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THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR

History of the European War from Official Sources

Complete Historical Records of Events to Date,
Illustrated with Drawings, Maps, and Photographs

Prefaced by

What the War Means to America
Major General Leonard Wood, U.S.A.

Naval Lessons of the War
Rear Admiral Austin M. Knight, U.S.N.

The World's War
Frederick Palmer

Theatres of the War's Campaigns
Frank H. Simonds

The War Correspondent
Arthur Ruhl

Edited by

Francis J. Reynolds
Former Reference Librarian of Congress

Allen L. Churchill
Associate Editor, The New International Encyclopedia

Francis Trevelyan Miller
Editor in Chieft, Photographic History of the Civil War

P. F. Collier & Son Company
New York


[Illustration: _Kaiser Wilhelm II, German Emperor, inspecting
Austro-Hungarian troops on the East Galician front, New Year's Day,
1916. At the Kaiser's left is General Count von Bothmer_]


THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR

Champagne. Artois. Grodno
Fall of Nish. Caucasus
Mesopotamia. Development
of Air Strategy. United
States and the War

VOLUME IV







P. F. Collier & Son. New York

Copyright 1916
By P. F. Collier & Son




CONTENTS


PART I.--WAR IN SYRIA AND EGYPT

CHAPTER                                                           Page

        I. Renewed Turkish Attempts                                  9


PART II.--WAR IN THE AIR

       II. Raids of the Airmen                                      16

      III. Zeppelins Attack London--Battles in the Air              29

       IV. Venice Attacked--Other Raids                             34


PART III.--THE WESTERN FRONT

        V. Summary of First Year's Operations                       39

       VI. Fighting in Artois and the Vosges                        46

      VII. Political Crisis in France--Aeroplane Warfare--Fierce
             Combats in the Vosges--Preparations for Allied
             Offense                                                52

     VIII. The Great Champagne Offensive                            61

       IX. The British Front in Artois                              81

        X. The Battle of Loos                                       90

       XI. The Cavell Case--Accident to King George                 98

      XII. Operations in Champagne And Artois--Preparations for
             Winter Campaign                                       104

     XIII. Events in the Winter Campaign                           117

      XIV. The Battle of Verdun--The German Attack                 131


PART IV.--THE WAR AT SEA

       XV. Naval Situation at the Beginning of the Second
             Year--Submarine Exploits                              143

      XVI. The Sinking of the Arabic--British Submarine Successes  150

     XVII. Cruise of the Moewe--Loss of British Battleships        156

    XVIII. Continuation of War on Merchant Shipping--Italian
             and Russian Naval Movements--Sinking of La
             Provence                                              165


PART V.--THE WAR ON THE EASTERN FRONT

      XIX. Summary of First Year's Operations                      174

       XX. The Fall of the Niemen and Nareff Fortresses            178

      XXI. The Conquest of Grodno and Vilna                        185

     XXII. The Capture of Brest-Litovsk                            193

    XXIII. The Struggle in East Galicia and Volhynia and the
             Capture of Pinsk                                      200

     XXIV. In the Pripet Marshes                                   209

      XXV. Fighting on the Dvina and in the Dvina-Vilna Sector     212

     XXVI. Winter Battles on the Styr and Strypa Rivers            223

    XXVII. On the Tracks of the Russian Retreat                    229

   XXVIII. Sidelights on the Russian Retreat and German
             Advance                                               240

     XXIX. Winter on the Eastern Front                             250


PART VI.--THE BALKANS

      XXX. Battle Clouds Gather Again                              255

     XXXI. The Invasion Begins                                     263

    XXXII. Bulgaria Enters the War                                 269

   XXXIII. The Teutonic Invasion Rolls on                          273

    XXXIV. The Fall of Nish--Defense of Babuna Pass                282

     XXXV. Bulgarian Advance--Serbian Resistance                   290

    XXXVI. End of German Operations--Flight of Serb People--Greece 300

   XXXVII. Allies Withdraw into Greece--Attitude of Greek
             Government                                            308

  XXXVIII. Bulgarian Attacks--Allies Concentrate at Saloniki       316

    XXXIX. Italian Movements in Albania--Conquest of Montenegro    327

       XL. Conditions in Serbia, Greece, and Rumania               339


PART VII.--THE DARDANELLES AND RUSSO-TURKISH CAMPAIGN

      XLI. Conditions in Gallipoli--Attack at Suvla Bay            344


PART VIII.--AGGRESSIVE TURKISH CAMPAIGN AT DARDANELLES

     XLII. Sari Bair--Partial Withdrawal of Allies                 353

    XLIII. Aggressive Turkish Movements--Opinion in England--Change
             in Command                                            357

     XLIV. Abandonment of Dardanelles--Armenian Atrocities         369

      XLV. Campaign in Caucasus--Fall of Erzerum                   380


PART IX.--ITALY IN THE WAR

     XLVI. Review OF Preceding Operations--Italian Movements       393

    XLVII. Italy's Relations to the Other Warring Nations          399

   XLVIII. Problems of Strategy                                    404

     XLIX. Move Against Germany                                    410

        L. Renewed Attacks--Italy's Situation At the Beginning
             of March, 1916                                        413


PART X.--CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA

       LI. Operations Against Bagdad and Around the Tigris         419

      LII. Advance Toward Bagdad--Battle of Kut-el-Amara           426

     LIII. Battle of Ctesiphon                                     437

      LIV. Stand at Kut-el-Amara--Attempts at Relief               444


PART XI.--THE WAR IN THE AIR

       LV. Development of the Strategy and Tactics of Air
             Fighting                                              454

      LVI. Zeppelin Raids--Attacks on German Arms Factories--German
             Over-Sea Raids                                        459

     LVII. Attacks on London--Bombardment of Italian Ports--Aeroplane
             as Commerce Destroyer                                 466

    LVIII. Air Fighting on all Fronts--Losses                      473


PART XII.--THE UNITED STATES AND THE BELLIGERENTS

      LIX. Sinking of the Arabic--Another Crisis--Germany's
             Defense and Concessions                               480

       LX. Issue with Austria-Hungary Over the Ancona--Surrender
             to American Demands                                   490

      LXI. The Lusitania Deadlock--Agreement Blocked by Armed
             Merchantmen Issue--Crisis in Congress                 496

     LXII. Developments of Pro-German Propaganda--Munitions
             Crusade Defended--New Aspects of American Policy      505




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


  Kaiser Wilhelm Inspecting His Troops                  _Frontispiece_

                                                         Opposite Page
  Zigzag Trenches in the Champagne                                  62

  German Infantry Storming a Hill                                   94

  General Joffre and General Petain                                142

  Austrian Infantry in Russia                                      238

  Constructing a Bridge Over the Danube                            270

  British Hydroplane on Guard at Saloniki                          318

  Aeroplane Guns on Turntable                                      462

  Firing a Torpedo from the Deck of a Destroyer                    494




LIST OF MAPS

                                                                  Page
  Middle Europe--The German Vision of an Empire from the Baltic
    to the Persian Gulf (_Colored Map_)                 _Front Insert_

  Champagne District, The                                           63

  Battle in Champagne, September, 1915, Detail Map of               69

  Artois Region, September, 1915, The French Gains in               86

  Battle at Loos, The                                               95

  Verdun, The Forts at                                             134

  Verdun, Fighting at, up to March 1, 1916                         141

  Verdun (_Colored Map_)                                _Opposite_ 142

  Kiel Canal                                                       167

  Russia, The Battle Front in, January 1, 1916                     228

  Balkan (Serbian) Operations, General Map of                      262

  German-Austro-Bulgar Campaign Against Serbia, The Beginning
    of the                                                         268

  Retreat of Serbians                                              304

  Saloniki, The Allies at                                          324

  Montenegro, The Austrian Campaign in                             335

  Dardanelles, Operations at the                                   368

  Turkish Empire, The                                              381

  Turkey in Armenia, The Russian Advance on                        390

  Bagdad Railroad, The                                             420

  Russian Advance Through Persia, The                              438

  Mesopotamia, The British Campaign in                             451




PART I--WAR IN SYRIA AND EGYPT




CHAPTER I

RENEWED TURKISH ATTEMPTS


The leaders of the Turkish troops had been hard at work arousing the
fanaticism of the Turkish soldiery against the British foe before the
next day's battle began. It is due these noisy "Holy Warriors" that
sentries of the Fifth Egyptian Field Battery were warned of the near
presence of the enemy.

The Indian troops now took the offensive, supported by the warships
and mountain and field artillery. The Serapeum garrison, consisting of
Ninety-second Punjabis and Rajputs, now cleared its front of the enemy
who had been stopped three-quarters of a mile away. A counterattack
made by the Sixty-second Punjabis of the Tussum garrison drove the
Turks back. Two battalions of the Turkish Twenty-eighth Regiment now
joined the fight, but the British artillery threw them into disorder,
and by 3 p. m. of February 3, 1915, the Moslems were in retreat,
leaving behind them a rear guard of a few hundred men hidden in the
gaps among the brush along the eastern bank.

The warships on Lake Timsah had been in action since morning, and the
sand hills near Ismailia were at first crowded by civilians and
soldiers eager to witness the fight, until the Turkish guns to the
east and southeast of the Ferry post drove them in cover.

About 11 a. m. an old unprotected Indian Marine transport, H. M. S.
_Hardinge_, was struck by two 6-inch shells. One carried away the
funnel and the other burst inboard doing much damage. Two of the crew
were killed and nine wounded. George Carew, the pilot, lost a leg, but
continued on duty and helped to bring the injured vessel into
Ismailia. The French coast guard battleship _Requin_ came now under
the Turkish fire, but her 10.8-inch guns soon silenced the enemy's
batteries.

The morning of February 3, 1915, the Turks advanced on the Ismailia
Ferry, then held by Sikhs, Punjabi Rifles, a battery of Indian
mountain artillery and Australian engineers, digging shelter pits as
they moved forward, covered by two field batteries. Their advance was
stopped by the British guns when they had come within 1,000 yards of
the outpost line. During the afternoon the Turks kept up some
desultory firing that was ineffective; they also engaged in some
reconnoitering of British positions during the dark night that
followed, but when morning broke they had all disappeared.

Meanwhile, at El Kantara the struggle had reached much the same
conclusion. The Indian troops had repelled an advance from the south,
in which two Turkish regiments, the Eightieth and Eighty-first of the
Twenty-seventh Division, were engaged. H.M.S. _Swiftsure_, which had
taken the place of the disabled _Hardinge_, aided by Indian and
Territorial artillery, did effective work in covering the British
positions. The nature of the ground here was so marshy that in places
the Turks sank to their waists in muddy ooze, and foredoomed their
attack to failure. Again it was demonstrated that they are poor
strategists and fail to make careful observations of the terrain
before advancing to attack. At El Ferdan, where some Turks made a
demonstration with a battery about this time, there were no losses,
though the gunboat _Clio_ was hit several times. At El Kantara, where
a part of General Cox's brigade of Gurkhas, Sikhs, and Punjabis were
engaged, there were thirty casualties.

Between Tussum and Serapeum there was some sniping during the late
afternoon of February 3 from the east bank of the canal, during which
a British sailor was killed on H.M.S. _Swiftsure_. The desultory
firing continued during the night and through the early morning of
February 4. A deplorable incident occurred this day in which a brave
British officer and several of his men were the victims of Turkish
treachery. Several hundred Turks had been discovered by half a
battalion of Ninety-second Punjabis sent out from Serapeum. In the
encounter that followed, some of the Turks held up their hands as a
sign of surrender, while others continued to fire. Captain Cochran of
the Ninety-second company, who was advancing with his men to take the
surrender, was killed. A few of his soldiers also fell, and some
others were wounded. The British took a prompt and complete revenge
for the loss of these men. After being reenforced by Indian troops
they overpowered the enemy in a hand-to-hand struggle, in which a
Turkish officer was killed by a British officer in a sword combat. The
Turks had lost in this brisk engagement about 120 killed and wounded,
and 6 officers and 25 men were captured with 3 Maxim guns.

The Turkish attempts at Suez on February 2, 1915, were insignificant,
and did not cost the British the loss of a single man. By nightfall,
just as their compatriots had done along other parts of the canal, the
Turks fled in the direction of Nakhl, Djebel, Habeite, and Katia. On
the afternoon of the 4th, when the fighting between Serapeum and
Tussum was concluded, Indian cavalry and various patrols captured some
men and war materials. At Ismailia preparations were under way to
pursue the retreating Turks across the canal. This plan, for some
reason, was subsequently abandoned.

During these various fights along the canal, the British had lost 115
killed and wounded, a small number considering the character of the
ground and the very numerous attacks and skirmishes. Nine hundred
Turks were buried or found drowned in the canal, 650 were taken
prisoners, while it is estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 must
have been wounded. The brunt of the struggle fell on the Indian
troops, who, in general, fought with great bravery. There were some
Australian and Egyptian troops engaged who proved themselves valuable
auxiliaries.

In these engagements along the canal the Syrian Moslems displayed even
greater bravery than the Turks, who were not lacking in intrepidity,
though they showed poor judgment. They had much to learn in the way of
taking cover, and would often blindly advance over difficult ground
that placed them at a disadvantage.

Djemal Pasha had evidently counted on an Egyptian rising, and perhaps
a mutiny of the Indian Moslem troops, but he showed that he entirely
misjudged their sentiments, as they displayed great bitterness toward
the Turks during the fighting, and attacked them in a thoroughly
vindictive spirit. If Djemal had not counted on help from these
quarters he would probably not have attempted to break through the
British positions covering a ninety-mile front with such a small
force. It was estimated that he had about 25,000 men, but not more
than half of these were brought into action at any given point where
they might have achieved some success. The Turks had burned up some
war material and left a few deserters behind them, but they had
retreated in good order, and the British commanders had reason to
believe that they should soon be heard from again, and that a main
attack was contemplated.

On February 6, 1915, British aeroplane observers discovered that the
Turks in front of the Tussum-Deversoir section had gathered at Djebel,
Habeite, and were strongly reenforced. It appeared that Djemal was now
preparing to attack in force. The British were quite ready for them,
having been reenforced on February 3 and 4 by the Seventh and Eighth
Australian battalions, a squadron of the Duke of Lancaster's Own
Yeomanry, and the Herts, and Second County of London Yeomanry. But the
British hopes of a