AUGUST 18 - AUGUST 25, 1914
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE JOINS THE CENTRAL POWERS
"The Turks can be killed, but they can never be conquered.”
- Napoleon Bonaparte, 19th century -
James winced
he had hated school for as long as he could remember. The way the teacher would read so dully from old dusty books. Or the beatings he received on his way home by the Anderson gang. He had hated every second of his education.
At the age of 14, his father had told him he could quit school and apply for a job as a newspaper boy.
Another salvo.
He had worked there for 2 long years before enlisting in the Royal Navy. The discipline had been a godsend for such an angry and lost youngster.
James fell back and landed on the hardwood floor of the deck.
The crew aboard HMS Fearless had taken him in and looked after him. For the first time in his life he felt a real belonging in the world. A purpose.
They had spotted the enormous German battleship SMS Grosser Kurfürst at 12:00 am, closing in fast. The captain had transmitted the distress and set sail south towards the Grand Fleet.
But, it was too late.
From a safe distance, SMS Grosser Kurfürst unleashed all of her guns at them.
James’ legs and right arm were severely mangled. Torn to pieces from the splinters. He looked out across the deck: Men lay dead or wounded, moaning like ghosts. The ship gave out a loud metallic groan.
Water gushed in onto the deck, filling up every crevice and space. The sailors who could stumbled up on their feet.
Thankfully, James would not suffer the slow agony of drowning as so many of his crewmates would. For when the water finally reached him he had been dead for 2 minutes.
=========================
“Good Lord, Cecil, this tea is cold.” Kitchener complained.
“Sorry sir, I’ll have Ms. Coward make you another, it will take no time.”
Kitchener put the tea down and twirled his mustache.
“You know, they’re mad over there.” Cecil said, in a half-measured attempt to break the silence.
“proper mad.”
“Churchill and his men?” Kitchener asked.
“Yes, sir.” Cecil replied.
“The Royal Navy is in utter disarray, if you ask me.”
“Well, thankfully we didn’t.”
“Pardon me, sir?”
“Did you hear the Yanks have declared neutrality?”
“The United States must be neutral in fact as well as in name during these days that are to try men's souls. We must be impartial in thought as well as in action.”
- Woodrow Wilson -
“Oh?”
“Yes, President Wilson held a speech in the US Congress a few days ago. I believe the United States will not favor one side or the other, hoping to benefit from this war. It could keep its economy strong providing both sides with food and supplies.”
“Fiendish” Cecil noted.
“Then when the war is over, they would play the role of peacekeeper.”
“Ah, yes.” Cecil replied.
“It reminds me of how the Italians are playing the same game. Of which side can bribe them sufficiently enough to bring them into their ranks.”
“Speaking of the Italians,” Kitchener said, looking up at the map in the office. The boot of Europe overseeing the Mediterranean ocean.
“The Pope was buried a few days ago.”
“Well he had been terribly sick for a while.”
“Yes. And I’m sure the news of this war did not help.” Kitchener twirled his mustache again, seemingly lost in thought, before crashing back into awakeness.
“But let us instead discuss Churchill and his band of mad men.”
SHOWDOWN IN THE MEDITERRANEAN:
“Our fleet in the Mediterranean came across the two British battleships stolen from us by the Ottoman empire: Reşadiye, and the Sultan Osman I. Accompanying them were the German ships; SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau.”
“Odd bedfellows.” Kitchener said.
“Certainly, sir.” Cecil replied.
“Churchill has had enough of faffing about, and so the orders came through to board the Ottoman ships, and to terminate the Germans.”
“Safe to say this did not play out.” Kitchener grumbled.
“Indeed, sir. Admiral Berkeley Milne, by a means of divine intervention, sank both the SMS Goeben and the SMS Breslau, the Ottoman ships, however, got away.”
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE JOINS THE CENTRAL POWERS:
“The man deserves a medal for sinking the Germans, and a hanging for damaging the Ottomans.”
“It is unfortunate.” Cecil replied.
“The Ottomans were not happy with our attempt to board them. In fact, General Enver was quick to declare war when he heard of the incident. They closed down The Dardanelles a few days ago.”
“With the Baltic off-limit, and now the ports in the black seas closed, the Russians will starve.” Kitchener furrowed his brows.
“The sordid navy may have cost them the war in only a matter of weeks.”
“Terrible news for them.”
“For us.”
“Ah, yes, sir.” Cecil nodded.
“Who would have ever thought it would be your boys in Egypt who would have the privilege of drawing first blood for the army?”
“I would hardly call it a battle, Cecil. It was over in an hour.”
“That might be so.” Cecil looked up at the map.
“But I fear they will soon see proper action. 9 Ottoman divisions are closing in.”
“Reinforcements from India is on its way.” Kitchener replied.
“Only a handful of divisions at first, but they should arrive within 2 weeks.”
“Hopefully our boys can hold out until then.”
“Oh, I am perfectly confident that they will, Cecil. Those men are made of steel.”
“With Admiral Berkeley Milne now patrolling the coast of Egypt, we should keep the pesky Ottomans at port. With the sinking of the German Mediterranean fleet all we have to worry about is the Austria-Hungarians in the north, and an Ottoman counter-attack in the east. With the French navy also having ramped up considerably, it is all going our way.”
“Which is more than I can say for the North sea.” Kitchener replied.
THE MASSACRE AT DOGGER BANK:
“What a complete catastrophe this has been.”
“Well not entirely, sir. We did sink 9 000 German sailors last week.”
“Have you read the list this week?”
Cecil looked away.
“We lost;
HMS Fearless,
HMS Bellona,
HMS Sapphire,
HMS Diamond,
HMS Topaze,
HMS Blonde.
That is 2400 sailors. Christ, Cecil I thought we were on top of this mess?”
“It was explained to me, sir…” Cecil stalled.
“Well explained it to me.”
“The German fleet quickly attacked Support Fleet B, sir. By the time Jellicoe showed up, Hipper and his fleet broke off and retreated.”
“How did we not sink one ship?”
“Well we did, sir.”
THE SECOND BATTLE OF GERMAN BIGHT:
“Admiral Beatty was left guarding the German Bight, ready to attack if Scheer and the German High Seas Fleet dared to venture out in front. Imagine his surprise when he found Hipper on his rear.”
“And this was the moment Scheer entered?”
“Yes, sir.” Cecil answered.
“But only briefly. Caught between the two fleets, Beatty could not do much, but he did put up a fight. Sinking a lone destroyer, no British ship were lost. But we suffered 1 600 sailors casualties.”
“And how many did we get?”
“We believe roughly the same, sir. Give or take.”
“We can take those loses. We can build ships faster than the Germans can draw them up. But politically this is a disaster.”
CHURCHILL SPEAKS AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS:
I thought it right to take an opportunity of coming here in view of all the events which have recently taken place…
First, you must expect losses both by land and sea; but the Fleet you employed there was your surplus Fleet, after all other needs have been provided for. Had it not been used in this great enterprise, it would have been lying idle in your ports.
Modern Britain has found millions of citizens who all of their own free will have eagerly or soberly resolved to fight and die for the principles at stake. To fight and die as those brave men did, in the largest naval battle ever fought. Why, that is one of the most wonderful and inspiring facts in the whole history of this wonderful island.
- Winston Churchill -
“Churchill’s has had to hold a few uncomfortable meetings, sir. As I’m sure they’ve all had to. But he stood tall in the House of Commons and promised change. Of course von Battenberg has been forced to resign, Fisher is taking over. I mean they’ve all had a role to play in this bloody cockup. If they got rid of Churchill, and Fisher, they’d be left with Jellicoe and Hood.”
“Well in any case they’re doing far better than the Belgians.” Kitchener muttered.
“Brussels fell on the 21st. 8000 Belgian casualties in all. The French have moved in with British troops covering the rear, but the Germans have a good foothold.”
“We’re not moving in, sir?” Cecil asked.
“The Belgians are surrounded, Cecil.
Thankfully, the French held Longwy. The attack lasted over a week and we are looking at 56 000 casualties. 65% belonging to the enemy.”
“Good Lord.” Cecil replied.
“Can the French continue to hold the line?”
“They bloody well.
It’s a mess out there, Cecil. Luxembourg has been annexed, Mons is under attack. The French are reinforcing all along the line, but they’re not listening to us. At some point we will simply have to make a decision for ourselves. French be damned.”
“Ghent.”
“Ghent.” Kitchener replied.
“Or Bruges. Whichever still stands by the time we reach it. Lord knows we’ll have a challenge pulling up the supply line that fast. But with the Germans engaged in Mons this will jeopardise their left flank.”
“And ours.” Cecil complained.
“We can dig in at Dunkirk, Cecil. I’m sure the French will appreciate it. Along with our British men and women, watching Belgium burn as we do nothing.”
“sir, we will have nothing but the ocean at our backs.”
“A channel, Cecil. And our island across it. not to mention our boys to the right. Cecil… At some point we will have to get our hands messy.”
“Like the Russians?”
RUSSIA INVADES OTTOMAN EMPIRE:
“The Russians might be fumbling around in the dark, but if they were not committed in fighting our enemy, Lord only knows how more severe the western front would be. Not to mention North Africa. Their push into the Ottoman Empire will tie up forces we need tied up.”
THE GERMANS DEFEND TARNOPOL:
“Yes, well Tarnopol has been a disaster.” Cecil grumbled. “22 Russian divisions, and the Germans still held their position.”
“The Germans lost 7 000 soldiers to that battle, Cecil. I’d hardly call that a disaster. Not to mention that the right flank has been secured, and the mere fact that the battle is not over. Have you not heard? The Russians have launched another attack.”
“Dear Lord.”
Cecil Looked at the map. Warsaw, Lublin, under fire.
“Poland is being swallowed whole.” He declared.
“Yes, but the Russians have the flanks under control.” Kitchener replied. “Lithuania in the north, and Ukraine in the south."
“But Warsaw will fall any second now. Lodz lost 5000 men just there.”
“Steel yourself, Cecil. The Russians can lose territory for miles, The Germans won’t be in St. Petersburg before winter, and a Russian winter I wish upon no soldier.
With the Balkans providing more headache for our enemy. They must have thought it would transpire considerably smoother. Montenegro defends a push in the south, Serbia defends a push in the west. This will cause Germany to commit more troops in the Balkans, surely something they did not plan on.
Not to mention the daring Serbs forced German troops out of Petrovgrad. It’s almost autumn, Cecil. If the enemy cannot win a battle in the mountain hills of Serbia during summer, then I feel sorry for the officers they send come October.”
“Come winter the ground will freeze over for all of us. From the Caucasus to Calais.”
“That reminds me, old chap, how is our ear to the ground in France, how is Captain John Robertson?”
=========================
Lille, France
The town was teaming with British soldiers. Brown hats as far as the eye could see. Rifles, and thick leather boots. Men yawning or chatting rubbish with eachother. This was the British war. A bunch of Tommys sitting around waiting on news from the front.
“Excuse me.” John said to a private lying by the wayside, the soldier did not respond.
“Excuse me, chap.”
“Take a hike, boy. I’m trying to get me bloody nap in.” he finally responded.
A terrified private next to him pulled at his sleeve.
“You fool, you’ve proper done it now.”
“Get off me back...” The rude private looked up and spotted John.
“Cap.... Captain! I did not know you were a captain!” He sprung up into a half-arsed salute.
“So you only treat lower ranked officers this way, private...?”
“Trotter, sir, 7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, sir! It won’t happen again, sir!”
“I’m sure we can find a proper punishment for the likes of you, private Trotter.” John replied and stood up on a wooden crate on the sidewalk.
“Now, would you please be so kind and take me to your superiors? We have important matters to attend to.”
Private Trotter scratched his head.
“We do, sir?”