11th December 1917
Lets start with a bit of a political hot potato - now I have no real idea when it comes to the politics of the Middle East as most of what I am able to read is very much coloured by the press of the main protagonists, therefore I am not looking to make any political point here just present the information I have found...
On 11th December 1917, General Edmund Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot. He dismounted from his horse and humbly walked from the Jaffa Gate. His troops had captured the city in the preceding weeks. His mode of entry had been ordered by the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, and was recorded by newsreels. Allenby was the first Christian conqueror of Jerusalem since the First Crusade captured it in 1099, slaughtering Muslims and Jews indiscriminately as it did so. Jerusalem as a Christian city lasted only last 87 years until Saladin recaptured it in 1187. Muslim rule was never re-established after 1917. In the preceding centuries, Jerusalem had been a provincial city of religious importance, but the British made it a capital again – capital of the British Palestine Mandate which lasted until 1947. As the Ottoman Empire contracted, the vacuum was filled by the two imperial powers, Britain and France. France took Syria and Lebanon, while Britain kept the rest under an indirect rule system. Some self-government was granted, but the two powers kept most of the military muscle to themselves, and the exploitation of the natural resources.
Is coincidental that Jerusalem and its status is again in the news (thanks mainly to 'The Donald'). It is a fact that the shape of the modern Middle East had been set up to now by the First World War. The Second World War made little or no change. Here are the forces that shaped the Middle East:
Imperial & Economic Power, first by the successor powers to the Ottomans (Britain and France), then by the USA. The massive changes under way at the moment are due mainly to the decline of the US in the region.
Arab Nationalism, represented in 1917 by the Arab Revolt with the legendary T.E.Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia” as one of its advisers. But the Arabs were misled, and instead of independence they were fobbed off with client kingdoms, of which only Jordan survives today. But the borders of Lebanon, Syria, Arabia, the Gulf states, Yemen and Iran were all settled, not by the Arabs, but by the British and French under the guise of the League of Nations. Today, the only Arab people without their own nation are the Palestinians.
Zionist, taking advantage of the Balfour Declaration, represented today by the State of Israel.
Jidahism. It is little known, but at the behest of the Kaiser, the Turkish Caliphate in Istanbul proclaimed a Jihad against the British Empire. However, it had little effect, except to inspire some desertions among Britain’s partly Muslim Indian Army, then in action in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). But who knew this medieval rite would still be influential a century later?
anyway moving on...
After an intense gas attack at Givenchy a strong enemy patrol tries to rush British posts, the garrisons of which have been overcome. Private Walter Mills (Manchester Regiment) although badly gassed himself, meets the attack single-handed and continues to throw bombs until the arrival of reinforcements and remains at his post until the enemy have been finally driven off. While being carried away he dies of gas poisoning but it is entirely due to him that the enemy is defeated and the line remained intact. For his actions on this day he will be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. Mills was buried at Gorre British & Indian Cemetery, Nr Bethune, Pas-De-Calais, France.[3]
His VC Medal was buried with his Daughter Ellen, who died in the 1934
EASTERN FRONT
Russia: National Council proclaims Lithuanian independence. Russian Front forces sent against Don Cossacks. Commissar for Polish Affairs appointed.
HOME FRONTS
Russia: Constituent Assembly meets at Petrograd until 13 December, when its broken up by Bolsheviks.
France: *Clemenceau demands removal of parliament immunity from ex-Prime Minister Caillaux (arrested December 12) and two other deputies (done December 22-23).
SOUTHERN FRONTS
Piave: Krauss with 4 divisions and 460 guns attacks Mt Grappa (‘Sacred Mountain’) sector; German 5th Div storms Mt Spinoncia but can get no farther despite repeated attacks. Austrian 4th Division, arrived from Eastern Front, captures Col della Berretta.
SEA WAR
East Atlantic: U-155 shells Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Deutschland was a blockade-breaking German merchant submarine used during World War I. It was developed with private funds and operated by the North German Lloyd Line. She was one of the first of seven U-151 class U-boats built and one of only two used as unarmed cargo submarines.After making two voyages as an unarmed merchantman, she was taken over by the German Imperial Navy on 19 February 1917 and converted into U-155, armed with six torpedo tubes and two deck guns. As U-155, she began a raiding career in June 1917 that was to last until October 1918, sinking 120,434 tons of shipping and damaging a further 9,080 tons of shipping. Deutschland was one of seven submarines designed to carry cargo between the United States and Germany, through the naval blockade of the Entente Powers. Mainly enforced by Great Britain's Royal Navy, the blockade had led to great difficulties for German companies in acquiring raw materials which could not be found in quantity within the German sphere of influence, and thus substantially hindered the German war effort.
Deutschland was built together with her sister ship Bremen in 1916 by the Deutsche Ozean-Reederei, a private shipping company created for the enterprise, a subsidiary company of the North German Lloyd shipping company (now Hapag-Lloyd) and the Deutsche Bank.She was constructed without armaments, with a wide beam to provide space for cargo. The cargo capacity was 700 tons (230 tons of rubber could be stored in the free-flooding spaces between the inner and outer hulls), relatively small compared to surface ships. Britain and France soon protested against the use of submarines as merchant ships, arguing that they could not be stopped and inspected for munitions in the same manner as other cargo vessels. The US, under diplomatic pressure for supposedly showing favoritism while having declared itself neutral, rejected the argument. Even submarines, as long as they were unarmed, were to be regarded as merchant vessels and accordingly would be permitted to trade. Only two submarines were completed according to the original design: Deutschland and Bremen, which was lost on a voyage to the United States. Due to the United States' entry into the war the other five submarine freighters were converted into long-range cruiser U-boats (U-kreuzers), equipped with two 150mm deck guns and were known as the Type U 151 class.
During the summer of 1917 U-155 made a 105-day cruise, commanded by Kptlt. Karl Meusel, leaving Germany around 24 May and returning on 4 September. During her traverse of the Northern Passage around the northern end of the British Isles and out into the Atlantic Ocean, she was stalked and nearly sunk by U-19 near Utsira Island, Norway. During this patrol, the boat fired on the port city of Ponta Delgada in the Azore Islands on 4 July at 3 a.m. with its deck guns. Portuguese army units did not respond due to being equipped with obsolete artillery. The coal collier USS Orion happened to be in port at the time undergoing repairs. Its company returned U-155's fire and dueled with the German boat for about 12 minutes. U-155 submerged without being hit and eventually retired. While the raid was light in damage (it killed four people), it alarmed Allied naval authorities about the defenseless nature of the Azores and their possible use as a base by boats like U-155 in the future. Allied naval forces, led by the U.S. Navy, began to send ships and establish a naval operating base in Ponta Delgada as a result. During her patrol she sank 19 merchant ships, most by either scuttling or gunfire. She attacked 19 Allied armed merchantmen but only succeeded in sinking 9 of them. Upon her return to Germany she had covered a distance of 10,220 nmi (18,930 km; 11,760 mi), of which 620 nmi (1,150 km; 710 mi) had been travelled submerged, one of the longest voyages made by a U-boat during World War I.
U-155 returned to Germany from her final cruise on 12 November 1918 and was surrendered on 24 November 1918 with other submarines as part of the terms of the Armistice. She was taken to Britain and exhibited in London and elsewhere and was eventually sold for scrap in 1921. On 17 September 1921 she was being broken up at Robert Smith and Sons, Birkenhead, when an explosion ripped the ship apart, killing five apprentices.
U-155 'Deutschland' in London after the war
The War in the Air
General Headquarters, December 11th.
“At 11 o'clock on the 11th instant our machines left their aerodromes in fine weather to bomb certain factories in Germany. On reaching the area of their objectives, our pilots found their target obscured by clouds, but seeing a clear gap farther north-east they continued their flight in that direction. Through the gap in the clouds they recognised the large railway junction north-east of Pirmasens and dropped their bombs upon it. The closing of the gap in the clouds prevented observation of the results.
“Although the whole sky was covered by low clouds during the return journey all our pilots succeeded in reaching their aerodrome safely.
RFC Communiqué number 117:
Low clouds and a slight drizzle prevented much work being done.
A total of 1,052 rounds were fired at ground targets, 550 being by two machines of No 5 Squadron.
Eight 25-lb bombs were dropped by the 2nd Brigade and 18 25-lb bombs by the 3rd Brigade on various targets.
With aeroplane observation, five hostile batteries were succesfully engaged for destruction by artillery of the Third Army, which destroyed one pt and caused an explosion. Machines of this brigade sent down 10 zone calls.
With observation by balloons, two hostile batteries were successfully engaged for destruction, six neutralised, and 21 other targets were successfully dealt with by artillery of the Second Army. Two of the shoots were carried out in conjuction with aeroplanes and one fire and three explosions were caused.
Artillery of the Third Army dealt with three targets.
41st Wing - seven machines of No 55 Squadron left the ground in fine weather to bomb the boot factory at Pirmasens, but found the target obscured by clouds, so flew to a gap farther north from which point they saw the large railway junction north-east of Pirmasens and dropped 12 112-lb and 10 25-lb bombs from 13,000 feet. The results were not observed owing to the drifting clouds.
On the return flight the machines kept together, but became split up after recrossing the lines owing to the heavy banks of clouds at 600 feet. All machines, however, landed safely in different places, with one exception when a machine was damaged, but the crew were uninjured.
Admiralty, December 12th.
"During the night of December 10th-11th naval aircraft carried out a bombing raid on Oostacker aerodrome and Bruges Docks. Many tons of bombs were dropped on both objectives. On the former, owing to poor visibility, results were difficult to observe, but at the latter good shooting was made and a fire started. All our machines returned safely.”
Admiralty, December 13th.
“On the night of December 11th a bombing raid was made by naval aircraft on Bruges Docks. Visibility was bad, with low-lying clouds. One of our machines is missing. The usual fighter patrols were carried out; one enemy aircraft was driven down out oi control and observed to crash.”
RNAS Communiqué number 11:
Owing to unfavourable weather conditions, little work could be carried out during the day. During one of the coast patrols several ground targets were attacked.
Bombing raid by night, Nos 7 and 14 Squadrons, H.Ps: A bomb raid was carried out on the evening of the 10th on Oostacker Aerodrome and Bruges Docks.
Visibility at first was fairly good, but soon afterwards deteriorated considerably, so much so, that the last machine to leave was forced to land, as the ground by then could not be seen.
Eight 250-lb and forty 112-lb bombs were dropped on this objective; and on Bruges Docks, eight 250-lb and fifty-four 112-lb bombs were dropped.
Bombs were seen to explode among the sheds just N. of the E. Bassin, and the Docks in general were well straddled. All machines returned safely.
Enemy Aircraft
Enemy aircraft were inactive and no combats took place.
Casualty
Capt A G Waller (Ok) & Lieut L H Mackay (Ok), 55 Sqn, DH4 A7775 - force landed in ploughed field Gironcourt due bad weather on return from bombing Pirmasens
The following aerial victory claims were made by aces on this day...
There were six British airmen lost on this day
Captain Tunstill's Men (who have been pretty quiet of late)
In the morning there was heavy shelling of the British front line and of the reserve positions, which raised concerns about a possible Austrian attack, but nothing materialised. Pte. John Killerby (see 3rd September) was wounded, suffering shrapnel wounds to his left arm and shoulder, including a fractured scapula. He would be evacuated to the UK, arriving at Oakbank War Hospital, Glasgow, on 2nd January 1918.
Pte. William Postill Taylor (see 15th November), serving in France with 2DWR, was admitted to hospital suffering from a high temperature.
Pte. James Wilson (see 19th November), serving in East Africa as a lorry driver with the Motor Transport Section of the ASC, was admitted to hospital in Ndanda (in modern day Tanzania) suffering from malaria.
Pte. Herbert Farrand Hogley (see 25th November), who was in England having been wounded in action serving with 2/6thDWR, was transferred from hospital in Eastleigh to the Military Hospital in Bangor, North Wales.
CSM Harry Dewhirst (see 13th October), formerly of 10DWR, was posted from 3DWR at North Shields to 4DWR at Rugeley Camp, Staffs.
Pte. Ernest William Evans (see 24th October), who had been in England since having been wounded in June, was formally discharged from the Army as being no longer physically fit. His discharge report stated that following his abdominal wounds, “Has considerable bladder disturbance. Very sudden necessity to pass water always ‘wets himself’ if he does not get the chance to pass it at once. Has to support abdomen with hands while urinating. Will not make Class A, B or C”. He was awarded a pension of 27s. 6d. for four weeks, reducing thereafter to 8s. 3d; to be reviewed in a year.
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