Decimation | Cadorna | Asiago | 26 May 1916
Battle of Asiago Let us begin with an update from the actual fighting at the Battle of Asiago. It’s still pretty much unmitigated bad news Continue reading Decimation | Cadorna | Asiago | 26 May 1916
Tag Archives: Castelnau
Voie Sacree | 13 Mar 1916
Voie Sacree Right then. The Battle of Verdun is now firmly into the attrition phase. Time to consider how it was that the French were Continue reading Voie Sacree | 13 Mar 1916
General Petain’s rise | Fort Douaumont’s fall | 25 Feb 1916
It’s time for another split day. This is about today at the Battle of Verdun. For everything else today, see this post. Petain’s dirty weekend Continue reading General Petain’s rise | Fort Douaumont’s fall | 25 Feb 1916
Beaumont | Woevre | Verdun | 24 Feb 1916
Battle of Verdun The Germans continue rolling carefully but slowly forwards, now beginning to nuzzle up against what a week ago had been the third Continue reading Beaumont | Woevre | Verdun | 24 Feb 1916
Frise, Vimy, and the Somme | 14 Feb 1916
Battle of Verdun It’s still raining at Verdun. No battle today. Instead, there’s another attack in the Ypres salient at the Bluff, another all-but-insignificant knobbly Continue reading Frise, Vimy, and the Somme | 14 Feb 1916
de Langle at Verdun | Salaita | 3 Feb 1916
Battle of Verdun General de Langle has been inspecting the state of Verdun’s defences now that the region is under his army group, and his Continue reading de Langle at Verdun | Salaita | 3 Feb 1916
Hanna chokepoint | Dubail | 19 Jan 1916
Mesopotamia Robert Palmer has something positive to report at last. He’s moving! I write while humming Here Comes The Sun. Sun at last; first fine Continue reading Hanna chokepoint | Dubail | 19 Jan 1916
Truces? | Christmas | Dec 25 1915
Salonika It may be Christmas, but duty does call for some. One of those is Joffre’s right hand General Castelnau, who is visiting Salonika to Continue reading Truces? | Christmas | Dec 25 1915
von Mackensen | Belgrade | 7 Oct 1915
Oh, I hope you weren’t expecting good news. There’s precious little good news to go around at the moment. Let’s cut to the chase… Third Continue reading von Mackensen | Belgrade | 7 Oct 1915
Hohenzollern Redoubt | 2 Oct 1915
Western Front The Hohenzollern Redoubt is falling. Too many Germans with too many grenades, supported by too many Minenwerfers and too good a knowledge of Continue reading Hohenzollern Redoubt | 2 Oct 1915
Sir John French | Blame | 29 Sep 1915
Battle of Loos With the Germans turning up the pressure on the Hohenzollern Redoubt higher and higher, General Haig has his eyes firmly on the Continue reading Sir John French | Blame | 29 Sep 1915
Preparation for battle | 15 Sep 1915
As we surely all know, proper preparation & planning prevents piss poor performance. Let’s see how that’s going, with the autumn offensive on the Western Continue reading Preparation for battle | 15 Sep 1915
Water at Suvla Bay | 11 Aug 1915
Same as yesterday; but this time, let’s take Gallipoli first. Suvla Bay The bungling continues unabated. General Stopford blithely describes the battalions thrown against Scimitar Continue reading Water at Suvla Bay | 11 Aug 1915
Battle of Achi Baba Nullah | July 12 1915
Mbyuni On the Kenya/German East Africa border, there’s a small village called Mbyuni. It makes an excellent outpost for raids against the Uganda Railway, and Continue reading Battle of Achi Baba Nullah | July 12 1915
First Isonzo | Jun 24 1915
Today we have a little French strategy, a lot of Italian failure, and another dose of the horrors of war from Kenneth Best. First Isonzo Continue reading First Isonzo | Jun 24 1915
Breakthrough and rupture | 30 May 1915
A number of places to look at today; Amara, London, New Delhi, Chantilly, Gallipoli and Mazingarbe, where Louis Barthas has formed a connection with two Continue reading Breakthrough and rupture | 30 May 1915
Formidable | 01 Jan 1915
The new year is a natural time to re-evaluate strategic possibilities; there’ll be plenty of that in the coming days. First, to the Channel, and Continue reading Formidable | 01 Jan 1915
Picardy | 22 Sep 1914
The Western Front comes back to life. In Picardy, both sides make the same move. Picardy On the west of the Western Front, the French Continue reading Picardy | 22 Sep 1914
Taxis of the Marne | 7 Sep 2014
There are two legendary moments of the First World War that run through French culture like the Somme (or the evacuation from Dunkirk) does in Continue reading Taxis of the Marne | 7 Sep 2014
Ourcq | Marne | Drina | 5 Sep 1914
Alea iacta est. The Battle of the Marne begins at the Ourcq; Grand Couronne continues. Soon, the entire French army will be fighting at once. Continue reading Ourcq | Marne | Drina | 5 Sep 1914
Grand Couronne | Marne | 4 Sep 1914
The Great Retreat ends today. But, before we can turn to the Marne, there’s an important offensive somewhere else to be talked about. Grand Couronne Continue reading Grand Couronne | Marne | 4 Sep 1914
Battles of the Frontiers | 21 Aug 1914
We’re now finishing the opening skirmishes and tipping headlong into the first major battles. In two days’ time, there’ll be heavy fighting on the Eastern Continue reading Battles of the Frontiers | 21 Aug 1914
Trains and Lorraines | 15 Aug 1914
Well, to be fair, there’s only one Lorraine. I do hope you’re not disappointed by my false advertising. Battle of Lorraine The Germans continue to Continue reading Trains and Lorraines | 15 Aug 1914