<– Part 4 – August 23, 1914 | Part 5 – August 30, 1914 | Part 6 – September 6, 1914 –>
August 24 brought victory to Serbia, as the finally succeeded in repelling the Austro-Hungarian invasion at Cer, and returned to their starting position before the battle. On the Western Front, the Allies seem to have begun a withdrawal from the Frontiers towards the River Marne, though some unit are still fighting rearguard, delaying actions, such as the one at Elouges. The Germans have begun sieging the Maubeuge Fortress, while in the south the Germans have repelled the French offensive at Mortagne and seem to have one the battle in Lorraine.
German Kamerun has been invaded by the British, who began a three-pronged advance in the north, center, and south on August 25, with the British securing a minor victory at Tepe. German spirits were raised
slightly with dual victories in Europe at Le Cateau and Le Grand Fayt, where British forces were attacked and ambushed with thousands of casualties, both part of the withdrawal in the West and from Mons.
To the East, the Battle of Kraśnik has ended, at Lemburg, with a defeat for the Russians at the hands of the Austro-Hungarian Army. However, Austrian spirits were tempered by a declaration of war from Japan, the most powerful naval force in that hemisphere.
August 26 dawned as a day that would bring a dizzying number of both failures and successes to the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian Empires. The capture of Longwy, called the “iron gate to Paris”, near the Luxembourg border, after a nearly month-long siege, was offset by the SMS Magdeburg bringing shame on the Germans, having run aground in the Gulf of Finland. The Entente forces have searched her, and there are reports that something has been recovered and taken to safety from on-board. There are rumors that her codebook has been captured by the Russians. However, this was far, far outweighed several days later at the Battle of Tanneberg, where the Russian army of 150,000 was obliterated by the Germans, with only 10,000 escaping an encirclement. So great was the defeat the Russian general, Alexander Samsonov, was found dead by his own hand, still clutching a revolver. Russian spirits were raised through the invasion of Galicia at the Battle of Gnila Lipa, a defeat FOR Austria-Hungary, but softened at Komarow, a VICTORY for Austria-Hungary. This war seems destined to be drawn out as a horrific quid pro quo.
On August 27, the Allied retreat continued with a brave action by the Munster Fusilliers of the British Army at Étreux, where, although surrounded and outnumbered 6:1, there were able to delay the Germans long enough to secure the retreat they were rear-guarding, so much so that the Germans congratulated them for their defeat.
However, German fears have been realized in Tsingtao, were the Japanese have formed a naval blockade of the German port.
The Germans suffered a defeat on August 28 at the hands of the Royal Navy at Heligoland Bight, in the North Sea. An ambush of a German fleet resulted in significant casualties for them, while the British victory came relatively unscathed.
On August 29, a delaying action at St. Quentin by the French was successful, although French losses exceeded German by 2:1.
New Zealand moved to occupy German Samoa on August 30.
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