Wednesday, August 26, 1914. Tannenberg begins.

The epic Battle of Tannenberg began on the Eastern Front.

Up until it, the Imperial Russian Army had been doing well.  That was soon to change.

The Russians halted the Austro Hungarian army at Komarów

The French Army of Alsace was recalled and disbanded, ended their successful defense at Mulhouse.  The Battle of Lorraine also ended in a French victory, although an extremely costly one.

British and French forces retreated from Le Cateau to Saint Quentin.

The French Second Army prevented the Germans from advancing past Charmes.

The Germans bombed Antwerp by Zeppelin.

Last edition:

Tuesday, August 25, 1914. German murders in Belgium.

Labels: 1910, 1910s, 1911, 1914, Austro Hungarian Army, Belgium, Canadian Arctic Expedition, Emiliano Zapata, German Army, Imperial Russian Army, Mexican Revolution, Mexico, Plan of Ayala, World War One

Thursday, August 27, 1914. Russians advance, and start to crumble.

The Russians advanced, but reconnaissance failures prevented General Alexander Samsonov from becoming knowing that his flanks were breaking down.

An oddity, too, given the heavy prevalence of Russian cavalry.

The 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers of the British Expeditionary Force held up the Germans for fourteen hours,  allowing the rest of the BEF to retreat. They would ultimately be forced to surrender.

The Belgian army ordered its troops to Péronne in France.

Last edition:

Wednesday, August 26, 1914. Tannenberg begins.

Labels: Alsace-Lorraine, Battle of Galicia, Battle of Lorraine, Batttle of Tannenberg, British Army, Eastern Front, French Army, German Army, Great Retreat, Imperial Russian Army, Prussia, World War One

Monday, August 24, 1914. The Great Retreat and Winnie The Pooh.

 

The Great Retreat began.  French and British units began withdrawing, with British cavalry providing cover in the Action of Elouges.

The French 1st and 2nd Armies stopped the German offensive at Lorraine.

The Germans entered Gerbéviller and destroyed 80% of its buildings.

Lt. Harry Colebourn of The Fort Garry Horse purchased an orphaned bear cub at a train stop in White River, Ontario.  He named the bear Winnipeg Bear, which became Winnie for short and became the model for Winnie the Pooh.

Colebourn, a veterinarian, entrusted the bear to the London Zoo in 1915 when his unit deployed to France.  He determined to let the beloved bear remain there after the war, where it lived out the rest of its life.  Colebourn returned to private practice in Canada, retired at age 58 in 1945, and died at age 60 in 1947.

Last edition:

Sunday, August 23, 1914. Maurice James Dease

Labels: 1910s, 1914, Austro Hungarian Army, Battle of Tannenberg, Battle of the Frontiers, Belgium, British Army, Francs-tireurs, Heroes, Imperial Russian Army, Ireland, Mons, New Zealand, United Kingdom, World War One