The Explorers' Club Special: July 1916

Operation AXIOM: The World War
July 1916: On the first day of the Somme, the British suffered 19,420 killed, the costliest day of the entire war; another 38,050 were wounded. The Battle of the Somme was planned as a combined Franco-British offensive, but with the French tied down at Verdun, the British bore the burden of the main attack. German reinforcements were unavailable, tied down at Verdun & trying to stem the Russians' offensive. The Germans & Austro-Hungarians were able to stall that Brusilov Offensive. German sabotuers blew up an ammunition depot in New York Harbor.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: July 1916
"The Explorers' Club," № DIV: The Battle of the Somme, Part I: Mines on the First Day (1 July 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № DV: The Battle of the Somme, Part II: The Battle of Albert (1-13 July 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № DVI: The Battle of the Somme, Part III: The Battle of Bazentin Ridge (14-17 July 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № DVII: The Brusilov Offensive, Part II: The Battle of Kowel (24 July-8 August 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № DVIII: The Black Tom Explosion (30 July 1916)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club Special: June 1916

Operation AXIOM: The World War
June 1916 saw Verdun, the longest battle of the war, continue; the Russians launched an offensive to take the pressure off the French at Verdun, ultimately their most effective offensive of the whole war; the British War Secretary, Lord Kitchener, was killed when a mine laid for the Battle of Jutland sank the ship on which he was traveling; & the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire broke out.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: June 1916
"The Explorers' Club," № DI: The Battle of Verdun, Part IV (1-8 June 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № DIII: The Brusilov Offensive, Part I (4 June-6 July 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № D: The Sinking of the H.M.S. Hampshire (5 June 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № DII: The Arab Revolt, Part I (June 1916)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club Special: April 1916

Operation AXIOM: The World War
In April 1916, the "world blood-pump" at Verdun continued & Irish nationalists rebelled against the British Empire; in the "Chemists' War," offense (poison gas) still held the advantage over defense (gas masks); & the Anglo-Indian force besieged at Kut surrendered to the Ottomans, who treated the defeated commander as a celebrity & let most of his men die of maltreatment.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: April 1916
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXCII: The Battle of Verdun, Part III: "They shall not pass!" (10 April-31 May 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXCIV: The Easter Rising (24-29 April 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXCIII: Poison gas cloud attacks near Hulluch, France (27-29 April 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXCV: The Siege of Kut, Part IV: The British surrendered (29 April 1916)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club Special: March 1916

Operation AXIOM: The World War
In March 1916, the Anglo-Indian effort to relieve their fellows besieged in Kut stumbled; the German assault toward Verdun stalled; the French goaded the Italians into attacking before they were ready & the Russians into a doomed direct assault on the Germans in order to relieve the pressure on Verdun; & the British & Imperial forces advanced into German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika), driving the Germans from Mount Kilimanjaro & seizing control of Lake Tanganyika.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: March 1916
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXVI: The Siege of Kut, Part III: The Battle of Dujaila (8 March 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXVII: The Battle of Verdun, Part II: The German Offensive (21 February-9 April 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXVIII: The Endless Battles of the Isonzo, Part III: The Fifth Battle of the Isonzo (9-15 March 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXIX: The Battles of Latema Nek & Kahe (11-18 March 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXCI: The Lake Naroch Offensive (18-30 March 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXC: The Battle of Lake Tanganyika (December 1915-July 1916)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club Special: February 1916

Operation AXIOM: The World War
February 1916 saw the Russian Empire gain the upper hand against the Ottoman Empire in the western Caucasus with a surprise winter offensive & the Germans blunted the British & Imperial invasion of German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) near Mount Kilimanjaro. On the Western Front, the longest battle of the war began, the Battle of Verdun; the "World Blood Pump" would continue throughout 1916.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: February 1916
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXIII: The Erzurum Offensive (10 January-16 February 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXIV: The Battle of Salaita Hill (12 February 1916)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXXXV: The Battle of Verdun, Part I: The First Day (21 February 1916)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club Special: September 1915

Operation AXIOM: The World War
The Russians' Great Retreat continued on the Eastern Front & the British started using poison gas on the Western Front.

Commentary: Most of September 2015's "Explorers' Club" episodes were dedicated to catching up on events I'd missed earlierin the year, filling in lots of gaps from throughout 1915.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: September 1915
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXIII: The Great Retreat, Part IV: The Capture of Vilnius (19 September 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLXIV: The Third Battle of Artois, Part I: The Battle of Loos (25 September-14 October 1915)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club Special: May-June 1915

Operation AXIOM: The World War
May 1915 saw more poison gas on the Western Front, stalemate at Gallipoli, & the infamous sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania by a German submarine.

Commentary: "The Explorers' Club" was in a bad way in the early summer of 2015, which is why we here present episodes out of numerical order & published from May-July 2015 cover April-June 1915. There won't be an "Operation AXIOM: The World War" post in June, but watch this space for the return in July.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: May-June 1915
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXLIV: The Battles of Kitchener's Wood & St. Julien (The Second Battle of Ypres, Part II; 22 April-5 May 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXLVII: The First & Second Battles of Kiritha & the Battle of Eski Hissarlik (The Gallipoli Campaign, Part III; 28 April-8 May 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLII: The Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive (The Great Retreat, Part I; 2 May-June 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXLII: The Sinking of the R.M.S. Lusitania (7 May 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXLIII: The Second Battle of Artois (9 May-18 June 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLX: The Shell Crisis, Part I (May 1915)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club Special: April 1915

Operation AXIOM: The World War
Eight consecutive episodes across March & April 2015 were devoted exclusively to the Great War. The war took a particularly dark turn in April 1915, with the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, the introduction of poison gas on the Western Front, & the arrival of the A.N.Z.A.C.s at Gallipolli.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the World War: April 1915
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXVIII: The Defense of Van (The Armenian Genocide, Part I; 19 April-17 May 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXXXIX: "Red Sunday" (The Armenian Genocide, Part II; 24 April 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXL: The Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge (The Second Battle of Ypres, Part I; 22-23 April 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDXLI: The Landings at "Anzac Cove" & Cape Hellas (The Gallipolli Campaign, Part II; 25 April 1915)
"The Explorers' Club," № CDLVIII: The London Pact (26 April 1915)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCLVI

Operation AXIOM: The World War
11 November 1918: The Armistice of Compiègne went into effect at 11:00 A.M. Paris time, effecting the German Empire's abject defeat & ending the "War to End All Wars;" fighting continued right up to the armistice, with two thousand seven hundred thirty-eight (2,738) men killed on 11 November, a bloodier than average morning; the last fatality was Henry Gunther, an American, killed at 10:59 A.M.

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCLIV

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part IX
Wilfred Owen, M.C. (1893-1918), the English poet, best known for wartime works such as "Dulce et Decorum Est" & "Anthem for Doomed Youth;" Owen was committed to the Craiglockhart War Hospital in 1917 for treatment of shell shock, & later cleared foe home duty safely in England, but insisted on returning to the front; he was killed in combat crossing the Sambre-Oise Canal on 4 November 1918.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Hundred Days Offensive
№ DCXXXII: The Battle of Amiens (Part I)
№ DCXXXVI: The Second Battle of the Somme (Part II)
№ DCXXXIX: The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin (Part III)
№ DCXLI: The Battle of Saint-Mihiel (Part IV)
№ DCXLIV: The Battle of the Canal du Nord (Part V)
№ DCXLVI: The Battle of the Saint-Quentin Canal (Part VI)
№ DCXLVIII: The Lost Battalion (Part VII)
№ DCXLVIII: "Sergeant" York (Part VIII)

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCXLVIII

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part VIII
8 October 1918: Corporal Alvin York (1887-1964) of the American 82nd Infantry Division*, originally a conscientious objector, conducted a solo feat of arms against a well-positioned German machine-gun company; he returned to his own lines with one hundred thirty-two German P.O.W.; promoted to sergeant, York received the Medal of Honor, the French Croix de guerre, & fifty sundry decorations.

Lest we forget.

Commentary: *The far-famed 82nd wouldn't become airborne 'til 1942. Clean-shaven actor Gary Cooper won an Oscar for playing the eponymous moustachioed sharpshooter in the 1941 motion picture Sergeant York. Cooper's non-moustachioed visage is typical, even emblematic of Hollywood's contempt for historical accuracy.

The Explorers' Club, № DCXLVII

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part VII
2-8 October 1918: The Lost Battalion—Nine companies of the American 77th Division, commanded by Major Charles Whittlesey (1884-1921) were cut off from the Entente lines & surrounded by the Germans; six days of fierce fighting ensued, with the 77th fending off the Central Powers while sometimes being shelled by their own artillery, & communicating via the homing pigeon "Cher Ami."

Lest we forget.

Commentary: Your humble narrator first learned of the "Lost Battalion" in 2001, with the release of the made-for-television movie, The Lost Battalion, starring Rick Schroder as Major Whittlesey.

The Explorers' Club, № DCXLVI

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part VI
29 September-10 October: The Battle of the Saint-Quentin Canal—A British, Australian & American assault, preceded by the largest artillery bombardment of the war & the first use of British-produced mustard gas, & accompanied by hordes of tanks, first breached the formidable "Hindenburg Line" (the Siegfriedstellung); the German High Command (Oberste Heeresleitung) realized the war was lost.

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCXLIV

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part V
27 September-1 October 1918: The Battle of the Canal du Nord—British, Canadian, & New Zealand troops assaulted the German defensive works along the uncompleted Canal du Nord, one of four Entente offensives launched in five days, to prevent the Germans from reinforcing any particular sector of the front; in initial pre-dawn attack took the German front line by complete surprise.

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCXLI

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part IV
12-15 September 1918: The Battle of Saint-Mihiel—A meticulously planned Entente attack, led by General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing & executed by his American Expeditionary Forces with clockwork precision, caught the Germans in the process of withdrawing & captured the Saint-Mihiel salient; the American tank contingent was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton.

Lest we forget.

Commentary: Amidst many other laudable facets, Pershing's thoroughly detailed Saint-Mihiel plan also introduced the terms "D-Day" & "H-Hour."

The Explorers' Club, № DCXXXIX

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part III
31 August-3 September 2018: The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin—In a daring frontal assault (which might have been condemned as reckless had it failed), the Australian Corps seized Mont Saint-Quentin, the high ground that was the key to the Germans' defense of the River Somme, & the town of Péronne; the Germans had anticipated & prepared for the attack, but were still forced to retreat.

Lest we forget.

The Explorers' Club, № DCXXXVI

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Hundred Days Offensive, Part II
21 August-2 September: The Second Battle of the Somme—Instead of reinforcing the offensive around Amiens, which had ground to a halt as supplies lines were stretched & the Germans had brought up reinforcements, the Entente's Anglophones (British, Canadian, Australian, & American) attacked around Albert, pushing the Germans back to the "Hindenburg Line" (the Siegfriedstellung).

Lest we forget.