France
France in the First World War →Tag
(541)1915
January
February
March
- 17
- France lays claim to Syria and CiliciaIn mid-March 1915 France demanded Syria and Cilicia for itself after the war. It was the price of its consent to Russian rule over Constantinople.
- Hamilton takes command at the DardanellesOn 17 March 1915 General Ian Hamilton reached Tenedos and conferred with Admiral de Robeck. The fleet still wanted to try to force the Straits on its own.
- End of the First Battle of ChampagneOn 17 March 1915 the French broke off their offensive in Champagne. After three months of fighting they had gained a strip 2–3 km deep, losing over 90,000 men.
April
- 12
- First advance on JaundeIn April 1915 Col. Mayer's columns set out from Edea towards Jaunde, the capital of German Kamerun. On 14 April they fought their way across the Kele river.
- Paris agrees to a Russian ConstantinopleIn April 1915 France was the last to agree that Russia should receive Constantinople and the Straits after the war, on condition that its own plans were met.
May
June
- 28
- End of the first advance on YaoundéOn 28 June 1915 German attacks on Col. Mayer's troops, withdrawn to the Kele line, ceased. The failed advance on Yaoundé cost the Allies over 300 casualties.
- Allies take NgaundereOn 28 June 1915 Lt-Col. Webb-Bowen's column fought its way in a storm onto the plateau near Ngaundere in Kamerun. Next day the Allies took the town unopposed.
July
August
September
- 25
- Key eventThird Battle of Artois beginsOn 25 September 1915 the French Tenth Army again attacked Vimy Ridge. The left wing reached Souchez, but on the rest of the front the attack broke down.
- Key eventSecond Battle of Champagne beginsOn 25 September 1915 two French armies attacked in Champagne. They took the German first line and 14,000 prisoners, but the second position stopped the attack.
October
- 08
- End of the Battle of LoosOn 8 October 1915 the Germans tried to retake Loos and their lost trenches. The Allies repulsed them, and British nomenclature ends the battle that day.
- Germans take the Gauala ridgeOn the night of 8/9 October 1915 the besieged Mora mountain garrison took the Gauala ridge, from which the Allies had shelled German positions for a year.
- 13
- First clashes between the French and the BulgariansIn mid-October 1915 the French moved from Salonika up the Vardar into Serbia. They first fought the Bulgarians on 21 October near Strumica station.
- Théophile Delcassé resignsOn 13 October 1915 the French foreign minister Théophile Delcassé finally stepped down. He left ill, after the failure of Entente diplomacy in Bulgaria.
- 19
- Bulgarians take ŠtipAround 19 October 1915 the Bulgarians advancing down the Bregalnica valley took Štip, opening the Ovče Pole and the road to the Vardar and the Salonika railway.
- Japan joins the Pact of LondonOn 19 October 1915 Japan acceded to the Pact of London of 1914. It undertook not to conclude a separate peace with Germany.
- 21
- Bombardment of DedeagachOn 21 October 1915 British, French and Russian ships shelled the Bulgarian port of Dedeagach and the coast to Porto Lagos, wrecking barracks and rolling stock.
- Bulgarians take VelesAround 20 October 1915 Bulgarian cavalry took Veles on the Vardar. The Salonika–Skopje railway was cut and the Serbs were cut off from the French.
- 24
- Fighting begins at KrivolakIn late October 1915 the French 57th Division reached Krivolak on the Vardar, 30 km from Veles. It met the Bulgarians there but never reached the Serbs.
- McMahon's letter to the Sharif of MeccaOn 24 October 1915 Sir Henry McMahon promised the Sharif of Mecca British recognition of Arab independence. The letter's reservations are still disputed.
- 29
- Fall of the Viviani governmentOn 29 October 1915 René Viviani's government fell. After Balkan setbacks and failed offensives he could not reshape his cabinet and gave way to Briand.
- Millerand leaves the Ministry of WarOn 29 October 1915 War Minister Alexandre Millerand, criticised for munitions shortages and deference to Joffre, left office with Viviani's government.
- 30
- Second clash at KrivolakAt the end of October 1915 the Bulgarians attacked the French bridgehead on the Kara Hodjali heights above the Vardar. After a grenade fight they were repulsed.
- Aristide Briand becomes prime minister of FranceOn 30 October 1915 France had a new government. Aristide Briand became prime minister and foreign minister and brought veteran politicians into his cabinet.
- Joseph Gallieni becomes minister of warOn 30 October 1915 General Joseph Gallieni, defender of Paris in 1914, became minister of war in Briand's government. He accepted the post very reluctantly.
November
December
- 07
- Fighting at KosturinoOn 7 December 1915, in thick fog, the Bulgarians broke the front of the British 10th Division at Kosturino. The British retreat from Serbian Macedonia began.
- Reports of a French agreement with the Netherlands Overseas TrustThe British chronology states that on 7 December 1915 France concluded an agreement with the Netherlands Overseas Trust. Other sources do not confirm this.
- 11
- Bulgarians take Dojran and GevgelijaOn 11–12 December 1915 the French and British withdrew into Greece and the Bulgarians entered Dojran and Gevgelija. The pursuit stopped at the border.
- Greece rejects the Entente demandOn 11 December 1915 Athens replied to the Allies. The Greeks kept Salonika and Fort Kara Burun but promised not to hinder the Allied defence of the city.