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Old 06-25-2016, 04:25 PM
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gekkogecko gekkogecko is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Central MD, USA
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Actual History: 100 Years Ago Today

Something I've been doing for a different website, thought I'd start it up here. Cobbling together things from different websites, comparing sources, and more-or-less liveblogging the First World War. Just 100 years late.

I have chosen today to start because one of the most significant developments of the entire War started today. To whit, the disastrous Battle of the Somme, which, despite much British propaganda to the contrary, did not in fact, result in the attrition of the German Armies in the West to a significantly greater degree than that of the British & French Armies. In fact, quite the opposite happened.

Western Front
Battle of Verdun: German forces at Verdun suspend their attack on Fort Souville due to heavy casualties. Heavy fighting at Fleury and west of Thiaumont. French thwart attempted German advance west of Fort Thiaumont. French gains in Fumin-Chenois Woods. War Minister General Roques visits.

Preliminary British bombardment along Somme front and northwards. British and French forces, stocked with 3 million artillery shells, begin preparatory bombardment of German lines at the Somme. (This much is standard Allied propaganda. What they don’t tell you is that the week-long bombardment was largely a failure, due to several factors:
1. Many, many, many of the British shells were duds, due to poor quality control & manufacturing practices in the British munitions industry.
2. A mistaken belief that shrapnel (actual shrapnel shell, a specific type of shell, unlike the more modern meaning of the word ‘shrapnel’) was effective in cutting barbed wire. In fact, shrapnel is almost useless for this purpose. As a result, roughly 75% of the shells fired by the british were shrapnel. Only about ¼ of the shells were high explosive.
3. Many of the British & French guns were the subset of Artillery known as “Guns” (as opposed to Howitzers or Mortars), which had insufficient elevation to hit a lot of the obstacles & trenches the Germans had installed on reverse slopes.
4. The Germans had partially adopted the idea of “Defense in Depth”: that is, the outermost line of fortifications & defensive positions, which usually (and at the battle did) receive the heaviest bombardment, were only lightly held. Most of the defensive troops were held in the second or third lines (where available), or sometimes even further back, for counterattacks. As a result, many of the German soldiers weren’t touched by the initial bombardment.)

British and French troops at Bray-sur-Somme as the Allied troops prepare to launch its offensive : http://imgur.com/4ioByXX

Royal Flying Corps spots 154 targets (5 German batteries silenced), fights 16 air combats and shoots down 6 German kite-balloons.

Flanders: BEF shell Lens.


Eastern Front
Russian advance from Bukovina; fighting on Dniester.


Southern Front
Trentino: Italians retake Asiago, Posina and Arslero regained (June 27), as Austrians begin silent and orderly general retreat from salient (night June 25) to prepared line holding 2/3 of gains since May 15 (until June 26).
Salonika: Sarrail told he may have to attack soon with French and Serbs alone.
Armenia: Turks after surprise crossing of Pontic Alps overwhelm 19th Turkistanski Regiment. By June 30 within 15 miles of coast road but held at ‘Serpent Rock Hill’.


Political, etc.
Roger Casement trial begins.

President of the German Food Regulations Board admits the rationing of meat is currently being considered for September onwards.

British War Office announces 500 more women have been accepted as army cooks, bringing the total up to 2000.

French Chamber of Deputies appropriates 25 million Francs for propaganda purposes overseas.

Araba Revolt: British in Cairo intercepts Djemal radio message to Fakhri Pasha in Medina allowing £5,000 spending in English gold. In Cyrenaica, Sayyid Idris meets Allied Mission for talks (until September).

Anglo-Italian Agreement not to sign separate deal with Senussi (June 31, France adheres March 1917).


Naval and Overseas Operations:

An Admiralty post-Battle of Jutland inquest with Jellicoe and Beatty agrees to improve armor protection.
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