Monthly Archives: November 2014

FREEZING TEMPERATURES BRING DEATH TO EASTERN TRENCHES

Aircraft Carry Bombs; Pilots Hands are Frozen Special to The Great War Project (27-28-29 November) The war in the skies develops in fits and starts. At first, the appearance of aircraft in the skies is a novelty. Many civilians and soldiers alikestop when they see aircraft over their heads. Initially aircraft carry a few bombs,…

FROZEN EARTH, FROZEN WAR

Germans Dig in for Long Haul; In the Trenches: Paneled Walls, Even Carpets; Ottoman Threat to Kill Allied Hostages. Special to The Great War Project. (24-25-26 November) In the central zone of the Eastern Front a century ago, as the battle around what is now the Polish city of Lodz comes to a close, the…

THE GRIM TASK OF COUNTING THE FALLEN

The Terrible Arithmetic of Death; A Sort of Peace. Special to The Great War Project (22-23 November) The fighting around Ypres in Belgium is officially over, and all the forces present there are digging in. In the five weeks the fighting continues around Ypres, British casualties – killed and wounded – are more than half…

WINTER COMES TO THE EASTERN FRONT, BRINGING ITS OWN DEAD

Einstein Wants End to War; Lenin Sees Civil War Spreading Special to The Great War Project (12-21 November) Many significant developments during these days across the broad bloody tapestry of the war, one hundred years ago. Two powerful individuals are watching the war spread: the Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin from his safe perch in Switzerland…

FIGHTING FOR YPRES SUBSIDES, BATTLE NOT OVER.

Casualties Uncountable; An Epitaph for the War. Editor’s note: This Blog of World War One will take a week’s break. It will return at the end of next week. Special to The Great War Project (10-11 November) At Ypres on the Western Front a century ago, the Germans try again to mount a huge offensive meant…

THE DEADLY WAR AT SEA

First British Naval Defeat in a Century; No Port is Safe. Special to The Great War Project (8-9 November) The war at sea is spreading and rapidly claiming more lives. The Indian Ocean is the battleground. On November 9th a hundred years ago, writes historian Martin Gilbert, the first Australian wartime naval encounter takes place…

RELENTLESS BATTLE FOR YPRES, CONTINUED.

Water and Mud Fill the Trenches. Fighting is Merciless; Men on Both Sides Break and Run. Special to The Great War Project (6-7 November) On the Western Front a century ago, the battle for the Belgian town of Ypres continues, exhausting both sides. At the beginning of November, the Germans renew their attacks on British…

WITH TURKEY IN IT, THE WAR TURNS GLOBAL

 Churchill’s Most Bellicose Mood. From Safety of Switzerland, Lenin the Prophet. Special to The Great War Project (4-5 November) With the Turkish and Russian declarations of war, the conflict now spreads to the Middle East. And it is Winston Churchill, British First Lord of the Admiralty, who has a plan for a quick and deadly…

IT’S OFFICIAL; WAR WITH TURKEY!

Secret Shipments of German Gold; Plotting Global Jihad. Special to The Great War Project (1-2-3 November) On the 3rd of November a century ago, the war widens dramatically when Turkey declares war on the allies. Germany is plotting this move for months. It starts in the summer, when Turkish leaders sign a secret agreement with…