15/12/16 No change in the weather today. No items of particular interest to note. It is very same from day to day. Short day at the office only working from 1 pm until 5 pm. The electric lighting arrangements at the mill are making rapid progress. News came through this evening in the signals office that the French have achieved a notable success in the Verdun region, capturing over 8,000 prisoners and many guns. Several villages also have fallen to our allies and they have apparently advanced a distance of about 1½ miles on over a 7 mile front. I hope this will be a suitable answer to Germanys audacious and unscrupulous peace proposals, which filled the daily papers three days ago. Not that I believe that we can effectually crush our enemy by our methods of warfare but I do certainly believe that now we have disposed of some of our most formidable enemies in the Government that we stand a very favourable chance of hitting our foreign foe very severely indeed. ----------------------------------------------------------- Other War news on this day in 1916: Western Front General Nivelle launches great attack on Verdun front (north of Douaumont); enemy front pierced to depth of two miles; Vacherauville, Poivre Hill (342), Louvemont and Les Chambrettes captured. Eastern Front Enemy success on Tarnopol Railway, west of Lutsk. Romanian and Russians still resisting north of Buzeu, but retiring from Jalomitsa. Strong Russian defence on Moldavian frontier. Southern Front Enemy bombarding Monastir. Fighting on the Struma; repulse of Bulgars. Naval and Overseas Operations Naval aeroplanes bomb Razlovci, 37 miles east of Istip (Serbia). British warships shell enemy at head of Gulf of Orfano (south-west of Kavalla). In East Africa, fighting still proceeding round Kibata. Political, etc. Greek Government accepts Allies Ultimatum. Vigorous speeches in the Duma. German Minority Socialists manifesto against oracular utterances; demand Government should state peace conditions. ----------------------------------------------------------- General Nivelles great attack on Verdun front: An offensive by four divisions and four in reserve, planned by General Nivelle and executed by General Mangin, began at 10:00 a.m. on 15 December 1916, after a six-day bombardment by 1,169,000 shells fired from 827 guns. The final French bombardment was directed by observation aircraft crews and fell on trenches, dug-out entrances and observation posts. Five German divisions supported by 533 guns held the defensive position, which was 2,300 m (2,500 yd) deep, with 2⁄3 of the infantry in the battle zone and the remaining 1⁄3 in reserve 10–16 km (6.2–9.9 mi) back; two of the German divisions were understrength with only c. 3,000 infantry, instead of their normal establishment of c. 7,000. The attack was preceded by a double creeping barrage, shrapnel-fire from field artillery 64 m (70 yd) in front of the infantry and a high-explosive barrage 140 m (150 yd) ahead, which moved towards a shrapnel bombardment along the German second line, laid to cut off the German retreat and block the advance of reinforcements. The German defence collapsed and 13,500 troops of the 21,000 in the five front divisions were lost, most having been caught under cover and taken prisoner when the French infantry arrived. ----------------------------------------------------------- Pictures: 1. Map of theFrench offensive, 15th December 1916, 2. French troops from the 87th Regiment Verdun 1916
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 16:08:05 +0000
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