<– Part 44 – May 23, 1915 | Part 45 – May 30, 1915 | Part 46 – June 6, 1915 –>
May 24 opened with a German attack towards Ypres, forcing the British back. The salient is now over 3 miles deep. However, German momentum seems to be waning. The following day saw the fighting near Festubert dying down; it would appear the great offensive at Ypres has ended in stalemate, although the German usage of poison gas indicates a new direction for the war.
Further south, Italy has begun her attacks against Austria-Hungary, who has fortified and occupied much of the Alps, forcing any thrust by Italy through the Isonzo River. Austrian ships have been shelling Italy’s east coast; flying boats have dropped bombs on Venice. The Austro-Hungarian SMS Helgoland and 2 destroys sunk the Italian DES Turbine.
At Gallipoli, a truce has been called to bury casualties, reminiscent of the Christmas truce the previous winter in Europe.
May 25 saw the HMS Triumph sunk by U-21 in the Narrows, south of the Gallipoli peninsula. However, two days later, HMS Majestic avenged the lost by torpedoing U-21 at Cape Helles.
The British setback there was offset by Gibeon, in German South-West Africa (Deutsche Sud-West Afrika) captured by British-South African General Jan Smuts on May 26.
The Ottoman Empire responded on May 27 to the Russian offensive by ordering a forced deportation of all Armenians in the Caucasus, in response to the quasi-alliance the revolting and oppressed Armenians have formed with the invading Imperial Russian Army.
In the seas around Gallipoli, HMS E11 has been sinking many Turkish ships, and has gained a reputation for itself.
On May 29, the Ottomans detonated a mine at “Quinn’s Post”, part of the ANZAC sector. The Australians were forced back, but through counter-attacks were able to retake it by sundown. Skirmishing continues in the region, and there are reports that the Ottomans are running low on artillery.
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