Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 10.djvu/492

WORLD WAR 422 WORLD WAR German merchant ships had disap- peared from the seven seas by the be- ginning of 1915, but her submarines con- tinued to sink British and French ships. An action was fought January 24 Off the Dogger Bank, a number of German ships on their way to bombard the British coast were intercepted by Vice- Admiral Beatty who sank the armored cruiser "Bliicher" and damaged two other German battle-cruisers. The remaining German ships escaped to home waters. On February 10 the United States Gov- ernment addressed a warning note to Germany against the destruction of mer- chantships without determining their belligerent nationality, or the contra- band character of their cargoes. A note was also addressed to Great Britain pro- testing against the use of the American flag on British vessels. Germany replied by disclaiming all responsibility for such accidents and their consequences as a re- sult to neutral vessels. Britain upheld the use of neutral flags in war, but de- clared the government had no intention of advising their general use. On May 1 France and Great Britain declared that in retaliation against Germany's sub- marine "blockade," it was the Allies' in- tention to prevent commodities of any kind from reaching Germany. This dec- laration brought a note of protest from the United States against cutting off neutral trade with Germany. These notes effected no change in sea-warfare as pursued by the belligerent nations. On May 7, the great transatlantic liner "Lusitania" was torpedoed and sunk with- out warning by a German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland. 1150 persons lost their lives (including more than 100 Americans) and 767 were res- cued. On May 13 the United States Government addressed a note of protest to Germany regarding the sinking of the "Lusitania." Germany, the note read, was expected to disavow such acts, and to take steps to prevent their recurrence; the United States Government expressed , the determination to maintain the rights of American citizens. Germany, reply- ing in July to American notes of protest regarding the submarine attacks on mer- chant shipping, pledged safety for United States shipping by allowing four enemy passenger steamers to sail under the pro- tection of the American flag. The United States Government in reply declared the German note unsatisfac- tory, and stated that the repetition of incidents complained of would be regard- ed as "deliberately unfriendly." Other notes followed, between the United States and Germany without causing any changes in the situation. Great Britain replying to the charge that she was inter- fering with American trade in the war- zone maintained that she was adhering to the principles of international law as modified by modern conditions. Germany continued to sink American ships, but on September 23 declared that in the future American vessels carrying conditional contraband would not be destroyed. A note apologetic in tone for the sinking of the "Arabic" followed in October. The Eastern Front and Elsewhere. — ■ The Russian army in Galicia began a second invasion of Hungary in the first week of January, 1915. This was fol- lowed by a new drive into East Prussia. The Russians defeated the Turks in the Caucasus and occupied Tabriz, Persia. Between March 19, and April 5 the Russians won the principal chain of the Carpathians on a 75-mile fi'ont and took 70,000 Austrian prisoners. Their ad- vance in East Prussia was quickly checked and led to a heavy defeat. May 2, Austrian and German troops forced back the entire Russian army in Galicia, and in June the Austrian stronghold Przemysl was recaptured; a territory as large as Belgium was reclaimed, Lem- berg fell, and in the first week of August, German troops occupied War- saw. Brest-Litovsk, the most important fortress in Russia's second line of de- fense was captured by the Germans in the last week in August. Grodno and Vilna fell to German arms in September. A Turkish attempt on the Suez Canal January 27 was defeated by British and Egyptian forces guarding the waterway and another attempt in February to the north of Suez was also a failure. On February 19-20 a fleet of French and British warships bombarded the Turkish forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles. The forts were reduced during the month, but the Allies lost during the operation three great battleships. A landing of Allied troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula was carried out under cover of the guns of the fleet, with a loss of 15,000 men. For the remainder of the year the Gallipoli campaign was vigor- ously pressed, but the result was failure, and on December 15 the Allies began a general retirement on land and sea. On May 24, Italy declared war against Austria-Hungary and the following day Italian troops crossed the border and in June occupied Monfalcone and important positions. On July 9, in South Africa, General Botha, commanding British co- lonial troops, received the surrender of all German forces in German Southwest Africa. Bulgarian mobilization was fol- lowed in Greece on September 23, by orders for a general mobilization of atf