December 1915

December

• 01

  • Bulgarians take PrizrenIn late November 1915 the Bulgarian 3rd Division took Prizren, the last seat of Serbian authority at home, with thousands of prisoners and vast booty.
  • Italy announces its accession to the Pact of LondonOn 1 December 1915 Sonnino told the Chamber of Deputies, reopened after six months, that Italy had joined the Pact of London, and pledged help for Serbia.
• 02

  • Bulgarians take BitolaIn early December 1915 Bulgarian cavalry entered Bitola, the second city of Serbian Macedonia. Its defenders fell back not to Salonika but to Albania.
  • French abandon KrivolakIn early December 1915 the French withdrew from Krivolak and the loop of the Vardar and Crna Reka before the Bulgarians could strike at them.
• 03

  • British reach KutOn 3 December 1915 Townshend's exhausted division entered Kut after the retreat from Ctesiphon. Townshend decided to defend the town and await relief.
  • Joffre becomes commander-in-chief of the French armiesOn 3 December 1915 a decree was published making Joffre commander of all French armies, including at Salonika and the Dardanelles, but not in North Africa.
  • Serbian government in ScutariIn early December 1915 the Serbian government and high command began working in Scutari, a town held by Montenegro, where the remnants of the army gathered.
• 04

  • US demands recall of Boy-Ed and PapenOn 4 December 1915 Lansing confirmed by note the demand to recall the German attachés Boy-Ed and Papen, linked by Washington to illegal acts in America.
• 05

  • Fighting at Demir KapijaOn 5–6 December 1915 the French rearguard held the Vardar gorge at Demir Kapija. The Bulgarians tried to outrun them through the mountains and cut them off.
  • Townshend prepares the defence of KutFrom 4–5 December 1915 Townshend's division dug in at Kut. Over 6,000 inhabitants stayed in the town, and supplies were expected to last two months.
• 06

  • Austro-Hungarian squadron shells DurrësOn 6 December 1915 the cruiser Helgoland and destroyers sank sailing vessels carrying supplies for the Serbs, some at Durrës. A day earlier Novara raided Medua.
  • Capture of PećIn early December 1915 the Austro-Hungarians took Montenegrin Peć, through which the main Serbian forces had retreated, and found nearly 100 hidden guns there.
  • British economic pressure on GreeceOn 6 December 1915 Britain placed Greece under export restrictions. Halted supplies and detained ships were meant to force Athens to make concessions.
  • Second Chantilly ConferenceOn 6–8 December 1915, at Joffre's headquarters in Chantilly, the Allied commanders agreed on simultaneous offensives on all the main fronts in 1916.
• 07

  • Key eventSiege of Kut beginsOn 7 December 1915 Ottoman troops began to surround Kut, where Townshend's division stood at bay. Nureddin called on the British to surrender.
  • 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.
• 08

  • Order to evacuate Suvla and AnzacOn 8 December 1915 an order from London reached the Dardanelles. The Cabinet had decided to evacuate Suvla and Anzac and to hold Cape Helles for the time being.
  • Bulgarians take Debar and OhridIn early December 1915 the Bulgarians took Debar and Ohrid on the western edge of Serbian Macedonia. The last Serbian units were retreating there into Albania.
• 09

  • Sarrail demands the withdrawal of Greek troops from SalonikaOn 9 December 1915 General Sarrail put the Entente's demands to a Greek envoy. He wanted to fortify Salonika, remove the Greeks and take over Fort Karaburun.
• 10

  • End of the Fourth Battle of the IsonzoThe British chronology ends the Fourth Battle of the Isonzo on 10 December 1915. A day earlier the last major Italian attack on Monte San Michele had collapsed.
  • Germany recalls Boy-Ed and PapenOn 10 December 1915 Bernstorff told Lansing that the Kaiser had recalled the attachés Boy-Ed and Papen. For several days Berlin had first demanded explanations.
  • Castelnau becomes Joffre's chief of staffOn 10 December 1915 General Noël de Castelnau, who had led the Champagne offensive, became chief of staff and deputy to Joffre, the French commander-in-chief.
• 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.
  • Yuan Shikai accepts the throneOn 11 December 1915 China's Council of State announced the vote for monarchy and offered Yuan Shikai the throne. He declined, and accepted it the next day.
• 12

  • Von der Goltz takes command in MesopotamiaOn 12 December 1915 Field Marshal Colmar von der Goltz reached Nureddin's headquarters before besieged Kut and forbade further assaults, opting for a blockade.
• 13

  • Clash at Wadi SenabFrom 11 to 13 December 1915 a column from Mersa Matruh twice fought the Senussi. The Senussi forces were driven off, but Lieutenant-Colonel Snow was killed.
  • Easing of pressure on GreeceOn 13 December 1915 London partly eased its economic pressure on Greece. Greek ships were released, but supplies of goods to Greece were still restricted.
• 14

  • Russians take HamadanOn 14 December 1915 Baratov's corps took Hamadan. Persian gendarmes and volunteers, routed at the Sultan Bulagh pass, gave up the town without further fighting.
  • Bulgarian-Greek neutral zoneIn mid-December 1915 Bulgaria and Greece agreed on a neutral strip along the border. Both sides' troops were to pull back two kilometres to avoid clashes.
• 15

  • Last Entente troops leave MacedoniaIn mid-December 1915 the last Entente troops left Serbian Macedonia. The Bulgarians halted at the Greek border and the Allies fell back towards Salonika.
  • Ottoman troops occupy Qasr-e ShirinOn 15 December 1915 Ottoman troops took Qasr-e Shirin on the Persian border. The Turks were coming to help the Germans and Persian émigrés against the Russians.
  • Resignation of John FrenchUnder 15 December 1915 a chronology records Field Marshal French's resignation. The government forced him to give up the British command in France after Loos.
• 17

  • Sinking of the cruiser BremenOn 17 December 1915 the German light cruiser Bremen struck Russian mines off Windau and sank with the torpedo boat V 191. Some 200–250 sailors died.
  • Loss of the airship LZ 39On 17 December 1915 Russian artillery hit the German airship LZ 39 over Rovno. The crew managed to land near Lutsk, but the ship could not be saved.
• 19

  • Key eventStart of the evacuation of Suvla and AnzacOn the night of 18/19 December 1915 half of the last garrisons left Suvla and Anzac. Next day the remaining troops staged an ordinary day for the Turks.
  • Haig becomes commander of British forces in FranceOn 19 December 1915 General Douglas Haig took over command of the British Expeditionary Force from John French. He was to command it until the end of the war.
• 20

  • End of the evacuation of Suvla and AnzacIn the early hours of 20 December 1915 the last troops left Suvla and Anzac. The Turks discovered the withdrawal only after dawn; Allied losses were negligible.
  • Italians occupy DurrësIn mid-December 1915 the Italian Savona Brigade reached Durrës in Albania from Vlorë. The port was to cover the supply and evacuation of the Serbian army.
• 22

  • Kiggell replaces RobertsonOn 22 December 1915 Gen. Launcelot Kiggell became Chief of the General Staff of the BEF in succession to William Robertson, who was leaving for London.
  • Resignation of Archibald MurrayOn 22 December 1915 Gen. Archibald Murray stepped down as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. He left behind a plan to concentrate forces in France.
• 23

  • British boats on Lake TanganyikaOn 23 December 1915 the British motor boats Mimi and Toutou, brought from England across half of Africa by rail, tractor and river, took to Lake Tanganyika.
  • William Robertson becomes Chief of the Imperial General StaffOn 23 December 1915 General William Robertson became Chief of the Imperial General Staff, on condition that he, not Kitchener, advised the cabinet on strategy.
  • British blacklistOn 23 December 1915 a British act allowed trade to be banned with firms in neutral countries linked to the enemy. Their names were to be put on a blacklist.
• 24

  • Resignation of Mostowfi ol-MamalekOn 24 December 1915 Persian prime minister Mostowfi ol-Mamalek resigned. He failed to bring the deputies back from Qom, and the Russians took town after town.
• 25

  • Christmas Eve assault on KutOn 24 December 1915 the Turks made their biggest assault on the Kut fort. Fighting lasted into the night; on Christmas Day the defenders held the ruined fort.
  • Clash at Wadi MajidOn Christmas Day 1915 the Western Frontier Force attacked the Senussi camp near Mersa Matruh and drove the order's forces out of Wadi Majid.
  • Farmanfarma becomes prime minister of PersiaAt the end of December 1915 Prince Abdol-Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma of the Qajar dynasty, long tied to the British, became prime minister of Persia.
• 26

  • Capture of the gunboat KinganiOn 26 December 1915 the British motor boats Mimi and Toutou caught the German gunboat Kingani on Lake Tanganyika. After 11 minutes her crew surrendered.
  • British treaty with Ibn SaudOn 26 December 1915 Percy Cox signed a treaty with Ibn Saud at Darin. London recognised him as ruler of Najd and al-Hasa and took control of his foreign policy.
• 28

  • Order to evacuate Cape HellesOn 28 December 1915 the order to evacuate Cape Helles, the last British bridgehead on the Gallipoli peninsula, reached the Dardanelles.
• 29

  • Austro-Hungarian raid on DurrësOn 29 December 1915 the cruiser Helgoland and five destroyers raided Durrës. Two destroyers sank on mines and the rest barely escaped pursuit.
  • Draft rules for an inter-allied war councilUnder 29 December 1915 a British chronology records the adoption of draft rules for an allied war council. Briand struck a permanent secretariat out of them.
  • Möwe sails on her first cruiseOn 29 December 1915 the auxiliary cruiser Möwe, disguised as a freighter, put to sea from Wilhelmshaven to lay mines and sink Allied ships.
• 30

  • Sarrail arrests the Central Powers' consulsAfter an air raid on Salonika on 30 December 1915, Gen. Sarrail had the consuls of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey arrested and expelled.
  • Explosion of the cruiser NatalOn 30 December 1915 the British cruiser Natal blew up in the Cromarty Firth. About 400 people died, including women and children visiting the ship.
• 31

  • Indian troops leave the DardanellesThe British chronology records that on 31 December 1915 the last units of Indian Expeditionary Force G sailed from the Dardanelles for Egypt.