Monthly Archives: October 2016

VERDUN REDUX

Pace of Fighting On the Rise. Verdun and the Somme Still Key Flashpoints. Thousands of German Prisoners Taken Special to The Great War Project (24-30 October) Increased military activity breaks out on both the Western and Eastern Fronts. At Verdun on the Western Front, the confrontation between French and German troops has been static for…

A MODEL INTERNMENT CAMP

Thousands of Non-German Workers Trapped in Germany, Forced Labor for Most; Comfort for a Few. Special to The Great War Project (17-23 October) Despite the loss of Freedom, life in the Ruhleben internment camp west of Berlin is tolerable. The Germans can be given credit for creating a camp where conditions are as humane as…

ROYALTY ON THE BATTLEFIELD

‘A Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, Kind of Splendor The Soldier’s First Battle Special to The Great War Project. (12-16 October) Occasionally visitors from a safe life in Britain visit the horrid battlefield in northern France. They have no idea what they are about to see. In mid-October a century ago, one of those visitors, of…

THE ARAB REVOLT STALLS

British Frustrated by Arab Inaction; The Arrival of a Legend-To-Be. Special to The Great War Project (8-11 October) By this time a century ago, the Arab Revolt in the Middle East — in the territories under the control of Hussein, the Sherif of Mecca — is four months old. For the Arabs and their British…

GERMAN SUBMARINE ATTACKS RISING

American Ships, Supplies the Targets U.S. Ponders Entering the War; Can’t Stay Neutral Forever Special to The Great War Project (3-7 October) The Germans continue their pressure on the United States, from the sea. “German submarine sinkings were continuous,” reports historian Martin Gilbert. “Many observers wondered how long it would be before these sinkings forced…

WILSON SEEKS A NEGOTIATED PEACE

Finds Little Support, Belligerents Seek Knockout Blow; Germans Threaten U.S. Home Territory Special to The Great War Project (29 September-3 October) The Germans now eye the possibility of submarine attacks on the United States. American targets begin to attract German U-boat attention, as the underwater offensive spreads. At the beginning of October exactly a century…