Today in History: August 29, 1914 – British Women Join the War Effort

Posted on August 29, 2018August 31, 2018 by Noelle

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Today in History: August 29, 1914 – British Women Join the War Effort

On August 29, 1914, the Women’s Defense Relief Corps was formed.

Initially, the women’s rights organizations had been against the war in Europe. That is, until they realized that the war effort was the perfect opportunity for women’s advancement. So, they joined the war effort.

It actually didn’t take them long at all to realize it. In fact, the first article appeared in Common Cause, a women’s suffrage newspaper, the day after the British joined the war. It read:

“In the midst of this time of terrible anxiety and grief, it is some little comfort to think that our large organization, which has been completely built up during past years to promote women’s suffrage, can be used to help our country through the period of strain and sorrow” (Source).

[Below: WWI propaganda posters for women’s service]

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The Women’s Defense Relief Corps was made up of two divisions: A civil and semi-military. The goal of the first was to “substitute women for men in factories and other places of employment in order to free those men for military service,” while in the latter, women “were actively recruited for the armed forces,” (Source). Women serving in the semi-military division were trained in marching, drilling, and handling of arms. They had to learn to protect themselves and others on the homefront in case of an invasion.

Following this, several women’s organizations were founded, including the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), the Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs), and the Women’s Army Auxiliary Crops (WAAC), the last of which being created in July of 1917.

For the first time in war history, women were “sent into the battlefields of the Western Front to serve their country, thus freeing more male soldiers to do battle in the trenches against the German enemy” (Source).

In total, some 80,000 women had served during WWI, not just at home, but on the front lines in both France and Belgium.

[Below: Women of the Women’s Defense Relief Corps]

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Note: More posts will come later about women in WWI & WWII.

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The Battle of Heligoland Bight

Posted on August 28, 2018November 2, 2018 by Noelle

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The Battle of Heligoland Bight

On August 28, 1914, conflict broke out between the British and the Germany Navies in the North Sea, at the Battle of Heligoland Bight. This was the first naval battle of the war, and the British Royal Navy designed it “as a means of attacking German patrols in the north-west German coast,” which served as the shelter of several German bases (Source).

Knowing that this was also a good location to start attacks against the British Isles, the British decided to make the first move, formulated by Commodore Roger Keyes. Unfortunately, the Navy didn’t see this as a high priority when Keyes initially conceived of it. Not, that is, until First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, received his post and requested a meeting to rehash the plans.

“Commander Reginald Tyrwhitt was given the task of leading a small fleet of British ships, including two light cruisers, Fearless and Arethusa, and a number of destroyers, into the bight in order to lure German ships to chase them out to sea, where a larger British force, commanded by Vice Admiral Sir David Beatty, would be waiting to confront them” (Source).

[Below: Fog during the Battle of Heligoland Beight]

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At around 7 am, on the 28^th, Tyrwhitt’s force began the battle by sinking two German torpedoes. The Germans weren’t exactly surprised by the attack, and “hastily deployed the Frauenlob and the Stettin, joined shortly afterwards by four other light cruisers, including Rear Admiral Mass’s flagship, Koln” (Source).

Thanks to German preparation, the British soon found themselves outgunned. Additionally, the fog allowed the German Navy to better conceal themselves, allowing for better surprise attacks.

By 11:25, Tyrwhitt had to call on Beatty for “immediate assistance” (Source). Beatty was there with support by 12:40. With his aid, the British were able to down 3 German cruisers (the Mainz, Koln, & Ariadne) while badly damaging three more. In all, Germany suffered some 1,200 casualties. Britain, by comparison lost 35 sailors, and not a single ship.

Germany was greatly intimidated by their early Naval defeat. In fact, Kaiser Wilhelm decided that it was best to keep the Navy as a defensive weapon. As the war would continue, their greatest weapon at sea would be the infamous U-boats.

In Britain, meanwhile, the battle had greatly enhanced Beatty’s reputation as a fighting seaman. As a result, he was named Commander of the Grand Fleet by Admiralty Churchill.

[Below: Sinking German destroyer V187]

German destroyer V187 sinking during the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28th August 1914 in the First World War

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The Battle of Tannenberg

Posted on August 26, 2018October 27, 2018 by Noelle

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The Battle of Tannenberg

On August 26, 1914, the Battle of Tannenberg began in East Prussia in the city of Allenstein – the first battle of WWI to take place on the Eastern Front. The German 8^th Army, commanded by Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, encircled the Russian 2^nd and 1^st Armies, under the command of Generals Aleksandr Samsonov and P.K. Rennenkampf, respectively.

Previously, Russia had entered into German territory by splitting up. Gen. Samsonov led the 2^nd Army around the Southwestern corner of Prussia, while Gen. Rennenkampf led the 1^st Army into Northeast Prussia. Their plan was to join forces again in an attack against General Prittwitz’s 8^th Germany army. According to their intel, the bulk of Germany’s armies were currently busy fighting in France; the two Russian armies should have no trouble taking out the outnumbered German army.

But, it was a minor Russian victory at the Battle of Gumbinnen six days earlier, that was Rennenkampf’s undoing.

After his victory, Rennenkampf decided to take a moment to regroup his troops. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, The German chief of general staff, Helmuth von Moltke, had replaced the commanders of the 8^th army with two generals of some stature.

And now, the Russian generals were “separated by the great Masurian Lakes” with no effective way to “communicate with each other as to their movements” (Source). And, the Germans were planning a phenomenal attack, prepared by Colonel Maximilian Hoffman.

His plan was, firstly, to confuse Gen. Rennenkampf by sending cavalry troops “as a screen to Vistula” (Source). Then, he would send Gen. Hermann von Francois’s I Corps to Southwest Prussia to head off General Samsonov on his left wing, while two more corps would move into the right. Finally, a fourth corps would wait in Vistula to meet Gen. Samsonov head on.

Admittedly, “Ludendorff succumbed to his nerves initially, delaying the start of the German attack by one day,” (Source). But, then, on the 26th, Hoffman was given two intelligence reports. They gave him everything he needed to know. Most importantly, that the Germans need not fear a combined attack from the Russians.

[Below: German intelligence]

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It was with this information that “the Germans were able to take Samsonov’s army by surprise with the force of their attack near the village of Tannenberg” (Source).

The one day delay on the German side had allowed Samsonov’s army enough time to advance deeply into the German lines. But he underestimated the true strength of the German armies. Samsonov’s own armies had been overstrung; in great need of food and sleep.

This worked out to the German’s advantage. The Russian 1^st Army, under Samsonov, had “blundered into an ambush” (Source). They were surrounded by Germans.

“After three days of battering by German artillery, Samsonov’s troops began their retreat; more German forces cut off their path and a massive slaughter ensued” (Source).

In all, some 92,000 Russians were captured at Tannenberg and another 50,000 were killed. Only about 10,000 of Samsonov’s men were able to escape. The Germans, meanwhile, “suffered fewer than 20,000 casualties and, in addition to prisoners, captured over 500 guns. Sixty trains were required to transport captured equipment to Germany” (Source).

Humiliated about reporting the disaster to the Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, Samsonov shot himself in the forest. His body was found by German search parties and he was given a military burial.

[Below: Allenstein]

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Today in History: August 25, 1914

Posted on August 25, 2018August 31, 2018 by Noelle

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Today in History: August 25, 1914

To go along with yesterday’s burning of the Capitol in 1814, 100 years later, on August 25, 1914, during WWI, Germans burnt the Belgian town of Louvain to the ground. Over the course of five days, the German army burnt and looted Louvain and, in the process, executed hundreds of its citizens.

On August 23rd, a similar massacre occurred in Dinant, Belgium. Here, Germans soldiers murdered some 674 civilians. But then, a Belgian army attacked the 1st German Army in Dinant (commanded, you’ll remember, by Gen. von Kluck). This pushed the Germans back towards Louvain.

Louvain became the symbol of German brutality. Belgium had been neutral in the initial onset of the war. That is, until German troops marched through on their way to occupy France.

[Below: Picturesque Louvain before Germans set fire to the entire town.]

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But, oh, the Germans did not just march. No, they “looted and destroyed much of the countryside and villages in their path, killing significant numbers of civilians, including women and children” (Source). The Germans, however, claimed that what they were doing was justified because of the civilian resistance.

Louvain, Belgium fell to the Germans on August 19, 1914, “as part of the German strategy to overrun Belgium” (Source). At first, the occupation seemed to be successful. But then, on the 25th, the Belgians attacked, advancing towards Antwerp. Initially, they were successful.

Two different stories emerge here. The Germans claimed that Belgian civilians fired on the Germans (perhaps sending a signal to the Allied troops). The Belgians, however, claimed that, in the darkness, the Germans accidentally fired on themselves. Whichever version of the story is true, the Germans used it as an excuse to set an example (sound familiar?). Louvain would be punished.

Louvain would spend the next five days burning. “It’s library of ancient manuscripts was burnt and destroyed, as was Louvain’s university (along with many other public buildings). The church of St. Pierre was similarly badly damanged by fire” (Source).

A New York Tribune reporter, Richard Harding Davis, was an observer of the tragedy. On August 30th, from London, he wrote a harrowing description of the brutality. “For two hours on Thursday night I was in what for six hundred years has been the city of Louvain. The Germans were burning it, and to hide their work kept us locked in railway carriages,” he wrote (Source). As his report, and others, spread across newspapers and the incident was confirmed, citizens around the world were struck with horror at the crime. The Germans had proved themselves to be true barbarians.

[Below: A destroyed Louvain]

Image result for antique print of 1915 world war belgian refugees dieppe paris louvain

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Today in History: August 24, 1814

Posted on August 24, 2018August 31, 2018 by Noelle

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Today in History: August 24, 1814

The War of 1812 – fought between the Americans and the British – was in full-swing. And, on the British chose this day to take revenge for an earlier American attack “on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, in June 1812” (Source). After their victory at the Battle of Bladensburg, the British, led by Major General Robert Ross burned down not just the Presidential Mansion, but also other government buildings, including the Capitol Building, The United States Treasury, and the United States Department of War. Thankfully, records from the last two had previously been removed, so nothing vital was lost in the fires.

Thankfully, the 4th President, James Madison, and his wife Dolly were able to flee to safety before the attack. On the 22nd, President Madison actually traveled “to meet his generals on the battlefield, just as British troops threatened to enter the capitol” (Source). Meanwhile, the First Lady was told to gather all the important state papers and be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. Before fleeing, Dolly also managed to save the full-length portrait of President Washington. To do this, she ordered it’s frame to be broken, then rolled the portrait for easier travel.

[Below: The Burning White House]

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Once the British soldiers arrived, they “reportedly sat down to eat a meal of leftover food from the White House scullery using White House dishes and silver before ransacking the presidential mansion and setting it ablaze” (Source). Reportedly, the flames were so bright they could be seen from 50 miles away.

Less than a day later, a giant thunderstorm put the flames out.

The Madisons returned to Washington three days later, but were never able to live in the White House again. Instead, President Madison finished his term at the Octagon House. In 1817, a newly elected President James Monroe moved into the newly reconstructed building.

To date, Britain is the only country to manage capturing the American capitol.

[Below: The Octagon House]

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Today in History: August 22, 1990 – President Bush Signs Executive Order 12727

Posted on August 22, 2018November 14, 2018 by Noelle

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Today in History: August 22, 1990 – President Bush Signs Executive Order 12727

President George W. Bush (#41), signed Executive Order 12727—Ordering the Selected Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty.

With this order, he issued the “first call-up of Selected Reservists to active duty for 90 days” (Source).

Background:

On August 2nd, Iraqi Saddam Hussein ordered his army to invade Kuwait. Condemning their ‘naked aggression,’ President Bush stated that he was considering his options. See, the US had been providing Iraq with massive military aid throughout the 8-year war with Iran. Thanks to US support, Iraq had the “fourth largest army in the world” (Source). Kuwait, on the other hand, was one of the U.S.’s greatest oil suppliers. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia, too, was threatened. It would be disastrous if it fell to Iraq, “Iraq would control one-fifth of the world’s oil supply” (Source).

The same day, aircraft carrier CV-62 USS Independence moved towards the Persian Gulf. (Seen below)

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On August 3rd, the U.N. told Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. Hussein refused.

Three days later, Saudia Arabia requested America’s assistance. The following day, Aug 7, Operation Desert Shield commenced. “The First U.S. Forces arrived in Saudi Arabia, consisting of F-15 Eagle fighters from Langley Air Force Base, VA” (Source). These forces were accompanied by troops sent by NATO allies as well as other Arab countries, all wanting to guard against an Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia. In response, Iraq increased it’s forces in Kuwait to some 300,000 more troops, while declaring this a holy war. At the same time, he attempted allying himself to the Palestinian effort, “by offering to evacuate Kuwait in return for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories. When these efforts failed, Hussein concluded a hasty peace with Iran so as to bring his army up to full strength” (Source).

On August 12th, the naval blockade of Iraq began; all shipments of oil were halted. The 12th also saw the first fatality of Operation Desert Shield, an Air Force Sergeant who was hit by a military truck.

On August 23rd (the day after President H.W. Bush signed the executive order), Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney called for an additional 25,000 Army National Guard personnel and Reservists. Then, on November 8 and 12, more troops were called up, and their stint lengthened.

On November 29th, the U.N. passed Resolution 678, giving Iraq a withdrawal deadline of January 15, 1991. Should Iraq fail to comply, the U.N. promised to uphold Resolution 660, which allowed for the use of force.

[Below: Helicopter lifts of in a cloud of sand]

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