“Improving the position” | 18 Aug 1916
Bulgarian initiative and First Doiran Quick recap; Romania has just signed on to enter the war. The French have agreed to lead an attack to Continue reading “Improving the position” | 18 Aug 1916
Bulgarian initiative and First Doiran Quick recap; Romania has just signed on to enter the war. The French have agreed to lead an attack to Continue reading “Improving the position” | 18 Aug 1916
Romania Negotiations for bringing Romania into the war have finally concluded, to the alleged satisfaction of all parties. I’m far from convinced. After a little Continue reading Sixth Isonzo | Boselli | Bissolati | 17 Aug 1916
Sixth Isonzo Hopefully you’re not still chewing on your knuckles from yesterday. The irony here really is painful. The Italian Army has spent a long, Continue reading Sixth Isonzo | Gorizia | 8 Aug 1916
Battle of the Somme In Pozieres, the battered and bruised 1st Australian Division is being removed from the line and replaced with fellow Gallipoli veterans Continue reading General Gough | ANZACs | 28 Jul 1916
Battle of Erzincan Erzincan has surrendered. A second overwhelming Russian victory in 1916 is now complete. Vehip Pasha’s Third Army has, for the second time Continue reading Erzincan | Haig & ANZACs | 25 Jul 1916
Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme is congealing again. Not that it moved very far on the 23rd, mind you. A satirical Continue reading Kowel | Pozieres | 24 Jul 1916
Battle of the Somme A huge rainstorm has blown in. Even if the BEF had been in position to launch a major attack on the Continue reading German counter-attacks | 4 Jul 1916
Brusilov Offensive Let’s have an update from the Brusilov Offensive, why not? The south of the Eastern Front has now been steadily rumbling west for Continue reading Brusilov Offensive | Secret Session | 17 Jun 1916
Brusilov Offensive Another important day in the Brusilov Offensive. To this point I’ve been mostly focused on the fighting around Lutsk, at the very north Continue reading Brusilov Offensive | 9 Jun 1916
Suez Canal Over the past week or so, we’ve been hearing news from correspondent Oskar Teichman about an Ottoman buildup at El Arish to oppose Continue reading Suez Canal | The air war | 8 Jun 1916
Fall of Fort Vaux This is the end. A few men in scattered parties, thirties, twenties, and tens, have been given permission to break out Continue reading Fort Vaux to Mainz | Bernard Adams | 7 Jun 1916
Brusilov Offensive The scale and design of the Brusilov Offensive is such that it only needs one relatively small success, quickly reinforced, to put the Continue reading Brusilov Offensive | Sunny Subaltern | 6 Jun 1916
Brusilov Offensive The Entente’s summer offensive is finally underway. We’ve been building up to this for at least six months. There have been a couple Continue reading Lord Kitchener | Brusilov Offensive | 5 Jun 1916
Brusilov Offensive The great summer offensive plays its overture today. Today is given over entirely to artillery barrages. The Austro-Hungarian generals remain unconcerned; if this Continue reading Brusilov Overture | Fort Vaux | 4 Jun 1916
Brusilov Offensive Right, time now to return to the oft-neglected (on this blog; once again I’ll tell the story properly for the book) Eastern Front. Continue reading Planning the Brusilov Offensive | 18 May 1916
Lake Naroch Offensive It would be unfair, just about, to say that the Russians have achieved nothing with the Lake Naroch Offensive. A lot of Continue reading Lake Naroch | Verdun | 31 Mar 1916
Lake Naroch Offensive Oh boy. Back to the Eastern Front now for the start of the Lake Naroch Offensive. Between Russian reinforcements and Germans leaving Continue reading Lake Naroch Offensive | 18 Mar 1916
Battle of Latema Nek How many times have I talked already about moments when tragedy turns to farce? Ye gods, how many times in the Continue reading Battle of Latema Nek | Winning by accident | 12 Mar 1916
Battle of Verdun The first phase of the Battle of Verdun is over. The Germans have poked the hornet’s nest and stirred it up real Continue reading Ripples from Verdun | 1 Mar 1916
Eastern Front General Joffre isn’t the world’s biggest fan of the Salonika expedition. However, he’s a practical man. Not only does it still have the Continue reading War at sea | Eastern Front | 12 Jan 1916
Last day of the year. Let’s do something unusual and start with Flora Sandes. Flora Sandes Private Flora Sandes has reached the Adriatic Sea coast. Continue reading End of the year | 31 Dec 1915
Evacuation of Gallipoli Yes, you read that right. Sing Hallelujah and ring the church bells. The British Cabinet has a meeting today, where it’s faced Continue reading Gallipoli | Chantilly | 7 Dec 1915
Stavka In the wake of the Russian retreat from Poland, it’s obvious that something now needs to be done. There’s good news and bad news Continue reading Nicholas II | Stavka | 8 Sep 1915
Time to rectify an oversight. I’ve been entirely short-changing events on the Eastern Front over the last couple of months; not something I wanted to Continue reading Russian Retreat | 26 Aug 1915
Kasigau Mountain Kasigau is a mountain near Mbyuni, which you may recall the Germans are using as an advance post for raids against the Uganda Continue reading Ginger at Suvla | 12 Aug 1915
Henry Pedris Henry Pedris has been found guilty by FGCM and sentenced to death. That sentence has also been confirmed by General Malcolm, the local Continue reading Henry Pedris | Chantilly Conference | 7 July 1915
It’s a grisly day today; there’s civilian atrocities all over the shop, there’s fresh fighting being planned at Ypres, and living conditions on Gallipoli are Continue reading Shooting competitions | 12 Jun 1915
Today there’s developments on Mount Mrzli and on the Eastern Front. However, our main focus can only be the Third Battle of Krithia, which begins Continue reading Third Krithia | 4 Jun 1915
We’re checking in with the situation at Ypres today. The Italians continue blundering around on Mount Mrzli, and the riots in Sri Lanka are spreading Continue reading Ypres | 1 Jun 1915
Bulgaria is currently in the enviable position of entertaining diplomatic overtures from both sides, who are quite convinced that of only they can bring the Continue reading Bulgaria | 26 May 1915