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GERMAN BATTLEFIELD DIARY CITES SAVAGERY OF OWN TROOPS

Soldier Calls German Behavior ‘Bestiality.’ Special to The Great War Project (17-18 December) The German treatment of wounded prisoners is sparking outrage in Britain and France. More and more stories emerge of the killing of the wounded. “The savagery of the conflict,” writes historian Martin Gilbert “was to arouse great indignation when details of German…

GERMAN NAVY SHELLS BRITISH SEASIDE RESORT

British Allow Bombardment in Bid to Sink German Ships Special to The Great War Project (15-16 December) German warships are bombarding the British coast this day a century ago at the Yorkshire seaside resort of Scarborough, in the first German naval bombardment of civilian targets. Many of the residents and visitors to Scarborough are “elderly…

MUD – THE SILENT KILLER

The Trenches Fill with Water; They are Sinking, Along with the Soldiers in Them. ‘More Cruel, Relentless, Pitiless: Sigmund Freud. Special to The Great War Project (12-13-14 December) Conditions on the Western Front are horrible, and getting worse. One great factor is mud, making fighting almost impossible. Visiting the front line, French General Philippe Petain…

U.S. IN STATE OF ‘NEAR CRISIS’ WITH BRITAIN.

American Ships Seized; Believed Carrying Copper for Germany. Special to The Great War Project (10-11 December) Trouble breaks out between Britain and the United States in the late fall of 1914 – “a state of near crisis,” according to Arthur Link, biographer of the American president Woodrow Wilson. The issue is neutrality – what the…

IN JIHAD, OTTOMANS USE BLACKMAIL, CAPTIVES AS HUMAN SHIELDS

 Threat to Kill Hostages; Suez Canal the Target. Britannia Still Rules the Waves. Special to The Great War Project (8-9 December) The Turks are now taking action against allied citizens, among them diplomatic personnel, living in outposts of the Ottoman Empire. By this time a century ago, writes historian Sean McMeekin… …hundreds of English, French, and…

THE MURDEROUS BATTLE FOR SERBIA

The Suffering of Victors and Vanquished. Belgrade Now a City of Beggars, Cripples, and Orphans. Special to The Great War Project (6-7 December) Fighting in Serbia on these days a century ago seems first to favor Austria-Hungary. The Serbian government abandons Belgrade, and despite the incompetence and chaos within the Austrian forces, they appear to…

THE TERRAIN OF DEATH

Letters from the Frozen, Blood-Soaked Battlefield. Every Man Wants it Ended “At Once.” Special to The Great War Project. (4-5 December) In these days of freezing temperatures and mounting fatalities, an extraordinary exchange of letters takes place involving Winston Churchill, the British First Lord of the Admiralty and one of Britain’s most aggressively pro-war senior…

GERMAN GENERAL: “WE CANNOT DEFEAT THEM.”

Failure of German War Plans; Central Powers Face Long War Special to The Great War Project (2-3 December) On this December 3rd a century ago, Belgrade, the Serbian capital, falls for the second time to the troops of Austria-Hungary. “Austrian troops staged a triumphal parade through the city,” reports historian Max Hastings, “and were soon…

NEW FRONTS IN AN EVER-WIDENING WAR

Austria Attacks in Serbia; Russia in the Caucasus Special to The Great War Project (30 November-1 December) Austria takes Belgrade today a century ago. Since the beginning of the war in early August, Austria-Hungary has but one crucial goal – to occupy Serbia and extract revenge for the killing of Austria’s heir-apparent, the Archduke Franz…

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,…