------Mountjoy Prison Dublin 1715 hrs
Rommel had ordered an attack on this prison in the north of Dublin, hoping to turn it into a strongpoint anchoring his gains in that area and releasing more prisoners. This prison was normally used as a temporary holding facility for prisoners en route to other institutions and was not heavily guarded. Nevertheless the attack failed. Rommel ordered another. That failed as well. Angrily Rommel ordered the O'Rahilly to make a third attempt.
"With all due respect, Major, we are wasting men in these attacks. Surely with your cleverness you can come up with something."
"Are you being sarcastic, Lt?" bellowed Rommel so loud that it made the pain in his side worse.
"Not in the slightest, Major. On the contrary I said what I said with total sincerity because I have seen you perform miracles all too often."
For a few seconds Rommel glared harshly at the O'Rahilly. Finally his features softened and he replied, "Perhaps you are right. There is something we can try, but if it does not work, I want another assault. Is that clear?"
The O'Rahilly grinned, "Poifectly clear, Major."
In the next hour Rommel concentrated what forces he could around the prison and moved them around repeatedly making it look to the guards inside that the force was more than double what it was. The Irish Volunteers tried to do this without giving the guards a clean shot. This did not completely work. One of Rommel's men was killed and another badly wounded. However the end result was the constables and prison guards decided to surrender. The amount of Irish Volunteers inside turned out to be only eight, one of whom was lightly wounded. However five other prisoners asked to join as well. The rebels did capture 10 Lee-Enfield rifles and 14 pistols plus a fair bit of ammunition and a large amount of food. Already Rommel was starting to worry about the food situation inside Dublin. The rebel forces did not have much remaining. By this time more than half the population of Dublin had left the city. This was as much due to a growing food shortage as the fighting. Some of the refugees set up impromptu tent camps on the outskirts of the city while others wandered outside the county. Those who traveled at night were sometimes arrested for violating curfew but sometimes the constables with a mixture of pity and avarice saw fit to let some of the families go ahead if they were adequately bribed.
There was also a motor car and a van for prisoner transport as well as some petrol inside the prison. Rommel promptly added them to his motor pool. Still he was far from happy. "We have used way too much time to take this relatively minor objective," he said rebuking himself as well as the O'Rahilly.
Meanwhile on the south side of Dublin, Gen. Egerton had temporarily called a halt to the attacks they were trying to reopen the line of communication to Trinity College where his artillery was deployed. These had efforts had cost him nearly 600 more casualties and made only slight progress. Despite continuing pressure to show some concrete progress from Gen. Hamilton, Egerton decided to wait for nightfall before trying again.
------Old Admiralty Building 1735 hrs
The First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Edward Carson had just returned after spending most of the day at the House of Commons on account of the key votes taking place there this day. "What is the most important piece of news while I was away, admirals?" asked Carson with obvious apprehension.
"While transiting the Straits of Dover, the Grand Fleet was shelled by the German artillery positioned at Cape Gris Nez, First Lord," answered Adm. Callaghan, the First Sea Lord.
"Good heavens! How did this happen? We have known about them for some time. Why did the Grand Fleet come in range of them?"
"Admiral decided to use the deep channel between the Varne and Colbart Shoals, First Lord. Apparently he felt that the presence of mines in the Downs might mean additional mines might lay close inshore---a suspicion we have not yet corroborated. He felt that by having one of the flotillas lay a smoke screen where the fleet comes closest to the battery, he would be safe. The German guns however commenced firing with some effectiveness much earlier than he anticipated."
"Were the Germans able to score any hits at that great range?"
"Yes, First Lord, four in fact. Here is a synopsis of all of them," said the First Sea Lord as he pushed a manila folder to Carson, "You will see that the most serious damage was incurred by Dreadnought when one of her 12" guns was rendered inoperable after a turret roof was penetrated."
"The loss of a single 12" gun is significant but just barely. I do not think that this should alter our orders to Adm. Bayly in the slightest."
"Agreed. We will need to worry about these German guns at Cape Gris Nez more in the future, First Lord. Our predreadnoughts are highly vulnerable to plunging fire."
"The Germans may use these guns against large freighters in the Straits as well," added Adm. Jackson, "The deep channel between the shoals is the preferred route for all but the lightest ships."
"So the already restricted flow of coastal traffic through the Straits is going to be reduced still further?" said Carson, "There are already numerous complaints from some important industrialists in London that they cannot get enough raw materials."
"That is unfortunately all too true, First Lord, but right now our coastal traffic has even more serious problems to contend with. Right now we are not letting any of it depart. The same goes for our vessels plying the French trade," answered Callaghan.
"Which will very likely cause Clemenceau to complain soon," added Adm. Wilson.
Carson winced slightly and nodded, "Quite true, though I wish it were not. We all know that France relies heavily on our exports, esp. coal. However a few days interruption should not be critical. Right now I am more interested in our own imports. Immediately after Utsire we were extremely worried about the vulnerability of our sea traffic using the east coast ports. We tried to encourage shippers to use the west coast ports instead wherever possible, working on the assumption that the west coast was largely invulnerable. With the invasion of Ireland that assumption was rudely shattered. We halted departures from the west coast for several days and redirected the minority of inbound traffic equipped with wireless to what we regarded as the safer sea lanes heading to ports in eastern Scotland. This caused more than little bit of confusion and disruption. Goods were being delivered where they were not expected and nearly always had to be shipped again a long way by rail."
"Yes, and when we discovered that most of the German invasion fleet was cowering in the Shannon, we made one unsuccessful attempt to raid it with torpedo craft," Adm. Wilson commented, "after that failure we decided to lay our own minefield off the mouth of the Shannon and watch it with armed trawlers and 2 protected cruisers at all times. They have not spotted anything and neither have the trawlers that watch Tralee Bay. However we are still worried about the troubling possibility that other German warships were set loose raiding our sea lanes in the North Atlantic. Eventually we learned that the most powerful warships were indeed raiding our commerce in the North Atlantic when they turned up off the American coast. These have left the United States and almost certainly heading back to Europe."
"I have said before and will say it again it is highly likely that one of the light cruisers will detach from the main force and operate in the Caribbean," said Adm. Oliver, chief of the naval war staff.
"Possibly but that is still only a hunch, or is there some new intelligence you have been holding back from us, Adm. Oliver?" asked Carson.
"There is no new intelligence, First Lord, so it is a guess, but not a wild one."
"Yes, and I am certainly not dismissing it as a very real possibility, admiral. However the known facts are bad enough. Since the capture of the Lusitania the only merchantmen that have left either U.S. or Canadian ports have been a pair of large grain carriers out of Charleston. In addition to our munitions purchases from the Yanks, Canada is currently providing a goodly fraction of our artillery shells. At a point of time where our valiant army is being hard pressed in France---and Ireland as well---it is desperately short when it comes to ammunition. Furthermore elements of the 2nd Canadian Division are now ready to come over here, but we are too afraid to permit them to depart."
"We have discussed a transatlantic convoy, First Lord, for either the 2nd Canadian Division, freighters or both. We even considered using the 3 old predreadnoughts we currently have in Reserve Fleet for this purpose," said Adm. Jackson.
"And just why have they not been used?"
"The 3 German predreadnoughts with von Spee complicate matters, First Lord," replied Adm. Callaghan, "The predreadnoughts we currently have in Reserve Fleet belong to our oldest classes. We can hope that they are sufficiently strong to deter von Spee from wanting to engage them so far from his home base. But we cannot be sure, esp. since Coronel suggests otherwise."
"Hmm. We have talked about bringing more of our newer predreadnoughts back home from the Mediterranean," said Carson, "Maybe it is time to do more than talk. With the High Seas Fleet heading for Ireland the enemy has his blade at our jugular. Previously we focused our concern on the most important cargoes, such as munitions, petrol, rubber and nitrates. Those freighters we redirected to Invergordon and Inverness as much as possible which since the Irish invasion we now regard as being the least threatened. However we also decided that it is impossible to shift all of our transatlantic traffic---much less the French trade---through those ports. Meanwhile our need for food imports have increased. That is because a hefty portion of Britain's food imports came from Ireland and despite all our rosy prognostications about a tiny rebellion and a quick end to the invasion, I have was told by Lloyd-George just yesterday that flow has now been cut to less than half of what it should be. Of course we still hope that the disruption will soon be over soon but right now the food situation is starting to become worrisome. Compounding that I must remind you that Belfast is already experiencing food shortages and will need more food brought in by sea."
"As we have told you before, First Lord. We are well aware of the importance of Ulster and fully intend to see that its essential needs are met," replied Admiral Jackson. His tone of voice was somewhat testy. Carson had in the past 3 weeks been very insistent that the goal of reducing sea traffic around Ireland must not cause Ulster to wither. The senior admirals had been reminded ad nauseum that there were important naval shipyards in Ulster.
"Before we get too deeply into the needs of Belfast yet again," commented Adm. Callaghan also with a slight hint of sarcasm, "There is a more serious topic we need to address. We know that the High Seas Fleet is escorting the German second wave all the way to Ireland. What remains unclear is what they intend to do after the second wave is delivered. Will they promptly return to Germany or will they remain in the area trying to use Queenstown as their base?"
"The thought that they might be planning an extended stay in Ireland sends shivers down my spine, admiral," answered Carson who was willing to postpone talking about Ulster's needs, "Adm. Oliver, do you have any intelligence that might shed some light on this?"
Oliver made a wry face and shrugged, "Uh, not yet, First Lord."
"The possibility exists that the Germans do not have a fixed plan per se but are waiting to see what our response is, First Lord," said Adm. Wilson.
"Our response is forthcoming, Adm. Wilson. It is coming in the form of the Grand Fleet," replied Carson, "Adm. Bayly should be made well aware of what we expect from him."
"Even though it grates to say it, I should make it clear, First Lord, that I am not going to insist that Adm. Bayly must give battle. Another battle even half as bad as Utsire and we will find ourselves at the mercy of the Huns. Instead I am instructing Bayly to seek to gain a tactical advantage over the Germans wherever possible. The Germans are going to need to coal their flotillas very soon. If we can catch them with little or no screen we would have a strong advantage as Jellicoe found out to his sorrow when he let his own screen become too weak at Utsire."
Carson was not completely happy with that response, "I know full well that Adm. Bayly could well lose the war tomorrow afternoon. But I will not suffer the Germans to become the Master of Ireland and dominate our sea lanes! If Adm. Bayly does not give battle tomorrow afternoon then the need to refuel his own screen will compel him to head to a nearby base, giving the Germans still more time."
"What you say is very true, First Lord. Nevertheless better that than another disaster. For that reason I think it most unwise to override Adm. Bayly's freedom of action. In the history of the Empire never has so great a burden rested on the shoulders of one man. I do not intend to make that burden any heavier. He is already aware of what is at stake."
"I heartily concur with the First Sea Lord," added Adm. Wilson, "even though this does not sound very Nelsonian, now does it? I would therefore point out that even a relatively brief indecisive fleet action will have the beneficial effect of forcing the Germans to return home soon afterwards for ammunition and repairs."
Carson always had great respect for the admirals. "Adm. Jackson, do you concur with these sentiments?" he asked hoping to hear an opinion more to his liking.
"I do indeed, First Lord."
"And you, Adm. Oliver?"
Oliver paused. Carson thought he might want offer at least a slightly different opinion, but finally the chief of the naval staff gave his answer.
"So say we all, First Lord"
------High Seas Fleet (Celtic Sea) 1845 hrs
The High Seas Fleet encountered less sea traffic in the afternoon after passing to the east of the Scilly Islands. The largest prize they took was a 2,800 ton collier on its way back to Wales from St. Nazaire. Since it was empty and in not very condition to boot the Germans decided to sink her. After that their only prizes were a pair of trawlers. The larger of these could make almost 8 knots and her hold was more than three quarters filled with catch. After some spirited debate they decided to take her along but not the smaller one taken earlier.
------HQ Irish Command Curragh (Kildare) 1850 hrs
Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton was on the telephone with Gen. Wilson, the new commander of VI Army Corps. "I am sorry to report sir, that not only has the Welsh Division has failed to take Cork, but I have just received word from Gen. Friend that the Germans have turned his division's right flank and he feels compelled to withdraw."
"This is indeed most unfortunate. How far back does Gen. Friend feel that he needs to retreat before he has the situation stabilized?"
"Oh, this doesn't sound good," snarled Gen. Braithwaite in the background.
"He was talking about moving the Welsh Division all the way back to the outskirts of Fermoy, sir, and strongly suggested to me that the 10th Division form up at Mallow on his right flank after which he would then go back on the offensive," came Wilson's voice over the telephone, "I think he is overreacting and frankly told him so. I also ordered him to retreat no more than 5 miles and then mount a counterattack."
"I shall leave this up to you, Gen. Wilson. In any event it is painfully obvious that we have at least temporarily lost the initiative in the Battle of Cork."
"That is true but it should only be for a few hours, sir."
"Every hour is precious right now. I don't think I have to spell out why."
"Uh, that is not necessary, sir. I understand all too well. Might I ask if Gen. Egerton has crushed the accursed Papist swine in Dublin?"
"No, he has not. Therefore do not expect the Lowlands Division to be freed up as reinforcements tomorrow."
"That is most disappointing, sir. Are we still expecting to receive an additional division from Britain early tomorrow?"
"Yes, the 11th Infantry Division will be arriving, but there is some uncertainty whether it is safe for any of its components to land at Kingstown or whether it should be sent in its entirety to Belfast."
"In any case will all of the division be arriving tomorrow, sir?"
"No, according to the War Office it will be 2 brigades, 1 artillery brigade, the division staff , 1 engineer company, 2 ambulance companies, 2 supply companies and the signal company. "
"Will the rest of the division be arriving Sunday, sir?"
"That is far from clear right now. It is somewhat contingent on naval concerns. I am not going to be any more specific at this time for reasons which should be obvious."
"While the division is forming I intend to use one of its battalions to clear the rebels out of County Leitrim where the R.I.C. have proven completely ineffective. Gen. Stopford was completely negligent in letting that situation get completely out of hand. The same can be said about Athlone and Waterford. I will once again note that if even half of the U.V.F. were mobilized all of these outbreaks could have been crushed without distracting the Army from its struggle with the Germans."
"The decision to arm the U.V.F. will be made in London, Gen. Wilson---not at my headquarters and definitely not at yours."
------HQ Gendko Irland Kinsale (Cork) 1905 hrs
"General von François, our observation post at Kinsale Head had just reported seeing two German cruisers approaching from the south. It is now trying to communicate with them by searchlight."
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the general, "we will now move to the waterfront to greet our guests."
------Madrid 1935 hrs
Maj. Gen. Miguel Primo de Rivera had been mildly surprised when his octogenarian uncle, Capt. Gen. Don Fernando Primo de Rivera, the Marqués de Estalla, had invited him to accompany him to dinner with the Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato and the War Minister, Capt. Gen. Rámon Echagüe. The four of them dined in a private room of one of Madrid's finest restaurants. Miguel did not require an introduction to either minister as he had met both in the past, though only briefly. Nevertheless he felt deeply honored to be included and saw it as promising sign that his uncle to finally willing to pass the torch to him and retire.
Miguel decided that it was wiser to listen more than speak---at least initially---as he was the political lightweight in this group. It was also prudent to avoid drunkenness, a lesson some Spanish officers never learned. He therefore slowly sipped a dry oloroso sherry made not far from his hometown of Jerez. The prime minister seemed particularly gleeful, like an adolescent eager to tell his closest friends of a clever prank he had recently perpetrated.
"I saw the king this afternoon," said Dato, "He freely admitted that he had de Valera arrested. Says that he should have done so sooner."
"What does His Majesty intend to do with senor de Valera?" asked Fernando.
"The British government is strongly pressuring us to turn de Valera over to them."
"I take it that you counseled the king very strongly against taking such an unwise course," remarked Echagüe.
Dato grinned impishly, "On the contrary I encouraged him to do so as quickly as possible."
The War Minister choked on his sherry when he heard that. "You did not!" he hissed between anguished gulps.
"Oh yes I did, Rámon"
"But why?" asked Echagüe seconds before Fernando would've asked the same thing.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Echagüe and the elder de Rivera exchanged bewildered glances. Breaking his rule Miguel spoke up, "Perhaps you feel that His Majesty has miscalculated the impact of taking such a step, prime minister, and you feel that you will be able to exploit that somehow."
Dato turned to Miguel and nodded, "Yes, that is the essence of the matter, general. His Majesty did not want to hear anything more about de Valera. He will however be hearing a great deal more about de Valera."
"He certainly will, but I do not see how that helps us," asked Miguel's uncle.
"The Radical Republicans have begun to take an interest in Ireland. So have some of the Socialists, thanks in part to the late James Connolly and this loudmouthed Russian Jew the French dropped in our laps. Aliadofilisimo is fracturing and weakening, my friends."
"Yes it is, but is it enough to persuade the king to enter the war on the side of Germany?" asked the war minister.
"Persuade is not the right word, general. Drag is more like it. He insists that he is not going to break his promise to President Poincaré under any circumstances. Before the invasion of Ireland he conceded to me that he thought the Germans would probably win the war but it would take them another year to do so. He said that if and when a German victory seemed imminent he would tilt Spanish policy in their direction as well as offer to become their ally after the war."
"Interesting but what exactly does His Majesty mean by tilt in their favor?" asked Fernando.
"He is not sure himself but he did mention possibly assisting German agents in stirring up rebellion amongst the Berbers in French Morocco, even though that could mean more trouble for us in our own piece of Morocco," replied Dato, "However since the Germans invaded Ireland he is much less sure they are going to win after all. He regards the Irish invasion as their first big mistake."
"Yes, we all thought that at first---even though most of us we admired its boldness," said Fernando, "It is after all a strategy our nation tried when the Hidalgo spirit was still very much alive."
"Yes, but it was a strategy that ultimately failed not only for us but also for the French who used it later," commented Echagüe.
"And up until a week ago I too thought it was going to fail for the Germans as well," said the prime minister, "But now I am not so certain. Prime Minister Bonar Law's famous fortnight came and went Monday and the Germans are still holding on in Ireland. Meanwhile the rebellion of the Irish which the British first said was insignificant steadily grows to what looks to be dangerous levels. Dublin erupted Monday and the British still have not crushed it."
"I agree that the situation in Ireland bears watching," replied Echagüe, "So too does this so called Second Battle of Crecy Forest, which is not well named as that battle has long since moved well south of Crecy Forest. There is also word coming to us that the 'temporary' setback the British admitted suffering in Mesopotamia is much more severe than the British are admitting."
"A week ago I was deeply worried that the war would not reach its decisive end phase until after the turno system replaces me with the hopelessly aliadofilisimo Conde de Romanones. Now there appears to be a very pronounced quickening. Where it all leads is not clear but we must be ready to seize the moment when it comes," said Dato.
"Hmm. What do you suggest that we do?" asked Echagüe.
"I have several ideas that we should discuss. However let me start that by saying we need a very visible spokesman. One who can appeal to the peasants more than I ever could," said Dato who then turned to Miguel, "Gen. Primo de Rivera. There is a reason I asked your uncle to bring you along tonight."
-----Teschen 1950 hrs
Conrad now received a telephone call from Archduke Friedrich, "The Kaiser has asked that I brief him on the latest developments tomorrow morning. He is growing worried about the Bukovina, though he also is interested in Serbia and the start of your Galician offensive. Last I heard the Russians were still advancing in the Bukovina. Is that still true?"
Conrad ground his teeth in annoyance then answered, "Yes, Your Royal Highness, they are still advancing over a broad front but not as quickly as previously." This was in accord with what Gen. Pflanzer-Baltin, the commander of the Seventh Army had told him. "Seventh Army believes it can halt their advance tomorrow," added Conrad. And that last bit was not what Pflanzer-Baltin had told him.
"Well then while the Kaiser is not going to like hearing that, it could be worse, I suppose. Perhaps I can offset that with some good news about the start of the Galician offensive."
Conrad scowled. He had received reports on Second Army's disappointing lack of success in the morning assault. "Uh, unfortunately it is too early to tell, Your Royal Highness. I will know better tomorrow."
"Oh, well, then what about the destruction of Serbia? There seems to be some sort of problem there, but I am very unclear as to the specifics."
"There certainly is a problem, Your Royal Highness. The Germans took the Serbians for granted and failed to coordinate properly with our Third Army. The Serbs exploited a gap which developed between our Third Army and the German Tenth Army. Compounding our troubles there have been some vague and not completely consistent reports indicating that some British units may have been participated in that enemy attack."
"British units that far north?"
"Yes, I find that hard to believe myself, Your Royal Highness. Some silly reports issuing from Kronprinz Rupprecht's HQ now speak of an entire British division which is simply too incredible to be taken seriously. At most it is a brigade reinforced with a cavalry squadron and one or two batteries of field artillery. Unfortunately there are now reports from our Sixth Army that additional British reinforcements as well as supplies are landing in Albania as we speak."
"I had heard nothing about that! What is Admiral Haus doing to counteract it?"
"Sitting on his hands it would seem according to a telephone conversation I had with him an hour ago. Really, Your Royal Highness, I sometimes wonder why we even have a navy."
"Now, now, Generalfeldmarschal, you know that is uncalled for. Our brave navy has accomplished much in this war, the greatest of which was their dazzling victory over the French at Cattaro Gulf."
"Hah! The French chase our ships out of the Adriatic with their tails between their legs and we call it a great victory because we fantasize that the enemy's battleships are more heavily damaged than our own. The fact remains that they are completely impotent when it comes to halting the flow of British and French material into Albania."
"Hmm. Frankly I had not thought about it from that angle. Anyway with all their problems in France and Ireland, the British cannot afford to commit much more to Albania, yes?"
"I would like very much to believe that, Your Royal Highness, but I fear that the German expedition to Ireland is likely to collapse in the next week despite the recent intensification of the Irish rebellion. Once that happens the British will reinforce their expedition still more in the first half of June---and once again our overrated navy will be unable to prevent it."
"So we should be hoping that the Germans use that division you sent them to reinforce their invasion force?"
Conrad bit his lip hard to avoid saying something particularly nasty to the Archduke. Finally he composed himself and said, "I uh, haven't thought of that oreviously, Your Royal Highness. An interesting idea, I must say." Complete waste of an entire division though admittedly one from which I did not expect much.
------U.S. Senate (D.C.) 1955 hrs
Senator O'Gorman from New York had the floor and began his speech. "My fellow senators, as you are all well aware by now, a powerful British warship named the Inflexible brazenly attacked the ocean liner Amerika less than 100 miles off the coast of Massachusetts yesterday. The captain of this unfortunate passenger ship was forced to surrender his vessel. He had more than 600 American citizens aboard his vessel. There are two points about this disturbing incident I feel demand a vigorous discussion. First is that when the German warships were off our coast there were those who said that they must not allowed to attack merchantmen within 100 miles of our coast. Unfortunately President Wilson adopted this position and secured a promise from the German ambassador to respect this policy---which I have been told is contrary to the rules of warfare as commonly understood. Yet scarcely had the Germans left our shores and we see that this new policy does not in any way apply to the British. How can we possibly tell anyone in the world that we are genuinely neutral? The one sidedness of President Wilson's policies is now painfully evident. Is this hypocrisy what the American people want? I think not. Americans---I guess I should say most Americans as I must sadly admit that there are more than a few exceptions, demand and expect fairness from their government. They are certainly not getting it from this Administration!"
O'Gorman paused to take a drink of water. He briefly scanned the faces of fellow Democrats. He had been warned by his party leadership not to "go too far" in criticizing President Wilson, a fellow Democrat. He in turn informed them he was prepared to call a spade a spade no matter it's party affiliation. He continued, "How moving beyond the fact that this incident took place within the very zone the President forced upon the Germans, there is something still more chilling. What are the British intentions towards the passengers they have captured, most of who are Irish Americans on their way to fight for Irish liberty. The current British prime minister, the infamous Andrew Bonar Law, has made it abundantly clear that he intends to exterminate any and all Irishmen who dare to oppose British tyranny. Well does that include those Americans aboard the Amerika? There is no doubt in my mind---none whatsoever-that he would love to kill them all, so great is his hate for the Irish people. The unresolved question is whether or not he thinks he could get away with this atrocity. And this will depend in large measure on President Wilson and this frankly worries me greatly. Is the President of our great nation going to act like Pontius Pilate and simply wash his hands of the matter?"
This last comment drew strong murmuring and even a shouts from fellow senators. The president pro tempore of the Senate, Jack Clarke, pounded his gavel, "Order, order! Let the senator finish his speech without interruption!"
O'Gorman continued, "As I was saying, it is imperative that the United States of America, great nation that she is, let perfidious Albion know that we demand in the strongest possible terms that they treat the passengers with proper respect. It is well known that some misguided Americans had gone off and are now fighting for the Entente despite President Wilson's feckless talk of enforcing neutrality laws. No one is prosecuted for this like poor old John Devoy is. Now if some of these Americans fighting for the Entente were to be captured by the Germans and then executed surely there would be outrage in America. Now shouldn't we make it clear to the British if they start executing the passengers of the Amerika---who never fired at shot unlike those Americans in British or French uniforms, there will be an even greater outrage? If the administration fails to do so it makes it clear that not only is it biased towards the European war but also towards certain of its own citizens."
After O'Gorman finished Senator Henry Cabot Lodge was allowed to speak. "In all my years in the United States Senate, I have heard a great deal of nonsense. Yet none holds a candle to the complete and utter balderdash I was just forced to endure from Senator O'Gorman. The 100 mile limit was merely a typically halfway measure by President Wilson to limit the damage to our trade and to reassure our citizens who had been fearful of their lives with the Huns off our shores. It was only partially successful. The intervention of the British battle cruiser was completely justified as they were intercepting an enemy troopship, full of hyphenated Americans who were making a mockery of our neutrality laws. John Devoy is not a victim of injustice. Rather he is a scheming snake engaged in the most blatant form of filibuster. He provides us with an excellent example of our pitiful Democratic President wincing and wavering when what our country really needs at this critical juncture in her tumultuous history is decisive action. The situation cannot possibly be any clearer. The Germans pose a clear threat to all civilized nations. At one time we could comfort ourselves with the notion that the Huns would confine their evil to the Eastern Hemisphere, but recent events have demonstrated that their sinister intentions extend here as well. However I will admit that they have become more adept at camouflaging the real nature of their machinations. Their crowning achievement in that regard is to pass off their pillaging of Ireland as assisting the Irish in attaining liberty and justice. That is a subterfuge only the most hopelessly naïve could possibly believe. Unfortunately there are those right here in this chamber that answer to that description."
Lodge paused to direct a hard stare at certain senators incl. O'Gorman. Some of them looked away but O'Gorman returned his stare with one every bit as hard. Lodge continued, "The Germans have unleashed the curse of Fenianism as a way to isolate America from Great Britain as well as stirring up division within our country. They care nothing, absolutely nothing for the Irish! Mark my words we will soon find ourselves at war with Germany! If not now in this epic struggle, then most certainly in the war that will come soon thereafter. The longer we wait to fight them, the more difficult and bloody our struggle will be."
------SMS Moltke off Kinsale Head (Cork) 2010 hrs
A motor launch had ferried Gen. von François to Adm. von Hipper's flagship. The general brought Maj. Von Rundstedt with him leaving Oberst Hell in charge at HQ. Meanwhile 3 German and 2 Austro-Hungarian companies were being landed at Kinsale from the troopships using lifeboats towed by motor launches. "Welcome to Ireland, Admiral," said the general, "And I heartily welcome the reinforcements you have brought me. Though I must say that I am thoroughly astonished to learn that one of the divisions is Austrian."
"Ah, so Berlin did not see fit to inform you of the substitution? Gen. von Falkenhayn went to Feldmarschal von Moltke and claimed that he had an urgent need for one more division and was granted 52nd Infantry Division. The Austrian Division emerged as an improvised replacement. You have had some success commanding Austrian units back when you ran Center Army, yes?"
"That is true, admiral. With proper leadership they can be good troops. The generalfeldmarschal did not agree with me on this observation, though. What other alterations did they make to the second wave?"
"Here look for yourself, general," said von Hipper handing von François a sheet of paper after which he lit up a cigar.
"Hmm. I see that the 21cm Morser battery got removed---what the Bavarian replacement troops got reduced? That is insane! The rifle battalions of the 6th Bavarian Infantry Division are now below half strength."
The admiral took a few long draws on his cigar as he considered what he should and should not tell the general. Should I mention that for a while OKW felt that Operation Unicorn was doomed? Let's not go there. He asked himself. Finally he spoke his crafted answer, "The decision to come now was made rather abruptly, general, and that meant we did not have enough time to fetch as much reinforcement troops as we would have liked. On the other hand we included the Musketen battalion which I know was not ready until a few days ago."
Gen. von François nodded and grinned slightly. OKW had continued to be intrigued with the Danish Madsen automatic rifle. Initially its idea was to give 1 company in certain specially selected regiments---such as those in Operation Unicorn---30 of those weapons. The idea arose to create a battalion of 3 automatic rifle companies plus a machinegun company equipped with the new lighter MG08/15 developed for Operation Unicorn. The resulting unit called the Musketen Battalion was reasonably mobile and could bring strong firepower into action quickly. "Yes, I am glad to have that unit, but the fact remains that 6th Bavarian Infantry Division has an urgent need for replacement troops," answered the general.
"There is nothing I can do about that," replied von Hipper, "but the sooner I can bring the troopships inside Cork harbor, the faster I can offload men and material. In light of that I am sorely disappointed to learn that you have not yet taken Ft. Camden. The main reason I brought the faster troopships with me is so they could start offloading properly at a pier before the High Seas Fleet arrives."
"Yes, I understand that, Adm. von Hipper, but I must point out one more time that I was given inadequate advance notice."
"I under but the fact remains that Ft. Camden must be taken as soon as possible, general!"
Gen. von François sighed with some annoyance, "There is no need to shout, admiral. I understand that very well. One of the reason I am here is to work out the important details with you."
The admiral took his time before replying, "I apologize for my unprofessional loudness, general, but there are certain tasks that need to be accomplished quickly for my mission to be successful. One of them is the capture of Ft. Camden."
"I am very aware of that admiral---"
"---good! But before we discuss the assault on Ft. Camden in detail, there is something else we need to talk about. I have two grosser torpedoboot flotillas with me, the 4th and the 6th. It is imperative that the 5th flotilla begin coaling as quickly as possible. The 4th Flotilla will screen the area until the High Seas Fleet arrives."
"I have made arrangements already for a flotilla to coal in Kinsale, admiral, as per the plans of Operation Unicorn. We can handle one flotilla well enough there but we cannot effectively coal much than that at one time."
"I understand. The 6th Flotilla does not need to completely fill its bunkers. Half full will be sufficient for now. In the late morning they will put to sea and the 4th Flotilla will then begin coaling."
------Ashbourne (Meath) 2015 hrs
After taking Mountjoy Prison Rommel had Tom Ashe cram a company of the 5th Dublin Battalion into what motor vehicles they had available and ordered him to attack the medium sized R.I.C. station at Ashbourne to the northwest of Dublin just over the border of County Meath. Rommel had ordered that Commandant Ashe travel with those trucks and vans with either R.I.C. or D.M.P. markings ahead of the rest. He briefly considered suggesting that the men in the lead vehicle wear R.I.C. uniforms but that idea reminded him too much of someone he cared not to remember---ever. The marked vehicles were enough to allow a modest transient measure of surprise and the rebels were able to capture most of a 30 man R.I.C. detachment along with their station suffering only 2 casualties. In addition to the constable's own weapons and 15,000 rounds of .303 this station stored weapons confiscated from both the Irish Volunteers and Redmond's National Volunteers. There was also an ample supply of food and a motor car and a van along with some petrol.
Only a quarter of the Ashbourne Company of the Irish Volunteers had made their way to join the Dublin Rising previously due to no one replacing their commandant who had been arrested Monday. When news of the defeat of the R.I.C. detachment spread 46 men and 2 women from the local company decided it was finally time to do something and came forward to join the I.R.A. before midnight.
------Bab al-Mandab 2100 hrs GMT
After consulting with von Mücke and some heated arguments amongst themselves the Ottomans in Yemen decided to try to send 2 more rifle companies plus supplies across Mandab under the new moon in 20 dhows. The Ottomans tried once again to intimidate the British and the French out of the straits during the day with their artillery on Perim Island. The dhows carrying the first company tried to reach a landing zone just south of the Eritrean border. This ran into 2 French gunboats off the coast. Two dhows surrendered with out a fight. Soldiers on a third dhow fired a few shots and the gunboat proceeded to sink the dhow. This firing as well as the searchlights of the gunboats caused 5 more dhows to turn back. Only 2 of the 10 dhows in this group were able to land and one of them did so north of the Eritrean border. It quickly unloaded and hurriedly marched south before dawn to join the other group which had made contact with the Afars. The company commander had been on one of the captured dhows and this caused the troops who managed to make it to remain where they were as thy awaited orders.
The 10 dhows carrying the second company departed Yemen a little later and headed for a landing zone a few miles north of Obock. This group made it across unmolested due in part to British and French attention being drawn further north by the earlier group. However as it was unloading one of these dhows was visited by a British gunboat which opened up with a 6 pounder gun and a machinegun. The dhow was set ablaze. The artillery shells it carried had not yet been offloaded and they eventually detonated. This action caused one of the dhows which had not yet landed to turn back to Yemen. The company commander fortunately had been ferried in one of the other dhows which had landed without trouble. As he supervised the offloading he dispatched messengers to head south to Obock, requesting that the garrison there provide him with horse drawn wagons as soon as possible.
------HQ British III Army Corps near Rue (Picardy) 2105 hrs
Gen. Haig visited Gen. Pulteney, the commander of III Army Corps after he finally acknowledged the annihilation of the 2nd Infantry Division. Haig seldom showed much emotion but at this somber moment he undeniably looked sad. The 2nd Infantry Division had been part of I Army Corps which he had commanded when the BEF had first arrived in France, which made its loss even more poignant. While Haig did not come out and say it, Gen. Pulteney was sure that Haig blamed him for the loss of the division. Pulteney was wondering if Haig intended to relieve him of command. He decided not to let that possibility prevent him from speaking his mind. "General Haig, First Army simply cannot remain in its current location. We must begin a phased withdrawal across the Somme as soon as possible."
"I am considering that option, Gen. Pulteney but I think it would be most unwise to make a hasty decision. Remaining where we are does entail certain risks but so would a precipitous withdrawal. Field Marshal French has promised me that Second Army will make another attempt shortly to relieve the enemy pressure on our line of communication. If they succeed then I can see no reason why our position here cannot be maintained indefinitely."
"Gen. Haig, my effective infantry strength is now less than 20,000 men and that includes the Guard Brigade. My artillery has less than 500 shells. My men and my draught animals continue to be badly undernourished. There are serious problems with morale in my units which grow worse every day."
"I readily admit that all of that is at least partially true, but before I reach a decision I need to take the larger picture into consideration. The British Army is currently handicapped by the need to resolve the situation in Ireland as quickly as possible. The good news in that is once Ireland is resolved in the next few days, Lord Kitchener will be able to amply reinforce both Second Army and ourselves. I dare say we could go be starting a major offensive two months from now and in that case our current position would be much better than one based on the Somme."
"With all due respect, sir, the last thing we should be thinking of now is the remote possibility of going over to the offensive anytime soon. I must reiterate that we need to pull back behind the Somme as quickly as possible."
"Put your concerns into writing and I will give them due consideration, general. I can be persuaded on this matter but you are not going to stampede me into making a hasty decision."
------Gaelic Athletic Association (London) 2130 hrs
The Bobbies charged en masse into the Gaelic Athletic Association. At the first sign of any resistance they did not hesitate to use their batons. They arrested nearly everyone they found in the club for questioning and searched it thoroughly creating a massive mess. Their instructions had been vague in regards to what exactly they are looking for. The police discovered some pamphlets expressing sympathy for the Irish rebels which they seized as being seditious materials. Meanwhile as this was going on a crowd gathered outside. A majority of the crowd were definitely not Irish. Wild rumors began to spread about what was going on. Some drunks in the crowd began to yell things like, "Beat the bloody Irish traitors to death!"
One man who was not in the club that night was Michael Collins, who was glad he had taken a recent warning very seriously.
------Dublin 2150 hrs
The fighting in Phoenix Park continued as Rommel reinforced his commitment there with another rifle company. The confused fighting in the dark did not hurt the Royal Irish Riflemen much---their light casualties were about a third less than their rebel opponents. However the fighting did distract them prevent them from throwing most of their strength into recapturing the Magazine Fort, which continued to hold out.
While this was going on the Lowland Division made another determined drive to restore the line of communication with their divisional artillery at Trinity College. The darkness helped but in storming the key building the Scottish troops found themselves without grenades fighting an enemy, which had a goodly number of shotguns. The casualties of the Lowland Division continued to mount. However since the rebels were distracted a few small carts with supplies incl. ammunition were able to reach Trinity College.
------north of Kovno (Lithuania) 2200 hrs
The addition of the 42cm howitzer to the German siege artillery filled the already pessimistic Gen. Grigoriev with immense alarm. He therefore ordered his fortress garrison to mount a night attack in a desperate attempt to force the German heavy guns out of range. The assault was made by 6 battalions without any preliminary artillery preparation. They achieved some small fleeting measure of surprise but the wire barriers while not as thick as those on the Western Front were enough to hold up the assault while German machineguns tore into the attackers as flares and searchlights lit up the night sky. Some Russians did manage to make through the wire and into the forward German trench. More than a quarter of the attackers lacked a rifle but they did have some grenades and caused casualties but were ultimately unable to take and hold a significant portion of the forward trench much less advance beyond. Two additional Russian battalions that were close reserve were hit hard by German artillery at their assembly point before they could be committed to the battle. In about an hour it was all over and the German VIII Army Corps had held their position.
------SMS Stralsund 2215 hrs GMT
The increased distance from the American coast and some early morning haze had limited the effectiveness of 2nd Scouting Group this day. After wasting time inspecting and ultimately releasing a small Dutch merchantman the Stralsund had just captured her first prize of the day, a 6,800 ton British freighter out of Sao Paulo bound for Montreal with a cargo of coffee. Enough coffee was taken to refurbish the cruiser's depleted stores of that luxury and then the old merchantman was quickly scuttled.
------Ft. Camden (Cork) 2230 hrs
Light rain was coming down. German spotlights suddenly illuminated Ft. Camden. Seconds later four 17 cm minenwerfers commenced a methodical bombardment of the fort. Their targets were a single caponier which covered a ditch 40' deep and 28' wide, which was the main obstacle protecting the fort from landward attack. Outside the ditch was a wire fence but the pioneers had demolished sections of that with explosives the previous night.
------SMS Von der Tann 2240 hrs
The searchlights of Ft. Carlisle now joined in illuminating Ft. Camden. Von der Tann was now anchored south of Roches Point where she had line of sight with Ft. Camden. Her main battery now fired a half salvo. A small German observation post had been established atop Roches Point and it now spotted for the battle cruiser signaling by searchlight. The first half salvo had been short. The next half salvo was closer and the one shell of the third half salvo struck the fort. At that Von der Tann rapidly fired off 96 more rounds. The pair of 9.2" guns at Ft. Carlisle soon joined in the shelling of Ft. Camden as well. The 6" guns of Ft. Carlisle also participated concentrating on neutralizing Ft. Camden's searchlights. This soon caused Ft. Camden's 12 pounders to return fire, targeting their own searchlights without much success.
Soon after the battle cruiser ceased firing Ft. Carlisle and the minenwerfers ceased firing as well. The assault by the Bavarian Reserve Jaeger Battalion and a company of Pioneers began. The defenders were mostly Munster Fusiliers and a few dozen Royal Marines. The bombardment had softened up the resistance but it was still tough going for the attackers in the early phase of the assault as they struggled within the deep ditch. Fortunately the caponier had been neutralized by the minenwerfers. In an hour the Jaegers and pioneers clawed their way out of the ditch into the main portion of the fort. South Battery was taken intact just before midnight but North Battery was stubbornly holding out. The Germans moved their minenwerfers in closer.
------Kernanstown (Carlow) 2305 hrs
The lead motor car made its way down the dark road with their headlights off. Following close behind were 3 more motor cars. Sam, the driver of their car claimed to be very familiar with Carlow. The new German commander of Wexford after defeating the morning attack of Royal Irish Riflemen had collected the 4 working motor cars available to his battalion. His reconnaissance indicated the main enemy forces in County Wexford were concentrated around e3ither Wexford city or Enniscorthy towards which the Royal Irish Riflemen had retired after their defeat. The town of Bunclody which Rommel had briefly occupied on his way to Dublin remained free from enemy forces. The new battalion commander decided to send 16 of his best men in the motor cars with 80 Moisin-Nagant Rifles and 2,4 00 rounds of ammunition with orders to try to reach the market town of Carlow after dark and arm the local company of Irish Volunteers. They took a route they thought would be the least likely to have roadblocks approaching Carlow through the hamlet of Kernanstown where they intended to dismount to try to contact the local Irish Volunteers on foot. The 3 passengers in the lead car had suddenly decided to sing an appropriate song:
Lift, MacCahir Og, your face,
Still brooding over the old disgrace
That Black Fitzwilliam stormed your place
And drove you to the Fern?
Grey said victory was sure
And soon the firebrand he'd secure
Until he met at Glenmalure
With Feach MacHugh O'Byrne.
Curse and swear, Lord Kildare,
Feach will do what Feach will dare
Now, Fitzwilliam, have a care
Fallen is your star low
Up with halberd, out with sword,
On we'll go, for by the Lord
Feach MacHugh has given the word,
Follow me up to Carlow.
See the swords of Glen Imayle,
Flashing o'er the English pale
See all the children of the Gael,
Beneath O'Byrne's banners
Rooster of the fighting stock,
Would you let a Saxon cock
Crow out upon an Irish rock?
Fly up and teach him manners.
From Tassagart to Clonmore
There flows a stream of Saxon gore
Oh, great is Rory Oge O'More
At sending the loons to Hades.
White is sick and Grey is fled
And now for Black Fitzwilliam's head
We'll send it over, dripping red,
To Queen Liza and her ladies.
Just before they reached Kernanstown the motors cars ran into a roadblock, but one manned by a mere 3 constables. "Halt, halt!" yelled one of the constables, "Stop immediately! Get out of your vehicles with your hands up!"
The 4 men in the lead car were armed with sawed off shotguns and pistols. As they got out of their car they suddenly opened fire on the approaching constable. They hit him with a shotgun blast and he fell to the ground before he could fire and soon died. The other two constables commenced firing and badly wounded one of the rebels. The 11 rebels in the other 3 cars, half of whom had rifles instead of shotguns, had dismounted and engaged in brief furious exchange in the dark. When a second constable was badly wounded the third constable suddenly dropped his rifle and raised his hands yelling "I surrender, I surrender."
The rebels quickly took the rifles, pistols and ammunition from the constables. They decided against trying to drive any further and instead unloaded their boxes of rifles and ammunition and soon found a sympathetic farmer willing to let them turn his sturdy stone farmhouse into a strong point while the local Irish Volunteers started to assemble. Another 10 constables eventually showed up but they were driven off while the local company of Irish Volunteers arrived in dribs and drabs. They told the familiar story of how the R.I.C. and arrested their commandant and seized most of their weapons soon after the Germans landed in Ireland.
------Fethard (Tipperary) 2320 hrs
The 1/4th battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment had unsuccessfully tried to take the walled town of Fethard away from the Tipperary Volunteers and the 16th Uhlan Regiment and lost half its effective strength and one of its machine guns in the process. After that it had been withdrawn to the important town of Cashel for line of communication duties. Its commander was now livid when he learned that the rebels had overwhelmed the weak contingent of R.I.C. left to guard the town after the rebels had left. He did not know the current strength of the rebels at Fethard, though there were no sightings of any German cavalry being present this time around. He decided to leave one rifle company behind at Cashel and try to retake the town by surprise at night before the rebels could receive reinforcements.
He attacked with two companies each assigned a different entrance way. Nearly half of the men of the 3rd Tipperary Battalion, incl. their commandant McElroy, had been involved in the prior occupation of Fethard and remembered well the lessons the Uhlans had told them. The entrances were well guarded night and day with a reserve ready inside in the center of the town and riflemen posted atop the walls. Neither company of the 1/4th Duke of Wellington was able to quickly plough its way into the town. Their battalion commander, seeing that the attack was progressing along the lines of prior frustrations ordered its cessation before the losses became severe. After that he cordoned off the town as best he could while ending messengers off to notify VI Army Corps HQ.
------Barbarossa 2335 hrs GMT
Lt. St. James had initiated a training program for his Buffalo Soldiers as soon as the liner had left New York. The Ghaidars and the Turks decided to participate as well. Some of Garvey's U.N.I.A. blacks had also agreed to join. There was of course a larger training program for the white folk run by a few German Reservists led by a former German officer. The two programs were of course kept completely separate. This did not strike St. James as surprising but he did find it ironic. He thought that there were at most 3 whites on board who had seen any combat. Including himself there 6 Buffalo Soldiers who had participated in the Spanish American War and 8 more who had fought either the Filipinos, the Indians or both. There was a lot they could teach the untrained whites aboard Barbarossa but that was not going to happen.
Having completed this day's training St. James sat down to eat with his some of his fellow Buffalo Soldiers in a section of the 3rd class dining room St. James was just beginning to eat when Johnson approached him. Johnson was part of Garvey's U.N.I.A. contingent. He was not one of those St. James was currently training. "Lt. St. James," Johnson announced stiffly, "Field Marshal von Garvey summons you to speak with him at this time."
One of the Buffalo Soldiers sitting with St. James began to snicker uncontrollably, while another openly howled with laughter. "Well, then you better be running over to see the Field Marshal, Cornel," taunted a third, "Don't you dare be late to see the Field Marshal, lest he have you executed."
Johnson was one of Garvey's most devoted followers and he looked on the derision of the Buffalo Soldiers with undisguised disgust. St. James had chuckled only slightly. Shaking his head he replied, "Johnson, kindly tell Mr. Garvey that when I am done eating, I just might find enough time to pay him a short visit."
Johnson gave St. James a hard look while trying to ignore the taunts of the other Buffalo Soldiers. "He will be most displeased if you don't," he answered sullenly and then quickly walked away.
St. James finished eating then turned to the others, "Well, I reckon I'll see what that pompous jackass wants now." He walked over to where Garvey was bunked, like the rest of 3rd class in a small partially secluded space. "I was told you wanted to see me, Marcus."
Garvey as usual tried to look important. "Lt. St. James, I have summoned you because I have learned that you have been training some of my men without my approval."
"They are on their way to fight a war in Africa, Marcus. They have no military training and need as much as I can provide. Some of your men some great promise, such as Williams who spent considerable time as a cowboy in the wild west, and claims to be a consummate horseman. I think he'd make a fine cavalryman but he definitely needs training."
Garvey paused to choose his words carefully. Marcus is always vain and very often stubborn thought St. James but he is not completely stupid. It's likely that he can see what I say makes sense but cannot bring himself to admit it. Oh so typical.
Garvey finally answered, "It is not that I opposed to training, Lt. In and of itself training is a good thing. However I believe you are using this to undermine my authority---to insert a wedge between myself and the brave men of the U.N.I.A. This I will not tolerate."
Was I doing that? Oh probably I am but it was not my primary goal. "I am not trying to undermine you, Marcus. Hasn't it occurred to you that you are not going to have any followers if they all end up dead or captured because they were never told how to fight?"
Garvey's eyes suddenly glared daggers at St. James. "Are you saying that I do not care for the lives of my own men? How dare you!"
"I don't know one way or another, Marcus. If you do care about them, why do you refuse to let me train them?"