One hundred years ago
today at the Siege
of Tsingtao naval history was made. Ships from the Japanese navy had
been facing off against the German and Austria-Hungarian ships station at Tsingtao. On September 4, 1914 the Japanese ship the IJN Wakamiya launched a seaplane which attempted to drop bombs
on German and
Austro-Hungarian ships. The bombs missed
but later attacks would achieve some success against sea and land targets.
This
was the first time an aerial attack had been launch from a naval ship. Interest
in naval aviation following the siege would lead Japan to construct the largest
fleet of aircraft carries in the world, which would play a pivotal role and
World War II.
In the Balkans Austria-Hungary
attempted a second major invasion of Serbia. The invasion quickly stalled when
if faced counter attacks by the Serbian army. But unlike the prior invasion the
Serbian army was not able to push the Austro-Hungarian army out of Serbia.
How
the war was being fought was staring to change. After crossing the rivers that
made the Serbian border with Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian soldiers dug trenches to provide them
with a defense position to fall back to. When the Austro-Hungarian invasion was forced
to retreat it retreated to these trenches. Each time the Serbians attacked the
entrenched Austro-Hungarians they were defeated. The Serbians had no choice but
to build trenches of their own to contain the Austro-Hungarians forces which
had crossed the border (and the protective rivers it consisted of) into their country.
Trench warfare would
be very hard on the Serbian army. It was chronically short on supplies and
ammunition and could not easily maintain sustained fighting. Also unlike the Austro-Hungarian
army which issued its soldiers waterproof boots, ideal in cold muddy trenches,
the Serbian army could only issue leather shoes to is soldiers. As the armies
faced off in opposing trenches, summer would turn to autumn, and autumn turn to
winter. All the while the Serbian army gradually weakened. Between fighting,
illness and injury the Serbian army was losing about 100 soldiers a day in the
trenches.
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