Monthly Archives: September 2014

PLOTTING THE GREATEST WAR ON EARTH

Planning Jihad in Istanbul; Smashing the Lines in Antwerp Special to The Great War Project (30 September) The focus of the war on the Western Front is shifting to the Belgian fortified city of Antwerp near the English Channel. Antwerp “possessed Belgium’s last great ring of forts,” observes historian Martin Gilbert. The British command wants…

INSURRECTION IN THE AUSTRIAN RANKS

No Saluting Incompetent Generals,  Plan Second Serbia Invasion. Espionage in Istanbul. Special to The Great War Project (28-29 September) By this time a century ago, there are secret plots in abundance involving the Germans in Istanbul and the British in Cairo. The Ottoman Empire remains neutral – for the moment– but many in Britain fear…

WHAT TO DO ABOUT POLAND?

An Honorable Surrender in France; Fears of Invasion in Britain Special to The Great War Project (26-27 September) Despite the extraordinary slaughter of the first two months of the war, the troops in the field develop a profound respect for each other. And they do not shrink from demonstrating this respect. On this day a…

“THIS TRENCH AND SIEGE WARFARE IS HORRIBLE”

War On a Titanic Scale; The Impact of Mud. Special to The Great War Project (24-25 September) The Russians acquire intelligence that the German army is moving toward Warsaw in Poland to take the pressure off the Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front. The Russians make the necessary adjustments. They move armies toward Warsaw from…

DEATH FROM THE AIR AND FROM UNDER THE SEA

Bombs from Airships and Torpedoes from Submarines. Stalemate and Changing Warfare at the Aisne. Special to The Great War Project (22-23 September) On this day a century ago, the war claims victims from the air and from under the sea. Four British planes attack German Zeppelins at their bases in Cologne and Dusseldorf. This just…

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

A Poem for the Fallen; in Washington Seeking Neutrality Special to The Great War Project (20-21 September) President Woodrow Wilson and his closest advisers continue to struggle with what it means for a nation – the United States – to remain neutral in this war, especially in light of the reports of German atrocities in…

WHO SPEAKS FOR THE RUSSIAN PEASANT SOLDIER?

Little Reporting from Eastern Front; Arrival of the Steel Helmet Special to The Great War Project (18-19 September) On the Eastern Front, historians call the battles there “titanic.” The Austrians are in retreat east of Cracow in what is now Poland. Their losses are 350,000. In pursuit, the Russians suffer a quarter of a million…

EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUAD

“To Prevent Cowardice in Face of the Enemy.” At the Aisne, Stalemate Special to The Great War Project (16-17 September) By these days a century ago, thousands of British troops manage to establish positions on the northern ridge of the Aisne River, but the Germans still occupy the higher ground there. And as the British…

PATTERN OF THE WAR EMERGING

Stalemate in the West; Crisis in the East. A Medal for a Jewish Soldier Special to The Great War Project (15 September) A serious battle is unfolding at the French river Aisne. The Germans, having withdrawn in good order from their defeat at the Marne, are now digging in on the north side of the…