#march 1917

[chaplinfortheages]

Today is Major League Baseball Opening Day 2019.

Charlie Chaplin in March 1917.

[thewartoendwars]

17th March 1917. Bapaume burns as the Australians take it from the German defenders

[today-in-wwi]

The Czar Abdicates

Nicholas Romanov, pictured after his abdication, sometime between March and August 1917.

March 15 1917, Pskov--By late on March 14, Russia’s military leaders and even the Czar himself had reached the conclusion that the revolution in Petrograd was a fait accompli; there would be no use in crushing it by force, especially not while they also faced the German threat.  They hoped that if the Czar recognized this and handed over political power to the Duma, that the situation could be salvaged, Nicholas could remain as Czar, and the war against Germany could continue.  Nicholas had been attempting to reach Petrograd himself, but as the direct lines there were clogged with Ivanov’s stalled expedition to the city, on the night of March 14 he found himself in Pskov, along with General Ruzski, commander of the Northern Front.

Overnight, Ruzski was in contact with Mikhail Rodzianko, one of the moderate Duma leaders:

It is obvious that His Majesty and you do not realize what is going on here....The troops are completely demoralized, they not only disobey but kill their officers.  Hatred of Her Majesty has reached extreme limits, and the dynastic question has been raised point-blank....Troops everywhere are joining the Duma and the people and there is a definite, terrible demand for abdication...

Ruzski informed Alexeyev at Stavka of this conversation, who in turn informed the other army and navy leaders.  Ruzski also talked to the Czar, who after some reflection said “If it is necessary, for Russia’s welfare, that I step aside, I am prepared to do so.”

At around 2PM, Ruzski informed the Czar that it was the unanimous opinion of the commanders of the Army Fronts that the Czar would have to step down.  At 2:50 PM, the Czar announced that he would, and drew up a note that he would abdicate in favor of his son, the hemophiliac Alexei.

Later that afternoon, however, he changed his mind; worrying for his son’s health, and not wanting to be parted from him if he was forced to go into exile after abdicating, he decided to leave the throne to his brother Michael, instead.  This was of dubious legality, as the crown was “not the Emperor’s private property nor his patrimony to dispose of according to his will.” A few minutes before midnight, after meeting with representatives from the Duma, he signed a formal letter addressed to Alexeyev (backdated to 3:05 PM), announcing his abdication in favor of his brother, and giving the Duma free reign to establish the principles of the state.

After consulting with the Provisional Government (which was divided on the matter, but largely opposed to his succession), Michael decided the next day to refuse the crown unless offered it by an elected government.  This would never come to pass; the Russian monarchy had come to an end.

Today in 1916: Austria Declares War on Portugal Today in 1915: Germany To Send Submarines to Austria, Turkey

Sources include: Orlando Figes, A People’s Tragedy; Richard Pipes, The Russian Revolution

[theshadowstage]

Baby Marie Osborne on the cover of The Photo-Play Journal, March 1917. Internet Archive.

[today-in-wwi]

Ludendorff Agrees to Send Lenin to Russia

Parvus (left) with Trotsky (center) and Menshevik leader Leo Deutsch (right).

March 25 1917, Bad Kreuznach--The revolution in Russia opened up hope for the Germans that Russia, no longer expecting a great imperial victory, could be removed from the war diplomatically.  However, the first indications out of the Provisional Government were that they intended to honor their commitments to the Allies and continue with the war.  In fact, some Germans incorrectly believed that the revolution had been organized by British agents to remove the unpopular Czar and put the war effort on a stronger, more democratic footing.

A Marxist revolutionary, Alexander Helphand (codename Parvus) was working for German intelligence in Copenhagen.  He had been friends with Lenin since 1900, and thought that now would be the perfect opportunity to send Lenin back to Russia from exile in Switzerland.  He told the German ambassador in Copenhagen that Lenin was “much more raving mad” than the leaders of the Soviet or the Provisional Government, that he would create “the greatest possible chaos,” seize power himself, and conclude a separate peace with Germany.  

The German government was soon convinced, though they took little interest in Lenin or Bolshevism itself; copies of his articles sent to Berlin were never read.  The question now was how to get Lenin to Russia, which would almost necessarily require transit through German territory.  On March 25, after meeting with Parvus, Ludendorff agreed to send the Bolsheviks in Switzerland by train through Germany to the Baltic coast, from where they would then travel to Russia via Sweden.  Lenin, however, still took some convincing, insisting that he be sent on a “sealed train” so that there would be a legal fiction that he never legally entered Germany and thus did not collaborate with the Germans; he ultimately agreed on March 31, and would depart Switzerland on April 8.

Today in 1916: British Attempt to Strike Back at Zeppelins Today in 1915:  UK Colonial Secretary Issues Memo on “The Spoils”

Sources include: Robert B. Asprey, The German High Command at War; Richard Pipes, The Russian Revolution.

[today-in-wwi]

Germans Flood Oise Valley

The flooded Oise.

March 23 1917, La Fère--The Germans had been doing their utmost to make sure the Allies could not interfere with their retreat to the Hindenburg Line nor get much use out of the land they were ceding back to the French.  As the Belgians had done to their own country in 1914, the Germans now did to the French; by damming a key canal, they caused the River Oise to flood, inundating the town of La Fère (which had been evacuated of all civilians by the Germans) and making the area generally impassable to the French.  The next day, France would make its displeasure known diplomatically, protesting to neutral countries of Germany’s devastation of her land.

Today in 1916: Invasion Paranoia in Britain Today in 1915:  British Abandon Naval Dardanelles Attack

[today-in-wwi]

First Battle of Gaza

British soldiers resting between marches on March 25, the day before the battle.

March 26 1917, Gaza--The fall of Baghdad had emboldened British war planners for their prospects against Turkey.  Despite having stripped the area of many troops two months earlier, the British approved an attack into Palestine in late February.  The British still had numerical superiority in the area, and the railway and water pipeline from Egypt had now completely crossed the Sinai--though water would still prove a major restriction for operations in southern Palestine.

The British planned an assault on Gaza, similar in pattern to their progress through the Sinai to Rafah in the previous months.  Led by camelry and cavalry, the British would surround the Turkish position and attempt to quickly force them to surrender before the British ran out of water or Turkish reinforcements arrived.  The British planned to attack on the morning of March 26; however, an unexpected and unseasonable fog delayed the movement of troops and attacks could not begin until right before noon.  Nevertheless, the British infantry made substantial gains and were on the verge of cracking the Turkish positions by evening.

However, British commanders, far away from the front lines, were not aware of these successes, and had received intelligence of approaching Turkish reinforcements, and began to order a retreat that evening before the cavalry would run out of water.  The order was not adequately communicated to all units, causing substantial chaos, and the British lost around 4000 casualties over the course of two days’ fighting, substantially more than the Turks.

Dispatches back to London, however, greatly exaggerated the extent of Turkish casualties, making it seem that the British had won a definite victory.  In response, CIGS Robertson ordered a continued advance, hoping that Jerusalem would soon be captured, a task that was likely infeasible.

Today in 1916: Inter-Allied Conference in Paris Today in 1915: Russians Press Austrians in the Carpathians

Sources include: Eugene Rogan, The Fall of the Ottomans; Roger Ford, Eden to Armageddon.

[today-in-wwi]

Danish Virgin Islands Transferred to United States

The final lowering of the Danish flag over the Virgin Islands.

March 31 1917, Charlotte Amalie--There had been negotiations, off and on for the last half a century, for the United States to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands.  These had failed for a variety of reasons, until the outbreak of war in Europe gave it new impetus.  The Americans were concerned that the Germans might invade Denmark, seize her colonies, and have a submarine base in the Caribbean. Denmark’s economy was precarious due to the blockade (though they were better off than Sweden), and they had been convinced by local leaders that the Virgin Islands’ own economy was suffering greatly and would benefit from the possibility of lowering customs barriers with the United States.

The United States and Denmark signed a treaty in 1916 to sell the islands for $25 million.  Denmark ratified the treaty in December after a national referendum (not including the residents of the Virgin Islands) approved the measure by a nearly two-to-one margin; the United States ratified in January.  All that remained was for the formal handover to take place.  With the United States apparently about to enter the war, the timing became sensitive; Denmark did not want to be seen as violating their neutral status by selling territory to a belligerent.  On March 31, the Danish flag was lowered over the Virgin Islands for the last time, only two days before Wilson was expected to ask Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

Some of the Danish fears were realized.  Until the 1930s, the islands remained under administration of the US Navy, citizenship was not granted to their inhabitants, and customs barriers were not lowered with the mainland.

Today in 1916: Large Zeppelin Raid on London, East Anglia Today in 1915:  Thomas Hardy: “The Pity of It”