She was the first of two E Class submarines built for the fledgling Royal Australian Navy.

Accompanied by her sister AE2, under the command of Lieutenant Commander H G Stoker, RN, AE1 reached Sydney from England on May 24th 1914, manned by Royal Navy officers and with a mixed crew of sailors drawn from the Royal Navy and RAN.

At the outbreak of War , AE1 joined the naval forces assigned to the capture of the German Pacific colonies. With AE2, she took part in the operations leading to the occupation of German New Guinea, including the surrender of Rabaul on September 13th 1914.

The following day, at 7.00 am the destroyer HMAS PARRAMATTA (I) left her night patrol ground off Raluana Point and proceeded at slow speed in the direction of Cape Gazelle to rendezvous with AE1 and conduct a patrol in St George’s Channel to the south and east of the Duke of York Islands. The two vessels met off Herbertshohe at 8.00 am and exchanged signals before proceeding to Cape Gazelle where they arrived at approximately 9.00 am. A further exchange of signals followed during which PARRAMATTA advised AE1 that her ‘orders were to search to the south’ard with submarine and anchor off Herbertshohe at 5.30pm’.

PARRAMATTA then proceeded independently in a southerly direction while AE1 advanced in a north-easterly direction. The weather was hazy and visibility was observed to be between 9 and 10 nautical miles, at times decreasing to 5 miles. Parramatta reported that AE1 was obscured by the haze for some time, as was the nearest land. Given these conditions, PARRAMATTA'S Captain, Lieutenant W H F. Warren, RAN, considered it advisable not to lose sight of the submarine for too long.

At 12.30 PARRAMATTA turned to the north-west and by 2.30 she was close to AE1 when the submarine asked by signal: ‘What is the distance of visibility?’ PARRAMATTA responded: ‘About 5 miles’. At 3.20 the submarine was lost sight of and PARRAMATTA altered course and steamed in the direction she was last seen. No sign of AE1 was found and it was considered that she must have steamed back into harbor without informing PARRAMATTA. Consequently PARRAMATTA proceeded to the north-west and rounded Duke of York Island before heading to Credner Island, later anchoring off Herbershohe at 7.00 pm.

By 8.00 pm the submarine had not returned and PARRAMATTA and HMAS YARRA (I) were ordered to search for her. HMAS SYDNEY (I), on her way to the west coast also received instructions to keep a lookout and later HMA Ships ENCOUNTER (I) and WARREGO (I) also joined the search together with launches from Rabaul and Herbertshohe. No trace of AE1 was ever found, not even the tell-tale shimmer of escaping oil on the water.

Photo: One of the last known photographs taken of HMA Submarine AE1 prior to her disappearance