|
New, daily updating edition |
|
|
Join Writer Development Section Writer Development Member Section
This Day in Alternate History Blog
|
Operation Unicorn
by Tom B
A HOUSE DIVIDED ONCE AGAIN? “Tomorrow New York and much of the nation will celebrate Decoration Day, a holiday instituted to commemorate the dead of both sides in the fierce struggle that tore our great nation apart. The Civil War ended fifty years ago yet the wounds from it have still not completely healed which is why most of our southern brethren do not celebrate tomorrow as we have done since 1873. Yet slowly but inexorably that wound is being healed. ------HQ Ireland Command Curragh (Kildare) 0010 hrs General Hamilton was on the telephone with Brigadier Lowe, the commander of the Eastern Region. “We now have a somewhat clearer picture of what happened in County Wicklow, sir,” said Lowe, “There was an initial ambush in the Sally Gap then a major battle occurred just before the Ulster Volunteers reached Wicklow town. There was some hard fighting against well prepared enemy defenses. There are even some reports that I am not sure that I believe of the enemy even having some artillery. The U.V.F. were then taken in the flank by another enemy force. Their morale collapsed and they fled in disorder. Luckily the rebels did not pursue the Ulster Volunteers very well. This allowed the Ulster Volunteers which had become badly dispersed to regroup.” “Ugh. Yet another expedition into County Wicklow meets with disaster. Do you have any idea as to casualties?” “Somewhere between 500 and 600, sir. I will have an exact figure by 0800. “ “And did we lose any supply wagons this time?” “I am afraid so, sir. More than half of the supplies that the expedition took with it.” Hamilton shook his head wearily then said, “Well in that case it turned out to be a good thing that the Ulster Volunteers are not as well supplied with ammunition as British Army units are, eh?” Hamilton was being sarcastic and Lowe was unsure how to respond to it. “Uh, well, uh, I suppose that is one way to look at it, sir.” “What are you doing with what’s left of the expedition? Bringing them all the way back to Dublin?” “I have sent orders for them to withdraw as far north as Glencree, sir. The rebels have previously struck as far north as Bray. If they try to do that again I hope to be able to pounce on them.” “That sounds reasonable. What is the latest word from County Wexford? Are you still relying on motorboats to relay messages to our forces there?” “That is correct, general. In addition to relaying information both ways we have been using them to ferry small quantities supplies, most ammo, to our forces there. The news continues to be that the situation around Gorey remains something of a stalemate between the 8th Devonshire and the Hussars along with a few hundred rebels. Each side periodically probes the other with the other with caution. I have been sorely tempted to order the 8th Cameronians to reinforce them though that would leave Wexford town and Rosslare weakly defended. Our latest intelligence is that the rebels have several hundred men in Waterford. They are likely to make another thrust into County Wexford before long.” “Hmm The ideal solution would be to move 1,000 Ulster Volunteers from Belfast to Rosslare which would then free up the 8th Cameronians. Unfortunately the Admiralty remains opposed to sending any sea traffic other than the odd motorboat to County Wexford at this time due to the threat posed by the German fleet,” replied Hamilton. The Admiralty had not yet seen fit to pass their Room 40 intelligence about the High Seas Fleet returning to Germany on to the War Office. “I heartily concur, general. I find it more than a little confusing that while the Admiralty crows about their recent victory in the Celtic Sea, they seem as fearful as ever about the German fleet.” “I do not understand it either. Important as eliminating enemy resistance in County Wicklow is right now it is not my most urgent task. For the time let’s keep the 8th Cameronians where they are.” In order to be in place to pounce on the High Seas Fleet when it emerged from the Straits of Dover the Grand Fleet needed to be on its way. An important advantage of having destroyers that ran on oil instead of coal was that they could be refueled much more rapidly. An unfortunate disadvantage was that oil needed to be imported and the combination of the Ottomans disrupting the flow of oil from Persia and the German interference with the important Atlantic trade routes meant that the available stockpile of petroleum inside Britain was already becoming tight. The British government had already been forced to take measures giving the military priority for what oil there was. The Grand Fleet had just finished reorganizing itself back into three battle squadrons. The 1st Battle Squadron now consisted of Warspite, Iron Duke, Emperor of India, Téméraire, St. Vincent and Dreadnought with Boadicea, Sappho and Oak still being used as repeaters. Iron Duke remained the flagship of the Grand Fleet while Warspite was the new flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron. The 3rd Battle Squadron had Lord Nelson as its flagship as well as King Edward VII, Commonwealth, Britannia, Hindustan and Zealandia. The 5th Battle Squadron had Agamemnon as its flagship plus Prince of Wales, Queen, Formidable, Venerable and Irresistible. The Admiralty continued to demand continuous protection for the line of communication between Ulster and Scotland. This had forced Admiral Bayly to keep the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron with Galatea, Royalist and Cordelia stationed north of Londonderry. Admiral Bayly had ordered the cruiser, Inconstant to the yards because she had been badly damaged during the Battle of the Celtic Sea. The Admiralty had decided that the recently completed light cruiser Comus would soon join the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron as a replacement for Inconstant. Galatea had also been damaged at Celtic Sea, but the damage was less severe than that of Inconstant so the Admiralty had decided to keep her with the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron for the time being. They had also decided that the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron would remain behind operating out of the Isle of Mull while the rest of the Grand Fleet went to smite the High Seas Fleet on their voyage home. Their reasoning was based on the assumption that the Germans would be leaving some light forces behind in Ireland. This decision infuriated Admiral Bayly as it further weakened his scouting forces. He had the 2nd Cruiser Squadron, 6th Cruiser Squadron and the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron plus the battle cruiser Inflexible. After much discussion with his staff Admiral Bayly decided he would deploy Inflexible as a separate unit unto itself in the scouting elements of the Grand Fleet. Inflexible would be used to reinforce the cruiser squadrons as needed. He had considered providing it with a division of destroyers as a screen but his flotillas after Celtic Sea were so depleted he felt that he could not afford to part with a single division. ------Ballinderry (Tipperary) 0050 hrs When he withdrew from Carrigahorrig to Borrisokane, General Baldock, the commander of the West Riding Division, decided he would need to set up a hastily dug trench line extending nearly 8 ½ miles from Ballinderry to Ballingarry. This was a broad front for a full strength division to defend but his division was not even half strength anymore. Even with the return of the battalion he had left behind to guard the Shannon crossing at Ballina, his total effective infantry strength was barely 3,000 men. Making matters worse his men were undernourished and suffering from exhaustion. They were in no shape to spend all night digging a lengthy trench line. Yet Baldock saw no alternative as he was sure that once the enemy eliminated the British forces they had trapped near Portumna they would continue their attack on his division. The weary men of the 1/6th Battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment shuffled their way under an overcast sky that blocked out the moon. They were to establish the left anchor point of the trench line at the village of Ballinderry. They abruptly came under fire as they stumbled into 2 dismounted squadrons of German dragoons that had arrived there around midnight. The cavalrymen fired flares into the air and commenced shooting. A sloppy confused night firefight ensued. Had the 1/6th Battalion Duke of Wellington been anywhere near full strength it would have been able to eject the dragoons from Ballinderry but one of their companies had been one of those trapped near Portumna and the remaining 3 companies totaled less than 350 able bodied men. The dragoons were almost as tired as their opponents and handicapped by the need to have horse holders. The British battalion set up its machinegun section and tried to use it to intimidate the dragoons into withdrawing without success. Meanwhile both sides dispatched messengers to their higher headquarters with urgent appeals for reinforcements. ----- Jaroslaw (Galicia) 0100 hrs The Russian Third Army now made a night attack with 5 divisions on the Austro-Hungarian bridgehead at Jaroslaw. The KuK IX Corps had been steadily strengthening its fortifications and the cloud cover had slowly thinned during the night so the battlefield was now well illuminated by the moon. The Russian attack was repelled without much trouble. ------Musalla (Persia) 0105 hrs GMT Mohammad Taqi-Khan Pesyan was a major in the Persian Gendarmerie and was in command of the battalion at Hamadan. He was fluent in several languages and had served as an interpreter at one point in his career. He came from a family with a long military tradition and made every effort to follow what was happening in the Great War. Major Pesyan longed to see the foreign domination of Persia ended. With the Ottoman Army triumphant over the British expedition to Mesopotamia and now holding their own in Caucasia he decided it was time for the Persians to strike a blow for genuine independence and knew that he could count on his junior officers for support. He therefore decided to attack the nearby contingent of the Persian Cossack Brigade, whose officers had been subservient to the Russians but were now having some misgivings. Assembling his battalion in bright moonlight Major Pesyan attacked the encampment of the Persian Cossack Brigade at the first hints of twilight. The camp was taken with little resistance and the men of the Persian Cossack Brigade were quickly disarmed. Major Peysan then assembled his prisoners and delivered a stirring speech that appealed to their patriotism. He was able to get nearly a third of them to join him. ------east of Shavli (Lithuania) 0150 hrs Under bright moonlight the Russian XIX Army Corps struggled to survive in a difficult situation. The German 2nd Infantry Division continued to pressure it from the north while it was trying to withdraw to the northeast with the German 1st Infantry and 11th Landwehr Divisions pursuing Less severe but not irrelevant was the harassment by the German 8th Cavalry Division to the south. Panic was beginning to mount in the XIX Army Corps. The Germans captured an artillery battery and more than half of the corps’ supplies. The German 2nd Infantry Division had been extremely busy for two days and by this time its men were thoroughly exhausted. The Russian 3rd Cavalry Division which was part of the III Army Corps now attacked their left flank and rear. This threw the 2nd Infantry Division into confusion and threatened to overrun their artillery batteries. As the Germans frantically tried to counter this threat they were unable to maintain their pressure on XIX Army Corps which made its escape to the northeast. ------Nolette (Picardy) 0200 hrs General Plumer ordered General Munro, the commander of I Army Corps, to make another night attack but with the limited objective of trying to reopen the gap between the German 42nd Infantry Division and the Guard Corps. The cloud cover was heavier than the previous night blocking out the moon. The attack was made by 6 battalions of the 1st Division. General Plumer had ordered all of the additional 1,600 Mills bombs he had received from England to be sent as quickly as possible to the 1st Division. These precious grenades had arrived less than an hour ago and were quickly distributed but they were not even close to being enough. Most of the soldiers involved in the assault had to make do with crude jam tin bombs instead. There was a very short no man’s land as a result of yesterday’s fighting. The proximity made it more difficult than usual for the German defenders to reinforce their wire barriers during the day and they waited for nightfall to perform that chore. The British 1st Division tried to counter this with a large number of trench raids, some of which included Royal Engineers who tried their best to create additional gaps in the wire. This had resulted in fierce fighting with the Old Contemptibles of the 1st Division once again demonstrating their skill and bravery but unfortunately once again suffering heavy losses. Compounding this German minenwerfers sporadically pounded the forward British trench, which was well packed, throughout the night. The main British assault now commenced. This time it was fully expected by the Germans and so achieved very little surprise despite the darkness. Machineguns began pouring hot lead into the attackers almost immediately and this was soon supplemented by rifle fire. Undaunted by their losses the Old Contemptibles heroically pressed on. There were just barely enough gaps in the German wire for them to squeeze through. They chewed off a corner of the German trenches by sheer ferocity and held on to it with a steely resolve through two determined German counterattacks. ------Ballinderry (Tipperary) 0310 hrs The British reinforcements in the form of another Duke of Wellington battalion had arrived at Ballinderry first. Even though it was also badly under strength, it was enough to turn the engagement against the dragoons which were forced to retreat to the north. However the German 73rd Fusiliers Regiment now arrived on the scene and soon entered into a firefight with the Duke of Wellington battalions. It was still very dark and the fighting was confused with both sides very unsure as to the strength of their enemy. The Germans were tired but the British were completely exhausted and now badly outnumbered. ------Essey (Woëvre) 0430 hrs The main phase of General von Strantz’s attack in the Woëvre Plain now commenced with a thunderous bombardment. More than half of the shells fell on the French 75th Reserve Division though some of them fell on positions of the 16th Division, esp. at Flirey. The French artillery in this sector consisted solely of 75s plus a few obsolete 90mm de Bange guns. The German artillery which included 15cm howitzers and 21cm Morsers completely overwhelmed the enemy batteries. Some of the German shells failed to explode in the marshy ground but a majority did detonate smashing both the first and second French trench lines. ------Galicia 0500 hrs The rain had tapered off to a few brief showers and the meteorological section was predicting clear skies later in the day. General von Linsingen decided that it was time for Center Army to resume its offensive. He now began his attack with a lengthy bombardment of the Russian Eleventh Army. The artillery of the Austro-Hungarian Fourth Army commenced firing at the same time. Having crushed the Russian 31st Infantry Division in the last two days the guns of Fourth Army concentrated more on its neighbor the 9th Infantry Division today. The Austro-Hungarian Second Army had run dangerously low on shells and so its commander, General Böhm-Ermolli had with some reluctance, decided against participating in today’s attack. General Shcherbachev, the commander of the Russian Eleventh Army, had during the brief respite in the fighting, rotated the 68th Infantry Division into the front line across from the German II Army Corps. The commander of this division was determined to hold his position at all cost and crowded as many men as possible into the forward trench. The 68th Infantry Division suffered very badly during the bombardment. The infantrymen in this reserve division had received minimal training. They were led by an inadequate number of officers and NCO’s, most of whom were marginal at best. Those infantrymen in the forward trench who survived and had not been dazed by the intense shelling began to flee in panic. The collapse was so rapid that the Germans were able to capture half of the division’s artillery and nearly all of its supplies. Meanwhile what was left of the Russian 31st Infantry Division which had already been badly battered by Archduke Josef Ferdinand’s Fourth Army the last two days now collapsed as well though the 9th Infantry Division on its right put up some resistance. The situation now arose that the Russian 50th Infantry Division now found itself with both of its flanks exposed. General von Linsingen has had some trouble coordinating with Böhm-Ermolli but he has better though not perfect communications with Archduke Josef Ferdinand. As the tactical situation became clearer they improvised a plan to encircle the 1st Finland Division which was an elite unit that was trying to give up as little ground as possible. On the right wing of Center Army things were not as easy for the Austro-Hungarian VI Corps. The Russian 3rd Finland Division straddled the zone of attack of the German II Army Corps and the Austro-Hungarian VI Corps. It was considered an elite unit but it had suffered badly in the frequent intense shelling that characterized Conrad’s Galician offensive. Today it offered stubborn resistance to both Germans and Austro-Hungarians. However the collapse of the 68th Infantry Division exposed its right flank and it soon found itself being enveloped. The commander of the 3rd Finland Division reacted fairly quickly and threw the few reserves he had left into counterattacking the threat to his right flank. This gave him nothing to commit against the Austro-Hungarians and so he was forced to retreat nearly 5 km before the day was over. The right wing of the KuK VI Corps did not have this advantage. Indeed the fact that the Austro-Hungarian Second Army on its right flank was not participating in today’s attack presented some problems thereby limiting its advance to only 2 km. ------SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm Western Approaches 0525 hrs The traffic in the Western Approaches remained sparse. However Kronprinz Wilhelm did manage to capture a 3,400 ton freighter out of Georgetown, British Guiana hauling a cargo of bauxite to Belfast. The prize could sustain a little more than 9 knots and with a cargo as valuable to Germany as bauxite she was sent back to Cork with a prize crew. ------HQ Ireland Command Curragh (Kildare) 0545 hrs General Hamilton was on the telephone with General Wilson, the commander of VI Army Corps which now had its headquarters back at Maryborough. The rebels had not managed to cut the telephone wires between Maryborough and Curragh last night. “General Baldock reports being under attack frontally and on his left flank, sir,” said Wilson, “He is particularly worried about the latter” “Just how worried?” asked Hamilton anxiously, “If Baldock cannot hold off the enemy at Borrisokane we may need to pull your corps out of Tipperary altogether.” Hamilton could hear Wilson’s sigh over the telephone. After several seconds he responded, “I don’t think it will come to that, sir. In fact I want 39th Brigade to go on the offensive.” “Hmm For the time being the most important task of the 39th Brigade is to keep the Germans out of artillery range of Roscrea.” “I understand that, general, but the best way they can do that is to seize the initiative and chase the Huns back to Birr. It would also distract the enemy preventing them from concentrating on West Riding Division which could use a respite. ” “Though I would like very much to concur with that sentiment, Wilson, I have some reservations as well. I will leave the decision up to you but if you decide to go ahead with this attack you must coordinate it with General Shaw and not bypass the proper chain of command by ordering 39th Brigade directly.” “Going through 13th Division will only serve to delay the attack, sir.” “Yes, general despite the poor flying weather one of the planes we sent up just before dawn landed a few minutes ago. The observer said that he spotted the German horsemen heading east in northern County Kilkenny. They appear to making for Kilkenny city. I am at loss to explain their mission.” “Hmm Kilkenny, eh? General Braithwaite and I discussed that possibility late last night. It appears that General von François is thinking beyond the immediate tactical situation. In and of itself Kilkenny is only a moderately important communication center but as a jumping off point it gives the enemy a wide range of options. They would be able to raid the rail line your corps relies on. Or they could head east into County Wicklow to rescue the remnants of Dublin Brigade. They may even head north and try to capture my own headquarters or even lunge for Dublin.” ------north of Borrisokane (Tipperary) 0600 hrs General Sontag, the commander of the 111th Infantry Division, was determined to finish off the West Riding Division this morning. His artillery was now in place incl. his lone 15cm howitzer battery. Sontag used this along with the 10.5cm howitzers plus the minenwerfers of his pioneer company to hit the shallow trench line the West Riding Division had hurriedly dug north of Borrisokane. The 7.7cm field guns were used to support the 73rd Fusiliers Regiment at Ballinderry where the enemy had not been able to entrench so far. The artillery that the West Riding Division had left consisted of 7 field artillery batteries armed with obsolescent 15 pounder guns. The West Riding Division had not received any supplies yesterday because the local trains had been busy transferring the 39th Brigade to Roscrea yesterday. At 0510 a train had arrived at Cloughjordan bringing supplies for all of VI Army Corps. The supplies intended for the 13th (Western) Division had already been offloaded at Roscrea. West Riding Division’s portion was offloaded at Cloughjordan then the train departed for Nenagh with supplies for the other 3 divisions. The horse drawn wagons of the A.S.C. company hauling West Riding Division’s supplies was not expected to reach Borrisokane before 0715. Until then the West Riding Division was very low on ammo for its artillery. What little he had General Baldock committed to countering the German 7.7cm field guns trying to dominate his left flank. When the shelling was over the 76th Infantry Regiment made the assault on a 1,200 m wide stretch of the lone British trench which was defended by what had been 2 half strength companies before the shelling. There was only a single strand of barbed wire as wire was one of the supplies that the West Riding Division needed desperately. The German howitzers had cut the wire barrier in a few places. There had been two machineguns guarding this sector. The bombardment had knocked out one of them. The remaining machinegun gave the Germans a hard time but was eventually captured. After that the 76th Infantry Regiment assigned one of its battalions to roll up the British trench line to the east and another to do the same to the west. The 1st Seebattalion had been temporarily assigned to the 76th Infantry Regiment. Together with the regiment’s third battalion and machinegun company it was order to advance south into Borrisokane. The 2nd American Volunteer Battalion was also temporarily assigned to the 76th Infantry Regiment. It had been kept in reserve but not as closely as 1st Seebattalion. As an afterthought the regimental commander sent these Yanks marching on Borrisokane as well. Further west the 3rd Marine Fusilier Regiment was soon probing the British defenses near Lisbryan. The British had extended their trench line here but had not yet laid any wire in this sector. The defenders here were only 2 rifle companies with a total effective strength of 230 men plus two Vickers machineguns. Nevertheless these were able to hold off the overly cautious attacks of the Marine Fusiliers for nearly three hours. ------Cloughjordan (Tipperary) 0615 hrs After being awakened before dawn the 2nd battalion of the 183rd Infantry Regiment now arrived at the small town of Cloughjordan which lay just over the border in County Tipperary. The town was defended by 19 constables most of whom guarded the train station. These put up a determined resistance at first but after a half hour those that were still alive surrendered. A platoon of the brigade’s pioneer company was already hard at work blowing up sections of the railroad track. The telegraph and telephone wires which connected Lowland Division and the Nenagh Aerodrome with VI Army Corps HQ were severed. Meanwhile the Germans made contact with the local Irish Volunteers. It was the usual story that the R.I.C. had confiscated all of their firearms and arrested the company commandant and his replacement. In two hours 34 of them had assembled with more on the way as the news spread. As was now the standard practice the first task the Germans assigned the Irish Volunteers was to scrounge for food. Both the 183rd Infantry Brigade and the 111th Infantry Division were not receiving the required quantities of food. To the northwest the rest of the 183rd Infantry Regiment was passing through the hamlet of Ballysteena on their way to attack Borriokane from the southeast. They could see the supply wagons that had been loaded at Cloughjordan earlier and pursued them. Following close behind the infantry was the rest of the pioneer company incl. the minenwerfers. This had been ordered by General Sontag, the commander of the 111th Infantry Division to which the 183rd Infantry Brigade had been temporarily subordinated by General von François. While General Schußler was trying to comply with Sontag’s orders, he remained deeply worried about the British forces at Roscrea which he feared might be an entire division preparing to attack. He therefore kept all of the 184th Infantry Regiment supported by his lone field artillery battalion 8 km northwest of Roscrea. The 1st American Volunteer Battalion would be arriving at Banagher soon and had orders to continue on to Birr. As this was underway the brigade’s cyclist company was forming a small company of Irish Volunteers at Kinnitty, which lay in the northern foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. In addition to securing food the Irish Volunteers were assigned the task of setting up an observation post on Mt. Arderin, the highest peak in the Slieve Bloom Mountains. ------Thurles (Tipperary) 0655 hrs Austro-Hungarian patrols sent out in the predawn twilight found no signs of a British presence in Thurles. Feldmarschalleutnant Krauss, the commander of the Erzherzog Karl Division, was unsure what to make of this. He decided to send the 1st Tipperary Battalion which he callously regarded as expendable, to investigate. A Slovak company trailed a kilometer behind them. Major Weise, the commander of 1st Tipperary Battalion, was worried as well and tried to get his men to enter the town cautiously. Some of his junior officers shared his dread but Captain Eamon O’Duibhir was not one of them and brazenly marched to the train station as if he was conducting a parade. The train which had been disabled by the artillery at Killough Hill was not there. It had been hauled away before dawn by another train. Some of the civilians had fled into the countryside when the 13th (Western) Division had arrived but most had stayed. They now gathered around the Tipperary Volunteers. When the crowd grew large enough O’Duibhir felt compelled to deliver a speech. “Brave citizens of the new Irish republic, I have great news to announce! Not too long ago my battalion as well as the 2nd Tipperary Battalion passed through here with a massive force of the English devils nipping at our heels. Well a great battle was waged the last two days. It was truly the stuff of legends and we soundly defeated the army of tyranny. Now it is we who are chasing them!” This drew some applause. “Chasing them out of County Tipperary!” This drew some more applause. “Chasing the bloody swine clear out of Ireland with their tails between their legs!” This drew some spirited cheering in addition to applause. “And once that is done we are going to take care of the damn Ulster Volunteer Force once and for all!” This crowd grew even louder with some yelling, “Kill the Prot bastards!” “So who amongst you wants to join us in this great adventure?” asked O’Duibhir. The clamor of the crowd gave way to stony silence. O’Duibhir stared hard at them and many of the men turned away to avoid eye contact. However one of the men did eagerly make eye contact and stepped forward saying, “I will join you.” Seconds later another man in the crowd did the same. O’Duibhir stared some more but two was all he was going to get. He sighed slightly. James Joyce had volunteered to go along with the 1st Tipperary Battalion and his Austro-Hungarian superiors had approved the request. He shook his head and snorted as he watched this spectacle. So typically Irish he told himself. Joyce loved Ireland. Joyce hated Ireland. He had surprised both himself and his wife by agreeing to go along on this expedition. Major Weise IRA, the battalion commander, now approached mounted on a Connemara pony he had recently appropriated for his own use. He pointed to O’Duibhir and addressed Joyce in German, “I see he is at it again. He really does love to talk, esp. speeches. I do hope what he is telling them has some relation to what actually happened.” “Some but not too much, major. He is Irish after all.” -----Kilkenny city 0720 hrs On the orders on General von François the 2nd armored train had returned all the way to Mallow yesterday where it had picked up water, coal, ammunition and a half company of the 1st Cork City Battalion. It then proceeded back into County Tipperary but this time turning right at Crossroads. It passed through Clonmel and continued east until turning left in southern County Kilkenny and headed north to Kilkenny City, the junction being controlled by a platoon of the 1st Waterford Battalion. The rebels had a weak presence in the southern quarter of Kilkenny. The enemy dominated the rest of the county so the train’s engineers were worried that they might encounter a mined section of track and reduced their speed on this line. This proved to be a wise precaution for as soon as they passed though Thomastown they did detonate a mine. As a precaution the armored train was pushing two flat cars in front of its locomotive. The lead car was demolished by the blast and the slow speed of the train prevented it from derailing. It took some time to clear the wrecked car from the track but eventually the train continued on its way. ------Borrisokane (Tipperary) 0735 hrs The West Riding Division was disintegrating. It was being attacked from too many different directions by vastly superior numbers. Its men were exhausted and hungry which accelerated the steady decline in their morale. The attack into the division’s rear by 2 battalions of the 183rd Infantry Regiment was the last straw. One of its artillery batteries was taken from the rear before it had time to react. Another was being subjected to rifle fire. Only the last minute arrival of a British rifle battalion prevented this battery from being overrun as well. A half hour earlier they had cut the telegraph and telephone wires connecting West Riding Division with VI Army Corps HQ. The pioneers were able to set up their minenwerfers within range of the British artillery. ------east of Vilna (Lithuania) 0800 hrs The V Siberian Army Corps after detraining at Lida had marched hard to join in Second Army’s attempt to relieve the besieged garrison at Vilna. The 10th Siberian Rifle Division was now in place firmly on the left flank of XXXV Army Corps occupying what had been the second German trench line occupied by the 9th Cavalry Division early but abandoned later in the day. Their artillery now commenced a 15 minute bombardment. After 5 minutes it was joined by the artillery of XXXV Army Corps which was still very low on ammunition. The German artillery could not effectively counter the Russian batteries which were making use of their long range. The Germany cavalry had been ordered to start pulling back overnight to the fourth trench line where the infantry divisions were waiting. In particular they had evacuated nearly all of their riding mounts back to the fourth trench before first light. The German artillery which included some batteries of the XXIV Reserve Corps, were patiently waiting for the Russian infantry. They did not have long to wait. The XXXV Corps sent 12 battalions over the top while the 10th Siberian Rifle Division sent 8 battalions. All of these were soon culled by the shrapnel of Garman shells bursting in their midst. The cavalrymen had not completely abandoned the third trench and had most of their machineguns in place. These made their contribution to the Russian casualty lists. The 10th Siberian Rifle Division was a first line unit and it was at close to full strength. Its better trained soldiers took serious loses but managed to secure a stretch of the trench while the assault battalions of the XXXV Army Corps, which had suffered losses in yesterday’s attacks, were still floundering in front of the scarcely nicked wire barrier. The Siberians were eventually able to roll up the third trench from the right forcing the 5th Cavalry Division to complete its withdrawal to the fourth trench. The other two German cavalry divisions in the third trench were forced to withdraw to the fourth trench as well. None of the German cavalry would remain in the fourth trench for long. When the battle started yesterday morning the fifth German trench line was not complete. By now it was complete but could still use some improvement. The cavalry divisions were soon moved from the fourth trench to the fifth trench were they would dig instead of fight. They had seriously weakened the Russian attackers. The defense of the fourth trench line would rest on the shoulders of the German infantry divisions. General von Mackensen had made it clear that while he approved of the policy of abandoning the cavalry occupied trench lines to weaken the enemy he expected the infantry’s trenches to be held no matter the cost. ------Roscrea (Tipperary) 0830 hrs The 39th Brigade launched an attack to the northwest. It was still part of the 13th (Western) Division and so the orders for the attack that originated with General Wilson at VI Army Corps were relayed through General Shaw at Templemore. The 4 batteries of 18 pounders now commenced at 10 minute shelling of the 184th Infantry Regiment. The Germans had not established a full scale trench system here. In the forward position there were outposts hunkered down inside crude slit trenches. There were more soldiers further back some of those packed into slit trenches while others were in the open. The British infantry when they attacked after the bombardment had only a modest superiority in numbers---four battalions to three. The German battalions had lost men in their fight with the West Riding Division but the 39th Brigade had been weakened by the casualties it sustained attacking the Erzherzog Karl Division. The British attack overrun the outposts without much trouble but then ran into stiffer resistance incl. machineguns and the 7.7cm field guns. British casualties mounted and their progress was halted. However before long they discovered that the German right flank was exposed. Exerting pressure on the German flank the 39th Brigade forced them to retreat WNW through Shinrone. This opened up the road leading to Birr but the British were unsure whether that was what they wanted to do. For the time being they pursued the retreating 184th Infantry Brigade. General Schußler, the commander of the 183rd Infantry Brigade continued to worry that the enemy had assembled an entire division at Roscrea. He did not have telephone communications with General Sontag so he sent his only messenger with a motorcycle to warn him but he suspected that he already knew that Sontag’s reply would be that if there was in fact another British division in the area it became even more important to finish the destruction of West Riding Division as speedily as possible. ------10 Downing St. 0935 hrs “I thought yesterday’s Cabinet meeting went rather well,” Prime Minister Balfour told to the War Committee, “It is important to get as many fresh ideas as possible, leaving us to winnow the wheat from the chaff.” Carson’s eyes rolled at that but he resisted the impulse to snort. Lloyd-George felt much the same but took care not to show it. “You are quite right, prime minister,” replied Arthur Henderson, the Minister without Portfolio from the Labour Party, “It was a most stimulating debate. I am looking forward to the next meeting.” This time Carson did snort though not too loudly. Balfour cast a brief glance in his direction then turned to Kitchener and asked, ”What is the latest news from the front, Lord Kitchener? Start with Ireland.” “There was not all that much fighting yesterday, prime minister. In the most important engagement the Germans were easily turned away from Roscrea. Other than that the situation in Ireland remains stable. General Hamilton is regrouping his forces as we speak” “Has there been any progress in retaking Arklow and Athlone?” asked Lloyd-George. Kitchener fidgeted slightly and frowned, “There was some fighting between the Ulster Volunteers and the traitors in County Wicklow yesterday, chancellor.” “Oh, and did we finally crush the rebels there? Was Pearse killed or captured?” asked Balfour. Kitchener fidgeted again and his face darkened. He took his time before replying, “The rebels have become adept in using the rough terrain of County Wicklow to their advantage, prime minister. The Ulster Volunteers weakened them but were unable to finish them off and were forced to withdraw.” “Need I remind you that the loss of the Kynoch factory is going to impact our munitions production?” said Lloyd-George. “I am well aware of that, chancellor, but it is not as large an impact as the destruction of the toluene plant is going to have.” “What? What is this about a toluene plant being destroyed?” asked Balfour. “German warships recently shelled a plant on the west coast of Britain that generated toluene from coal, prime minister,” replied Carson, ”It is not accurate to describe the plant as ‘destroyed’. While it is currently out of action repair crews are working around the clock. We expect to restore it to limited production in about a fortnight. And just so we are clear it is not our only source of toluene. There is however another plant that produces considerably more than the plant which was destroyed.” “However that plant requires a very special type of petroleum that is found only in Borneo,” Lloyd-George commented, “We have been worried that with the German fleet in Ireland the freighters carrying this most precious fluid would be in peril but praise the Lord Almighty we have been fortunate in that regard.” “Well that at least is encouraging but it still sounds as if at least a modest decline in munitions production in June is unavoidable,” said Balfour. Carson ground his teeth. He was going to reply to the prime minister trying to minimize the magnitude of the impact when Lloyd-George spoke first, “There is some possibility that we can compensate by importing toluene from the United States, prime minister.” “Hmm Might I ask why we have not done so already?” asked Balfour. “We have already imported some, prime minister. However when Admiral von Spee was active in the North Atlantic we were reluctant to dispatch any of our merchantmen from the northeastern ports of the United States and unfortunately it is that section of the United States where most of their toluene is produced. We looked at moving the toluene by rail to southern ports like Charleston which we felt were safer or using American flagged freighters but nothing was decided.” Balfour sighed audibly and scratched his cheek. He looked first at Lloyd-George, “Is this still a problem, First Lord. It would seem to me that with von Spee’s force united with the German battle fleet which should now be on its way back to Germany and hopefully total annihilation, there is no further threat to the North Atlantic sea lanes. Or am I missing something?” “The Sea Lords are worried that the Germans might be planning to leave a cruiser or two behind to raid the North Atlantic,” replied Carson. “Hmm I will assume that it is as you say a distinct possibility but surely there is something the Admiralty can do to reduce the risk to acceptable levels.” “We can and will institute increased cruiser patrols of the Atlantic, but our experience has been that those measures are of limited effectiveness due to the vastness of the ocean. We could of course send an escort but that would seriously delay the departure.” “I will of course leave the decision up to you, First Lord,” said Balfour, “But it seems that we have wandered off on a tangent albeit it one of considerable importance. If things are stable in Ireland, Lord Kitchener, how are they are in France? Have we made any progress towards restoring First Army’s supply line?” “The Second Army made some small progress yesterday, prime minister, but not enough to allow supplies to reach the 5 trapped divisions of First Army. Second Army will continue to make every effort to save First Army and will ultimately succeed but it will not be easy.” “I see. Well even small progress is a reason for hope. And what are the Germans doing? Are they just waiting passively in their trenches for our next attack? I would think they would be trying to finish off First Army as quickly as possible.” “We believe that the Germans lack the strength needed to do that, prime minister. They have suffered very heavy casualties in their attack on the B.E.F. and are very badly stretched at this time. Clemenceau’s bold offensive has been taking a toll on them as well. For that reason it is no surprise that they intend to starve First Army into surrendering.” “But you are confident that General Plumer can prevent that, am I correct?” asked Balfour. “That is correct, prime minister.” “Even if he is not reinforced further?” “Yes, prime minister, though obviously it will be easier if he does indeed receive reinforcements.” “I have been summoned to dine with our sovereign tonight. I have been warned that he is obsessed with the idea that the ultimate German strategy will be to invade England and that their Irish operation is merely a diabolically clever diversion intended to siphon off our strength here in England so that when they land here in England we shall be too weakened to thwart them. I would like to be able to make a case that Ireland and France each need at least one more division but I fear that I might well wind up in the Tower if I say that. So I ask you Lord Kitchener, if I were to concentrate on either Ireland or France, which one would you say has the more urgent need?” Kitchener took his time before answering, “I would have to say France, prime minister. If the Germans were to succeed in forcing Haig to surrender it would be a blow that the B.E.F. will need a long time to recover from. Furthermore it would rule out any possibility of Clemenceau’s offensive succeeding.” ------Kilkenny city 0955 hrs The 7th Cavalry Division had taken Cashel without much trouble. It had been defended by a small R.I.C. garrison and as usual when they were confronted by Germans in superior numbers, the constables tried to flee. Most of those that tried to do this were overtaken by the German cavalry on horseback and promptly surrendered though a few did escape into the countryside. With Cashel secured the 7th Cavalry Division rode on to the west heading for their next objective, Kilkenny. General von Unger left a single squadron behind at Cashel waiting for the 2nd Tipperary Battalion to catch up. He left his wounded as well as his prisoners behind at Cashel. When the 2nd Tipperary Battalion arrived at Cashel it was told to stay there for the time being. It escorted prisoners and wounded to Crossroads where they were railed to Cork. The lead squadron of the 7th Cavalry Division now reached Kilkenny. When the West Riding Division had arrived in Ireland the 1/7th Battalion West Yorkshires had been detached from it to perform line of communication duties at Kilkenny. A portion of this battalion had seen some action in County Carlow where they had shattered the fledgling Carlow Battalion though later one of their companies was wiped out by a combination of rebels and Count Tisza’s Hussars. After that the patrols of the 1/7th West Yorkshires did not venture very far into Carlow. They did continue to patrol the northern part of County Kilkenny very thoroughly. On account of this vigorous patrolling there was seldom more than a single company inside the city along with 90 constables. This company was currently occupied with the armored train when the German horsemen arrived and were unable to prevent them from quickly establishing a presence inside the city. As more of the 7th Cavalry Division arrived the West Yorkshires and the R.I.C. were compressed into a small pocket. .Another company of the 1 /7th Battalion West Yorkshires was detected trying to return to Kilkenny and was quickly surrounded and eventually eliminated by the German cavalry. While they were trying to further squeeze the enemy pocket inside the city with the help of their horse artillery, the German cavalry had contacted the local Irish Volunteers. It was the same old story that the leaders had been arrested and the meager weapons cache confiscated soon after the Germans had landed. There have never been either a German or rebel presence in this area before and within the next three hours 116 men and 5 women had assembled to form Kilkenny Company which grew steadily in the afternoon. ------Ballinasloe (Galway) 1015 hrs The South Mayo Battalion had arrived at Ballinasloe a few minutes ago. The battalion still had an Irish Volunteer named O’Growney as its commandant. He paid a visit to St. James who had earned the nickname of the Sheriff of Ballinasloe. “I am on my way to Athlone,” O’Growney told Cornelius, “The Germans tell me that there is a big concentration of Ulster Volunteers at Athlone and that it is very important that we hold on to Athlone. I know a thing or two about Irish history so I am well aware of the importance of Athlone.” Cornelius guessed that what happened what the some German officer had ordered South Mayo Battalion to Athlone but O’Growney was one of those Irish Volunteers who did not like the idea of Germans giving him orders so he was making it sound like it was his own idea. St. James nodded, “I have been reading up on Irish history in my spare time---what little of that there is---and come to much the same conclusion. To control central Ireland you need to both Athlone and Limerick.” O’Growney produced a flask from inside his jacket and took a swallow. He then extended the flask towards Cornelius, “Care for a wee nip, lieutenant?” “It’s a bit early in the day for me.” “Suit yourself,” said O’Growney who sealed the flask and then put it back in his jacket. He then leaned forward and said with a trace of a grin, “You know you have begun to make a name for yourself at least in County Galway. But I must say you don’t you don’t look like most people describe you. For one thing you certainly ain’t ten feet tall and I don’t see any smoke coming out of your nostrils. Speaking of y’er nose you are supposed to have a bone running through it. And a wreath of human heads around y’er neck and---“ “---I get the picture. Very funny,” answered St. James in a tone devoid of mirth. “Oh, but they were right about that nasty looking scar on your face. Might I ask how you got it?” “An Apache gave it to me. They’re---“ “---a tribe of American Indians. You see in my spare time--- what little of that there is---I like to read adventure novels and Westerns happen to be me favorite.” “Interesting. Is discussing our respective reading habits the only reason you came to see me?” “Uh, let’s just say it was one of them, but there are others. For one thing I have been told you have some use for Irishmen with cavalry experience. One of my men claims to have served under Colonel Lynch as part of the Second Irish Brigade during the Boer Wars. Not as a classic cavalrymen mind you but as mounted infantry. Do you think you could find a use for him?” “Hmm He would need some intense training in how to use the saber but first I want to test his equestrian skills. This could turn out to be another of those tall tales you Irishmen like to tell.” “Aye, there be no gainsaying that. However if he doesn’t meet your high standards as a horseman and use him for something else? As I understand it you have a decent sized platoon of Irishmen—and a few Irish women as well---working here hauling supplies for the Germans. We have 31 women in my battalion and I’d like to leave them all here with you---“ Suddenly Cornelius let out a loud laugh as he thought this is the first time anyone has ever begged me to take white women. “Begging y’er pardon, lieutenant but might I say that you have one very strange sense of humor. When I was makin’ me best jokes at the start of this conversation you just sat there like a stone. Now for no good reason you start laughing.” “I apologize for my momentary silliness, commandant. Is there anyone else you want to leave behind here?” “Yes there is, lieutenant. Some of the older men in my battalion are not really fit to be soldiers. Some of them can’t keep up on a long march. A few others have such bad eyesight they are practically useless with a rifle. They are not completely useless mind you.” “How many men are we talking about?” “Oh somewhere between 60 and 70. There a few that are kind of borderline that I need to think about..” “Don’t take too long thinking. You are supposed to be marching out to save Athlone soon.” ------Borrisokane (Tipperary) 1050 hrs The destruction of the West Riding Division was largely complete. General Baldock and the division had just surrendered. There were some scattered elements of the division that were holding out. The most powerful of these consisted of a battery of 15 pounders that still had a few shells left and was protected by 3 rifle companies with 4 machineguns. This group was surrounded. There were other much smaller groups of British soldiers that were very mobile as they tried to escape in disorder to either east or south. While taking care of these remnants was important there were other more pressing issues weighing on General Sontag’s mind. First and foremost was whether or not General Schußler was correct in his suspicion that it was entire enemy division that had emerged from Roscrea. It was very tempting to try to march south and attack the line of British divisions from the rear. However the threat to his own flank could not be ignored. He was in a process of establishing a line running from Ballingarry to Cloughjordan which would be supported by most of his artillery. ------Essey (Woëvre) 1100 hrs In the last 90 minutes of the bombardment the minenwerfers and 7.7cm field guns joined in. In the last half hour half of the 15cm howitzers switched to firing the improved T-shells which if used in concentration proved very effective in neutralizing the French batteries. The assault was made by from left to right by the 8th Ersatz Division, Guard Ersatz Division, 121st Infantry Division and 33rd Reserve Division. The 8th Ersatz Division and Guard Ersatz Division tried to continue yesterday’s advance. The Guard Ersatz Division once again enjoyed greater success. Flirey was finally taken though it fought hard to the very end. Noviant and Manonville were taken fairly easily with the Guard Ersatz Division only encountering resistance when it reached Domevre. The 8th Ersatz Division on the other hand made minimal gains in part because its sector received the least attention in the bombardment. The French 75th Reserve Division had been devastated by the bombardment. Their forward trench was obliterated and the wire barrier cut in enough places that the assaulting battalions of the 121st Infantry and 33rd Reserve Divisions encountered very little resistance. Advancing beyond the first trench line was harder but the morale of the defenders had been badly shaken and before long they began to break and run. ------Barcelona harbor 1125 hrs An Italian freighter entered Barcelona harbor. It carried artillery that the Germans had purchased from the Italians as a gift for Spain. None of the 75mm Déport field guns had been available on short notice. What the Germans were able to purchase was a strangely heterodox mix of obsolescent weapons along with their ammunition. There were 8 of the Mortaio da 210/8 DS. The Germans were hoping that these ponderous howitzers might prove useful in a siege of Gibraltar. At the opposite end of the spectrum there were 60 of the cannone da 70/15 mountain guns. These mountain guns lacked a modern recoil system but the Germans thought it would be better than nothing in mountain fighting. They would have much preferred to have sent the Spanish the newer and much more effective cannone da 65 mod 1911 mountain guns but General Cadorna refused to part with any of those. ------Nenagh Aerodrome (Tipperary) 1145 hrs At the beginning of May the Royal Flying Corps had erected an aerodrome at Nenagh where warplanes assigned to General Hamilton’s Irish Command operated from though on occasion secondary airfields were used. Nenagh remained the only location where aircraft engine repairs could be carried out. At this time there were 11 warplanes currently at Nenagh, all of them Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2, but 4 of them were being repaired. The aerodrome was getting less petrol of late and this was having an impact on the number of sorties it could fly. There were only 3 warplanes in the air on patrol at this time as they did not want to waste fuel flying in marginal weather. The Germans had eventually learned of the Nenagh Aerodrome in part from their own air patrols. Once it became clear that the tide had turned in his fight with the West Riding Division, General Sontag ordered his two dragoon squadrons to head south and attempt to raid the enemy airbase. The 4th Squadron 22nd Dragoon Regiment now arrived. The aerodrome’s ground crew had only become aware of the approach of the enemy cavalry in the last 10 minutes There were only enough rifles to arm half of the ground crew. These tried to fight while the rest hurriedly prepared the working airplanes for a hurried takeoff. Some of dragoons dismounted while others tried to attack the airfield on horseback. They were unable to prevent the planes from taking off. Some of the warplanes strafed and bombed the German dragoons, which were only able to take the aerodrome when the other squadron arrived as reinforcements. ------Ober Ost 1215 hrs General von Seeckt, Ober Ost’s acting chief of staff, was on the telephone with General von Marwitz the commander of the Army of the Dvina. “It is now clear that the Russian Fifth Army has been thoroughly routed and are in a disorderly retreat to the north,” reported General von Marwitz, “We have taken over 6,000 prisoners and 14 guns so far today. Plus a large quantity of supplies, though most of that is food and fodder. There are many signs that the enemy are short on ammunition, esp. artillery shells.” “This is encouraging, Your Excellency,” replied von Seeckt, “Can you tell if they are retreating to Riga or Dvinsk?” “So far it looks like they are withdrawing towards Riga.” “Is there any chance that you will be able to cut off their retreat towards Riga with your cavalry?” “I am trying to do just that but my honest estimation is that it is unlikely that we can trap a substantial portion of Fifth Army. They have at least three divisions of their own cavalry to help fight off ours. How far do you wish us to pursue? ” “All the way to Riga if that is in fact where they are headed, Your Excellency.” “Should I try to take Riga?” “Hmm. If I find myself unable to take Riga what is my best course of action?” “Your Excellency, we named your unit the Army of the Dvina on the assumption that sooner or later it would fight its most important battles near that key river. That now looks to be happening sooner rather than later. If you fail to take Riga it would still be very desirable for your army to establish a bridgehead somewhere over the Dvina, but again if the Russian Fifth Army is strongly reinforced you can well find yourself back on the defensive..” “Not necessarily if I am reinforced further as well.” General von Seeckt took some time before replying, “Hmm. We are still rather stretched at this time. Operation Tourniquet is winding down so Generalfeldmarschal is working hard on getting us one of the corps from Tenth Army but so far General von Falkenhayn has not yet committed himself.” “I would respectfully suggest that you and the Feldmarschal try harder.” Most of the British warplanes that had hurriedly departed the Nenagh Aerodrome ended up at the R.F.C. secondary airfield just outside Maryborough. The observer aboard one of these airplanes had witnessed in part the tragic demise of the West Riding Division. This news reached General Henry Wilson, the commander of VI Army Corps, whose initial reaction was to assume that the aviator was grossly exaggerating what he saw. However Wilson already had intelligence about the German capture of Cloughjordan from multiple sources and after some deliberation he began to change his mind, seriously considering the possibility that the West Riding Division was in trouble. He sent orders to the 39th Brigade to renew its attack concentrating on trying to reach Borrisokane and thereby make contact with West Riding Division. Wilson then placed a call to General Sir Ian Hamilton. Wilson had become less optimistic about his tactical situation in the last 24 hours. This was due in part to what he was learning from General Baldock about the severity of West Riding Division’s losses. “General Hamilton, I have become very concerned about the West Riding Division which is now under heavy enemy attack from multiple directions. There is some intelligence that the enemy has taken Cloughjordan which means the division is badly outflanked. Another ominous sign has been that enemy cavalry have attacked the Nenagh Aerodrome.” “German cavalry have penetrated that far south?” asked a deeply worried Hamilton, “Has the aerodrome been taken?” “We do not know one way or the other, sir. Some of our warplanes evacuated Nenagh and are now stationed at our local airstrip. One of the aviators reported seeing part of the West Rising Division being overrun. Others report that the aerodrome’s ground crew are giving the German horsemen a very hard time. “I am well of that, general. For that reason I intend to pull the Lowland Division all the way back to Nenagh. Then with a small shift in the position of the 13th Division the gap will be quickly closed. The German Naval Division as well as the 6th Bavarian Division, are much too weak to take advantage of the situation.” “It does seem that all that those two units are capable of doing is defending an entrenched position. However I must remind you that the Welsh Division is just as weak The War Office has promised us some replacement troops for the Welsh, Lowland and West Riding Divisions but they will not arrive in Ireland before tomorrow afternoon.“ “I do not need to be reminded, sir. Yet combined with the attack of 39th Brigade the Welsh Division should be enough to rescue West Riding Division and punish the German 111th Division for its impudent boldness.” “Once again I find your optimism to be excessive, Wilson, but I must acknowledge that we cannot afford to lose West Riding Division and I do not see an alternative superior to your plan You may proceed provided you keep us informed of all pertinent developments.” “But of course, general.” -------Orient Palace Madrid 1335 hrs King Alphonso had summoned the political reporters, government scribes and the most important foreign diplomats to a public announcement. Seated behind him were Prime Minister Dato, the Minister of War, Ramón Echagüe and the Minister of State, Salvador Bermúdez de Castro. “I must apologize for summoning you on short notice,” stated the monarch, ”But there have been some developments in our current state of political tension with France and Great Britain that need addressing. The response of the French government to this situation has been most unproductive. Not only has Premier Clemenceau demanded that we demobilize and resume trading with the British but he has sent thousands of French troops to occupy the peaceful nation of Andorra on our northern border. Furthermore he has had the unbridled audacity to claim that he is doing this to protect the Andorrans! He does not explicitly say so but it is obvious that he is strongly implying that he is protecting the Anorrans from us. No other conclusion can be drawn! It is not only an absurdity but it is also an insult to the honor of Spain!” The king paused for a few seconds while some members of the audience applauded, then he continued, “It is very important that at this critical juncture we make ourselves understood as clearly as possible. We have no desire to enter the European war. Our mobilization is only partial and is intended mostly as a purely defensive precaution. In regard to the British Empire we have expressed righteous indignation concerning their brutal policy towards the rebellion in Ireland. However we are willing to enter into diplomatic talks with them to reconcile our differences. There have even been some encouraging albeit preliminary signs emanating from the new British government which suggest that such a reconciliation is indeed possible.” The king paused again at this point to gauge the reaction of his audience. The British diplomatic delegation looked encouraged but their French counterparts seemed deeply confused and somewhat displeased. King Alphonso continued, “The irony is that just as there is some cause for hope coming from London, what has emerged from Paris has been saber rattling of the worst sort. There are many here in Spain who think that our embargo against Great Britain should have been extended to include France as well because it was the French who unjustly executed senor de Valera. This argument has some merit but we felt it best to concentrate our response on the British who are at the heart of the Irish Question. Despite our merciful moderation senor Clemenceau has decided to escalate the situation. If we were indeed looking for an excuse to enter the war, then senor Clemenceau has provided us with one. But we must reiterate that we remain wedded to the idea of peace. Yet our honor compels us to respond to the bluster coming out of France. We have consulted with our ministers this morning and what we have decided is as follows. First is that the French occupation of Andorra is clearly unlawful. If the French Army continues to occupy Andorra we will not hesitate to extend our embargo to France. Furthermore the ominous implications of the French action means that we have no choice but to increase our level of mobilization beyond what we had initially planned. The details on this additional degree of mobilization are being worked out right now and should be finalized in the next 24 hours.” The Spanish king stopped and gazed again at the French delegation.. They looked anything but happy. ------east of Vilna (Lithuania) 1400 hrs Desperate to rescue the trapped Russian garrison at Vilna and encouraged by the fact he had taken 3 German trenches, General Smirnov, the commander of the Russian Second Army ordered another attack by both of his corps. This time it was without any artillery support whatsoever because Second Army had expended nearly all of its small stockpile of shells. The Russians were attacking German infantry this time not cavalry. General Smirnov continued to believe that the key to success was to attack along a very narrow front hoping to overwhelm the enemy by sheer mass. Herded together in tight narrow lanes the attacking battalions suffered horrible casualties from the German artillery. Many of the poorly trained soldiers of the XXXV Army Corps panicked turning their formation into chaos. The more disciplined soldiers of V Siberian Army Corps kept their composure and were able to press on despite cruel losses. With the barbed wire of the German Eleventh Army divided between 5 trenches, the wire barrier in front of the fourth trench line was not very thick. This had been one of the reasons General Smirnov thought his attack had some chance of success. The wire was enough to stop the inexperienced soldiers of XXXV Army Corps completely which permitted German machineguns to cause massive casualties. Some of the better trained Siberian soldiers did make it through the wire but they were too few to have any real chance of taking the trench. The Russian attack was a complete failure costing them over 9,000 casualties. ------Athlone (Westmeath) 1400 hrs The rebel forces at Athlone had been reinforced with Roscommon Battalion yesterday. The armored train had departed at dawn and returned just before noon. It brought back additional ammunition both for itself and the rebels. It also brought back additional German uniforms. Some of the German prisoners who had been released from Oldcastle had been extremely reluctant to fight without a proper uniform. They now joined the ad hoc Landsturm company that had been formed at Athlone. Since arriving at Athlone the Ulster Volunteers had done little to erect defenses as they had assumed that their opponents were incapable of an effective attack. The two battalions of Royal Irish Rifles that had been there previously had erected defenses but had been provided very little barbed wire so they were not able to cover the entire perimeter with even a single strand of wire. The rebels inside Athlone had been clamoring for an attack and their commandants had eventually been persuaded to go along. The 2nd Athlone Battalion, Roscommon Battalion and Cavan Battalion were selected to make the attack The guns aboard the armored train made a brief bombardment preceding the attack. This did cause a few casualties amongst the Ulster Volunteers who were not entrenched. It also unnerved many of them in varying degrees. The subsequent infantry assault by the 3 rebel battalions made some small initial progress at a heavy cost in casualties. A single Vickers machinegun manned by the Royal Irish Rifles took a heavy toll on Cavan Battalion. The rebel advance soon lost momentum as the rattled Ulster Volunteers were rallied and reinforced. The U.V.F. then launched a determined counterattack driving the rebels back to their original line where they scampered home as best they could through the narrow lanes in their own wire barrier. A handful of them fell into the wire and were quickly killed by the pursuing Orangemen. Those rebels that had returned safely to their trench fired rapid volleys into the U.V.F. who were eventually forced to pull back. This operation was a sobering experience for the rebels who were starting to overestimate their own prowess as a result of their previous defensive successes. They had suffered over 600 casualties, though the losses of Ulster Volunteers were only a little less. They too had learned a lesson today and under the guidance of the Royal Irish Riflemen they finally set themselves to digging trenches and preparing other defenses. ------Galicia 1410 hrs The Austro-German Center Army had succeeded in encircling the 1st Finland Division. General von Linsingen had hoped that they would surrender quickly once they found themselves surrounded but the brave soldiers were holding out defiantly and trying to break out of their encirclement. This tied down much of Center Army. General von Linsingen was unable to take advantage of the fleeting opportunity to also encircle the Russian 50th Infantry Division, which was now fleeing in disarray to the northeast. The general now regretted that he lacked the reserves that would allow him to properly exploit the rupture that had been created today between the Russian Third and Eleventh Armies. Previously the enemy had been withdrawing but steadily digging new trenches as it withdrew forcing the Central Powers to halt their advance almost every day to blast the new trench line with their howitzers. Now there was a chance to deny the Russians the opportunity to entrench permitting a more rapid advance requiring a less intensive use of the priceless howitzers. Center Army did have at its disposal the Austro-Hungarian 5th Cavalry Division which had been worthless hitherto in this offensive. General von Linsingen now committed this unit but worried it would not be enough. He needed help from the Austro-Hungarian Fourth Army on his left flank. His liaison with Archduke Josef Ferdinand was better than it was General Böhm-Ermolli, the commander of the KuK Second Army on his right flank but it was still considerably less than perfect. The Archduke replied somewhat testily that he was already aware of the tactical situation. This may be true as the Archduke was famous as an airplane enthusiast but in that case it was all the more mysterious---and frustrating---that Fourth Army’s response took so long to materialize. ------Old Admiralty Building 1420 hrs “Have any of our submarines sighted the German battle fleet today?” Carson asked the senior admirals. “Not yet, First Lord, at least not that we know of,” replied Admiral Jackson. “What you mean by that last bit, admiral?” asked Carson. “If the submarine is submerged it cannot use its wireless, First Lord, but must wait for a safe opportunity to surface.” “Or perhaps its wireless is not functioning properly and is forced to use a homing pigeon,” speculated Admiral Wilson. “I thought we had rectified the wireless problems on our submarines,” Carson retorted. “Uh, not completely, First Lord,” replied Admiral Wilson. Carson sighed deeply and decided not to belabor this particular topic. Instead he asked, “Is Admiral Bayly moving towards his designated station?” “Aye, First Lord. The Grand Fleet is on schedule,” replied Admiral Callaghan, the First Sea Lord. “And what of the outbound convoys? What is their schedule?” “The first convoy of will leave Plymouth early tomorrow afternoon, First Lord,” Callaghan answered, “We have not yet set the exact time. As we have discussed they will be escorted by the three predreadnoughts of the Reserve Fleet at Devonport plus the cruiser Spartan and a division of four torpedoboats. Northwest of Lands End the convoy will rendezvous with merchantmen out of Bristol and Millford Haven, most of which will be colliers bound for Brest. While this rendezvous is taking place Mars and 2 of the torpedoboats will split off from the convoy and proceed to Liverpool where they will form the main escort for another convoy that will depart early Monday. Meanwhile the first convoy will proceed to Brest where the colliers will unload and soon afterwards the torpedoboats will return to Devonport. The rest of the convoy will then proceed to the mid-Atlantic where the merchantmen will disperse to their separate destinations. The escorts will rendezvous with the convoy now coming from Canada carrying the 2nd Canadian Division, which they will then escort to Britain.” “So you continue to feel that once the merchantmen reach the middle of the Atlantic the risk from German raiders is minimal?” asked Carson. “Yes, I do, First Lord,” replied Callaghan. “And not all that large east of there,” Admiral Oliver commented with obvious annoyance. Carson rolled his eyes and sighed. While none of the admirals were enthusiastic about using convoys, Admiral Oliver was the most strongly opposed to the idea, feeling that the delays resulting from forming the convoys far outweighed possible losses to the merchantmen to German raiders in the Western Approaches. “We have been over this before, Oliver,” chided Carson, “We are well aware of the problems involved with convoys. None of us here is happy about being forced to use them and we intend to stop using them as soon as the Western Approaches have been made safe but until then they are a necessity. Which brings me to my very next question which is to ask about the status of the convoy coming out of Inverness and Invergordon?” “They are scheduled to rendezvous with Sutlej and Euryalus off Wick tomorrow afternoon, First Lord. From there the convoy will proceed through the Pentland Firth into the Atlantic. As with convoy out of Plymouth this convoy will disperse once it reaches the middle of the Atlantic with the escorts returning to Glasgow, where they will be used to escort another outbound convoy,” said Admiral Jackson. Admiral Oliver continued to pout, “I would point out that there is a good chance that Blücher is one of the commerce raiders the Germans will leave behind. She is capable of defeating both of those escorts combined.” “Perhaps but in the process she would likely sustain damage that would render her incapable of carrying out her mission,” replied Admiral Callaghan. “Hmm Henry does have a point though. It would be better if we could use one or two of the more powerful armored cruisers attached to the Grand Fleet but Admiral Bayly has a conniption every time we suggest it,” remarked Admiral Jackson, “Even though he readily admits that the Battle of Celtic Sea further validates our most of our concerns about the vulnerability of armored cruisers to battle cruisers.” “Ugh. Bayly regards any weakening of the Grand Fleet as a personal betrayal,” commented Admiral Wilson shaking his head. “All too true, Admiral Wilson,” replied Carson, “But in the short term we dare not ruffle his feathers too much. I sincerely believe that the opportunity exists for him to destroy the German battle fleet Monday. I do not want him sulking in his tent like Achilles when the time comes because we deprived him of a few cruisers no matter how justified such a redeployment might be.” ------near Prishtina (Serbia) 1500 hrs The Bulgarian 7th “Rila” Infantry Division had been detached from the Bulgarian Second Army and was marching hard to the north to assist the Ottoman 26th Infantry Division. General Godley, the commander of the New Zealand and Australian Division was forced to use both his New Zealand and Australian cavalry squadrons to try to delay the Bulgarians. They performed this role bravely and did force the Bulgarian marching columns to deploy into line and fight. The cavalrymen would then mount up and move away returning to harass the flanks of the Bulgarians once they resumed their march. While this was going on, General Godley now made one final attack using his infantry with his artillery firing off their few remaining shells. The battalions committed to the assault suffered heavy losses. Nevertheless they did overwhelm the Ottoman defenses in one sector but were eventually stopped by the Ottoman reserves. ------ Nenagh Aerodrome (Tipperary) 1605 hrs After receiving the orders from VI Army Corps, General Friend, the commander of the Welsh Division tried his best to phase his division out of his current line facing south. Two battalions of the North Wales Brigade supported by 2 batteries of 15 pounders drove the German dragoons out of the Nenagh Aerodrome. However the dragoons had already withdrawn most of the aerodrome’s ground crew they had captured further north, and damaged much of the airfield’s repair equipment. The Welshmen also secured control of Nenagh’s railroad station. A few tiny disorganized fragments of the West Riding Division managed to stumble their way to join the men of the North Wales Brigade. These survivors told the Welshmen disturbing tales. Meanwhile the infantry of the 111th Infantry Division were slow in advancing further south for multiple reasons. There were still pockets of resistance of the West Riding Division either holed up or trying desperately to break out. The Germans soldiers were still very tired though they were not as completely exhausted as those of the West Riding Division. The flow of supplies they were receiving out of Ballinasloe were inadequate. The British 39th Brigade was attacking again, causing Gen. Schuβler, the commander of the 183rd Infantry Brigade to worry anew that there was a fresh British infantry division emerging from Roscrea. General Sontag was starting to share Schuβler’s concerns. Meanwhile the withdrawal of the Lowland Division to the vicinity of Nenagh was underway. Because the telegraph and telephone lines connecting Lowland Division and VI Army Corps HQ had been cut, General Wilson’s orders for the Lowland Division were transmitted to the HQ of the Welsh Division which then passed them on to the Lowland Division using a messenger which caused a substantial delay. ------L.10 Celtic Sea heading southeast 1615 hrs Airships were delicate contraptions by their very nature. The Zeppelin, L.10 proved to be no exception. She had experienced several problems with her engines and steering since arriving at Ireland. The base that had been hurriedly constructed for her at Killarney proved incapable of performing the level of maintenance she required. It was decided that she needed return to the Continent. At first Admiral von Ingenohl insisted that the L.10 fly in advance of the High Seas Fleet as a long range scout but this proved to be impractical even if the airship had been in first rate condition. A plan had even been considered where the Zeppelin would fly over first Ulster then Scotland to rendezvous with the High Seas Fleet at the Shetland Islands. This was eventually deemed impractical with one of the many drawbacks being that the passage of the airship over Scotland might make the Royal Navy suspect that the High Seas Fleet was returning via the northern route. So to the disappointment of Admiral von Ingenohl it was decided that the L.10 would return to the Zeppelin shed at St. Omer using the southern route. If the British spotted her it would hopefully reinforce the deception that the High Seas Fleet was also taking the Channel route home. ------OHL Valenciennes 1620 hrs General von Falkenhayn was on the telephone with General von Fabeck, the commander of the Sixth Army. “So I understand that the British made some progress in reopening First Army’s line of communication this morning,” stated von Falkenhayn with a hint of accusation in his voice. “Very small progress for which they paid a stiff price in casualties,” replied von Fabeck who had anticipated this line of questioning, “The enemy is continues to want to drive a wedge between XXI Army Corps and the Guards Corps.” “That sounds like a tactic with some merit. We often do the same, yes?” “Yes we, which is why we are better prepared than our enemy to deal with that tactic.” “I certainly do hope so,” replied von Falkenhayn whose tone of voice sounded a bit skeptical. “I am confident that I can prevent the British Second Army from rescuing the First Army while capturing Abbeville with acceptable losses.” “And how is the attack on Abbeville progressing?” “The front line divisions are reorganizing and integrating the replacement troops that arrived yesterday. For those reasons there are no offensive operations there today. If the weather proves acceptable the attack will resume tomorrow morning. However there are some encouraging signs suggesting that the enemy is now in the process of abandoning St. Riquier. I remain convinced that we can take Abbeville soon.” “How soon is soon?” ------Keeper Hill (Tipperary) 1755 hrs Contrary to its name Keeper Hill aka Slievekimalta was actually a mountain. With a height of 2279’ it was the tallest site in the area which made it invaluable as an observation post. With growing intelligence that the Welsh Division was withdrawing, General von Gyssling, the commander of the 6th Bavarian Infantry Division ordered the Bavarian Jäger Regiment to try to secure Keeper Hill. A company of Jägers now approached Keeper Hill. There had been some rain earlier in the afternoon but it had ceased though the sky remained overcast. The company commander sent out a patrol to determine if the peak of the mountain was still occupied. “So good of you German lads to join us,” Staff Sergeant Donahue greeted them speaking in German, “We have been here nearly an hour wondering when you would show up.” Along with Mother Superior there were 11 Irish Volunteers atop Keeper Hill. One of them had his left arm bandaged in a sling. There were also 3 British prisoners plus the body of another British soldier lying still on the ground in a pool of blood. Admiral Jacobsen, the commander of the Naval Division, had deployed the Limerick City Battalion on the far right of his front line. In the early afternoon Major White, the battalion commandant, permitted Sergeant Donahue to lead a squad to reconnoiter Keeper Hill. He ordered her to try to seize the peak only if it appeared to be unoccupied. When she arrived at Keeper Hill one of the Irish Volunteers in her squad showed her how to approach the hill with minimal risk of being seen from the top. The Welsh Division once had a fairly strong detachment manning their observation post on Keeper Hill but this had been reduced to a mere 4 Signals Royals Engineers. When the Irish Volunteers these were preparing to move out as well. The Irish Volunteers surprised the Royal Engineers as they were packing their gear, taking them prisoner after a brief exchange of gunfire during which each side had a man wounded. The wounded Royal Engineer died from blood loss a few minutes before the Jägers arrived. The Jägers gaped in astonishment. The unteroffizier in charge sent one of his men to go fetch the company commander from below. The officer had a pair of binoculars with him which made Bridget envious. She only had a telescope she had taken from the captured Royal Engineers. She saluted the Jäger Hauptmann sharply and announced in a loud clear voice, “Hauptmann, I am Staff Sergeant Bridget Donahue of the Limerick City Battalion. My squad has captured the summit of Keeper Hill.” The company commander had seen a few women in I.R.A. uniforms before. He had even seen them fighting on one occasion even though the compromise policy that had been hammered out by General von François was to try to restrict women to support roles. Men taking orders from a woman was a new perversity though. The hauptmann merely shook his head slightly and snorted. He had worried about taking heavy losses trying to take this peak and it was now being handed to him on a platter. So what if it was a woman handing it to him. He decided to humor this strange Irishwoman. He returned the salute and said, “Well done, sergeant, well done.” “Thank you very much, Hauptmann. Before you arrived I observed what I could through this telescope. What I saw was very interesting. To the north there is the main spine of the Silvermine Mountains running west to east. However we are sufficiently high up here to see over that ridge. And what I have been seeing leads me to believe that most of the enemy to the north is shifting towards Nenagh which is still further north. You can confirm that with your binoculars.” The officer nodded but said nothing as he raised his binoculars. After a few minutes he lowered them and said, “You observe well, Sergeant Donahue, the enemy does appear to be in a phased withdrawal to the north. I will relay this information to my superiors. You should do the same.” “I already sent one of my men to inform by battalion commandant, Hauptmann. It is my firm belief that we should attack the enemy as soon as it is dark. If there is nothing else that I can do for you, Hauptmann, I would like to turn over my prisoners to you for interrogation and return to my battalion.” ------midway between Nenangh and Borrisokane (Tipperary) 1820 hrs When the lead battalions of the Welsh Division began to encounter the 111th Infantry Division north of Nenagh, the German battalions were not well organized to meet an attack from the south as they were in the process of finishing off the West Riding Division. The German battalion commanders therefore fell back from an attack whose strength they initially overestimated. The 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards had eventually moved up to assume the spearhead of the attack of the Welsh Division. This elite unit managed to intimidate two of the German battalions making the British attack seem stronger that it actually was. This helped to make General Sontag, the commander of the 111th Infantry Division cautious in his initial response. He permitted a fighting withdrawal while reorganizing his division as quickly as possible which was not easy. On his left the 183rd Infantry Brigade continued to be pressured by the British 39th Brigade. However General Schußler was now able commit 5 of his 6 battalions to countering the enemy. While he was unable to entrench he did manage to position both of his machinegun companies. The British 39th Brigade did have a superiority in artillery in this sector but their use was limited by the fairly small amount of shells they were provided. Meanwhile the attack of the Welsh Division reached its zenith. The lead battalions had advanced beyond the range of 2 of the 4 batteries of 15 pounders that had been supporting them, though they continued to have the support of the powerful RGA battery armed with 60 pounders. They were now in range of all of General Sontag’s artillery which now commenced firing. The supply line of the 111th Infantry Division was still tenuous and so the batteries did not fire for too long but it was enough to shatter the British momentum. The Germans then seized the initiative by counterattacking. The Welsh Division was badly outnumbered at the point of attack and forced to fall back. ------Camolin (Wexford) 1825 hrs The 1st Waterford Battalion had reached Enniscorthy around noon. There it had encountered 26 constables who furiously engaged the rebel vanguard. However when they realized how badly they were outnumbered the R.I.C. fled in motor vehicles. Half of them proceeded to Wexford city while the other half sped northeast to warn the 8th Battalion Devonshire Regiment at Gorey. After their brief firefight with the R.I.C. the 1st Waterford Battalion spent more than hour at Enniscorthy. Major Wendel, their commandant did this to allow his men and draught animals to rest while waiting for the 3rd Tipperary Battalion to catch up with him. It also allowed his men to secure some provisions. They also picked up some new recruits, 17 men and a woman. Wendel eventually continued on his way to the northeast. The 3rd Tipperary Battalion, which had less time to rest soon started to lag behind. In the vicinity of the village of Camolin his cyclist platoon encountered a British rifle company. Upon learning from the constables of a sizable rebel force at Enniscorthy that threatened his rear, the commander of the 8th Devonshire decided to take the initiative and quickly marched his battalion to intercept the rebels at Comalin. He had hoped to do this without the Hussars taking notice but before too long some Magyar horsemen could be seen tailing him. Informed by his scouts of the enemy presence Major Wendel became cautious. He did not know the size of the enemy force but he was all too aware of the limitations of his troops in an open field battle despite the intensive training he had provided them. He secured the best cover he could and set up his two machineguns while sending a messenger to tell Commandant McElroy to catch up with him again as quickly as possible. The commander of the 8th Devonshire believed he had a modest advantage in numbers over the rebels he was attacking. This was because the constables at Enniscorthy had only seen the 1st Waterford Battalion and had not noticed their machineguns. The 8th Devonshire attacked with 3 rifle companies leaving the fourth company behind to guard the wagons against a possible raid by the Hussars. This meant that the attackers were only roughly equal in numbers to the rebels. The marksmanship of the Devonshires proved to be superior to that of the enemy but this was roughly offset by the rebels’ superior cover and their two machineguns. For a few minutes the battle was nip and tuck but when the 3rd Tipperary Battalion arrived, the scales tipped in favor of the rebels. In the meantime an increasing number of Hussars could be seen massing for an attack on the battalion’s rear. The commander of the 8th Devonshire decided that his battalion was in very serious danger. Withdrawing back to Gorey did not strike him as a good idea. Instead he withdrew his battalion as best he could to the southeast. Because there was poor coordination between 1st Waterford Battalion, 3rd Tipperary Battalion and the Hussars he managed to do this without too much trouble despite the roads being poor. While the 8th Battalion Devonshire made its escape, the Hussars linked with the 1st Waterford Battalion which had brought with a large quantity, most of which was either .303 caliber rounds for the Lee-Enfield or 7.62mm rounds for the Moisin-Nagant. As with the Erzherzog Karl Division, Count Tisza’s Hussar Regiment had been armed with captured British Lee-Enfield rifles so the .303 ammunition was much appreciated. Yet Count Tisza was deeply disappointed that the British battalion had escaped annihilation and made his displeasure known to both Wendel and McElroy. ------Buckingham Palace 1905 hrs King George had summoned Arthur Balfour, the new prime minister to dine with him. “I was very much worried that Bonar Law’s downfall would result in several days of political paralysis at a time when our nation could ill afford it. Therefore I was both relieved and impressed by the rapidity of the transition,” said the monarch after washing down some mutton with his wine. “Your Majesty, many of the M.Ps shared your worries about political paralysis. This phenomenon did in fact serve to delay the inevitable vote of no confidence until a replacement government was ready to take over.” The king give Balfour a strange look as he had a momentary mental image of Balfour as a vulture circling around the dying beast that was Andrew Bonar Law waiting for him to expire. This was obviously not something he could express openly. Instead he asked, “Is the ease of transition why there are so few changes to the Cabinet?” Balfour nodded slightly, “You are most perceptive, Your Majesty. That was in fact my primary reason though I would note that I am not keeping anyone I regard as being ill suited for their role. Birrell is an excellent example of that.” “Birrell did make some very serious mistakes running Ireland but he was not the only one.” “All too true, Your Majesty.” “There has been some controversy regarding Lord Curzon’s actions.” “Yes, he does not seem to accept that the role in the Viceroy is not what it once was, Your Majesty. There is also some antipathy between him and Lord Kitchener, dating back to his time in India. For the time being I do not see a compelling case for removing Lord Curzon as well. There is someone much more important that I have my eye on.” “General Hamilton?” guessed the king, “There has been some debate about his performance in the press of late. There is considerable criticism of his performance ranging from the now infamous Battle of Rathmore to the conduct of the Siege of Limerick.” “Yes and as far as I am concerned you can add to that his handling of the rising in Cork which along with Rathmore completely altered the entire campaign. We have for too long justified what happened there by blaming the Irish for stabbing us in the back.” “But the Irish did stab us in the back! They will regret doing so!” Balfour sighed slightly, and measured his words carefully before answering, “That fact is painfully obvious, Your Majesty. Yet it should not blind us to the possibility that General Hamilton’s reaction to it was defective.” The king paused before replying. He was in the mood to launch into a tirade about the perfidy of the Irish Catholics while Balfour seemed to be more interested in discussing Sir Ian’s competence. For the time being he gave in, “I too have some doubts about Hamilton’s performance. So too does most of the press. When Andrew was at 10 Downing they focused on him but now that he is gone they have set their sights on Hamilton.. The most vocal are the Northcliffe newspapers. His real target is Kitchener of course, but he sees lambasting Hamilton as a way of getting at Kitchener.” “Lord Northcliffe’s prejudices are well known, Your Majesty. I do not intend to reach my decision on General Hamilton based on what I read in the newspapers as I now have direct access to the pertinent information.” “Uh, not completely, prime minister.” “Oh, come now, Arthur. You’ve filled these shoes before. Did you really think you were always fed the complete unvarnished truth the last time you were PM?” “Touché, Your Majesty. Point very well taken. Given the urgency of the current crises we face both in Ireland and in France I was hoping that the manipulation of facts would be less this time around.” King George shook his head, “Oh no, my dear fellow. It is significantly worse this time around. Mind you this is a conclusion I resisted for a long time but in the last month it has become inescapable.” Balfour was somewhat disturbed by this revelation and rendered speechless for the better part of a minute. Finally he replied, “Well I shall certainly take that into consideration, Your Majesty.” “Open your eyes, Arthur, and see for yourself. What is going on in Ireland is one big puddle of self delusion. There is admittedly a little more honesty about what is going on in France but only a little. That one of our divisions there has been destroyed has not yet been publicly revealed. Neither is the full extent of the danger that the First Army is in. Then there is the disaster in Mesopotamia that is being portrayed as a mere setback.” “Yes, the Mesopotamian campaign gets mentioned now and then in Parliament, Your Majesty, but there has been so much focus on Ireland, it fails to generate interest. Only since becoming prime minister have I learned that two Indian divisions involved in that operation suffered near complete destruction with only a minimal cadre evacuated by sea.” “Has anyone told you yet that the flow of petrol from Abadan has been completely disrupted?” Balfour gulped, “Uh, no, Your Majesty?” “Didn’t think so even though Kitchener, Carson and Lloyd-George are all well aware of it. Yet no one has uttered even a peep---am I right?” “Uh, I think you are, Your Majesty, but there has been a frank admission of our steadily worsening petrol shortage. I assume that this must be a contributing factor.” “There are other aspects of the war---arguably nearly all aspects of the war--- that are not being honestly reported with the censorship imposed by the Defence of the Realm Act serving as a convenient mechanism for keeping the public ignorant of the true situation.” “That clearly was not the intent of that legislation, Your Majesty.” “Agreed. However this would not be the first time that a law produced unintended consequences, now would it?” Balfour nodded, “That does in fact happen all too often, Your Majesty. I have sometimes wondered if it is but another consequence of original sin.” The king raised an eyebrow at that last comment. He was unsure if Balfour was being completely serious. Balfour had started out as a philosopher and a theologian. George did not want to discuss theology this evening. He concentrated on his food for nearly two minutes then asked, “So when are we going to argue about removing another division from England’s defenses?” The bluntness of the question took Balfour by surprise and it took him nearly a minute to respond, “Uh, well, uh, that option is something the War Committee is seriously considering at this time, Your Majesty.” “And is anyone on the War Committee even remotely considering the possibility of a German invasion of England?” “Your Majesty, you can rest assured that we are well aware of that potential threat.” “Harrumph! If only that were true! With one breath you glibly inform me that you are well aware of the threat and with the next you are going to tell me that we must send another division to Ireland. Do not try to deny it! It is clearly etched upon your face.” Balfour did his best to remain calm. He had been warned that this argument would occur sooner or later, but had hoped that that it would be later when the king might be more pliant. He took a deep breath and measured his words carefully, “Your Majesty, the divisions of the Second New Army are rapidly nearing full readiness. I concede that the performance of the 16th Division in Ireland is a matter of considerable controversy with some saying that it calls into doubt the effectiveness of the Second New Army. Yet it has been nearly a month now and the Second New Army is both better trained and better equipped. Moreover the troopships carrying 2nd Canadian Division finally departed Halifax today. That is expected to be a fine division we can use to shore up Fortress England.” “We certainly hope so but are you willing to wait for it to arrive before you commit another infantry division to Ireland?” Balfour momentarily scratched his left cheek while choosing his words, “Your Majesty, while General Hamilton definitely needs additional reinforcements at this time, it is my preliminary judgment that at this time Sir John French needs them even more. The Germans have cut the supply route for five of our divisions.” “So the Germans finally succeeded in cutting off First Army? I knew there was some danger of that happening but had been told that they had failed to do just that and had suffered heavy casualties in their repeated attempts.” “While it is very probably true, Your Majesty, that their attacks cost them dearly it was probably worth their losses as they finally did succeed in reaching the sea thereby severing the supply line. This has only happened recently, which is why you were not informed.” “And the Admiralty is unable to bring adequate supplies to First Army by sea?” Balfour shook his head, “They do land as many supplies as possible by night at le Crotoy, a fishing town and seaside resort. German artillery makes it too dangerous to use it by day and even at night their shelling is very disruptive. Despite our best efforts the amount of supplies that are being landed is regarded as insufficient to meet First Army’s needs for an extended period. Fortunately for us the Germans so far have not tried to finish off the trapped divisions which Lord Kitchener sees as confirming his intuition that they have indeed suffered heavy losses. However we dare not assume that the German Sixth Army will hold off indefinitely.” King George scratched his temple as he pondered this newest information. Finally he said, “Can we not get help from the French? Surely General Joffre must realize that rescuing First Army is as much in his interest as ours.” “Whether or not he sees things that way is a matter of conjecture, Your Majesty. What unfortunately what is painfully clear is the attitude of Prime Minister Clemenceau, who is very angry with us at this time.” “Yes, that is painfully obvious. Is this all due to our temporarily suspending our trade with France while the German fleet is in Ireland?” “In large part, yes, Your Majesty, though I’ve been told that M. Clemenceau has been difficult to work with since the moment he became prime minister.” ------Istanbul 1940 hrs General Conrad Krafft von Dellmensingen, the second ranking army officer at OKW, had arrived at Istanbul about an hour earlier. The train route through Serbia was still too dangerous so he had traveled through Rumania. He was met at the railroad station by General Otto Liman von Sanders, who while acting formally correct did not look happy to see him. OKW had transmitted only vague information in advance about the reason for von Dellmensingen’s visit. In the motorcar on the way over Enver’s headquarters General von Dellmensingen related some details to von Sanders who became even less happy. General von Dellmensingen had not expected to see Enver Pasha before tomorrow morning at the earliest, but to his surprise Enver was waiting for them. Before leaving von Moltke had told him that the Ottomans would be very cordial. A very fine supper was waiting for him during which Enver as well as von Sanders joined him. “Is it true that the route through Serbia will be open very soon?” asked Enver. “An armored train may arrive here tomorrow afternoon,” replied von Dellmensingen, “In another two or three days the railroad line should be completely cleared of Serbian units allowing normal trains to travel back and forth safely. I must point out that without the invaluable contribution made by Esat Pasha and the Ottoman III Corps it would have taken at least three more weeks for the rail line to be opened. You are to be commended for your wise judgment in committing your priceless III Corps to the Serbian campaign.” General von Sanders rolled his eyes and shook his head in disgust at what he regarded as manipulative obsequiousness on the part of von Dellmensingen. He spoke, “Now that their Serbian mission is essentially a fait accompli we should be making plans to bring our divisions back to Thrace.” Enver had been looking at the Bavarian general and failed to see the Pomeranian rolling his eyes. He now turned to von Sanders. For not the first time he felt a bit uncomfortable with his German “adviser” presumptuously saying “our divisions”. Before Enver could say anything to General von Sanders, General von Dellmensingen spoke, “Before you do that you may want to consider other possible uses for those divisions, Pasha.” This comment was no surprise to von Sanders after what he had learned from von Dellmensingen in the motor car. He now folded his arms and fumed. Enver was surprised though and asked, “Like what? Do you have something concrete in mind or are you merely speculating out loud?” The Bavarian smiled disarmingly, “There is an idea that we have been exploring at OKW. As you may already know, Pasha, the Russians have been conducting an offensive in the Bukovina for some time. It is being conducted by their Ninth Army with some support from the left wing of their Eighth Army. They are opposed by the Austro-Hungarian Seventh Army led by the fairly capable Pflanzer-Baltin. He has with considerable skill greatly slowed the Russian rate of advance but he has yet to stop it completely much less seize the initiative. Enver slowly nodded as he asked, “Ah, so what you are proposing is to add my III Corps to your combined German and Habsburg unit?” General von Dellmensingen grinned while General von Anders cringed. “You are very perceptive, Pasha, That is exactly what I came here to discuss. I would point out that if you let us use III Corps we will strengthen its firepower with additional artillery and machineguns.” Enver smiled, “Very tempting but this is all preliminary, yes?” “---very preliminary, pasha,” interjected von Sanders, “I must point out that it is far from clear whether or not General von Falkenhayn will commit one of his corps to this operation.” Enver turned to von Sanders, “I understand that but von Falkenhayn strikes me as a sensible man and at first glance this idea seems to have considerable merit. It might even persuade the Rumanians to become our allies.” “Highly unlikely in my estimation,” grumbled von Anders. The other general said, “Hmm. That is a potentially lengthy topic. Suffice it to say that there is enough of a chance to justify the operation and there are other reasons as well.” “The divisions in Serbia have sustained heavy casualties. Even with additional heavy weapons, they are too weak to be thrown so soon into another offensive operation,” stated General von Sanders, “They should be brought back here so they can be methodically restored to full fighting strength.” “It would be even easier to send replacement troops to those divisions by rail. They would have roughly two weeks to prepare for the new offensive,” stated von Dellmensingen. “Ah, but that is assuming that the fighting is over in Serbia. From what information is currently reaching us it seems that the Serbs have a different opinion,” replied von Sanders. “The Serbs do appear intent on dragging out the endgame but their position is clearly hopeless. In another day or two the Bulgarian First Army will be linking up with Esat Pasha at Nish which will free up the 3 divisions he has there. Admittedly the situation at Prishtina is more complicated, but in the meantime we can start with the divisions at Nish.” General von Anders turned to Enver, “Pasha this discussion is at best extremely speculative and at worst a waste of your precious time. As I have said before we do not know for a fact that General von Falkenhayn will commit a German corps to this operation.” Enver made an ambivalent expression then shrugged, “Yes, yes. I heard you the first time, but still we should not be rude to our distinguished guest, yes? After all he freely admits that this discussion is all preliminary. And I can always make time to talk about grand strategy!” General von Sanders again rolled his eyes in exasperation. He turned again to von Dellmensingen and asked, “Do you have one of those cute OKW codenames for this, uh, thought experiment of yours?” “Not yet. You and the Pasha should feel free to suggest one if you like.” Enver brightened at that and said, “Hmm I may be able to come up with something. I will give it some thought.” General von Sanders inwardly groaned. Then a thought occurred to him and he almost smiled. “And what does Conrad think about Ottoman troops being involved in this as yet unnamed operation, eh?” “Uh, so far he doesn’t know about it,” the Bavarian cautiously replied. Enver was somewhat surprised. “Not at all?” he asked. “That is correct, Pasha. Again I must reiterate just how preliminary this project is. We will tell him when the time is right,” said von Dellmensingen who silently added to himself, Which hopefully will be when there is nothing he can do about it. ------HQ British VI Army Corps Maryborough (Queen’s) 2055 hrs General Sir Ian Hamilton had become more and more concerned about what was happening in County Tipperary as the afternoon wore on. The reports that were coming out of VI Army Corps did little to make him feel better. He decided that it had become necessary to pay General Wilson a visit in person. With the very real possibility of ambush his motor car was escorted by 2 dozen Ulster Volunteers riding in trucks. “I am worried that the enemy has overrun and obliterated what was left of West Riding Division,” he bluntly told Wilson upon arrival. Wilson, who had received a half hour earlier a very disturbing report from one of his aviators that had flown over Borrisokane, shared this worry but was reluctant to admit it “I think it is premature to reach that conclusion, sir. I have not given up hope that division can be saved.” “That is of course very commendable but I am compelled to ask if it is at all feasible? What success if any has the Welsh Division and 39th Brigade had?” General Wilson sighed deeply and fidgeted a little before replying, “The attack was successful initially, sir. As they converged on Borrisokane they did encounter increased enemy resistance. The Welsh Division was forced to fall back before a sharp counterattack. Meanwhile the 39th Brigade has been involved in sustained small arms fighting. Its progress has been checked as of the last report but I have ordered a maximum effort and am hopeful they can breakthrough and rescue West Riding Division.” “That is assuming West Riding Division still exists.” “Yes it does, general, but I consider that to be a very reasonable assumption.” Hamilton shook his head slightly, “On what do you base that rosy assumption? We have not had contact with General Baldock for hours. Your aviators have reported at least some of West Riding Division’s batteries being occupied by German infantry and columns of British prisoners.” “Aviators often get confused, sir and are prone to exaggeration. I am not going to deny that West Riding Division is in serious trouble but I do not believe that the Germans can finish it off so rapidly. It can and will be rescued.” “It may still be holding but it is just as likely if not more, that it has been completely obliterated. I am all in favor on making every effort to rescue what’s left of West Riding Division but we must be prepared for the worst,” said Hamilton. He took a very deep breath and before Wilson could reply he continued, “I have reached a very simple conclusion this afternoon, Wilson. The facts have been staring me in the face for sometime but I stubbornly refused to admit it. Do you what my conclusion is?” Wilson was sure that he would not like what was coming. All he could say was, “Uh, I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage, sir. I do not know what you are trying to say.” Hamilton moved closer and stared hard into Wilson’s eyes, and uttered in a cold clear voice, “We have been beaten. It’s that simple.” Wilson flinched and gulped. Eventually he replied, “You are basing that on the assumption that the West Riding Division has been eliminated---“ “---no I am not,” Hamilton interrupted, “Even if your counterattack succeeds in rescuing the greater part of West Riding Division we are still beaten though obviously we are in even worse shape if that division is destroyed today.” General Wilson was shocked by this and again took his time before answering, “I do not concur with that assessment, sir. We have temporarily lost the initiative; that is all.” “Open your eyes, Wilson. There was been a steady series of setbacks ever since Rathmore.” “Due in large part to the perfidy of the Irish Papists!” “The growing rebellion clearly was a factor. How big a factor could be argued for hours without reaching a conclusion. But as I have just said the fact that we have been soundly beaten cannot be argued---“ “---but, but, sir---,“ Wilson began to interrupt. “---Do not interrupt your superior, Wilson! I have put up with your borderline insubordinate attitude for far too long. Do not waste my time with the same old arguments about the battalions of the German Naval Division and the 6th Bavarian Division being weaker than companies or that the Austrian division and the rebel battalions are completely worthless as fighting units. At one time I believed these exaggerations as well but the facts on the field repeatedly refute them. Complementing this error has been our unfortunate tendency to disregard the severity of our own losses. The truth of the matter is that the West Riding Division---if it still exists at all---together with the Welsh and Lowland Divisions along with the dispersed battalions of the 36th Division have become pitifully weak. In light of this there is only one rational counter to my assertion that we have been beaten and that is to draw a distinction between the tactical and the strategic. At the purely tactical level there is no escaping the conclusion that we have been beaten. I sternly warn you against trying to argue this point with me. However the long term strategic point of view paints a very different picture, one that mercifully provides us with a great deal of badly needed hope.” Wilson did not agree with much of what was just said but he did not wish to further provoke Sir Ian. Before he could formulate his careful reply Hamilton again leaned forward and spoke in a hushed voice, “An hour before I left my headquarters I received some very apropos intelligence from the Admiralty. Before I share it with you I want to make it absolutely clear that you not to pass this on to anyone else.” “I understand completely, sir. What is it that you learned from the Admiralty?” “They have some intelligence they regard as being top notch to the effect that the German fleet is now at sea on their way back to Germany. Moreover the Admiralty believe that it is highly unlikely that the Germans will ever return to Ireland.” “That must mean that they plan to destroy the German fleet before they make it back to Germany, sir.” Hamilton grinned but only slightly, ”That is my guess as well but it is only a guess as the Admiralty continues to be very parsimonious about what they will share with us . If indeed that blessed event comes to fruition, then it clearly means that our victory here in Ireland is inevitable even though we happen to be a beaten army right now. It is frightfully simple. We can receive reinforcements and supplies but not our foe. “General, I must point out that handing Nenagh to the Germans will improve the logistical situation of their 111th Division.” “You have a talent for stating the obvious, Wilson. I see that you are still not accepting the serious danger that your corps is in. If the Germans have destroyed the West Riding Division as I fear, their next logical step is to try to isolate and destroy the Lowland Division and if they succeed in that General von François might very try to encircle and destroy the rest of your corps.” “Impossible! He lacks the strength to pull that off! If he is so foolish as to try it we will turn the tables on him and thrash him soundly!” “Perhaps but I have just finished telling you how many of our difficulties stem from constantly underestimating our enemies---and that I might add, includes the rebels.” Wilson scowled at that last comment. The idea that the rebels were worthless as soldiers was a deeply cherished belief he stubbornly refused to give up. Finally a thought occurred which gave him some solace. “Are you going to be telling Lord Kitchener that Ireland Command is a ‘beaten army’, sir?” Hamilton nodded glumly, “A good question even if it is meant to rile me. I don’t know if I can go so far as to use that exact phrasing. Political instincts die hard, now don’t they?” “Uh, frankly I wouldn’t know anything about that, sir.” “Oh, please!” groaned Hamilton, “Do not treat me as a fool, you bloody hypocrite.” ------Boyle (Roscommon) 2115 hrs As the last rosy hints of twilight faded into dark oblivion, the men and women of the Sligo Support Company dragged their tired carcasses into the town of Boyle having marched nearly all of the day including a final stretch through a rugged pass in the Curlew Mountains. This company was continuing its desperate flight from the Ulster Volunteers who had butchered the 4th Northern Ireland Battalion at Sligo. During their flight those who could not keep up were told to handover whatever weapons they might have and discard their armbands (no one in this unit had a uniform). They would then be left behind to try to blend into the local civilian population. Some of those who had the stamina to keep up were motivated by fear to leave as well. The subterfuge of trying to pretend they were civilians, did not always work, esp. if there were a sizable number of Protestants in the area all too eager to betray a Papist traitor to the U.V.F. who then either shot the rebel or beat him to death. This phenomenon did serve to slow the pace of the pursuit as the Ulster Volunteers soon became convinced that the entire local Catholic population was harboring a large number of fugitives. The Orangemen were soon conducting searches nearly everywhere while trying to intimidate the Catholics with threats. There were 4 cyclists who performed reconnaissance for the Sligo Support Company. They warned the company commandant that the Ulster Volunteers were pursuing them and seemed to be getting steadily closer. They also warned of 14 constables defending the outskirts of Boyle. Now there was an exchange of gunfire in the near darkness. The R.I.C. had more rifles than the rebels and better cover. In broad daylight they could have held the rebels off for a long time In the darkness they were eventually overwhelmed by rebels firing shotguns and pistols at short range. Five of the constables managed to escape in a motor car to Carrick-on-the-Shannon. The rebel victory had come at a stiff cost of 8 dead and 13 wounded. The rebels were too tired to go any further and spent the night in the town. As they camped in the town two of the local lads came forward to join their company. There was a spirited discussion about where to head next. Carrick-on-the-Shannon nearby to the east was one option because there had once been a sizable I.R.A. force there. Athlone which lay much further away to the SSE was another possibility they considered. The company put off reaching a decision until after he had some badly needed sleep. ------ Prishtina (Serbia) 2155 hrs In this section of Serbia the sky was only partially cloudy so the battlefield was amply illuminated by a nearly full moon. Despite being dog tired the men of Bulgarian “Rila” 7th Division fought their way through Australians and New Zealanders, who put up a very stubborn resistance. Finally one of the Bulgarian battalions made contact with the Ottoman 26th Division, which greeted the arrival of their deliverers with a spirited celebration. The fighting however continued throughout the night but steadily waned in intensity. ------southwest of Killoscully Village (Tipperary) 2235 hrs A German messenger arrived on horseback at the headquarters of the Limerick City Battalion. He quickly delivered his message to Major Jack White, the battalion commandant. Sergeant Donahue was with the major. She had pacing back and forth impatiently for some time. It was starting to get on Jack’s nerves.. She had wanted the battalion to attack at last light which was more than an hour ago. Major White had wanted to do so as well but insisted that they get approval from the headquarters of the German Naval Division to which they were subordinate. Since Mother Superior had returned from Keeper Hill, Major White kept an eye on her in case she tried to pull the same tricks she had pulled on poor Captain Schultz. “Do we now have approval to attack, sir?” she impatiently asked. Major White nodded, “Yes, we do, sergeant. A battalion of German Marines will be following us but we are ordered not to wait for their arrival but to attack immediately. Which is exactly what we are going to do.” The cloud cover had remained dense throughout the night blocking out what otherwise would’ve been a very bright moon. The Irish Volunteers of Limerick City Battalion stumbled about in the darkness. The famed Sturm Company Callahan led by Lieutenant Monteith eventually attacked a narrow shallow trench behind a single strand of barbed wire. This turned out to be completely uneventful as the last British rearguard had abandoned this sector soon after dark. This attack on the trench did seriously slow down the pace of the rebel advance. After that it was a struggle for Major White and Sergeant Donahue to maintain even a semblance of order in their battalion. As they pressed on north they discovered a broken wagon and a dead horse. The sight of dead horses was something the rebels had become very accustomed to during the Siege of Limerick. Since the siege had been raised the battalion had been getting more food but not quite as much as the men wanted. Three of the rebels were assigned to butcher the dead horse. Its meat would supplement their rations tomorrow. “Oh, how bloody awful!” exclaimed Sergeant Donahue when news of the friendly fire incident reached her and Major White. “Unfortunately this sort of muck up is all too easy in the dark. It’s one of the disadvantages of night attacks.” “I can see that now, sir. Where do you think the enemy has gone?” “If they abandoned that important piece of high ground then my best guess is that they must be pulling back all the way to the outskirts of Nenagh. In that case we are not going to be overtaking them anytime soon. I could of course, be wrong about this so we should send a few patrols further north. The rest of the battalion should make camp where they are and get some rest because tomorrow could prove to be interesting. Very interesting.” Once again inebriated British youths gathered to taunt and terrorize the Irish neighborhoods of London, esp. Kilburn. Once again they broke the windows of shops and committed other acts of vandalisms, incl. two instances of arson. Once again there were drunken brawls with Irish gangs. Balfour had promised that he would not tolerate hooliganism but his attention since becoming prime minister had been preoccupied by other issues he regarded as much more urgent. Some very vague policy statements had been passed down to the London police in the last few days. They were better prepared for these disturbances than they had been in prior weeks but still not as ready as they should have been. There was still a problem with some of the constables having their own antipathy to the Irish Catholics which made them reluctant to arrest the anti-Catholic thugs but all too eager to quell any Catholic resistance even if it was purely in self defense. ------Ballina (Tipperary) 2350 hrs With mounting intelligence that the British forces in his sector had made a substantial withdrawal Admiral Jacobsen eventually decided to commit more on his battalions to a general advance. One of these now reached the small town of Ballina where there was a key bridge crossing the Shannon. This town had been the scene of much heavy fighting in the early phase of the Siege of Limerick. The town was now completely deserted. A company of Marines crossed over to Killaloe in County Clare which was being held by one of the Landsturm companies formed from the sailors aboard the transports anchored in the Shannon. There was a brief friendly fire incident here as well but it ended almost immediately and resulted in only one German Marine being wounded. The Marines had orders from Admiral Jacobsen to contact his battalion of 10cm Kanone m04/12 field guns which were still in County Clare. The general now wanted those long range guns brought over to the east bank.
To be continued...
|
