The 4G Blog

<– Part 148 – May 20, 1917  | Part 149 – May 27, 1917 |  Part 150 – June 3, 1917 –>

The Resident-Governer of Morocco, Hubert Lyautey

The Romanian army seems to have rebuilt from in the last few months, and rested, supplied, and trained soldiers have been seen preparing for some type of offensive.

The Resident-General of Morocco, Louis-Hubert Lyautey, has returned to his headquarters, preparing to launch a new offensive against the Zaian Confederation and other rebels.

The use of convoys for naval transportation has paid off for the Allies, as losses to U-boats seem to have begun dropping.

Fighting at Monastir ground to a halt May 26, with the Central Powers firmly in control of their lines. It would appear the Allied attack has failed, losing 14,000 soldiers.

<– Part 147 – May 13, 1917  | Part 148 – May 20, 1917 |  Part 149 – May 27, 1917 –>

On May 15, Philippe Petain replaced Robert Nivelle as the French Chief of the General Staff. He has promised an end to suicidal attacks, rest for beleaguered troops, and no executions for the mutinies, which have affected nearly 1/2 the French army and seen 20,000 deserters. Petain is popular with the soldiers already, having risen up through the ranks for the last 40 years.

In the Mediterranean, a naval sortie by the Austro-Hungarian Navy against the Otranto Barrage, the Allied blockade of the Otranto Strait, was somewhat successful, although the attackers were forced to withdraw as reinforcements sailed towards them.

Fighting at Arras ended May 16. Although minimal territorial gains were had by the Allies, it was nevertheless successful in tying down German troops, preventing them from reinforcing other parts of the front. 158,000 British troops fell, with approximately 125,000 Germans with them.

At Monastir, Bulgarian forces have taken the Crvena Stena Ridge May 18, following weeks of stagnation in the trenches.

<– Part 146 – May 6, 1917  | Part 147 – May 13, 1917 |  Part 148 – May 20, 1917 –>

Another series of British assault against Bulgarian lines at Doiran on May 8 failed after five waves and massive casualties. Although the opposing sides’ artillery dueled until the next day, the British attack was called off. 12,000 British casualties – nearly 1/3 of the forces – effected only 2,000 on the Bulgarian side.

At Aisne, the fighting ended in failure May 9, along with the entire Nivelle plan. Serious mutinies in the French army have erupted following the failure, which included 350,000 Allied casualties and 165,000 German. The French General Staff is working to halt the mutinies.

In Italy, the 10th Battle of the Isonzo was launched May 10. Whereas the previous nine had focused on small, focused thrusts, this one has seen fighting along a wide front towards Trieste. Indeed, it seems to have been a minor Italian success, with some territory gained, although at the expense of 150,000 Italian casualties to the Austro-Hungarian’s 75,000.

At Arras, fighting continues, although stiff German resistance has halted any possible Allied advance.\

<– Part 145 – April 29, 1917  | Part 146 – May 6, 1917 |  Part 147 – May 13, 1917 –>

At Arras, British forces attempted to take the Oppy Wood on their way to a strongly-held German position but failed. However, the failure has been analyzed as a lack of coordination between infantry, artillery, and tanks, and it is expected that the lessons learned will be of great value in future engagements.

On May 5, an enormous artillery barrage was launched by the Allies against Bulgarian forces in occupied-Serbia, supplementing the attack at Doiran, where the Allies assault has bogged down. The barrage was halted at nightfall but renewed earlier this morning. Patrols sent to assess damage to the defensive lines were driven back by the defenders.