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Milestones

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Cunard's 'Lusitania' began her maiden voyage from Liverpool on 7 September 1907, arriving in New York six days later. On her second westbound crossing, at a speed of 24 knots (27.5 mph) she captured the Blue Riband and became briefly the largest and fastest ship in the world. Today she is remembered primarily for her tragic loss eight years later. :(

This remarkable sequence of photographs, taken from another vessel, shows her passing Fastnet Rock lighthouse in the final stages of an eastbound crossing. Sixteen lifeboats are carried, which dates the pictures to pre-'Titanic' days.

That sinking was the first link in the chain that brought the United States into World War I.
 
That sinking was the first link in the chain that brought the United States into World War I.
The U-boat war of 1915 itself was a German reaction on the invasion of its colonies by the Allied.

From the German viewpoint, the war was still a 'campaign', to avert a war on two fronts (which had meanwhile failed), not a war of conquest. A stricktly European continental matter, in fact. In their eyes, the Allied were 'cheating', by taking the opportunity of the 'campaign' to invade its colonies.
 
The U-boat war of 1915 itself was a German reaction on the invasion of its colonies by the Allied.

From the German viewpoint, the war was still a 'campaign', to avert a war on two fronts (which had meanwhile failed), not a war of conquest. A stricktly European continental matter, in fact. In their eyes, the Allied were 'cheating', by taking the opportunity of the 'campaign' to invade its colonies.
From what I read, the Germans considered a war inevitable after the Entente, and took the opportunity to start it sooner rather than later when they felt they would have an advantage. They relied on the Austrians and the slowness of the Russian mobilization to tie down the Russians so they could finish off France before having to fight in the east. I would assume that the blockade was also a factor in the U-boat war.
In any event, no one expected things to go as they did, and for technology to be so dominant and destructive that the war could not be won.
I assume that the Germans felt the Allies were cheating anyway, denying the upstart German Empire it's proper due as a great European power.
 
From what I read, the Germans considered a war inevitable after the Entente, and took the opportunity to start it sooner rather than later when they felt they would have an advantage. They relied on the Austrians and the slowness of the Russian mobilization to tie down the Russians so they could finish off France before having to fight in the east. I would assume that the blockade was also a factor in the U-boat war.
In any event, no one expected things to go as they did, and for technology to be so dominant and destructive that the war could not be won.
I assume that the Germans felt the Allies were cheating anyway, denying the upstart German Empire it's proper due as a great European power.
They forgot one of the rules of war: "No plan survives contact with the enemy!"
 
They forgot one of the rules of war: "No plan survives contact with the enemy!"
Oh it was worse than that, Schliffen knew the plan did not work. There were two simple problems, the Germans needed 8 more army corps for the decisive battle but the ruling class did not trust the working class and refused to expand conscription to raise the extra troops. Then even if they had there were simply not enough roads in France to get them to the battlefield in time, they would simply have been stuck in traffic.

However I think the drive for war when it did kick off was that the Germans feared they were falling behind the Russian armaments program. They had already lost the naval race with Britain and while demographics put them ahead of France the Tsar''s plans seemed fearsome on paper.
 
The U-boat war of 1915 itself was a German reaction on the invasion of its colonies by the Allied.

From the German viewpoint, the war was still a 'campaign', to avert a war on two fronts (which had meanwhile failed), not a war of conquest. A stricktly European continental matter, in fact. In their eyes, the Allied were 'cheating', by taking the opportunity of the 'campaign' to invade its colonies.

Guilty as charged
 
A day to remember for Jollyrei as he got to meet James Wolfe on this date in 1759, oh and the French lost the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

This victory ultimately delivered Canada to British control resulting in the nation we know today.

General Wolfe was one of the first dead Englishmen I ever heard of, from this picture in a 1961 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia.
 

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Oh it was worse than that, Schliffen knew the plan did not work. There were two simple problems, the Germans needed 8 more army corps for the decisive battle but the ruling class did not trust the working class and refused to expand conscription to raise the extra troops. Then even if they had there were simply not enough roads in France to get them to the battlefield in time, they would simply have been stuck in traffic.

However I think the drive for war when it did kick off was that the Germans feared they were falling behind the Russian armaments program. They had already lost the naval race with Britain and while demographics put them ahead of France the Tsar''s plans seemed fearsome on paper.
After the invasion of East Prussia by the Russian army, too early according the 'schedule' of the Schlieffen Plan, Berlin panicked and sent 50000 men from the western front to the east. They were still underway, when the German 8 th Army defeated the Russians at Tannenberg. These troops had beeen taken away from the German right wing, for which troop density was crucial. If these 50000 men had still been in the west at the Battle of the Marne, they most likely had made the difference in favour of the Germans.
 
After the invasion of East Prussia by the Russian army, too early according the 'schedule' of the Schlieffen Plan, Berlin panicked and sent 50000 men from the western front to the east. They were still underway, when the German 8 th Army defeated the Russians at Tannenberg. These troops had beeen taken away from the German right wing, for which troop density was crucial. If these 50000 men had still been in the west at the Battle of the Marne, they most likely had made the difference in favour of the Germans.
Which probably helps to prove that "If" is the biggest word in the language.
 
Which probably helps to prove that "If" is the biggest word in the language.
But still interesting to contemplate.

The Schlieffen Plan was breaking down from the first days. Belgium's resistance was not part of the plan, and took away the availability of the Belgian railroad network. The Belgian army had to be kept on guard in the rear of the advncing right wing. Then, some royals, commanding armies at Germany's left wing, wanted their share in the victory and wanted more troops. All at the expense of the strength of the right wing. These 50000 troops sent to the east were just another weakening of that wing.
 
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