The sun., 1918-11-12
FRANCE AND BRITAIN
OPEN WAR ON TURK

Powers having become manifest, Great
Britain and France declared war against
the Sublime Porte November 5, and an
effort was made In the Mediterranean
to intercept and capture the German
battle cruiser Goeben and the small
cruiser Breslau. Both escaped the
British naval net, sought refuge at Con-
stantinople, and thereafter in the Black
Sea were source Of trouble to the
ALLIES.
Kiao-chow and Using Tau surrendered
to Japan November z. but this news
was balanced soon afterward by the
capture of the Polish city Of LODI by
Won Hindenburg. However successful
against the Austrians. the Russian
armies could not stand against the mill
tary machine of the Germans. Treachery
in Petrograd constantly betrayed the
heroism and sacrifice of willing armies.
Serbia, however, was fighting glori-
ously against double the number OF Aus
TRANS, and early in December Austria
confessed her retreat from Serbian terri
tory and her abandonment Of the ancient
city OF Belgrade. At the same time
Austrian armies were fleeing westward
through Russia. pursued by Cossack
hordes.
These were the outstanding military
events OF the hrst 1--WE months Of the
war. The first naval encounter took
place of the German coast when three
British cruisers, the Aboukir. Cressy and
| Hogue. were torpedoed and sunk with
great loss Of life by the German Subma-
rlne U-9. This was the beginning of
| that submarine warfare which came to
be nothing holder than furtive. piratical
forays against merchant shipping, cam
| paigns which were long n real menace
to the food supplies of England and
hut x.-hI n w
back for Germany her freedom of the
seas. From time to time in the four
years to come England was to lose a
few great ships to this sneak of the seas
the Formidable. the Audacious and
others. but never for an hour did the
British navy lose control Of the seas.
German Squadron Is Destroyed.
| In October. 1914, n small British
squadron, led by the old battleship Mon
mouth. was destroyed by a German
squadron OF modern ships off Coronel.
Chile. but on December s a British fleet
| sent to intercept and destroy the Ger
mans caught them off the Falkland Is
lands and ended German naval power in
western waters. Meanwhile the German
high seas feet, powerful and unQuest!on-
ably well manned, dared not venture
from the protection OF It's land forts at
Mel anu at heisoiaHu' anu oHiy oHce
while the war endured did it seem TO
seek a fight.
! The early part of 1915 on the western
front saw succession OF small advances
! and retreats by the Allies and much
bloody but indecisive lighting. The
British captured Neuve Chapelle March
9, and on April &c British. French and
Belgian forces. though heavily outnum-
bered and outgunned, stopped a terrific
effort by the Germans to break through
at Ypres and reach tie seacoast al
Calais.
In the east great events were NOV.
ing. The Russians took the great
Austrian base fortress of Przemysl
March % after q siege of sewn months
aud Austria's power in GaliS.a seemed
TO be shattered definitely. An allied feet
struck February IS at the forts OF the
Dardanelles and thereafter for weeks in
desperate assaults by land and sea the
Allies sought fruitlessly to break
through the Turco-German defences and
reach Constantinople. The campaign
failed, one o: the-great allied blunders
OF the war, partly. u is said. because OF
inefficient leadership and lack of vision
1t was a plan great in conception but
wOfully weak in execution. In January
of the following year the Allies evacu.
ated Gallipoli at the hour. so report has
1t, that victory was finally in their grasp
so near that an allied attack the next
day would have won through to Con.
stantinople. By this date Turkey wa
little more than German province, Teu.
tons lording II everywhere in the Sui
tans dominions.
Italy Declares War on Austria.
Italy declared war against Austris
May 20, 1916. and began swiftly veto
rious campaign to win Gorilla, in thu
mountain region along the border. Aus
tro-German forces retook Przemysl IL
that month, and in August the Who'll,
Austro- German lire in the east havinI
advanced Warsaw fell to German
troops on the 9Th. Three weeks latel
Russia's strongest fortress In Poland
Brest -Litovsk, was taken, and thereaf
ter, except for brilliant adventure II
Galicia. Russia was out Of the war. S,