World War I Day by Day Read online

  Western Front: Germans occupy Lille and Mézières. British abandon St Quentin.

  War at sea: At sea HMS Highflyer sinks Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. While in the Gulf of Finland the German cruiser Magdeburg is destroyed.

  German troops in a defensive position during the battle of Tannenberg in East Prussia.

  BEF 60-pounder.

  Royal Marines landed at Ostend August 27-28, 1914.

  28

  Eastern Front: At Lützow in Galicia the Germans are beaten by the Russians.

  War at sea: Battle of Heligoland Bight. Sir David Beatty sends Harwich Force – light cruisers, Fearless and Arethusa and 25 destroyers – to raid Heligoland base and attack German patrols. The German light cruisers Ariadne, Mainz, Köln and destroyer V.187 are sunk. Around 1,000 sailors are lost. The flagship HMS Arethusa is badly damaged but towed to safety.

  Western Front: Fall of Longwy, on the Luxembourg border.

  29

  Eastern Front: Battle of Tannenburg in East Prussia between Von Hindenburg’s German army and Samsonov’s invading Second Army ends in the rout of the Russians.

  Pacific: In Samoa soldiers from New Zealand occupy German holdings.

  Western Front: Start of the Battle of Guise (aka Battle of Guise-St. Quentin): a counter-attack by the French Fifth Army as it retreated along the River Oise.

  French and BEF forces fight fierce retreats.

  The latter to the Compiègne-Soissons line.

  30

  Africa: In the Cameroons the British occupy Nsanakong.

  Eastern Front: The Germans capture many retreating Russian soldiers fallowing the end of the Battle of Tannenburg.

  Western Front: Laon occupied by Germans. Paris is bombed by Germans for the first time.

  Battle of Mons, August 22, 1914.

  31

  Eastern Front: General Alexander Samsonov becomes German prisoner. Rennenkampf forced to retreat back to the Russian border.

  Western Front: Start of the Battle of the Grande Couronne of Nancy.

  SEPTEMPBER

  Invasion of France

  September 1914

  The ‘Race to the Sea’ begins on the Western Front as a means of out-flanking each other, both sides attempt to control the sea ways and the Channel ports. On the Eastern Front, attempted invasions of Galicia, East Prussia, and Serbia all fail.

  1

  Eastern Front: Austrians lose at the Battle of Lemberg (Lvov) in Galicia.

  Front lines have appeared to the north and east of Stanislau.

  General: In Russia St. Petersburg is renamed Petrograd.

  Western Front: Soissons comes under heavy German bombardment.

  2

  Eastern Front: Following defeat at the Battle of Lemberg (Lvov) the Austro-Hungarians lose 130,000 men.

  Far East: Japanese troops land at Lungkow to start besieging the German fortress colony of Tsingtao.

  Western Front: The French government abandons Paris and transfers to Bordeaux; about 500,000 people also flee Paris.

  Map showing the terrain over which the British Army retreated from Mons to the River Marne, including Le Cateau where Smith-Dorrien’s 2nd Corps stood.

  Troops after the attack on Tsingtao.

  3

  Eastern Front: The capital of Galicia, Lemberg (Lvov), is occupied and looted by the Russians.

  War at sea: Cruiser Pathfinder sunk by U.21 off Firth of Forth with the loss of 256 lives. HMS Speedy is destroyed by a mine.

  Western Front: The advancing Germans reach the River Marne. They hold a line across norhtern France from Château Thierry-River Suippe-Ville sur Tourbe.

  As the German cavalry advance to within eight miles of Paris the city is placed in a state of siege.

  4

  Eastern Front: Russians set up a provisional government in Galicia.

  Western Front: As the Germans advance on Antwerp the Belgians open the dykes to flood the land.

  5

  Eastern Front: In Poland the Russians defeat the Austrians at Tomashov.

  Brusilov’s Army captures Mikolajow in the Carpathians.

  Politics: In London Britain, Russia, and France sign The Agreement of London vowing not to seek separate peace.

  War at sea: Cruiser HMS Pathfinder is sunk by U-boat U-21 as she leaves Rosyth harbor. The Wilson liner Runo is blown up by a mine. In East Africa the Germans attack Abercorn.

  Western Front: Battle of the Ourcq –Maunoury’s Sixth Army.

  Germans capture Rheims and Pont-à-Mousson. Germany now finds that she is committed to fighting a war on two fronts.

  Captured French equipment stored in German-held Château-Thierry.

  6

  Africa: In the Cameroons British soldiers suffer a reverse near Nsanakong.

  Balkans: Serbia invades Syrmia.

  Eastern Front: Battle of Grodek southwest of Lemberg (Lvov).

  Western Front: The Allies stop retreating and stand firm to halt the German advance at the First Battle of Marne north-east of Paris. The French 6th Army under General Michel-Joseph Maunoury attack German forces advancing on the capital Paris is saved from the advancing Germans but the upshot is stalemate and trench warfare. Eventually Von Kluck is beaten by General Joffre, and the German army retreats to the Soissons-Rheims. During the course of the battle over two million soldiers will be involved and 100,000 killed or wounded but France was saved from the rapid conquest envisioned by the Schlieffen Plan.

  The German army reaches the town of Provins 46 miles southeast of Paris – the most southerly point they achieve.

  7

  Balkans: Second Austrian invasion of Serbia.

  Eastern Front: The Russian cavalry reaches the Carpathians.

  First Battle of the Masurian Lakes in East Prussia: first German offensive on the Eastern Front to stop the Russians invading.

  War at sea: The Nürnberg manages to cut the Pacific cable between Banfield and Fanning Island.

  Western Front: During the Battle of the Marne the Germans capture Maubeuge taking many prisoners.

  Cavalry anticipate a breakthrough.

  The “Old Contemptibles” in Belgium, 1914.

  Map showing the battle of the Marne between 6 and 12 September; the battle saved Paris and halted the German advance.

  8

  War at sea: Cruiser HMS Oceanic is wrecked off the north coast of Scotland.

  Western Front: General Foch forces the Germans back over the Marne. Troyon is bombarded.

  9

  Balkans: Montenegro invades Bosnia.

  Eastern Front: Start of the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes.

  Western Front: Battle of Fère Champenoise.

  Start of the Great Retreat when German troops retreat back to the River Aisne chased by the BEF; the German commander, Moltke, is replaced by Falkenhayn.

  10

  Balkans: In Syrmia the Serbians occupy Semlin.

  Eastern Front: Second Battle of Krasnik in Poland. Dankl is defeated.

  Western Front: Germans abandon Pont-à-Mousson.

  11

  Pacific: In the Bismarck Archipelago an Australian expedition captures Herbertshöhe.

  Western Front: French start to recover lost territory and towns.

  French troops on the Aisne.

  12

  Africa: In East Africa the Germans are defeated near Kisi.

  Eastern Front: In Galicia the Russians win the Battle of Grodek and Rava Russka. They capture Grodek and the Austro-Hungarians are utterly defeated.

  Western Front: Belgian resistance threatens to cut German communications.

  The seige of Troyon is raised by the Germans. Start of the First Battle of the Aisne when French troops attack the German Army at the River Aisne. During this battle the RFC makes its first operational use of aerial photography. The ‘Race to the Sea’ begins as both sides attempt to outflank each other northeast toward the North Sea coastline.

  13

  Eastern Front: Russians win a victory at Sredniki in
East Prussia when they turn and fight unexpectedly.

  Far East: The Japanese capture the railroad at Kiaochau in Tsingtao.

  Pacific: In the Solomon Islands Australian troops capture Bougainville.

  War at sea: Old German cruiser Hela sunk by British submarine E.9 (Max Horton) six miles southwest of Heligoland island.

  Western Front: Amiens and Soissons recovered by the Allies from German occupation.

  Fighting along the Aerschot-Malines lines in Belgium.

  14

  Africa: In South Africa the Germans are defeated at Raman’s Drift.

  Balkans: In Bosnia Serbs and Montenegrins take Vishegrad.

  Eastern Front: End of the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes.

  War at sea: Cap Trafalgar is sunk off the east coast of South America by HMS Carmania.

  Western Front: First Battle of Aisne begins with heavy fighting around Vailly and Missy.

  French reoccupy Amiens and Rheims.

  BEF artillery heads for a new position.

  Early British trench during the battle of the Aisne.

  Map showing the first battle of the Aisne.

  15

  Balkans: In Serbia the Austrian second invasion is recalled when they are pushed back over the Drina.

  Western Front: Trenches are dug for the first time on the Western Front.

  At the Aisne the Germans counter attack and start a slow advance which continues until 21 October. This push is known as the ‘Race to the sea.’.

  The Germans occupy Arras and bombard Soissons.

  For the first time, the RFC makes use of wireless telegraphy during observation flights over enemy artillery positions.

  16

  Western Front: The Germans take Valenciennes.

  17

  Eastern Front: Austro-German attack western Poland.

  19

  Western Front: Heavy fighting on the Western Front continues.

  Belgian troops; note dogs used to pull MGs.

  20

  Eastern Front: In East Prussia the Germans siege Osovyets.

  War at sea: In the Indian Ocean off the isalnd of Zanzibar HMS Pegasus is disabled by the German cruiser Königsberg.

  Western Front: Reims cathedral is bombarded by the Germans.

  21

  Eastern Front: The Russians take Jaroslav and advance towards and start the first siege of Przemysl. The siege lasts until 3 October.

  War at sea: In French Tahiti Papeete is bombarded by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Allied shipping in the Bay of Bengal is severely disrupted by German naval activity and the Indian port of Madras is bombarded by the cruiser Emden.

  British armoured cruisers Aboukir, Hogue, Cressy sunk by U.9 (Weddigen) off Dutch coast with the loss of 1,460.

  Western Front: The French retake Noyon and push forward in an attempt to turn the German right wing.

  24

  Africa: In New Guinea Austrailian troops occupy the German town of Friedrich Wilhelm.

  Far East: The British join Japanese troops in Tsingtao.

  Western Front: The Battle of the Aisne reaches stalemate.

  Germans occupy Péronne.

  25

  Eastern Front: Hindenburg is given command of the combined Austro-Hungarian and German offensives in Galicia and Poland.

  Western Front: Start of the First Battle of Albert as the Germans attempt to thwart the Allies plans to surround them.

  The glorious Gothic cathedral at Reims, where for centuries kings of France were crowned, was badly damaged by German bombing.

  Primitive French unarmed reconaissance monoplane.

  26

  Eastern Front: Fierce fighting on the Eastern Front leads to the two-day Battle of the Niemen.

  Western Front: Germans start the siege of Antwerp by bombarding the city.

  Indian soldiers land at the French port of Marseilles to join the fighting.

  27

  Eastern Front: In Galicia the Russians advance towards Cracow.

  Western Front: Germans occupy Malines.

  28

  Eastern Front: Russian cavalry raid into Hungary.

  Western Front: End of the Battle of the Aisne – 14 days of intense fighting.

  29

  Eastern Front: Germans raise the siege of Osovyets after nine days.

  Far East: The Japanese bombard Tsingtao, sinking a German trawler in the harbor.

  War at sea: Foreign trawlers are banned from British east coast ports.

  Western Front: Germans lose the Battle of Albert which ends after five days.

  Antwerp still under intense siege.

  Indian troops disembark at Marseilles before being moved to the Western Front.

  OCTOBER

  Race to the Sea reaches the Channel

  October 1914

  On the Western Front the battle lines reach the English Channel and there is fierce fighting all month. Turkey suddenly sides with the Central Powers and attacks Russian ports on the Black Sea. There is fighting in both South and East Africa. Canadian troops join the Western Front.

  1

  Eastern Front: Battle of Augustovo starts as Russians attack retreating Germans in east Prussia.

  Great Britain: The first division of Canadian troops set sail to complete training in Britain.

  Western Front: Germans fail to break the French line around Roye.

  First Battle of Arras starts.

  2

  Africa: British victory in East Africa at Gazi.

  War at sea: HMS Cumberland captures nine German ships in Cameroon River.

  British Admiralty announces its intention to plant defensive minefields in parts of the North Sea.

  3

  Eastern Front: Austro-German invade Poland with the intention of capturing Warsaw.

  German officers are given command over Austro-Hungarian forces.

  Western Front: Germans occupy Ypres.

  The outer defenses of Antwerp fall.

  4

  Balkans: In Bosnia the Serbs and Montenegrins are driven out of the Sarajevo region.

  Eastern Front: Joint German and Austro-Hungarian advance towards Russia.

  Western Front: Germans make rapid progress towards the coast, sweeping up a number of cities and towns along the way.

  Lille under bombardment.

  German generals and the Kaiser.

  The Etonians Officers’ Training Corps provided a constant supply of officers to the army.

  Belgian women distributing walnuts to troops during the defence of Antwerp.

  5

  Western Front: First German aircraft shot down by Allied plane.

  Three British naval brigades reach Antwerp as the Germans win more ground.

  6

  Eastern Front: Across Poland and Galicia the Russian fall back due to the force of the German push.

  Western Front: British troops land at Zeebrugge and Ostend. Arras takes a heavy pounding from the German bombardment.

  7

  Western Front: Start of the evacuation of Antwerp.

  Belgian government moves from Antwerp to Ostend.

  Germans cross the River Scheldt threatening the Allies retreat.

  Far East: Japanese occupy the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

  8

  Western Front: General Foch takes supreme command of all Allied forces defending the west coast.

  The evacuation continues as Antwerp is bombarded. Belgian troops and British naval brigades leave 2,000 men captured and interned in the Netherlands.

  War at sea: At the mouth of the River Ems the British submarine E.9 sinks the German destroyer S.126.

  The Germans took Ypres on October 3. This aerial photo shows the damage that would be done to the city over the next four years. In the centre are the remains of the cathedral and Cloth Hall.

  9

  Africa: In South Africa anti-British Boers led by Manie Maritz rebel and declare South African independence and war against Britain. 10,000 Boers will join him.
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br />   Eastern Front: The Battle of Augustovo ends with the defeat of the Germans.

  Western Front: Antwerp surrenders to Germans.

  Allied airmen raid the German Zeppelin sheds in Düsseldorf.

  10

  Eastern Front: In Poland the Germans occupy Lodz.

  Western Front: Lille bombarded again.

  11

  Eastern Front: Russians have big set-backs on the Eastern Front losing Jaroslav, being forced to raise the unsuccessful siege of Przemysl both in Galicia, and losing Sochaczew in Poland.

  War at sea: In the Baltic a German submarine sinks the Russian cruiser Pallada.

  Western Front: Beginning of the Battle of Flanders – essentially a struggle for who has control of the western coast of Europe.

  12

  Africa: In South Africa martial law is declared in an attempt to control the constitutional crisis.

  Western Front: The Allies evacuate Ostend and Zeebrugge as the Germans advance. Germans retreat from Reims.

  Map showing the area fought over in German Southwest Africa.

  The environs of Antwerp and the German attack of October 8, 1914.

  13

  Africa: In South Africa Lt-Col Maritz leads an open rebellion against the British.

  Western Front: British occupy Ypres.

  Lille and Ghent occupied by the Germans.

  Heavy fighting between La Bassée and Bethune.

  British receive a copy of the German naval codebook seized from the Magdeburg.