November 11, 1914

One hundred years ago today British forces attacked the Mesopotamian city of Basra (in modern day Iraq). By the end of November, Basra would be secured as would the British owned oil facilities along the Persian Gulf. However Ottoman forces would continue to attack the British held positions in Mesopotamia. As the war continued British forces would take territory with each counter attack, only to be attacked from positions further and further into Mesopotamia. By the end of the war the British mission to secure coastal oil facilities would result in the occupation of much of modern day Iraq.

Also on this day the final major action of 1914 on the Eastern Front began.
 

Since the beginning of the war the front line had seesawed back and forth across the region of modern day Poland and Ukraine. Austria-Hungary had successfully repelled a Russian invasion, only to launch an invasion into Russia that would itself be repelled. Resulting in a Russian counter attack that would invade deep into Austria-Hungary. To the north Russia invaded Germany only to be defeated, resulting in a German counter invasion into Russian territory which in turn would be repulsed.

With the German and Russian front relatively unchanged from the prewar border the Russians decided on this day to launch a major offensive deeper into Austria-Hungary, where the Russian had made better progress. Midway into November each nation had its own goals on the Eastern Front. Russia launched an offensive to try to cross the Carpathian mountain range and press deeper into Austria-Hungary. Germany launched a counter-offensive toward Warsaw while the Russians were busy attacking Austria-Hungary, and Austria-Hungary strove to hold the Carpathian mountain passes and halt the Russian advance.  

Fighting raged for well over month. All three nation's armies would suffer terribly due to the weather. Much of the battle was fought with temperatures well below freezing and causalities from frostbite and exposure were common. Fight in November until the end of the year would result in hundreds of thousands of casualties all sides, but the front lines would remain more or less static. The Germans would fail to reach Warsaw and the Russians would fail to cross the Carpathian mountains. With German assistance to the north the Austro-Hungarian army successfully halted the Russian advance but would not able to counterattack to reclaim lost territory.

This battle would set a pattern that would continue for the remainder of the war in the East. Austria-Hungary would have to rely on German assistance for any amount of success, the Germans would be unable to overcome the Russian's superior numbers, and the Russians would be unable to overcome superior German's training and equipment. The end result is that all three nations would be locked in a bloody deadlock, in which a military victory for either side would seem to remain just out of grasp.