Somme postponed | 26 Jun 1916
Battle of the Somme The weather has turned nasty over the Somme battlefields. Heavy summer rains are starting to blow in from the south, and Continue reading Somme postponed | 26 Jun 1916
Battle of the Somme The weather has turned nasty over the Somme battlefields. Heavy summer rains are starting to blow in from the south, and Continue reading Somme postponed | 26 Jun 1916
Battle of Verdun Here we go again. It’s time once more for the Germans to move hell and high water outside Verdun. The map again. Continue reading Fleury | Bras | Souville | 23 Jun 1916
German East Africa: The Northern Railway No, this is not an extremely boring classic film for railway enthusiasts. A couple of weeks ago, with the Continue reading Gommecourt | Boulogne | Executions | 15 Jun 1916
Battle of Mont Sorrel The Germans launch more obligatory counter-counter attacks today, but they’re short of men and the Canadians see them off with relative Continue reading Tactics and myths | 14 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 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
Herbert Sulzbach Yes, this is an unusual way to start the day, but bear with me and you’ll see where I’m going with this. German Continue reading Spinning Jutland | 2 June 1916
Battle of Jutland The High Seas Fleet continues concentrating in preparation to sortie immediately after midnight. The water seethes with activity as ship after ship Continue reading The fleets leave port | Jutland | 30 May 1916
Battle of Jutland Decision day for Admiral Scheer. For the full implications of the decision he must make today, skip back to yesterday. It’s a Continue reading Mine-laying submarines | Fort Vaux | 29 May 1916
Battle of Asiago Picking up from yesterday. Arsiero has fallen, Asiago is about to go the same way. General Cadorna believes that the men are Continue reading Arsiero | Decimation | Italy | 27 May 1916
Battle of Verdun Yesterday, General Mangin had egg on his face after prematurely declaring that Fort Douaumont had been recaptured for France. Today, the German Continue reading Fort Douaumont | Kondoa reinforced | 24 May 1916
Battle of Verdun The French attack on Fort Douaumont yesterday can’t possibly help but provoke a major counter-attack from the Germans. And it seems as Continue reading Fort Douaumont | Cancelled raids | 23 May 1916
Battle of Verdun So, time for the latest fruitless attempt to achieve something at the Battle of Verdun. And, with General Mangin in command, we Continue reading Return to Fort Douaumont | 22 May 1916
Ruanda In 1916, Ruanda was a major province of German East Africa; today it’s independent as Rwanda. Incidentally, anyone ever heard of a vicious civil Continue reading Ruanda | Mort Homme | 21 May 1916
Battle of Asiago There is an important tactical point to note about the Austro-Hungarian advance into the Asiago plateau. For all his offensiveness and shouting, Continue reading The Cow of Beaumetz | 19 May 1916
Sykes-Picot Agreement There is an argument to be made that May 16 1916 is in fact the most significant date of the entire war. All Continue reading Sykes-Picot Agreement | 16 May 1916