#second champagne

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Rolling barrage | 6 Oct 1915

#OTD in #WW1 The first large-scale rolling barrage brings dramatic but momentary success for the French in Champagne

Second Champagne The last French roll of the dice for the autumn offensive goes off today, BEF or no BEF. Except it begins with rather a wet fart at Third Artois. General Foch’s subordinate General d’Urbal has (apparently) decided that the corps that is supposed to be leading his attack is exhausted and can’t possibly succeed, so he’s withdrawn it on his own initiative. Furthermore, his letter to…

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Bulgarian mobilisation | 22 Sep 1915

#OTD in #WW1 #Bulgaria mobilises for war with #Serbia; Western Front bombardment continues #Loos100

Bulgaria I’m sure that coordinated military action makes a lot of tactical sense, but it’s bloody annoying when you’re trying to do a day-by-day blog about a major war. And really, isn’t that truly what’s important here? If only they could just spread everything out over the next couple of months instead of piling it on all at once with a shovel! I ask you. Etc. Ahem. Mobilisation orders have…

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Preparation for battle | 15 Sep 1915

#OTD in #WW1 Cunning and ingenuity as British and French soldiers prepare for #Loos, 3rd #Artois & 2nd #Champagne

As we surely all know, proper preparation & planning prevents piss poor performance. Let’s see how that’s going, with the autumn offensive on the Western Front now only ten short days away. Second Champagne and cavalry Yes, I said cavalry. One of General Castelnau’s takeaways from the thwarted advance at Second Artois (over Vimy Ridge and then back again) is not just that reserves were held too…

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Defences of Verdun | 12 Sep 1915

Defences of Verdun | 12 Sep 1915

Verdun The work to alter Verdun from being a position based on the forts to a position in which the forts reinforce a modern trench network has been continuing well enough, but now runs into a problem. Second Champagne is starting in under two weeks, and launching a major attack is clearly a higher priority than reinforcing a defensive fortification. A lot of the men who had been stationed at…

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