Forum Eerste Wereldoorlog

[Hauptmann]

1911 David Lloyd George delivers Mansion House speech

On July 21, 1911, at the Mansion House in London, David Lloyd George delivers the customary annual address of the British chancellor of the exchequer.

Lloyd George, a radical member of the Liberal government of Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, had made a name for himself as a leftist, anti-imperialist influence in the party, promoting pension plans for the elderly and national insurance and opposing Britain’s policies in the South African, or Boer War in 1899-1902. His speech at the Mansion House, however, came in the wake of the Second Moroccan Crisis, a clash between the great European powers that began on May 21, 1911, when French troops occupied the city of Fez in Morocco, at the appeal of the sultan, to restore order after rebel tribes threatened the city. On July 1, 1911, Germany sent its gunboat Panther to the port of Agadir as a forceful protest against French influence in Morocco and the Congo. Though Germany assumed Britain would stay out of the conflict and that, once isolated, France would give way, that was not the case. Rather than use his annual speech as an opportunity to advocate for pacifism and disengagement from the conflict between France—Britain’s ally, along with Russia, in the so-called Triple Entente—and an aggressive Germany, Lloyd George made clear that Britain would not stand down.

Indeed, in a rousing speech on July 21, the chancellor of the exchequer--and future prime minister--implied that war might be the price of continued threats to the security of his country and its allies: “I would make great sacrifices to preserve peace. I conceive that nothing would justify a disturbance of international good will except questions of the greatest national moment. But if a situation were to be forced upon us in which peace could only be preserved by the surrender of the great and beneficent position Britain has won by centuries of heroism and achievement, by allowing Britain to be treated where her interests were vitally affected as if she were of no account in the Cabinet of nations, then I say emphatically that peace at that price would be a humiliation intolerable for a great country like ours to endure.”

The Mansion House speech made it clear to Germany that France was not isolated. Kaiser Wilhelm, reluctant from the beginning to make such an aggressive move, directed his foreign office to back down. In an agreement concluded in November 1911, France received German recognition of its protectorate over Morocco, which it added to its North African holdings of Algeria and Tunisia. Germany, in return, was awarded some compensation in other areas of Africa, which it considered inadequate. From that point forward, the battle lines of the future war—World War I—became increasingly clear: Britain, and Russia, would stand with France in any future conflict that threatened its security. Meanwhile, an isolated Germany began to shore up its own alliances—namely with the Austro-Hungarian Empire—and build up its own strength in order to be prepared for the next move.

http://www.historychannel.com

[Yvonne]

Der deutsche Heeresbericht:
Neuer feindlicher Massenvorstoß an der Somme gescheitert

Großes Hauptquartier, 21. Juli.
Westlicher Kriegsschauplatz:
Der gestern gemeldete englische Angriff in der Gegend von Fromelles am 19. Juli ist, wie sich herausgestellt hat, von zwei starken Divisionen geführt worden. Die tapfere bayerische Division, auf deren einen Frontabschnitt er stieß, zählte mehr als zweitausend Leichen des Feindes im Vorgelände und hat bisher 481 Gefangene (darunter 10 Offiziere), sowie 16 Maschinengewehre abgeliefert.
Auf beiden Ufern der Somme holten die Feinde gestern, wie erwartet wurde, zu einem Hauptschlag aus. Er ist gescheitert. Die Angriffe wurden nach kräftigster Vorbereitung auf einer Front von nahezu 40 Kilometern von südlich Pozières bis westlich Vermandovillers in zahlreichen Wellen angesetzt. Mehr als 17 Divisionen mit über 200000 Mann nahmen daran teil. Das kärgliche Ergebnis für den Gegner ist, daß die erste Linie einer deutschen Division in etwa 3 Kilometer Breite südlich von Hardecourt aus dem vordersten in den 800 Meter dahinterliegenden nächsten Graben gedrückt wurde und daß feindliche Abteilungen in das vorspringende Wäldchen nordwestlich von Vermandovillers eindrangen.
Auf der gesamten übrigen Front zerschellten die wütenden Anläufe an der todesmutigen Pflichttreue unserer Truppen unter außerordentlichen Verlusten für die Feinde. Auch der im Grabenkrieg überraschende Einsatz englischer Reiterei zu Pferde konnte daran natürlich nichts ändern. Es sind bisher 17 Offiziere und rund 1200 Mann gefangengenommen worden.
Von der übrigen Front sind Ereignisse von besonderer Bedeutung nicht zu berichten.
Die Artillerie- und Minenwerfertätigkeit war südlich des Kanals von La Bassée und nordwestlich Lens sowie in den Argonnen und beiderseits der Maas zeitweise gesteigert. Nördlich von Vendresse (Aisnegebiet) gingen kleine französische Abteilungen nach ergebnisloser Sprengung vor und wurden abgewiesen; der Trichter wurde von uns besetzt.
Ein im Luftkampf abgeschossenes feindliches Flugzeug liegt zertrümmert südlich von Pozières, ein anderes ist nordöstlich von Bapaume in unsere Hand gefallen.
Östlicher Kriegsschauplatz:
Heeresgruppe des Generalfeldmarschalls v. Hindenburg:
Südöstlich von Riga raffte sich der Feind nur zu einem schwächlichen Angriffsversuch auf, der im Keime erstickt wurde. Russische Versuche, beiderseits von Friedrichstadt über die Düna zu setzen, wurden verhindert; nördlich von Dweten hat eine kleine Abteilung das Westuser erreicht. Nordöstlich von Smorgon sind vorgeschobene Feldwachen überlegenem feindlichen Angriff ausgewichen.
Heeresgruppe des Generalfeldmarschalls Prinz Leopold von Bayern:
Die Lage ist unverändert.
Armee des Generals Grafen v. Bothmer: Abgesehen von kleinen Vorfeldkämpfen keine Ereignisse.
Balkan Kriegsschauplatz:
Nichts Neues.

Von englisch französischer Seite werden in leicht zu durchschauender Absicht die merkwürdigsten Fabeln über deutsche Verluste im Sommegebiet zu verbreiten gesucht. So wird von Poldhu in alle Welt gefunkt: aus einem gefundenen Schriftstück ginge hervor, daß ein Bataillon des 119. Reserve-Regiments von seinem Bestand von 1100 Mann 960 verlor, während zwei andere Bataillone desselben Regiments mehr als die Hälfte ihres Effektivbestandes einbüßten. Zur Kennzeichnung Solcher Ausstreuungen und zur Beruhigung der schwäbischen Heimat des Regiments wird bemerkt, daß keine Gesamtverluste in den letzten Wochen bis gestern glücklicherweise wenig über 500 Mann, also etwa ein Viertel der englischen Angabe, betragen, so beklagenswert auch dies an sich schon ist.

Oberste Heeresleitung. 1)


Der österreichisch-ungarische Heeresbericht:
Russische Angriffe bei Delatyn abgeschlagen

Wien, 21. Juli.
Amtlich wird verlautbart:
Russischer Kriegsschauplatz:
Aus der Höhe Capul in der Bukowina wurden neuerliche russische Vorstöße abgeschlagen.
Die Höhen nördlich des Prisloppasses sind gesäubert. Die Kämpfe bei Tatarow dauern fort. Bei Jamma, südwestlich von Delatyn, brachen mehrere russische Angriffe zusammen. Im Mündungswinkel der Lipa griff der Feind nach mehrtägiger Artillerievorbereitung an. Sein Vorstoß über Werben wurde aufgefangen, doch nahmen wir unsere vorspringende Stellung vor neuerlich drohender Umfassung in die Gegend von Beresteczko zurück. Weiter nördlich keine Änderung der Lage.
Italienischer Kriegsschauplatz:
Unsere Stellungen östlich des Borcolapasses stehen andauernd unter schwerem Geschütztfeuer. Starke feindliche Kräfte, die in diesem Abschnitt unter dem Schutze des Nebels nahe an unsere Front herankamen, wurden unter großen Verlusten abgewiesen.
An der Fleimstalfront verstärkt die italienische Artillerie zusehends ihr Feuer.
Sonst keine Ereignisse von Bedeutung.
Südöstlicher Kriegsschauplatz:
Nichts Neues.

Der Stellvertreter des Chefs des Generalstabes
v. Hoefer, Feldmarschalleutnant. 1)
www.stahlgewitter.com
_________________
Met hart en ziel
De enige echte

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[Yvonne]

21-Jul-1914
Tuesday
Berchtold visits Franz Josef at Bad Ischl to get final approval of the ultimatum to Serbia. Berchtold finesses approval from the Emperor.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov warns German Ambassador Count Friedrich von Pourtales that Russia will not allow Austria-Hungary to take any military action against Serbia.
Everything is ready. Now it's just a waiting game until the French president and prime minister end their Russian visit on the 23rd.

http://www.worldwar1.com/tlplot.htm
_________________
Met hart en ziel
De enige echte

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[Yvonne]

21 juli 1915
“De Burgemeester van Baerle-Hertog brengt ter kennis dat zondag 25 dezer maand te 10 ¾ uur een plechtig Te Deum zal gezongen worden in de parochiale kerk ter gelegenheid van den verjaardag der inhuldiging van den doorluchtigen stichter van ons Vorstenhuis. Na het Te Deum: redevoering in zaal St. Remi door den heer Van Cauwelaert, Volksvertegenwoordiger. Eenieder wordt beleefd verzocht het Te Deum en de vergadering bij te wonen en de nationale vlag op te steken. (Gemeentearchief Baarle-Hertog; schepencollege Baarle-Hertog, 1915)

http://www.amaliavansolms.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=188:06-kroniek-van-baarle-in-de-eerste-wereldoorlog-1915&catid=90:oorlog&Itemid=118
_________________
Met hart en ziel
De enige echte

https://twitter.com/ForumWO1

[Yvonne]

21 July 1914

Countdown to War

Austria-Hungary: Conferences held at Ischl and Budapest concerning Serbia.

Germany: French Ambassador informs Paris of first steps towards German mobilisation.

Russia: Beginning of great Revolutionary Strike.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1914_07_21.htm
_________________
Met hart en ziel
De enige echte

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[Finnbar]

On This Day - 21 July 1915

Eastern Front

Ivangorod fortress invested.

Russian offensive round Sokal expels enemy from right bank of Upper Bug.

Southern Front

Italians advance at Plava (Julian).

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

British force reach Euphrates from Kurna and captures Turkish troops.

British re-occupy Sheikh Othman (Aden).


http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1915_07_21.htm

[Finnbar]

On This Day - 21 July 1916

Western Front

British push their advance to Bois des Foureaux (High Wood).

Germans counter-attack and regain some ground.

Heavy bombing attacks by enemy south of Thiepval on Leipzig Redoubt.

French repulse counter-attacks on their new front at Soyecourt; also south of Chaulnes.

Eastern Front

Russians drive Austro-Germans over the River Styr, taking 14,000 prisoners.


http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1916_07_21.htm

[Finnbar]

On This Day - 21 July 1917

Western Front

Heavy artillery battle in Flanders.

Eastern Front

Germans progress south of Dniester, reach suburbs of Tarnopol.

Russians retreating on the Sereth.

Naval and Overseas Operations

H.M.S. "Otway" torpedoed, 10 lost.

Political, etc.

Mr. Lloyd George replies to Herr Michaelis.

Arrest and deportation to Germany of General Pilsudski (Polish patriot).


http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1917_07_21.htm

[Finnbar]

Third Battle of Ypres, 21 July- 6 November 1917

Passchendaele, 1917: Bloodbath in Flanders

The medieval centre of the Flanders wool industry, Ypres lies in the centre of a shallow saucer-shaped piece of ground with higher ground all around it - a series of ridges to the north include Passchendaele Ridge, to the east include Menin Road Ridge and south, include Messines Ridge. The town itself was an old Vauban fortress (a type of fortress invented by Marshal Sebastian le Prestre de Vauban, 1633 - 1707) whose ramparts are still visible, although most of the buildings were levelled by German shelling, including the huge medieval cloth hall.

The first battle of Ypres took place as a 'meeting engagement' during the 'Race to the Sea' where the Allied and German armies tried to find an open flank to exploit, with the British and German forces meeting head on the axis of the Menin Road. It quickly became obvious that the Germans were in overwhelming numbers but the British (and French) troops just managed to contain the onslaught. The battle started on 31 October 1914 when the Germans took Gheluvelt and were checked by an Allied counterattack, which occurred again after they took Nonne Bosschen, after which they attempted to breakthrough but could not make any headway against the BEF's rifle fire, the Germans committing freshly raised divisions, many of which had student volunteers, who suffered terrible casualties (the German call this the 'Kindermord zu Ypern' - the massacre of the innocents at Ypres). The fighting died away at the end of November, leaving a salient bulging into the German lines, both sides having lost around 100,000 men.

The second battle took place when the Germans attacked the northern flank of the Salient on 22 April 1915 between Poelcappelle and Bixschoote, using gas for the first time. The Germans managed to achieve a breakthrough by defeating two French divisions but could not exploit the success and were checked by a Canadian counterattack. The fighting then turned into an attack-counterattack tit-for-tat exercise that ended in May 1915 with a limited British withdrawal to a line closer to Ypres and the loss of Hill 60. The area continued to be active for the next two years and was chosen for the principle British attack during the third battle of Ypres.

By the end of 1916, the French had regained most of the territory lost to the Germans around the town of Verdun and its commander, General Robert Nivelle, planned to follow this up with a grand attack north of the River Aisne in concert with the British, who would attack in Artois, north of Arras. The Canadians attacked Vimy Ridge on 9 April and took it, while the British XVII Corps, part of Allenby's Third Army, attacked to the east, near the River Scarpe and while it became bogged down due to rain and snow, took around 5,000 prisoners and advanced the line forward. The main French attack on the Chemin des Dames with the Fifth and Sixth Armies was a disaster, even with the Fourth and Tenth Armies coming into action, with small gains taken for high casualties. The Germans suffered some 160,000 casualties while the French suffered almost 190,000. This proved to be the straw that broke the camels back and at Châlons-sur-Marne on 29 April, a French unit refused to accept orders and the rot quickly spread, although it was mainly limited to a refusal to attack – defensive fighting was kept up. Nivelle was sacked and replaced by General Pétain. Pétain's job was not only to bring the mutiny under control but to do so in a way that would restore the confidence and moral of the army. This he would manage to do, but it would take time, and so for the moment, the burden of keeping the pressure on the Germans was down to the British.

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig thought that Flanders presented a much more attractive target than the Somme as it was close to the main British sources of supply, familiar to his staff and offered the chance of a breakthrough with targets such as the German railhead at Roulers and the Channel ports from which German submarines were conducting operations (he was under pressure from the Admiralty to clear the Flanders coast). The attack was preceded by the assault of Plumer's Second Army on Messines on 7 June 1917 with the main attack coming on 31 July from Gough's Fifth Army - a little too late as it happens for the momentum had been lost in the interval. It consisted of three phases - the first being the battles for Pilckem Ridge (where my Great Grandfather was killed as it happens), Gheluvelt Plateau and Langemarck where the Fifth Army pushed its way into a salient made all the more boggy by unseasonal weather and the shelling had badly damaged the land drainage system. Secondly, Second Army took over with the battles for Menin Road Ridge, Polygon Wood and Broodseinde, making good progress in the central sector. Finally, in the battles for Poelcappelle and Passchendaele (First and Second), the attackers (who were by this time exhausted) fought their way onto Passchendaele Ridge in appalling conditions, with the Canadians taking the village on 6 November 1917. The British lost well over 200,000 men (perhaps as many as 260,000), with the Germans loosing a similar figure and the battle badly affected the morale of both sides, with the word 'Passchendaele' becoming a byword for suffering.

The Battle of the Lys, is sometimes called the fourth battle of Ypres and occurred during the German spring offensive in which the Allies lost ground around the town, including Mount Kemmel to the south, but retained control of Ypres itself. With the exception of Verdun, there are few landscapes that are viewed as more representational of the First World War than that of the Ypres salient. The Menin Gate memorial which cuts through the Vauban ramparts contains the name of 55,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the salient and have no known grave, while the cemetery of Tyne Cot on Passchendaele Ridge holds the names of another 35,000.

Bibliography and Further Reading:

Barnett, C. The Great War, BBC Worldwide, London, 2003.
Evans, M M. Over the Top: Great Battles of the First World War, Arcturus Publishing, London, 2002.
Groom, W. A Storm in Flanders, Cassell, London, 2004.
Holmes, R. The Western Front, BBC Worldwide, London 1999.
Holmes, R. Tommy, HarperCollins, London, 2004.
Johnson, J H. Stalemate! Great Trench Warfare Battles, Cassell Military, London, 1999.
Keegan, J. The First World War, Hutchinson, London, 1998.
MacDonald, L. They Called it Passchendaele, Penguin Books, London, 1993.
Prior, R & Wilson, T. Passchendaele: The Untold Story, Yale Nota Bene, Yale, 2002.
Prior, R & Wilson, T. The First World War, Cassell, London, 1999.
Steel, N & Hart, P. Passchendaele: The Sacrificial Ground, Cassell, London, 2000.
Wolfe, L. In Flanders Fields, Corgi, London, 1966.


http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_ypres3.html

[Finnbar]

On This Day - 21 July 1918

Western Front

French recapture Chateau-Thierry.

Allied progress in Ardre valley continued; Bois de Courton captured.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Portuguese East Africa: battle between British and Germans at Namirrue (near confluence of Rivers Namirrue and Ligonya).

Political, etc.

Appeal of Ministry of Munitions to workers not to strike during critical battle.


http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1918_07_21.htm

[Finnbar]

July 21, 1914

[Finnbar]

Tijdens de nacht van 21 op 22 juli 1917 vond er één van de zwaarste luchtaanvallen plaats in Roeselare.

http://veertienachttien.be/nl/tijdslijn/21-22-juli-1917-grote-luchtaanval-op-roeselare

[Tandorini]

Martelaarsplein, 21 juli 1915. Sinds bijna één jaar leeft Brussel onder Duits bewind. Toch wordt de nationale feestdag niet vergeten. Uit protest tegen de bezetting verzamelen Brusselaars rond het monument gewijd aan de strijders van de Belgische onafhankelijkheid in 1830. Die dag is Brussel een uitgestorven stad: cafés en winkels blijven gesloten. Handelaars die dat niet uit zichzelf doen, worden er onder sociale druk toe verplicht. Bendes Belgische “patriotten” trekken rond en er worden ruiten ingegooid met stenen. Voor het eerst sinds begin augustus 1914 is er een georganiseerde beweging die openlijk haar gehechtheid aan België laat zien.
In de loop van de volgende jaren vormt de nationale feestdag voor een deel van de bevolking de gelegenheid om duidelijk te maken dat ze de Duitse overheersing afwijst. Om incidenten zoals een jaar eerder te vermijden, verbiedt de bezetter op 21 juli 1916 de toegang tot het Martelaarsplein. De patriottische agitatie verplaatst zich naar de Sint-Michiels- en Sint-Goedelekerk. Kardinaal Mercier, die sinds zijn herderlijke brief ‘Vaderlandsliefde en standvastige lijdzaamheid’ van december 1914 een icoon van het Belgische verzet is, houdt in de overvolle kerk een vurige preek. Bij de uitgang van de kerk staan de menigte en de Belgische ordediensten tegenover elkaar.
_________________
"Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae"
"Van hen(de Galliërs) allemaal zijn de Belgen de dappersten"
Julius Caesar(100 VC - 44 VC)
http://nl.escertico.wikia.com/wiki/Militaria_Wiki