January 23, 1914
Trouble has been brewing between the upstart and successful team of Hindenburg and Ludendorf, who had achieved important successes in Prussia and the German Commander in Chief, Falkenkayn. The latest bone of contention concerned whether to send an army to the Austrian Conrad to push the successful Russian Army back across the frontier of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Falkenhayn, in order to dissolve the team, has ordered Ludendorf south away from Prussia ad Hindenburg and is refusing to commit an army to the assistance of Austria. After a political power struggle with the over matched Kaiser at its center, Falkenhayn is left in charge but is ordered to support Conrad's move against Russia. Ludendorf, after a decent interval, is to be returned to his mentor Hindenburg to help coordinate a northern push. The ill-conceived and ill-led Austrian expedition immediately meets with problems common to winter campaigns.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Sinking of the Formidable
January 1, 1914
A German U-boat sends a torpedo toward a British battleship, called the HMS Formidable and sends her to the bottom of the English Channel with 546 seamen. It sounds the wake up call that the British Navy may not be counted on to rule the waves indefinitely.
A German U-boat sends a torpedo toward a British battleship, called the HMS Formidable and sends her to the bottom of the English Channel with 546 seamen. It sounds the wake up call that the British Navy may not be counted on to rule the waves indefinitely.
Christmas Truce
December, 25, 1914
The common soldiers in the trenches of Flanders demonstrate a better understanding of war than their commanders when they send Christmas carols in their respective languages across no-mans-land and cautiously begin to show themselves above the tops of the trenches. Soon a gathering of soldiers occurs and soccer games and spontaneous gift exchanges break out. When the indignant generals get wind of this scandalous behavior, they take steps to ensure that it never happens again.
The common soldiers in the trenches of Flanders demonstrate a better understanding of war than their commanders when they send Christmas carols in their respective languages across no-mans-land and cautiously begin to show themselves above the tops of the trenches. Soon a gathering of soldiers occurs and soccer games and spontaneous gift exchanges break out. When the indignant generals get wind of this scandalous behavior, they take steps to ensure that it never happens again.
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