October 1915

October

• 01

  • Start of the "Fokker Scourge"In autumn 1915 German Fokker monoplanes with a machine gun firing through the propeller gave Germany air superiority over the Western Front.
• 02

  • End of the battle of VilnaOn 2 October 1915 the front east of Vilna settled between Lakes Drysviaty and Naroch and Smorgon. The German attempt to outflank the Russians had failed.
  • Venizelos asks for an Allied landing at SalonikaOn 2 October 1915 Venizelos asked France and Britain to send troops to Salonika at once. A day earlier he had ordered the ships bound there to turn back.
• 03

  • First Entente troops sail for SalonikaBy 3 October 1915 the Allies had Greece's written consent to a landing. The first ships carrying Entente troops left Mudros for Salonika.
  • E19 attacks the steamer SvioniaOn 3 October 1915 the British submarine E19 stopped and shelled the German steamer Svionia off Rügen. The abandoned ship ran aground on rocks near Sassnitz.
• 04

  • Entente ultimatum to BulgariaOn 4 October 1915 the Russian minister in Sofia gave Radoslavov 24 hours to break with the Central Powers and send the German officers away from the army.
• 05

  • Key eventEntente landing at SalonikaOn 5 October 1915 the French 156th Division and British 10th Division began landing at Salonika to save Serbia, but that day Venizelos's government fell.
  • Venizelos resigns againOn 5 October 1915 King Constantine I refused to back Venizelos's policy, although Parliament had given him a vote of confidence. The premier resigned again.
  • Russia breaks off relations with BulgariaOn 5 October 1915 Sofia rejected the Russian ultimatum. Minister Savinsky announced the break in relations, and the Russian legation staff left Bulgaria.
  • Bernardino Machado takes office as presidentOn 5 October 1915, the fifth anniversary of the republic's proclamation, Bernardino Machado was sworn in as President of Portugal, succeeding Teófilo Braga.
• 06

  • Key eventCentral Powers attack SerbiaOn 6 October 1915 Mackensen's guns opened fire along the Sava, Danube and Drina, and the first Austro-Hungarian units crossed. The conquest of Serbia began.
  • Alexandros Zaimis becomes prime minister of GreeceOn 6 October 1915, a day after Venizelos resigned, Alexandros Zaimis was forming a new government in Athens. Its members opposed war on Serbia's side.
  • Constantine gives assurances of Greek neutralityIn early October 1915 King Constantine I assured the British minister that Greece would stay neutral. Mobilisation and the Entente landing were to go on.
• 07

  • Crossing of the Sava and the DanubeOn 7 October 1915 the Germans and Austrians crossed the Sava and the Danube at several points from Progar to Ram. The Serbs failed to throw them back.
  • British occupy BirjandOn 7 October 1915 Indian troops of the East Persia Cordon reached Birjand, where their sector met the Russian one. Lt-Col. Dale set up his headquarters there.
• 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.
  • Greece declares armed neutralityOn 8 October 1915 the Zaimis government told the Greek legations the country would keep armed neutrality. The army stayed mobilised but would not aid Serbia.
  • 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.
• 09

  • Capture of BelgradeOn 9 October 1915 the Serbs left their capital. The Habsburg flag flew over Kalemegdan, the Germans took the royal palace. Belgrade fell after three days.
  • Third skirmish at Hafiz KorIn early October 1915 troops from Peshawar again routed the Mohmands at Hafiz Kor. Armoured cars were used in combat in India for the first time.
  • Hunger in Warsaw and ŁódźOn 9 October 1915 the German police president in Warsaw issued rules on cards for bread and flour. Warsaw and Łódź had been living in want for months.
• 10

  • Greece rejects Serbia's request for helpOn 10 October 1915 the Zaimis government refused Serbia help against Bulgaria, holding that the 1913 alliance did not cover a war with several powers at once.
• 11

  • Fighting between Bulgaria and Serbia beginsOn 11 October 1915 the first shots were fired on the Bulgarian-Serbian frontier. Bulgaria had not yet declared war, but its armies were ready to attack.
  • Capture of SmederevoOn 11 October 1915 the German 25th Reserve Division took Smederevo on the Danube. The British chronology credits the Austrians, but the Germans took the town.
  • Lord Derby takes over recruitingIn autumn 1915 Lord Derby, at Kitchener's request, took charge of recruiting for the British Army. He was to save the voluntary system from conscription.
• 12

  • Key eventExecution of Edith CavellOn 12 October 1915 the Germans shot the British nurse Edith Cavell in Brussels. She had helped Allied soldiers escape from occupied Belgium.
• 13

  • Airship raid on TheatrelandOn the evening of 13 October 1915 the airship L 15 bombed London's Theatreland. The raid by five airships killed 71 people and injured 128.
  • Britain breaks off relations with BulgariaIn mid-October 1915 Britain broke off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. The Bulgarian minister left London, and the Bulgarian army moved against Serbia.
  • 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.
  • Kikujirō Ishii becomes foreign ministerOn 13 October 1915 Kikujirō Ishii, ambassador in Paris, became Japan's foreign minister. A supporter of closer ties with the Entente, he took over from Ōkuma.
• 14

  • Key eventBulgaria and Serbia declare war on each otherOn 14 October 1915 Tsar Ferdinand issued a manifesto on war with Serbia. Bulgaria joined the Central Powers and struck at Serbia from the east.
• 15

  • Third Battle of Artois endsOn 15 October 1915 General d'Urbal ordered the 10th Army to fortify its gains for the winter. The French took Souchez, but Vimy Ridge stayed in German hands.
  • Britain declares war on BulgariaOn 15 October 1915 the Foreign Office announced that from 10 p.m. Britain was at war with Bulgaria, an ally of the Central Powers fighting Serbia.
  • Montenegro declares war on BulgariaOn 15 October 1915 Montenegro declared a state of war with Bulgaria. King Nicholas I's small monarchy stood by Serbia, now attacked from two sides.
  • Romania refuses to help SerbiaAccording to the British chronology, on 15 October 1915 Romania refused to help Serbia. Brătianu would not fight without a large Entente army in the Balkans.
  • Bulgarians take VranjeIn mid-October 1915 the Bulgarian Second Army reached Vranje on the South Morava and cut the Niš–Salonika railway, Serbia's main route to the Allies.
  • Charles Monro to succeed HamiltonOn 15 October 1915 Kitchener informed General Ian Hamilton that the government was recalling him from Gallipoli. His successor was to be General Charles Monro.
• 16

  • France declares war on BulgariaOn 16 October 1915, a day after Britain, France declared a state of war with Bulgaria. Paris faced a cabinet crisis; the Army of the Orient was landing.
  • Britain offers Cyprus to GreeceOn 16 October 1915 London offered to cede Cyprus to Greece. The only condition was that the Greek army be sent at once to help Serbia.
  • Blockade of Bulgaria's Aegean coastAt 6 a.m. on 16 October 1915 the Entente fleet began a blockade of Bulgaria's Aegean coast. Neutral ships were given 48 hours to leave.
• 17

  • Birdwood temporary commander at GallipoliOn 17 October 1915 General Ian Hamilton sailed from Imbros. Until General Monro arrived, the Gallipoli forces were commanded by General William Birdwood.
• 18

  • Start of the Third Battle of the IsonzoAt noon on 18 October 1915 more than a thousand Italian guns opened fire along the whole Isonzo front. The infantry was to go over to the assault on 21 October.
• 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.
  • Key eventRussia and Italy declare war on BulgariaOn 19 October 1915 Nicholas II's manifesto on war with Bulgaria, "betrayer of the Slav cause", was published. Italy also declared war on Bulgaria that day.
  • 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.
• 20

  • Greece rejects the offer of CyprusAccording to the British chronology, on 20 October 1915 the Zaimis government rejected the offer of Cyprus, thanking London but refusing to give up neutrality.
• 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.
• 22

  • Bulgarians take Kumanovo and SkopjeOn 22 October 1915 the Bulgarian 3rd Division entered Skopje, two days after taking Kumanovo. Serbia lost the most important road junction in its south.
  • Austro-Hungarians take ŠabacThe British chronology records the capture of Šabac under 22 October 1915. Austro-Hungarian Landsturm had entered the town unopposed on 20 October.
  • Legions capture KukleOn 22 October 1915 Rydz-Śmigły's legionaries took the village of Kukle in Volhynia, helping to close the gap a Russian attack had torn in the Styr front.
• 23

  • Sinking of the cruiser Prinz AdalbertOn 23 October 1915 the British submarine E8 torpedoed the armoured cruiser Prinz Adalbert off Libau. The ship blew up and three men survived.
• 24

  • Bulgarians take NegotinOn 24 October 1915 the Bulgarians took Negotin on the lower Timok. Two days later they met the Austrians on the Danube, opening the river route to Turkey.
  • 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.
• 27

  • Legions capture KamieniuchaOn 27 October 1915 the 6th Regiment of the Legions and German grenadiers took Kamieniucha in Volhynia in a night attack, capturing over 400 prisoners.
• 28

  • Wreck of the cruiser ArgyllOn 28 October 1915 the British cruiser Argyll ran onto the Bell Rock at night in a storm, because the lighthouse was unlit. Destroyers saved the whole crew.
  • Bryan Mahon takes command of British forces in the BalkansOn 28 October 1915 Gen. Bryan Mahon became commander of the British forces in the Balkans. His Irishmen in Salonika were only preparing to move into Serbia.
  • Charles Monro takes command at GallipoliOn 28 October 1915 General Charles Monro took command of the Gallipoli forces on Imbros. Three days later he advised London to evacuate the peninsula.
• 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.
  • Last meeting of the Dardanelles CommitteeOn 30 October 1915 the Dardanelles Committee met for the last time. Under pressure from Joffre it agreed to support the French in Macedonia.