Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-11

E Woilu-NST OpeHeu NlIn AUSTIN ueS.stl
alton against Serbia Just month ufter
the assassination at Serajevo OF the Aus
trian Crown Prince. Francis Ferdinand.
: and his wife, while on an official visit to
the Bosnian capital This double assas-
sination merely served as the pretext for
plunging the world into the cataclysmic
asclash Of arms and wholesale slaughter of
hunanity---the worst Of all ages.
Great Britain. Russia and France had
vainly tried TO mediate. Russia went
to the aid of Serbia by mobiliging her
armies on the Austro-Hungarian from
tier. On July 5l, 1914. Germany pro
claimed a threatening danger Of war"
and sent ultimatuins 10 Russia and
France. The next day orders for gem
eral mobilization were issued in Ger
many and France, and Germany de-
clared war on Russia in defense of her
ally. Austria-Hungary.
Germany's general plan Of action was
first to crush France, then Russia and
finally Great Britain. The German plan
IN its earlier stages WAS like time
table, but the passage Of the Germans
across Belgium in arms halted before
1.iegs and before Nanur until great
artillery battered the way TO the French
frontier. And now only eight marches
separated the advancing Germans from
the forts OF Paris. Despite determined
opposition by the French and British
armies the invaders advanced to within
twenty miles of the French capital.
The Battle That Saved Europe
Then came the battle Of the hlsrne. the
D H. Ia ahfa Id
still be European and not Prussian.
This battle (September 6-10) forced the
Germans TO retreat to the Aisne where
they entrenched. For Eve days tSeptein-
ber 1910 the Allied armies made des-
perate but futile attempts to break
through the enemy lines. From Switger-
land to the North Sea the enemy trench
system was extended. Antwerp was
captured october S, thus completing the
conquest BY the Germans Of the Belgian
coast. In the battle OF the River User
October 1929 and the first battle OF
Ypres October 22-Novembcr l5) the
German losses were estimated a. 10000
On the Eastern Front
Meanwhile on the eastern front the
Russian invasion of East Prussia was
making headway and the necessity OF
withdrawing German troops from the
west front to halt the invaders helped
produce the German check on tho Marine.
One Russian army, advancing from
Warsaw, was crushed in the battle OF
Tannenburg, and second army. ad-
vancing from Kovno. was disastrousy
defeated IN the battle OF the Mazurian
Lakes. East Prussia %as thus cleared
Of the Russians. and General linden
burg, who conducted that campaign,
became the military idol Of Germany.
frk s.,.vo ocfn fp T-af q
more successful. Tarnopol. IIalic2, Lem
berg ard Jarosiav were captured, and
in March of the succeeding year
Przenlysl had surrendered and the in
yasion Of Hungary was threatened. In
December, thanks to the relaxation of
Austrian pressure. Serbia expelled the
Austrian invaders from her territory. 1t
was in October of the first year OF the
war that Turkey openly Joined the Teu-
tonic Allies.
In naval warfare the British won the
battle at Helgoland Blight OH August 2s.
but lost three cruisers In the North Sea
on September Il. on November 10 the
/. German cruiser Emden was caught and
destroyed at Cocos Island, after sen
gational pirating career. The German
fleet was driven from the seas by the
British in battle or the Maitland
: Islands in November.
Second Year OF the War
Activities on the west front began n
March with an Allied offensive in tht
Champagne sector. followed by the sec
ond Battle Of Ypres. April 1926. but
the preparations OF the Allies for carry
ing the formidable German entrench'
rnents were Inadequate. and both offen-
elves failed of their objectives. In this
second battle Of Ypres the Germans first
used poison gas. In September the
Allies again launched an offensive i,
Champagne and Flanders without max
ing any headway. and soon thereafter
General French was superseded by Gen
eral Haig as British coinmander-in'
chief.
II was in February and March of thi'
year that the Allies attempted TO forc'
The Dardanelles with their fleets alone
After long delay troops were landed
some In April and others In August, or
sthe Gallipoli peninsula. Toward the clos
Of the year enormous losses had beer
suffered and the venture was abandoned
-. All Poland was conquered and Cour-
I land overrun by the combined forces OF
Hindenburg and Mackensen. Tho Rus
SLAMS lost 100000 In killed and wound
ed, 100000 were captured and $4,000
square miles were wrcsted from Russian
control. Bulgaria. long hesitant, threw
w
fober, and Serbia was crushed by SIM
ultaneous invasion OF Austro-Germant
and Bulgariaus which was completed In
December.
To Americans. perhaps. the most mo-
mentous occurrence OF the year was the
deliberate sinking by German sub
marine on May OF the passenger steam
ship Lusitania. with a loss OF 1lss lives
12l being Americans.
verdun's Heroic Resistance
Two great battles marked the year on
the western front The first was the
battle OF Verdun. begun In February and
ended in July. The Germans were de-
feated with enormous losses through the
heroic resistance Of the French under
q General Petain, whose brief message
saThey shall not pass" has become his
tcric
A serious blow to British prestige ir
{. the east occurred on April 20, wher
General Townshend and his army o.
I8,00Osmeh surrendered to the Turks a.
Kut-el-Amara.
In naval engagements the battle o
Jutland on May 81 was the prominen
sea fight The British battle cruise
feet and the German high seas nee
We're the combatants. and there wa
heavy loss on both sides.
America Enters the War
Gennany's ruthless undersea warfar
Impaired a more desperate character u
the conflict ip the early part OF tn
year Scores of belllgerent and neutra
ships were sunk. many OF them Ameri
can. Eventually. on April G, after re
ceated failures by the Wilson Admin