Allies Focus on River Somme; Germans on Verdun. Anything to Break the Stalemate Special to The Great War Project (26-29 January) Despite the terrible deadlock on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, war commanders for the Allies are busy planning a great offensive against the Germans and Austrians. From the last month of December 1915,…
Monthly Archives: January 2016
FEVERISH DEBATE IN THE U.S. OVER POLICY OF NEUTRALITY
by Mike Shuster
Wilson Struggles to Treat Britain and Germany Equally; Americans In Anti-War Mood Special to The Great War Project (22-25 January) By the beginning of 1916, the American president Woodrow Wilson still is struggling with his stance of neutrality. Wilson is trying to formulate a policy that will address the potential hostile acts at sea of…
KUT UNDER SIEGE FOR A MONTH
by Mike Shuster
Ottoman Force Inflicting Heavy Losses; Food Supplies Dwindling. ‘As Near as Hell As We Are Likely To See.’ Special to The Great War Project (18-21 January) The siege of Kut on the Tigris River in Mesopotamia [Iraq] grinds on. “The British were fighting a steady and harsh battle against the Turks,” writes historian Martin Gilbert,…
SIEGE IN IRAQ NOW A MONTH LONG
by Mike Shuster
British Trapped in Kut; Food and Ammunition Dwindling. After Seesaw Battle, British Reinforcements Fail to Reach the Town. Special to The Great War Project (14-17 January) British troops are under siege at the town of Kut on the Tigris River in Mesopotamia [Iraq]. The Ottoman forces launch their siege on Christmas Eve of 1915. It…
‘GREAT RETREAT’ IN RUSSIA
by Mike Shuster
Soldiers and Civilians Fill the Roads Fleeing Eastward Desertion in Russian Army Grows; Strikes Spread. Special to The Great War Project (10-13 January) Despite its successes on the battlefields of the war, Germany is still nervous about the weakness of its allies — Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Despite its losses, the Russian Army still…
ALLIED DIPLOMATS, WORKING SECRETLY, PLOT TO CARVE UP MIDDLE EAST
by Mike Shuster
British and French Ignore Previous Pledges to Arabs; Will Keep Control of Iraq, Syria After War. Special to The Great War Project. (6-9 January) While the world is focused intensely on the war in Europe, Britain and France are working hard to determine what the Middle East will look like after the war. Two diplomats…
AUSTRIAN ARMY NEAR COLLAPSE
by Mike Shuster
Too Many Battle Ready Troops Already ‘Consumed’ In Britain, Conscription Raises Millions More Troops Special to The Great War Project (2-5 January) A new year, and still a bloody stalemate on the Western and Eastern Fronts. It is unprecedented in history, observes historian Adam Hochschild. “No war in history had seen so many troops locked…
OUTLOOK FOR ALLIES IS DIRE
by Mike Shuster
‘Bleed Them White’ Argues German Leader The Ignominy of the War of Attrition Special to The Great War Project. (29-31 December; 1 January) At the beginning of 1916, precisely a century ago, the Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire—are “in the ascendant,” as historian Martin Gilbert writes. The picture for Britain, France,…