Discover Top Posts Tagged with #february 1918

On 24 February 1918, Wilhelm Papenmeyer of Jasta ‘Boelcke’ downed an RE 8 for his third victory, and two days later Richard Plange also racked up his third. The pilots of Jasta ‘B’ display their prized walking sticks (gifts from Anthony Fokker) and an obvious esprit de corps in this photo, taken circa late February. From left to right in the front row are Hermann Vallendor, Paul Schröder, Staffelführer Carl Bolle, Plange and Papenmeyer. In the back row are Otto Löffler, Fritz Kempf, Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp, Karl Gallwitz and Paul Bäumer. As Bolle himself wrote, the fighting strength of Jasta ‘B’ rarely exceeded ten pilots. Nevertheless, the cumulative score of the group pictured here was 131 victories. Only Papenmeyer and Plange would not survive the war

Photo and caption featured in Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 128 Aces of Jagdgeschwader Nr III by Greg VanWyngarden

#Hermann Vallendor #Paul Schröder #Carl Bolle #Richard Plange #Wilhelm Papenmeyer #Otto Löffler #Fritz Kemp #Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp #Karl Gallwitz #Paul Bäumer #Jasta ‘Boelcke’#Jasta ‘B’#February 1918

Gothas Raid Venice

Various types of bombs dropped on Venice during the eight-hour raid on February 26/27.

February 26 1918, Venice--The Central Powers’ use of their Gotha bombers had expanded beyond raids on Britain. Paris was first struck in late January; on the Italian front, Venice provided a tempting target. Although Austrian raids had targeted the city since 1915, Austrian victory at Caporetto now meant the city was within 20 miles of the front line. On the night of February 26, Austrian Gothas conducted an eight-hour raid on the city, with each plane making the round trip multiple times. The raid dropped over 32,000 pounds of bombs and caused extensive damage, hitting several historic churches. It was difficult for local Venetians to take adequate shelter, there being few adequate basements given that Venice had been slowly sinking into the lagoon for centuries. Many instead fled for outlying islands by boat; ultimately, only one civilian was killed in the raid. Apart from an extensive naval presence in its eastern part, the city itself had little military value; as a result Allied propaganda departments used the attacks on Venice as further proof of the Austrians’ and Germans’ barbarity.

Today in 1917: Wilson Proposes to Arm US Merchant Vessels Today in 1916: Turkish-Senussi Force Defeated in Egyptian Desert Today in 1915: Germans Deploy First Flamethrowers of the War

Image Credit: tyylit.com, which also has many other interesting photos of the defense of Venice during the war.

#wwi #ww1 #WWI Poetry #ww1 centenary #ww1 history #the great war #world war 1 #the first world war #world war i #world war one #venice #Air War #gotha #Italy #italian front #austria hungary #february 1918

On a chilly day in February 1918, Oblt Bruno Loerzer (at right, saluting) received his Pour le Mérite from the hands of Kaiser Wilhelm II himself (centre). The date of Loerzer’s award is recorded as 12 February, and he may have still been in Berlin, as this was the last day of the fighter trials that he was attending there. He had scored his 20th victory on 19 January, which was the usual benchmark for recommendation for the Order (L Bronnenkant)

Photo and caption featured in Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 128 Aces of Jagdgeschwader Nr III by Greg VanWyngarden

#Bruno Loerzer #Kaiser Wilhelm II #Pour le Mérite #February 1918 #L Bronnenkant

Capt McCudden and his B Flight at Baizieux in late February 1918. Only the following individuals have been identified to date - back row, from left to right, Cpl Ernest Etherington (sixth from left), and front row, from left to right, Cpl E A Downing (seated, extreme left), Cpl Albert Card, who was McCudden’s engine mechanic (seated, second from left), Technical Sgt Maj Peter J Clark (third from left), McCudden (fourth from left), Sgt E Vousden (fourth from right), V L Reeves (third from right), Cpl Tom Rogers (engine mechanic, second from right) and G ‘Dobby’ Dobriskey (extreme right)

Photo and caption featured in Osprey Aviation Elite Units • 33 No 56 Sqn RAF/RFC by Alex Revell

#James McCudden #Ernest Etherington #E A Downing #Albert Card #Peter J Clark #E Vousden #V L Reeves #Tom Rogers #G ‘Dobby’ Dobriskey #No 56 Sqn #February 1918 #Baizieux

Kaiser First Sees New German Tank

An A7V on the Western Front.

February 27 1918, Bad Homburg--The Germans were far behind the Allies in tank development and production, having not even started work on a prototype until months after the British first deployed them in battle. By early 1918, the Germans had a small number of working models of their A7V tank. On February 27, the Kaiser and Ludendorff first saw a demonstration of one of these new tanks, along with several captured British tanks, put on by the Rohr Battalion. This came over two years after the Kaiser’s counterpart in Britain, King George V, first saw (and rode in) a working tank. Compared to the British models, the A7V was larger and more unwieldy, having a crew twice their size. It also suffered from frequent mechanical failures. Most importantly, however, the Germans’ lack of emphasis on tank production and general shortage of steel meant the A7V would never be produced in a quantity to even match the first day of British tank use on the Western Front.

Today in 1917: British Expeditionary Force to Carry Out French Orders Today in 1916: Austrians Conquer Albania Today in 1915: Moulin Rouge Destroyed by Fire

#wwi #ww1 #ww1 history #ww1 centenary #world war 1 #world war i #world war one #the first world war #the great war #tanks #kaiser wilhelm II #ludendorff #february 1918

Last Day of the Julian Calendar in Russia

The Sovnarkom decree announcing the change of calendars.

February 13 1918, Petrograd--In keeping with the Russian Orthodox Church, Russia had maintained its use of the Julian Calendar, viewing the Gregorian calendar suspiciously as a Catholic invention. As a result of the Gregorian calendar’s occasionally-missing leap days, the dates in Russia had slipped thirteen days behind the Gregorian over the centuries. The February and October Revolutions in 1917 took place in March and November by the Gregorian calendar.

The Bolsheviks, who had already been anathematized by the Russian Orthodox Church for their explicitly anti-religious views, held no special affection for the Julian Calendar. Modifications to the calendar were also not uncommon for European revolutions; the French had tried a far more radical change in the 1790′s. On January 24 in the Julian Calendar, Sovnarkom decreed an upcoming switch to the Gregorian Calendar, to bring them in line with the rest of Europe’s workers. The final day of the Julian Calendar in Russia was January 31 (February 13 in most of the rest of Europe), which was followed by February 14. To ease the transition, the Julian date would be written in parentheses after all dates until July 1.

Several other belligerents had switched their calendars during the war, even without a revolution--presumably to coordinate with their allies or as part of a break with Russia. Bulgaria had switched in November 1915, shortly after entering the war; Turkey had aligned their days and months with the Gregorian calendar in March 1917 (though they continued to mark their years in the Islamic fashion). Serbia and Romania would continue to use the Julian calendar until March 1919, and Greece (whose “November Events,” the Noemvriana, took place in December by the Gregorian reckoning) until February 1923.

On a more personal note, this author is especially glad that the Bolsheviks switched the calendar, as the difference has caused no shortage of headaches; there has definitely been a few last-minute scrambles when the author realized an about-to-be posted event actually occurred thirteen days later.

Today in 1917: Mata Hari Arrested Today in 1916: First Aerial Attack on Kut; Scurvy Cases on the Rise Today in 1915: Gurkhas Surprise Turks at Tor

#wwi #ww1 #ww1 history #ww1 centenary #world war 1 #world war i #the first world war #the great war #julian calendar #gregorian calendar #bolsheviks #russian revolution #february 1918

Reds Take Rostov; Volunteer Army Begins “Ice March”

The medal awarded to the survivors of the Ice March: a crown of thorns pierced with a sword.

February 23 1918, Rostov--While Russia was being overrun from the west by the almost-unopposed German advance, the Red forces on the Don were still finding success. Of course, the scales of the forces involved differed greatly--the Germans had 53 divisions on the Eastern Front, while the Whites had, at best, 4,000 men. With what little Cossack resistance there was melted away after Kaledin’s suicide, the Reds were able to enter Rostov with little opposition on February 23, and Novocherkassk two days later.

Alexeyev’s and Kornilov’s Volunteer Army, outnumbered by the Reds, marched off into the steppe, heading south towards the Kuban River--more remote and with its own host of Cossacks that they hoped would be friendlier to their cause. The Volunteer Army, and those civilians who chose to follow it rather than risk reprisals by the Bolsheviks, now had to march through open country and deep snow in the height of winter. They needed to deliberately avoid any railways, by which the Reds could easily bring large forces to near against them, as well as any large towns, which were likely loyal to the Reds as well.

The Volunteer Army’s so-called “Ice March” eventually grew into a legend among Russian emigrés from the Civil War. Denikin, who would eventually command the force would wax grandiloquently: “We went from the dark night and spiritual slavery to unknown wandering--in search of the bluebird.”

Today in 1917: British Bridge the Tigris Today in 1916: France, Britain Divide Cameroon “With a Heavy Pencil” Today in 1915: Sir John French and Joffre Bicker

Sources include: Evan Mawdsley, The Russian Civil War. Photo Credit: Charlik - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link