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[Illustration: cover--THE CHILDREN'S STORY OF THE WAR
By Sir Edward Parrott, M.A., LL.D.]
[Illustration: British Aeroplanes attacking the Zeppelin Factory at
Friedrichshafen.
On November 21, 1914, three British aeroplanes flew from France across
the mountains into Germany, a distance of 250 miles, and dropped bombs
on the Zeppelin factory at Friedrichshafen, on the shores of Lake
Constance. Serious damage was done, and all the pilots but one returned
safely. Another daring air raid was made on Christmas Day 1914 by seven
aeroplanes on German warships lying off Cuxhaven.]
THE
CHILDREN'S STORY
OF THE WAR
BY
SIR EDWARD PARROTT, M.A., LL.D.
AUTHOR OF "BRITAIN OVERSEAS," "THE PAGEANT OF ENGLISH LITERATURE," ETC.
From the First Battle of Ypres to the End of the Year 1914
THOMAS NELSON AND SONS, Ltd.
LONDON, EDINBURGH, PARIS, AND NEW YORK
1916
"_O hearts ever youthful, like schoolboys at play,
So be it with you in the thick of the fray;
In the crash and the smoke and the roar of the fight,
Be it yours, if it need be, to die for the Right!
While deep in your heart a quick prayer shall arise
To Him who looks down on the earth from the skies,
For those whom you love in a faraway Home--
O! shield them, our Father, whatever may come!_"
I. Gregory Smith.
(_By permission of "The Times."_)
CONTENTS.
I. A Glance Backwards 1
II. Some German Theories of War 17
III. From Arras to Armentières 27
IV. From Lille to Nieuport 33
V. Maud'huy at Arras and the Retreat from
Antwerp 43
VI. With Rawlinson in Belgium 49
VII. The Long, Thin Line of Steel and Valour 54
VIII. The Work of the Third British Corps 65
IX. Stirring Stories of Anxious Days 70
X. With the Second Corps 78
XI. The Indians in the Trenches 81
XII. Fire and Flood 87
XIII. Eight Days of Struggle and Anxiety 97
XIV. Tales of Heroes 113
XV. The Crisis of the First Battle of Ypres 129
XVI. The Price of Victory and the Passing of
a Hero 145
XVII. Tales from the Trenches 154
XVIII. More Tales from the Trenches 161
XIX. Germany's Colonial Empire 171
XX. Germany's Vanishing Colonies 177
XXI. The Story of the "Emden" 187
XXII. The Last of the "Emden," and the Sea
Fight off Coronel 193
XXIII. The Fall of Kiao-chau 209
XXIV. The First Attack on Warsaw 218
XXV. Von Hindenburg foiled 225
XXVI. Stories from the Battlefields 231
XXVII. The Second Russian Advance on Cracow 241
XXVIII. The Second Assault on Warsaw 252
XXIX. Warsaw again saved 257
XXX. At War with Turkey 264
XXXI. Fighting in Chaldea 273
XXXII. The Campaign in the Caucasus 278
XXXIII. The Battle of the Serbian Ridges 284
XXXIV. The Battle off the Falkland Islands 289
XXXV. Naval Raids on the East Coast of England 297
XXXVI. Winter in the Trenches 305
[Illustration:
THE
CHILDREN'S
STORY OF
THE WAR
VOLUME III.]
CHAPTER I.
A GLANCE BACKWARDS.
When the last British soldier, with the mud of the Aisne trenches still
clinging to his tunic, detrained in Artois,[1] within fifty miles of the
white cliffs of Dover, seventy-seven days of anxious and fateful
struggle had come to an end. Before we follow the progress of the
terrible campaign which was soon to begin, let us glance backwards and
recall in brief outline the leading incidents of the crowded weeks which
had elapsed since Germany unsheathed the sword and flung her legions
into that "battle without a morrow" which she vainly hoped would win for
her the mastery of Europe and the supremacy of the world.
In our first volume we learned how the disunited states of Germany,
under the leadership of Prussia, became welded together into a great
empire on the ringing anvil of war. The German Empire had been created
by the sword, and Germans had been taught to believe that only by the
sword could it be maintained and increased. During less than half a
century they had grown from poverty to riches and greatness, and this
sudden rise to wealth and power had so turned their heads that they now
deemed themselves entitled to world-empire. Mighty in industry and
commerce, and possessed of the vastest and most highly organized weapon
of war that the world has ever known, they nevertheless saw their
ambitions thwarted again and again. They desired greatly a dominion
beyond the seas, but colonies were hard to come by. With the failure of
their attempts to expand they grew more and more embittered, until they
believed that they were being robbed of their rightful due by the envy
and greed of neighbouring Powers.
On their eastern border they saw the Russians daily recovering from the
effects of the war against Japan, and so rapidly advancing in military
strength as to be a real menace to that commanding position which they
coveted. Their leaders feared that if Russia were not speedily crippled
she would
"Bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus,[2] and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves."
While viewing the rise of Russia with mingled fear and contempt, they
saw the British people, whom they had been taught to despise as a
worn-out and wealth-corrupted race, holding dominion on every continent
and in every sea, and unfurling their flag over one in four of all
mankind. The spectacle was gall and wormwood to them, and they made no
secret of their intention to wrest this vast empire from its present
holders when the time was ripe. To this end they had built a great
fleet, and their sailors drank to "The Day" when the lordship of the
ocean should be theirs, and the overseas dominion of Britain the spoils
of their triumph.
But the fruits of industrial strength and armed might were slow in
ripening, and in 1911, when, thanks to the support of Great Britain,
France became supreme in Morocco and the shadowy claims of Germany were
set aside, there was bitter chagrin in the Fatherland. It was then, as
we have good reason to believe, that the leaders of the German people
came to the conclusion that only by war could they realize their
ambitions. War must be made on France and on her ally, Russia. When
France was overthrown, Germany would be absolute master of Central and
Western Europe. When Russia was crippled, Germany would have a free hand
in the Balkans. Then, mightily increased in territory and resources, she
would proceed to the conquest of Britain.
Preparations on a vast scale were at once begun. The war lords of
Germany bent all their thoughts and energies to the task. The effect of
heavy artillery and high explosive shells was studied, and the great
armament works were ordered to turn out huge howitzers and the necessary
ammunition for them. Innumerable machine guns and motor cars were built,
and nothing that made for military or naval efficiency was overlooked.
The Kiel Canal was enlarged so as to accommodate the heaviest
Dreadnoughts in the navy; the number of trained men in the army was
increased; huge stocks of all the necessaries of war were collected. The
bankers were instructed to sell their foreign stocks and shares, and to
collect gold with which to purchase abroad the cotton, copper, rubber,
and petrol, which are all-important in modern warfare. A deep-laid plot
was hatched to hamper British bankers so that they could not lend money
to France and Russia. Silently and secretly, and with wonderful
foresight and zeal, everything was prepared for the great adventure.
Some idea of the wonderful completeness of the German preparations for
war may be gathered from the following description of a soldier's
equipment:--
"The German soldier was clothed in cloth of a colour which, on
the average of European days, gave a greater degree of
invisibility than khaki. This cloth was excellently woven to
withstand weather and strain. Each soldier had a pocket-knife
worth a week's pay of a British corporal, and carried in this
pocket-knife a little equipment for mending his clothes (as also
a first-aid bandage of adhesive plaster). His boots were of
wonderfully strong and supple leather, such boots as only rich
civilians in England can buy. His valise of cowhide, tanned with
the hair on, was most ingeniously furnished with straps and
removable bolts of white metal for ease of carrying and ease of
packing and unpacking. Its contents, disposed in various little
cupboards, gave the maximum of food-reserve and
clothing-comforts for the space and weight. The order-books, the
maps, the other equipment of officers and non-commissioned
officers, showed the same skilful devotion to detail. During
many years of preparation the German mind had evidently devoted
itself with passionate industry to providing for every possible
emergency of the soldier's life in the field."
A spy system of the most widespread and elaborate character had been
established in all European countries. The Kaiser was assured by his
spies that Great Britain would not actively join with Russia and France,
because her people were sharply divided on an important political
question, and because they had grown so spiritless that they would
prefer to make money by providing the combatants with materials of war.
France was well known to be ill-prepared for a campaign, and that great,
unwieldy giant Russia would be so sluggish in making ready that months
would elapse before he could become formidable. By the summer of 1914
Germany had made all her military and naval preparations; she was armed
to the teeth, and she knew that the nations against whom she had
secretly prepared were quite unready to meet her.
[Illustration: The Kaiser in the Field.
_Photo: Central News._
This remarkable Photograph shows the German Emperor directing the
operations of his troops in Flanders.]
Towards the end of June 1914, when the army was ready to the last gaiter
button, an event took place which gave the Kaiser an excellent excuse
for bringing about that war which was necessary for the fulfilment of
his aims. The Archduke Ferdinand was murdered in Bosnia, and Serbia was
charged with bringing about the crime. It was alleged that the heir to
the throne of the Kaiser's ally, Austria-Hungary, had been foully done
to death by miscreants in the pay of Russia's friend, Serbia. The Kaiser
at once determined that Austria-Hungary's quarrel should be his; he
would support Franz Josef in punishing Serbia--that is, in throwing down
the gauntlet to Russia. This would be certain to bring about the war
which his soul desired. A little more delay, however, was necessary. An
army, as Napoleon told us long ago, marches on its stomach, and great
supplies of food are required before it can take the field. For this
reason the Kaiser decided to play for time until the harvest of the year
had been gathered in. So for a whole month little was heard of the
Archduke's murder, and the Powers of Europe were encouraged to believe
that the crime would not lead to war.
[Illustration: Montenegrin Artillery in Action.
_Photo, Daily Mirror._
Montenegro is the smallest kingdom in Europe, and consists of lofty
highlands of gray, broken rock. The Montenegrins are said to be the
finest and strongest race in Europe. They are born warriors, and their
average height is six feet. They are of kindred race to the Serbians,
and in this great war they have thrown in their lot with them.]
As soon, however, as the German garners were full the Austro-Hungarian
Government was urged to send to Serbia a series of demands such as had
never been presented to a civilized and independent power before. They
were meant to provoke Russia, and to drag her into the quarrel. What
were these demands? Mr. Lloyd-George has told us, in the following
burning words:--
"What were the Austrian demands? Serbia sympathized with her
fellow-countrymen in Bosnia. That was one of her crimes. She
must do so no more. Her newspapers were saying nasty things
about Austria. They must do so no longer.... Serbian newspapers
must not criticize Austria.... Serbia said: 'Very well; we will
give orders to the newspapers that they must not criticize
Austria in future, neither Austria, nor Hungary, nor anything
that is theirs.' Who can doubt the valour of Serbia when she
undertook to tackle her newspaper editors? She promised not to
sympathize with Bosnia, promised to write no critical articles
about Austria. She would have no public meetings at which
anything unkind was said about Austria. That was not enough. She
must dismiss from her army officers whom Austria should
subsequently name. But those officers had just emerged from a
war where they were adding lustre to the Serbian arms--gallant,
brave, efficient. I wonder whether it was their guilt or their
efficiency that prompted Austria's action. Serbia was to
undertake in advance to dismiss them from the army, the names to
be sent on subsequently. Can you name a country in the world
that would have stood that?"
How did Serbia face the situation thus engineered? Listen again to Mr.
Lloyd-George:--
"It was a difficult situation for a small country. Here was a
demand made upon her by a great military Power who could put
five or six men in the field for everyone she could; and that
Power supported by the greatest military Power in the world. How
did Serbia behave? It is not what happens to you in life that
matters; it is the way in which you face it. And Serbia faced
the situation with dignity. She said to Austria: 'If any
officers of mine have been guilty and are proved to be guilty, I
will dismiss them.' Austria said: 'That is not good enough for
me.' It was not guilt she was after, but capacity. Then came
Russia's turn. Russia has a special regard for Serbia. She has a
special interest in Serbia. Russians have shed their blood for
Serbian independence many a time. Serbia is a member of her
family, and she cannot see Serbia maltreated. Austria knew that.
Germany knew that, and Germany turned round to Russia and said:
'I insist that you shall stand by with your arms folded whilst
Austria is strangling your little brother to death.' What answer
did the Russian Slav give? He gave the only answer that becomes
a man. He turned to Austria and said: 'You lay hands on that
little fellow, and I will tear your ramshackle empire limb from
limb.'"
The object of the Kaiser was achieved--the quarrel between Austria and
Russia was now likely to provoke a European war. Our Foreign Minister,
Sir Edward Grey, worked night and day to bring the estranged Powers to
peaceful agreement, and he so far succeeded that on the 30th July
Austria showed signs of drawing back. At once the Kaiser saw that all
his hopes were likely to be shattered. That same evening he took steps
which made war certain. He ordered Russia to cease all warlike
preparations within twelve hours, and France within eighteen hours.
Before France had returned an answer to this impudent demand, his Uhlans
were over her border.
The Germans began the campaign absolutely certain of victory. While all
the talk of peace was going on, their General Staff was poring over maps
of the future battlefields. France was to be overwhelmed by a mighty
rush; she was to be beaten to the ground before her armies could be
marshalled in strength. Short, sharp, and sudden was to be the blow; and
when France lay at her conqueror's feet, the victorious legions would be
entrained for the eastern front in sufficient time to meet the
slow-moving Russians, who could be easily held up by the Austrians until
the main German armies were free to assail them. The Germans believed
that when Russia found herself alone in the struggle some arrangement
could be made with her so that thenceforth she would not stand in the
way of their ambitious schemes.
Such was the plan of campaign, and it will readily be seen that any long
delay in invading and subduing France would enable the Russian millions
to be arrayed on the eastern frontier, and to carry war into Germany and
Austria. Consequently, no time was available in which to besiege the
barrier fortresses on the eastern frontier of France, and to push
through the difficult country behind them. The quickest and easiest
route to the heart of France had to be taken, and that lay through the
Belgian plain, which was so well supplied with railways that food and
munitions from the German bases could readily reach the invading armies
as they pushed forward. Belgium, it was true, had been guaranteed
freedom from invasion by a treaty to which Prussia was a party; but in
the opinion of the German Government military necessity overrode all
such engagements and reduced them to mere "scraps of paper." Belgium, it
was thought, would make little or no resistance. She had but few trained
soldiers, and these were ill-equipped. She had powerful fortresses on
her frontier, but there were not enough men to garrison them properly,
and there was a grave lack of ammunition for the guns. Even if the
fortresses did resist, the Germans were prepared with a plan to deal
with them.
So Belgium was invaded, and this terrible breach of faith on the part of
the Germans shocked all neutral nations. Great Britain had been the
leading Power in neutralizing Belgium, and she could not in honour
desert the little country which was ready to fight to the death for its
independence. Nor dared she stand by with folded arms and see France
overcome. A victorious Germany in possession of Antwerp and the Channel
ports of France would be in a very favourable position to attack British
shores. Should Germany become master of the west of Europe, the
existence of the British Empire would be in dire peril. Britain,
therefore, was compelled by dictates of honour and self-preservation to
declare war on Germany.
This declaration of war was a great blow to Germany; it upset all her
calculations. It brought into the struggle not only the greatest naval
Power in the world, but the unrivalled riches and resources of the
British Empire. The British army which could be sent overseas was so
small as to seem negligible to the Germans; but they could not shut
their eyes to the fact that the British Empire, with its 417 millions of
inhabitants, could, in the course of time, array colossal forces against
them. In the meantime the British could, by means of their navy,
paralyze German sea-power, and sweep German commerce from the seas, and
at the same time, out of the abundance of their riches, find plentiful
sinews of war for their Allies. Our declaration of war was bitterly
resented in Germany, and a flood of hate against all things British
began to sweep over the country.
[Illustration: German Soldiers leaving Berlin for the Front.
An amateur artist is drawing a caricature of General Joffre on the side
of the carriage.]
On 2nd August Germany demanded a free passage through Belgium; it was
refused, and two days later the enemy was swarming across the frontier.
Within ten days the great barrier forts of Liége were crushed into
shapeless ruin by shells of such explosive power that neither steel nor
concrete could resist them. Within a fortnight the greater part of
Belgium was in German hands. Brussels was entered and occupied, and two
and a half million men were ready to fall like an avalanche on France.
The French Commander-in-Chief was faced by an appalling problem. With
forces numbering one-half of those launched against him, he had to await
the German attack on a frontier 500 miles long. He was uncertain as to
where the main blow would fall. Accordingly he followed Napoleon's
advice: "Engage everywhere, and then see." He engaged in Alsace; but the
main forces of the enemy were not there. He engaged in Lorraine, and in
the third week of August suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the
Bavarians, though he was still able to keep the field in that province.
On 23rd August, when the Battle of Nancy was raging, the avalanche fell
on the line of the Sambre and Meuse, where French armies were arrayed to
meet the shock. Namur, the pivot of the defending armies, fell; its
forts were blown to atoms by the great howitzers which unwisely had been
permitted to come within range. An unexpected army of Saxons pierced the
Allied centre, and the French were forced to retreat rapidly or suffer
destruction. The northern gate to Paris was now forced, and the eastern
gate in Lorraine was threatened. For a moment it seemed that the Germans
had won the campaign in two battles.
France had reserves, but they were far away in Alsace, in Burgundy,[3]
and behind Paris. They could not be brought to the front in time to
retrieve disaster, so the beaten armies had to hasten southwards towards
their reserves.
The Germans pushed southwards with incredible speed. The British, on the
left of the French, had been left unsupported, and overwhelming numbers
of the enemy were striving might and main to envelop them. They were in
grave peril, and at any moment the right flank in Lorraine might be
turned, and the retreating French be caught between two fires. There was
nothing for it but swift and desperate retreat, until a line could be
reached on which a stand was possible. Here and there, during the rapid
retirement, the French gained local successes, which might have tempted
them to halt and put their fortune to the test once more. But the French
Commander-in-Chief was proof against the temptation. He held firmly to
his plan, and continued the long and depressing retreat.
[Illustration: A Hand-to-hand Fight during the Battle of the Marne.
_By permission of the Sphere._
The action here illustrated took place on the South bank of the Marne,
where the Germans found themselves attacked by French colonial troops.
The Germans were soon beaten back, after a fierce affray amidst burning
houses and broken barricades.]
Upon the devoted British fell the full force of the German shock.
Hopelessly outnumbered, and with the enemy on three sides, they
nevertheless struggled out of van Kluck's grasp, and made a fighting
retreat that will go down to posterity as one of the finest feats known
to the history of warfare. Terrible were their losses, as were those of
the French armies on their right; but they were still unbroken, and were
still capable of striking hard when the Allied line should be knitted up
anew. In the early days of September this was accomplished; the whole
Allied line lay extended from the southern outskirts of Paris eastwards
to Verdun. It had been welded into strength by misfortune; it had taken
the measure of the foe, and was eager for revenge.
To the Germans it appeared that Paris had been abandoned, and in Berlin
men confidently declared that the war was over, and that only the fruits
of victory remained to be reaped. Von Kluck, sweeping irresistibly
towards the capital, believed that he had only wearied and broken foes
before him. He had good reason for this belief, for he could not
conceive that any armies could have retreated so rapidly and suffered so
severely and yet remain fit to oppose him. He was full of confidence,
but it was the confidence of ignorance. He was totally unaware that a
new army, fresh and unwearied, was silently concentrating in the streets
of Paris.
In Britain there were the worst of forebodings. The Allied armies had
been driven back helter-skelter with a terrible tale of losses, and von
Kluck was within gunshot of the outer forts of the French capital. The
5th of September was the darkest hour before the dawn. Everywhere the
Allied armies seemed to be on the verge of disaster. Von Kluck was
wheeling his right in order to envelop the 5th French Army; farther east
the Würtembergers were striking hard at the French centre; the Crown
Prince, to the south of Verdun, was waiting for the huge siege guns with
which he hoped to batter down the defences of that great fortress;
Maubeuge was at its last gasp; and at Nancy the Bavarians, under the eye
of the Kaiser himself, were preparing to break through the eastern
barrier. The man in the street at home could only stifle his feelings of
dismay, and hope that by some miracle victory might yet be snatched from
the jaws of defeat.
[Illustration: Motor-cyclist Dispatch Rider breaking through a Patrol of
Uhlans.
_By permission of The Sphere._
The motor-cyclist enables communications to be kept up, and messages to
be sent to and from headquarters all along the far-extended lines of the
Allies. Adventures similar to that illustrated above were common in the
early stages of the war.]
So far the war had been one unbroken triumph for Germany. She had
succeeded even beyond the expectations of her people at home. Fortress
after fortress had fallen; victory after victory had been won; the
capital of France was at her mercy; prisoners had been captured in huge
numbers, and guns by the score. To crown all, just as Sedan Day was
approaching and the fall of Paris was hourly expected, the news arrived
that von Hindenburg had won an astounding victory at Tannenberg, in
Eastern Prussia. The whole German nation went mad with delight. Its
wildest ambitions were about to be realized.
One short week later there was a sudden and dramatic change in the
aspect of affairs. The Allies had made a leap forward; von Kluck, beaten
and outflanked, was being harried northward through the woods of
Compiègne; von Buelow, with his famous Guards reduced to half their
strength, was hurrying towards the Aisne; the Duke of Würtemberg, foiled
in his attacks on the French centre, was in sullen retreat; Verdun was
still intact; and in Lorraine the Kaiser had seen the White Cuirassiers
of Bavaria hurled back in confusion from the French line. The avalanche
had fallen, but it had failed to overwhelm the Allied armies. The
Germans were now, for the first time, tasting the bitterness of forced
retreat.
Back they were thrust, but not in rout, to the plateau beyond the Aisne,
where, in a position of great strength, they were forced to fight,
against all their traditions, on the defensive. For weeks they were
besieged, but day by day their entrenchments were strengthened until
they resembled fortresses. All the courage and skill and patience of the
attackers could not bolt them from these burrows by means of frontal
attacks. Then an attempt was made to outflank them by a northward
movement of the Allied left. As this movement proceeded, a similar
manoeuvre was begun by the foe. Each side attempted to outflank the
other, and a feverish race set in for the North Sea, where both flanking
movements must perforce end. Three French armies were strung out
northwards as far as the La Bassée canal; the British army was
transferred from the Aisne to fill the gap beyond; and a new army was
collected and hurried to the assistance of the Belgians, who extended
the line to the sea. The Allies just won the race, and the Germans found
themselves besieged once more, this time on a line of trenches some 450
miles in length. For months to come they strove to break through the
Allied lines; with what success future pages of this history will tell.
Such, in brief outline, is the story which has been told in our two
former volumes. It is the story of the most ruthless and determined
assault that has ever been made upon the liberties of mankind in the
whole history of the world. We see master minds plotting and planning
for long, secret years, watching and waiting for an occasion to swoop
down upon unsuspecting neighbours and rob them of life and freedom and
the fruits of their toil. We see them launching millions of men, armed
with every death-dealing device that fiendish ingenuity can frame,
against a little peaceful people that dares to stand in their way. The
earth shakes with the roar of gigantic guns and the thunderclaps of
bursting shells. Fortresses crumble to shapeless ruin; homesteads are
given to the flames; temples of God are profaned and despoiled;
monuments of art and piety are blotted out; cities are shattered; young
and old, man, woman, and child, are given to the sword, and wherever the
battle has raged there are ghastly heaps of dead and dying, "friend and
foe in one red burial blent."
Onward sweep the conquering legions, with pillars of cloud by day and
pillars of fire by night, and it would seem that nothing human could
give them pause. Armies recoil before them; but strive as they may, they
cannot overwhelm them. Victory sits upon their banners, when suddenly
those whom they have hunted and harried across the fair fields of France
spring forward with undaunted fire and vigour, and the torrent is
stayed. Then it is swept back, and soon the invaders are hemmed in by a
ring of steel, against which they fling themselves in baffled rage like
a trapped tiger against the bars of his cage.
Such is the story of seventy-seven days of bloodshed, horror,
destruction, and woe--days which can never be forgotten while the memory
of man endures.
[Footnote 1:] _Ar-twa´_, former province of France, now forming the
greater part of the department Pas-de-Calais. Its name is derived from
Arras, its capital.]
[Footnote 2: The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world. It was a huge figure of brass one hundred and twenty feet
high, and it strode across the harbour mouth.]
[Footnote 3: This old province of France lies between the Aube on the
north, the Rhone on the south, the Meuse on the east, and the Loire on
the west.]