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------Maryborough (Queen's) 1715 hrs

General Shaw, the commander of the 13^th (Western) Division watched with impatience as the train carrying his divisional ammunition column pulled up to the station. The assembly of his division at Maryborough was running behind schedule. This was due in part to some sabotage inflicted on the railroad tracks by small bands of rebel guerillas up north during the night. His division was still not complete. The 123^rd A.S.C company, 41^st Field Ambulance Company and the 28^th Sanitary Section that were still en route. Shaw was not going to wait for those units. Late yesterday he had sent the 6^th Battalion East Lancashire and a platoon of Royal Engineers on ahead to guard the key railroad junction at Ballybrophy. To guard against the German armored train he had instructed the Royal Engineers to destroy a section of track on the line going southwest to Templemore.

Today Shaw had sent the divisional cyclist company and 'D' squadron 1/1^st Hertfordshire Yeomanry on ahead around noon to reconnoiter. He now ordered the rest of the division to commence its long hard march towards Limerick.

------SMS Seydlitz 53°15'N 10° 40'W 1740 hrs

After reluctantly agreeing to permit the landing the 183^rd Infantry Brigade at Galway, Admiral von Ingenohl promptly assigned the responsibility for overseeing the operation to Admiral von Hipper. The initial landings at Barna had been nearly an hour late and the subsequent landing at Silverstrand Beach even later. Furthermore worries about British artillery possibly guarding the bay had persisted in von Hipper's mind. He was finally convinced now by reports filtering back from the German forces ashore which were now in contact with the rebels that the main roadstead near the city of Galway was safe to use. From there the landing of men and material from the troopships would proceed more rapidly esp. if rebels used the very light vessels in Oranmore Bay to assist. The admiral now gave orders for the George Washington and Kaiserin Auguste Victoria to move into the roadstead.

------east of Friarstown (Limerick) 1735 hrs

Of the two battalions General Hammersley had left behind as a rear guard the 7^th South Staffordshire was on the right. It was still facing the 6^th Bavarian Infantry Division to the south when it now came under attack from the 1^st Kerry Battalion on its open right flank and the Foot Guards from behind. The Irish Volunteers had been able to position two of their four machineguns so that they could enfilade the shallow British trench while firing from a slightly elevated position. This attack soon eliminated more than half of the 7^th Battalion South Staffordshire with the rest fleeing in disarray to the east leaving behind their machineguns and supply wagons. The gap in the enemy lines now grew wider by more than a mile.

Meanwhile the 6^th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment had been sent by General Hammersley, the commander of the 11^th (Northern) Division to take over control of more than 1 ½ miles of the front that his division had abandoned in the morning. Hammersley felt this was the minimum response he could make that would satisfy the letter of General Wilson's orders to him though definitely not its spirit. This battalion tried to reach Friarstown but on the way it stumbled into the Bavarian Jaeger Regiment and a meeting engagement erupted. The regimental commander of the Jaegers saw this as a threat to his right flank and therefore halted his advance to the northwest in order to deal with the Lincolnshires. When news of this reached Oberst Hell he committed the 2^nd Seebattalion which he had been keeping in reserve to assist the Jaegers in guarding their flank.

------Limerick city 1800 hrs

The artillery support General Jacobsen had promised commenced firing. It consisted of 3 batteries of 7.7cm field guns and 2 batteries of 10.5cm howitzers. The Limerick City Battalion had 4 of the infantry guns that had been made for the I.R.A. by cutting off a portion of the barrels of captured Russian Putilov 3" field guns. Two of these surprisingly useful weapons were still at Killaloe still guarding the bridge over the Shannon there but Major White now had the other pair at his disposal to use in this attack as well.

The Lowland Division had only a single battery of 15 pounders pointing towards Limerick at this time. Like all the batteries in the Lowland Division they were now seriously short on ammunition. This battery fired off all of its remaining shells trying in vain to duel with the German guns but was quickly overwhelmed. The half battalion of the 1/5^th King's Own Scottish Borderers which had been fighting the rebels was now reinforced with the other half of the battalion. They were also supported by the divisional cyclist company and the Royal Engineers of the 2/2^nd Lowland Field Company. In their exposed positions these defenders suffered fairly heavy losses from the German shelling. Those that survived though managed to put up a stiff resistance. White was able to move the two infantry guns forward with some alacrity and with their help knocked out a key British machinegun nest which had most of Limerick City Battalion pinned down.

------Old Admiralty Building 1835 hrs

"We had decoded two wireless messages we regard as a bit of a surprise, First Lord," Admiral Oliver to Sir Edward Carson, "The first was from General von François to Admiral von Hipper requesting an update on the landing operation in Galway Bay. The second---"

"---did you just say that there is a German landing near Galway?" interrupted Carson whose jaw had just dropped.

"Aye, First Lord, though the reason I am sure about that is von Hipper's reply to von François. Here you can read it for yourself," replied Oliver who handed Carson a sheet of paper.

HAVE TAKEN BARNA AND ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH LOCAL REBELS REPEAT HAVE TAKEN BARNA AND ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH LOCAL REBELS STOP BOTH TROOPSHIPS ARE NOW BEING SENT TO MAIN ROADSTEAD WHICH WE BELIEVE TO BE SAFE REPEAT BOTH TROOPSHIPS ARE NOW BEING SENT TO MAIN ROADSTEAD WHICH WE BELIEVE TO BE SAFE STOP

Carson stared at the clock in the room and sighed deeply. He would have to leave for the War Committee meeting soon. "This is very disturbing news, Admiral Oliver, I wish I had learned about this sooner."

"Uh, this message came into my possession only a few minutes ago, First Lord."

"You are referring to the second message, admiral. You should have notified me promptly about the first message. Have we informed the army of this yet? General Hamilton is going to want to know this immediately."

"Surely General Hamilton must know this already, First Lord. We have an extensive corps of coast watchers in those parts of Ireland not controlled by the Germans."

"Yes, I am well aware of that, Admiral Oliver. However I am also very much aware that the bands of rebels in Connaught have cut telegraph and telephone lines wherever they can so it is distinctly possible---in fact downright probable--- that the reports of our coast watchers along Galway Bay are not reaching General Hamilton speedily. I want you to send this information over to the War Office as soon as this meeting is over."

Admiral Oliver was not happy with that order but he reluctantly answered, "As you wish, First Lord."

"Do we have any idea whatsoever as to the size of the German force being landed at Galway?"

"Uh, no we do not, First Lord. All we know is that it involves two troopships meaning it is not a division. A brigade would be our best guess."

"You mean a German brigade with 6 battalions organized into a pair of regiments?"

"Ah, yes that is correct, First Lord."

"And normally without any artillery but they may have some attached to them for this operation. I have sufficient knowledge of army tactics to know that this landing if successful represents a serious threat to the West Riding Division."

------Varna (Bulgaria) 1830 hrs

After recovering its seaplanes the Russian Black Sea Fleet continued steaming towards the port of Varna. The Rostislav and Tri Sviatitelia separated from the rest of the fleet and now commenced firing on the coastal forts of Varna. The Russian gunners were hindered to some degree by the sun which was low in the western sky.

------Kilbeggan (Westmeath) 1840 hrs

The Cavan Battalion along with the mostly civilian prisoners they had freed at Oldcastle was on the move again. After much discussion with his subordinates Commandant MacLoughlain decided it was best to try to reach Athlone where he had some information that the rebels remained in control. MacLoughlain marched his battalion southwest to the village of Kilbeggan, where they briefly engaged 6 constables who soon fled to the south in motor vehicles. After that the rebels captured the constable's station which held a small amount of ammunition and food. The rebels were more interested though in capturing the Locke's whisky distillery. This facility had been in operation since 1757 making it the world's oldest whisky distillery. The rebels shared the whisky with the Germans some of whom had become very vocal in their complaints about how the Irish Volunteers were running things. Most of the complaints ceased for the rest of the day though the few that were expressed seemed louder.

------HQ Armee Abteilung François Buttevant (Cork) 1850 hrs

Earlier in the day General von François had felt he was on the verge of the decisive victory of the Irish campaign. With the help from the 28cm guns of the Wörth the 111st Infantry Division had taken Mungret and appeared to have completely turned the right flank of the Lowland Division. Meanwhile the Erzherzog Karl Division appeared to be able to drive all the way to the Shannon. There was even a promising report that the I.R.A. in Limerick were causing disruption in the enemy's rear. The general was convinced that he was going to encircle both the Lowland and 11^th Division. After destroying those, the West Riding Division in County Clare would be at his mercy with the 183^rd Infantry Brigade cutting off the British line of retreat.

In the last few hours though the general received news less to his liking. Krauss had reported much heavier resistance by the British which had halted his progress. Meanwhile to the west the 111^th Infantry Division reported having trouble advancing beyond Mungret. Then suddenly good news had arrived from Oberst Hell who had apparently broken through the boundary between the Lowland and 11^th (Northern) Division. This promising new development encouraged von François to see an opportunity to destroy one but not both of the enemy divisions south of Limerick. He ordered General von Gyssling and Oberst Hell to attack to the north with the goal of linking with the Naval Division inside Limerick thereby encircling the Lowland Division.

"Brigade Hell has been remarkably useful to us starting with the Battle of Ratmore," the general related to Major von Rundstedt, "but I really do feel I need to disband it soon. I need Hell back here where he belongs. Do not take that comment as criticism of your own competence. You have performed very well under difficult circumstances. The truth is that I need you to perform the duties you were originally assigned, which is organizing and administering occupied Ireland which quite frankly is a mess."

------east of Toluca (Mexico) 1900 hrs GMT

General Gonzales decided that is previous attack had failed because he did not bombard Obregon's position long enough. He tried again with a lengthy bombardment firing off nearly all the shells he had readily available. After that he attacked with just infantry as he had decided that sending mounted cavalry against trenches and barbed wire had been another mistake. Gonzales' protracted shelling had not hurt Obregon's entrenched forces as much as he hoped nor had it shattered the morale of the defenders. Gonzales' second assault was repelled by Obregon's men with heavy losses.

------10 Downing St. 1905 hrs

This session of the War Committee had been scheduled to discuss declaring a war zone around Ireland and to refine details of the mobilization of the U.V.F. However there were other things that the prime minister now found more urgent to discuss. "What in bloody blazes is going on in Spain?" he angrily demanded from the Foreign Secretary.

"Prime Minister, the Spanish have imposed an embargo on us and are increasing their level of mobilization even though King Alphonso claims to have no intention of going to war against either us or the French," replied Grey.

"Do we believe the latter" asked Lloyd-George.

"The French have already expressed some doubts about it, chancellor. They worry that King Alponso is looking for an excuse to back out of his promise to President Poincaré not to attack France."

"I see but I asked what the Foreign Office and you personally believe."

"Ah well then there is considerable uncertainty at the Foreign Office, prime minister. We have of course been well aware that this de Valera bloke was a first rate agent provocateur, which was precisely why we pressured the king to turn him over to us. However the Foreign Office repeatedly stressed that we should wait at least a month before executing him, maybe even let him off with a life sentence as King Alphonso had requested---"

"---traitors do not deserve to live!" Kitchener interrupted.

"Field Marshal, please! Let the Foreign Secretary continue," said the prime minister.

Kitchener glared in silence while Grey resumed talking, "We believe there are two very distinct political blocs at work in Spain. One is a highly idealistic group that have become enchanted with shall we say quixotic notions about Irish independence. Because of the great uproar made over James Connolly some Spanish Socialists mistakenly feel that the Irish are fighting to establish a socialist republic. If we had de Valera in our possession but had held off on his trial I believe we stood a chance to undermine the size and influence of this group. Unfortunately for us Clemenceau's brazen decision has made things worse for us with these idealists The other bloc consists of those on the Spanish Right, who favored Germany from the beginning of the war and are constantly seeking ways to assist her. Some of those want to enter the war immediately but there are others who concede that it would be a rather dangerous move given the relative weakness of their army."

"Sounds like a very astute assessment of the situation," declared Lloyd-George, "I see the chance of war being remote but we cannot afford to shrug off the potential impact of this trade embargo on our war effort as it could well hobble our steel production for the remainder of the year."

"There must be alternative sources of iron ore, chancellor!" declared Kitchener dismissively.

"The Spanish are not extending their embargo to the French," remarked Grey, "We can get the French to order more and then export it to us."

Lloyd-George shrugged as he responded, "While that is a possible solution I see some potential problems with it. First it is distinctly possible that the Spanish may extend their embargo to include the French as well before long. After all it was the French who decapitated de Valera. And if they do not they may very well refuse to increase their shipments of iron ore to France much above current levels, esp. once they realize what the French are doing. Lastly even if Spain is not a problem, I could see Clemenceau being very tempted to lay down conditions, beginning with a full scale resumption of our trade with France."

"Well that does sound fair," commented the prime minister, who then turned to Carson, "Speaking of which is there another convoy in the works, First Lord"

"Yes, there is, prime minister. In fact it has already departed Newhaven."

"And are we shipping anything to the French besides some coal?" asked Lloyd-George.

"No, only coal, chancellor."

"More coal than the last time?"

"Ah, I would say roughly the same, chancellor. We are using the same colliers."

"Which the French claim provided them with less than half of what they were receiving on an average day this year. And while coal is their most pressing need at this time, there are other exports, such as steel, that are also vital to their war industry. I would expect that Clemenceau is going to want those exports resumed in quantity before he'd start shipping us Spanish iron ore."

"Perhaps we should explore increasing our imports from Sweden as an alternative plan," suggested Bonar Law.

"Sweden is not entirely reliable, either, prime minister," replied Grey, "Unlike King Alphonso whom we believe is reluctantly bowing to pressure from the Spanish Right, King Gustav has been demonstrating sympathy towards the Central Powers from the beginning of the war even though he used the Three Kings Conference to downplay speculation about Sweden joining the Central Powers.. There are a few paramilitary groups in Sweden that have tried to foment unrest in Finland until their government clamped down."

"Aye, and one of them went so far as to send a few men to Ireland that ended up getting involved in the Dublin Uprising," added Carson, "While the impact of the loss of iron ore could be very serious but there is another piece of news I learned only a few minutes before I departed the Admiralty that I believe is even more urgent. As we speak German forces are landing in Galway Bay. They are threatening our operations to capture Limerick city through County Clare."

"This is the first that I had heard about this, First Lord," Kitchener argued, "Why was I not notified sooner?"

"Uh, we only just learned of it, field marshal. A message detailing the known facts was being telegraphed to the War Office just as I was about to leave for this meeting. You must have left before it was received," Carson answered. He had decided against mentioning that there had been two intercepted wireless messages and Admiral Oliver had sat on the first.

"I see. And do we have any idea how large a force it is, First Lord?"

"Nothing exact, field marshal. There is a very tentative educated guess that it could be a German brigade, possibly reinforced with a battery or two of field guns."

g

"And is the Grand Fleet steaming rapidly towards Galway Bay to destroy this threat?" asked Kitchener.

"Now, now you have already been informed that Admiral Bayly is planning on rendezvousing with Warspite off the Isle of Mull tomorrow."

"So the great almighty navy is not going to interfere with the landing in Galway, First Lord?"

"Spare us the sarcasm, field marshal. We have been over and over the fact that the Grand Fleet is too weak for another fleet action at this time."

------HQ Irish Command Curragh (Kildare) 1915 hrs

Gneral Hamilton was on the telephone with General Wilson telling him, "We have just received a cable from London that the Germans have been landing troops in the Galway Bay area."

"What? Are you sure about this, general? I have heard nothing about this from the Coast Watcher Corps," replied Wilson.

"That is not at all surprising on account of the fact that there are fairly strong rebel forces at Galway and they are cutting telegraph and telephone wires wherever they can find them."

"Aye, that is about all those Pope worshipping jackals are good for, sir. Once the U.V.F. is unleashed even that will end very quickly."

"Perhaps but instead of salivating about that prospect why don't you tell me how you plan to deal with the Germans landing in Galway. They post a very serious threat to West Riding's line of communication."

Wilson paused a few seconds before replying, "Did this intelligence come from the Admiralty, sir"

"Uh, why yes it did."

"Well then it looks like they will soon be solving our problem, sir. Admiral Bayly will finish what he started at Celtic Sea. For the life of me I cannot fathom why he let the Germans escape. Nelson certainly would have finished the job."

"I have been given no indication one way or another about whether or not the Grand Fleet plans to intervene."

"But surely they must, sir. The Admiralty is merely withholding the information from us in the army. They tend to do that."

General Hamilton shook his head and sighed. What he was now hearing from General Wilson was something he was hearing far too often this last week. While he did not know the details of the Battle of Celtic Sea Sir Ian had a suspicion that it was not the decisive shift in the balance of naval power that many were hoping it was. He therefore replied, "We must base our current plans on the assumption that Admiral Bayly does not engage, which means that General Baldock will find himself with a German force that can severe his line of communication and maybe attack him from the rear."

Wilson waited more than half a minute before responding, "I find this all very speculative, sir, as I do very much believe that the Royal Navy will solve this problem for us today along with annihilating the German battle fleet, which will guarantee that we shall win this war in the long run. However if indeed I am being overly optimistic, I would point out that once the West Riding Division overpowers the German Marines and penetrates deep inside Limerick it will be able to link up with the Lowland and 11^th Divisions. This will provide it with a new line of communication."

Hamilton continued to shake his head as he sighed deeply, "You are making yet another questionable assumption, Wilson, which you then wrongly present as a boldface fact. I would like more than words could begin to describe that West Riding Division will break into Limerick city in the next 12 hours but I do find myself wondering what will happen if they don't."

The telephone line remained quiet except for the faint hiss and crackle of static. "Nothing to say, Wilson?" Hamilton finally added.

"Ah, well, uh, in the unlikely event that the Royal Navy does not destroy the invasion force in Galway Bay and the West Riding Brigade does not penetrate into Limerick and link up with the 11^th Division then General Baldock would be forced to split his division sending one part north to defeat the Germans near Galway while containing the remnants of the German Naval Division just outside Limerick. But I must reiterate that I find this contingency highly unlikely on several counts."

"I have lost count of the 'highly unlikely' events that I have seen come to pass in warfare. It is good to be prepared, is it not?"

"Uh, yes, that, uh, goes without saying, sir."

"Then we need not waste any more time debating it. Moving on, I must say that General Braithwaite and myself have reviewed the current situation south of Limerick and certain events are causing us some concern. Firstly there are the reports of an enemy attack emerging out of Limerick which poses a danger to the rear of 31^st Brigade, 11^th Division and even the Lowland Division."

"Ah, but as I very clearly spelled out in my reports, sir, the forces attacking south out of Limerick are merely the worthless Papist traitors which are of no account as soldiers."

"Our less than pleasant experiences at Dublin and Athlone do not support that extreme assertion. Moreover the rebels emerging out of Limerick are not the only problem. There is also a German afternoon counterattack in the center which apparently is turning out to be more than a feint and had some limited success at Friarstown. This is rather disturbing as we had regarded the 6^th Bavarian Infantry Division as being so weak in riflemen that it would be hard pressed to defend its lengthy sector of the front much less mount an effective attack."

"Uh, I had some problems with General Hammersley this morning, sir. He read too much into the rebel attack and conversely did not have enough faith that the brave Orangemen of 31^st Brigade could prevent the Austrians from enveloping his left flank. He therefore decided to reinforce the 31^st Brigade with elements of his own division. He further compounded this error in judgment by a series of vague communications with both my HQ and that of Lowland Division. These deficiencies resulted in a small German success at Friarstown but I have given firm orders to General Hammersley that will rectify the situation. For this reason I have denied a request by General Egerton to move his division to the east."

Hamilton arched an eyebrow at that revelation then asked, "How far east?"

"Two miles, sir, which will be enough to let the 111^th Infantry Division make contact with the Naval Division. The siege of Limerick would effectively be lifted."

This time it was Sir Ian who took his time before replying, "We definitely do not want the siege lifted. However it would be still worse for us if the enemy were to encircle and destroy Lowland Division. I have granted you a proper range of initiative in handling your corps. I am now going to insist that you permit General Egerton to withdraw to the east if he feels there is a genuine threat of being encircled."

"But general, I must in good faith protest---"

"---I do not want to hear your protests, general! I have given you an order and expect it to be carried out. If the Lowland Division is encircled due to your intransigence I will sack you immediately! Do not have any delusions that your Unionist political connections can save you!"

General Braithwaite had just finished a separate telephone conversation with General Maurice, the commander of Northern Region. Overhearing her superior's outburst he asked, "Is it really that bad, sir?"

Hamilton turned nodded to his chief of staff and nodded silently. Annoyance and disgust was etched on his face. Meanwhile he could hear two very deep sighs emanating from the telephone receiver. He wondered what was etched on Wilson's face right now. He was sure it must be even uglier than usual. Hope it isn't so hideous that it would turn his staff into stone he thought. Finally Wilson's words came through, "I will of course obey your orders, sir. It goes without saying that I have no desire to see the Lowland Division encircled, but I have every confidence that General Egerton can avoid that fate while preventing the 111^th Infantry Division from linking up with the German Marines inside Limerick."

"General Egerton will be gratified to learn in your confidence in his leadership as well as your trust in the soundness of his judgment in a difficult situation. I do hope that my position in this matter is clear."

"Ah, yes, perfectly clear, sir."

"Good, now if you will excuse me there is much that I need to discuss with my chief of staff. Goodbye." said Sir Ian who then terminated the call.

"I overheard some of that, sir," said Braithwaite, "It does seem that you managed to drive home the importance of not letting the enemy encircle Lowland Division. We cannot afford to lose another division."

"I think I did. I hope I did. Henry Wilson is a hard man to intimidate. And he does have a point this time around. It will makes things much harder if the German 111^th Division establishes a firm link with the Naval Division."

"In additional to the impact that event would have on our tactical situation, sir, the effective raising of the siege of Limerick could well have serious political repercussions."

"Unfortunately wat you say is all too true. Bonar Law is under a great deal of pressure in Parliament at this moment despite the naval victory in the Celtic Sea. It would not take much to bring down his government. The Germans lifting the siege of Limerick just might do it."

"Or for that matter the German landing near Galway if the Royal Navy does not smash it which now seems very likely."

"Or even a wider understanding of what really happened at the Battle of Rathmore. I have learned today that His Majesty had recently expressed an interest in that key battle. Perhaps he realizes that along with the widening of the Irish Catholic Revolt that battle marked the turning point in this ill fated campaign."

"That does not bode well, sir. While we freely admitted that the battle was a defeat we never explicitly acknowledged just how severe a defeat it was, how it effectively emasculated the Welsh Division and set in motion events that led to the destruction of the 16^th Division.."

"Well that cheery thought more than satiates my capacity for political speculation, strange as it may sound coming from a general rank officer. Let us switch the topic of conversation. What did General Maurice think about our ideas for deploying the U.V.F?" asked Hamilton.

"He concurs with us on several key points sir. For instance, the U.V.F. had a rather primordial logistics apparatus. If they were merely fighting within Ulster as originally intended this would have been only a moderate handicap. However we are planning to deploy them beyond the borders of Ulster which will serve to aggravate the problem."

"Which means that the A.S.C. will be required to supply them. We should petition the War Office for additional A.S.C. companies as soon as possible. For the most part the Ulster Volunteers will ironically be armed with Mannlicher and Mauser rifles so we will need to move the appropriate ammunition from their arsenals. The First Lord's plan touched on this but did not address the details which we will need to iron out."

"General Maurice also agrees with us, sir, that the U.V.F. is probably not going to be able to fight effectively in groups larger than 4,000. So what I have come up with is to start by committing 4 groups. One group of only 3,000 will reinforce Eastern Region, say with 2,000 inside Dublin and the rest stationed here. With the rebels causing so much trouble in County Wicklow I have begun to wonder if we have sufficient forces guarding our headquarters."

.

"Do you think this Rommel fellow would be so bold as to try to strike us here?" asked Hamilton while arching his right eyebrow."

"Quite frankly I wouldn't put it past him, sir. That is why I want enough strength so if and when he tries we can smash him good and get rid of that nasty pest once and for all."

"Birrell is going to complain mightily about stationing Ulster Volunteers in Dublin."

"That is to be expected but Birrell is irrelevant. Quite frankly I am astounded that he hasn't been replaced yet."

"It is a very difficult position for anyone---made even more so by the Viceroy's incessant meddling, so I think very few politicians of stature would want it. And some who might want it are likely to be controversial. The last thing Bonar Law needs right now is another controversy. But we are digressing. Where are your other three groups going?"

"All three of them would have a strength of 4,000 men. The first would be sent to reinforce our units at Athlone with orders to take back that important communication center. The next group would be sent to Omagh and put under the command of the half battalion of 1/7^th Highland Light Infantry currently there. Together they will destroy the rebel force now in County Tyrone. The last group I want to send to Donegal city where they will be placed underneath the 6^th Bedfordshire and together they will clean up Sligo."

"Hmm So that leaves 5,000 men uncommitted. Are you proposing that we keep them in Ulster as a reserve for the time being?"

"Yes, general, that is it precisely. I would like to rearm as many of them as possible with Lee-Enfield rifles while providing them with some additional training."

General Hamilton took a half minute before replying, "I see nothing wrong with any of this plan though I think posting 1,000 at Maryborough to guard the line of communications might be a good idea. I would like to think some more about this overnight but you and Maurice have preliminary approval to begin putting this into action."

------Dessie (Abyssinia) 1925 hrs

"We must destroy them completely, father!" Iyasu yelled at his father, "Both the British invaders and Zauditu's vile brood of traitors."

Ras Mikael took a deep breath before answering, "The rough terrain makes it very difficult to concentrate our forces, Your Majesty. All we have been able to do so far is to bring a mere fraction of our troops to nibble away at the Indians who are guarding the enemy's rear."

"We must do more, father! They cannot be allowed to return to Gondar and regroup."

Ras Mikael shook his head saying, "We cannot do more than we are already doing and even that must end in the next two days as we are rapidly exhausting our provisions."

"I have heard that, father, but surely our valiant soldiers can go two or three days without food if it means that we can crush our enemies."

"Please, Your Majesty, the last thing we need right now is a seriously underfed army. It would be extremely bad for morale."

For a few seconds Ras Mikael feared his son would insist but finally Iyasu equivocated, "I see no reason why we must decide this issue today nor do I wish to be a disrespectful son. We shall discuss this again tomorrow when both of our minds are fresher."

------HQ Lowland Division southwest of Limerick city 1940 hrs

The image that was being painted in General Egerton's mind from the reports flowing into his headquarters was of a noose being methodically tightened around the neck of his division. If either Brigade Hell or the 6^th Bavarian Infantry Division made it all the way to Limerick, his division would be encircled. Not only had his own counterattack against the German 111^th Infantry Division at Mungret failed but since then the Germans had been able to make some slow progress in that sector. Meanwhile the attack out of Limerick which now included some German Marines as well as the Irish rebels, was still advancing and was now threatening to overrun some of his artillery. Lastly and most disturbingly of all an enemy attack had penetrated the boundary between his left wing and the right of the 11^th (Northern) Division.

It had begun to rain nearly 3 hours ago. The precipitation had been light at first but now it was coming down hard. General Egerton glanced again at the telegram he received a few minutes earlier from General Wilson at VI Army Corps HQ:

PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED FOR LOWLAND DIVISION TO MOVE NO MORE THAN TWO MILES EAST TO AVOID ENCIRCLMENT REPEAT PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED FOR LOWLAND DIVISION TO MOVE NO MORE THAN TWO MILES EAST TO AVOID ENCIRCLMENT STOP HOWEVER IT MUST BE EMPHASIZED THAT THIS MOVE SHOULD ONLY BE DONE AS A LAST RESORT REPEAT HOWEVER IT MUST BE EMPHASIZED THAT THIS MOVE SHOULD ONLY BE DONE AS A LAST RESORT STOP

Clearly General Wilson remained opposed to the withdrawal because it would result in the lifting of the Siege of Limerick. However Wilson had finally acknowledged the threat of encirclement which Egerton increasingly feared. Egerton now felt that he had no alternative and finally gave orders for his division to move. This relocation was far from being a simple matter. The Lowland Division was currently under attack from the west, north and southeast. Effective rearguard forces would be needed to delay and impede the first two of these attacks while the attack of the Bavarian Jaeger Regiment to the southeast needed to be stopped completely no matter the cost. There was also the need to coordinate his move with the 11^th (Northern) Division and its commander, General Hammersley, who had been enigmatic bordering on inscrutable all day long.

------HQ German Sixth Army (Picardy) 1950 hrs

General von Fabeck, the commander of Sixth Army, was briefing General von Falkenhayn about the day's results over the telephone, "The 42^nd Infantry Division captured Morlay but was unable to continue its advance all the way to the bay. However the British between them and the beach are in a poor defensive position and suffering for it. More importantly we have now completely severed the line of communication of the British First Army."

"I would feel better if it were cut it at Noyelles-sur-mer as well," commented General von Falkenhayn, "Have the Prussian Guards given up on attaining that objective again?"

"No they have not but they are once again struggling with the tenacity of British regular infantry, a topic we have discussed before."

"Yes, we have. It has become the stock excuse for failure in our offensive operations against the British, though surprisingly I have yet to hear it from General von François."

General von Fabeck rolled his eyes. It was not the first time he had found himself being compared unfavorably to von François, which he found unfair. Ireland unlike France remained a theater where mobile warfare could still be practiced. "I will see to it that the Guard continues their attack during the night and in the early morning."

"Good but I do not want to be misunderstood. I do not want the lives of the prestigious Prussia Guards wasted on attacks with negligible chance of success. As long as we can hold on to Morlay the British will be forced into making desperate counterattacks to reopen their line of communications. You will need a healthy reserve to guarantee that we can fend off these counterattacks and maintain our chokehold on First Army."

"Yes, I am well aware of that," replied von Fabeck trying not to show his irritation at von Falkenhayn stating the obvious, "My immediate goal is to solidify my control of the key communication centers but avoid wasteful casualties. I am not planning to follow that with an immediate attack on British First Army. Instead I will prepare vigorously for what is certain to be an extremely determined counterattack. I hope to bleed the enemy dry. If they badly weaken themselves then not only can we destroy their First Army but we can take Abbeville without trouble and cross the Somme."

"This is a sound plan---at least in theory. Taking Abbeville is important but the destruction of the British First Amy remains your highest priority. Do not forget that."

------south of Limerick city 2010 hrs

As the Lowland Division struggled to move to the east in the increasingly heavy rain, Brigade Hell and the 6^th Bavarian Infantry Division attacked in accord with General von François' orders. The 6^th Bavarian Field Artillery Brigade reinforced with 2 foot artillery batteries armed with 15cm guns had just finished a sharp 10 minute shelling. The artillery of the Lowland Division could make no reply because they were limbered up though even if they were not they were still very short on ammunition.

General von Gyssling continued to remain leery of any offensive action that risked heavy casualties his division could ill afford. His participation in the assault was therefore limited to a single regiment, the 11^th Bavarian. As an afterthought he added the Musketen battalion which was still under his command. This assault was limited to the sector of the front already cleared by Hell's Brigade so there were neither trenches nor wire to deal with. In effect the 11^th Bavarian Regiment would be following up close behind the Foot Guards and 1^st Kerry Battalion.

This attack ran into elements of the Lowland Division that were in the process of moving. The Scots realized that they were doomed if the enemy reached Limerick. Heavy open field firefights ensued. Compounding the problems of the Lowland Division they were still being heavily pressured by the 111^th Infantry Division in the vicinity of Mungret. Less powerful but still a problem was the attack by the Irish rebels and some German Marines in the north which had already reached one of the division's 15 pounder batteries which was therefore unable to participate in the withdrawal as it fought desperately to save its guns.

------Golden Sands (Bulgaria) 2015 hrs

Stavka intended that its attack on Varna would be strong enough to save their endangered Serbian ally. For this reason they felt that merely bombarding the forts at Varna would not be enough. They felt some form of invasion would be needed. They initially considered sending an entire corps but abandoned that idea for multiple reasons. As May wore on Stavka reluctantly concluded that they did not really have a corps to spare. Furthermore Admiral Ebergard, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, did not believe he could support a sustained invasion of Bulgaria. As an alternative he favored a hit and run raid. Stavka provided him with a plastun brigade for this raid. After dark this brigade had departed Odessa aboard 14 steamers which rendezvoused with the Black Sea Fleet and together they steamed south,

The plan for the amphibious assault was to have one regiment land at the Golden Sands Beach which lay 17 km north of Varna. The Cossacks had been provided a modest amount of training in amphibious warfare before leaving Odessa. The landing here was unopposed. The initial wave infantry seized the beach easily and set up a perimeter while waiting for the follow up waves to join them.

------Helena & St. Constantine (Bulgaria) 2025 hrs

The second of the two plastun regiments was assigned the beaches of the Helena & St. Constantine area for its landing. This area lay only 8 km north of Varna. The shelling of the Bulgarian forts had been only partially effective due to the setting sun dazzling the Russian gunners. The Bulgarian coastal guns were therefore able to fire on the boats ferrying the Cossacks to shore. However it was now twilight and the enemy were emerging from darkness to the east so this shelling inflicted fairly light losses. More serious was the presence of the greater part of an Opalchenie battalion belonging the 8^th Coast Infantry Regiment which arrived at the last moment to defend the beach. Though the Opalchenie were only lightly trained and lacked machineguns they still were able to inflict heavy losses on the first wave of Cossacks coming ashore pinning them down the narrow edge of the beach. The waters of the Black Sea turned red,

------Lisnaskea (Fermanagh) 2055 hrs

Colonel Heinrici had sent the 1^st Northern Ireland Battalion north in the early morning to make a feint towards Omagh while he sent his two other battalions marching south with his cyclist company and cavalry troop in the vanguard. After their feint which skirmished with a British patrol the 1^st Northern Ireland Battalion turned around and followed the other 2 battalions south. The only resistance they had encountered on their march was a band of 5 constables who holed up inside their station for more than an hour firing away furiously for nearly hour after which they had exhausted their limited ammunition causing them to surrender to the rebel company that had stayed behind to besiege them. This company along with the 1^st Northern Ireland Battalion would camp for the night 4 miles to the north.

Heinrici was both surprised and relieved that there was no sign of enemy pursuit so far. He did not want to fight a protracted battle against the British at this time. He had absorbed a large number of volunteers since arriving in County Tyrone. He shoved nearly all of them into the 2^nd North Ireland Battalion. Heinrici wanted to spend a full day evaluating these new additions. Those that demonstrated that they had been adequately trained in either the Irish Volunteers or Redmond's National Volunteers and were acceptable marksmen would then be moved to the other two battalions.

------Patrickswell (Limerick) 2100 hrs

Acting on orders from General von François, General Sontag, the commander of the 111^th Infantry Division now expanded the scope of his attack on the Lowland Division. In addition to the eastward thrust out of Mungret he now attacked a section running 2 kilometers east from Parickswell. This attack began with a bombardment which lasted only 8 minutes. In this entire sector the Lowland Division had now thinned out its presence to a rearguard of only 3 rifle companies with a combined strength of about 450 men and 3 machineguns. These were defending too wide a front to do anything more than delay the German assault and inflict some losses. If they stayed to fight too long they would be overwhelmed.

------TCG Yavuz Sultan Selim nee SMS Goeben Istanbul harbor 2210 hrs

Steam was now being raised aboard both the Yavuz Sultan Selim and the small cruiser, Midilli formerly the Breslau. The flagship of the Ottoman Navy had been busy since its arrival at Istanbul. The day after Christmas she had been mined twice off the Bosporus. The Ottoman repair crews had been able to make provisional repairs to this damage and the Yavuz Sultan Selim was again ready for action in late March. On April 3 she sortied again accompanied by Midilli. Together they sparred again with the Black Sea Fleet to assist the Ottoman cruiser Hamidie in returning to the safety of the Bosporus, while sinking 2 enemy destroyers and 2 cargo vessels. Since then they had not put out to sea in order to conserve coal which was in short supply within the Ottoman Empire. .However the recent progress being made in Operation Tourniquet generated some hope that coal would become more available once Nish fell to the Central Powers, because it was the last remaining obstacle to opening the railroad line to the Ottoman Empire.

Admiral Souchon was very eager for renewed activity. When news arrived of the Russian attack on Varna there was no doubt about his putting out to sea.

------Helena & St. Constantine (Bulgaria) 2315 hrs

Elements of the plastun regiment which had landed at the Golden Beach now began to arrive Helena & St. Constantine, where they attacked the flank of the Opalchenie battalion still hotly engaged with the other plastun regiment. The Bulgarians were not surprised by this move but the Opalchenie were now in a bad tactical situation and were soon forced to retreat south towards Varna where another Opalchenie battalion was busily erecting defenses. The Cossacks who had been pinned down on the beach were now free and linked up with the regiment from the Golden Sands. The combined brigade moved only 4 versts closer to Varna. Their commander decided against trying to take Varna by coup de main during the night and instead let his most of his men get some sleep with the intent to attack Varna at first light,

------SMS Barbarossa Galway Bay 2320 hrs

Leutnant Cornelius St. James convened a meeting in the steerage section of what had come to be known as the Black Sheep Squadron. It included former Buffalo Soldiers, Garvey's U.N.I.A. contingent, the Ghaidars, the Turkish immigrants, Agnes Smedley, Attila Toth the half gypsy former Hussar and his wife, plus a rocket scientist. "I promised to inform you all when I know something definitive," said St. James, "well now I do. There has been a decision to split up the American Brigade. Barbarossa and two other liners are being sent to Galway to unload. The rest will be going to Cork. There is some military operation currently underway in Galway and the Germans want a portion of the American Brigade to participate in it."

Cornelius paused to take a deep breath then added, "That includes us."

This revelation precipitated some murmuring amongst the listeners. Te former Buffalo Soldier tried not to look directly at Garvey but there is no way that is he could avoid hearing Garvey, "This is Ireland not Africa! U.N.I.A. cares nothing about Ireland. We were promised that we were going to Africa to fight either for Iyasu or Lettow-Vorbeck. If this boat stops at Galway go ahead and let the white boys get off. We will stay aboard and wait until we reach Germany where we will be promptly brought to Africa, our ancestral homeland."

St. James shook his head wearily, "For over a week now I have been thinking about what was going to happen once we reached Ireland and I still don't see how the Germans are going to get any of us to Africa. Once they open a rail link to the Ottoman Empire they could send us to Yemen and then try to smuggle us across the Mandab by night. If this works at all it is very likely to take more than six months to pull off."

"What! Why did Captain von Papen not tell me this?" asked Garvey, "And even if what you say is true, U.N.I.A. can wait six months."

Instead of looking at Garvey, St. James sought out the faces of the other members of U.N.I.A. present. He could tell that more than half of them were very uncomfortable at the idea of travelling six more months.

"And what about us, Cornelius?" asked Sandeep Singh Puri the leader of the Ghaidar contingent, "Will it take the Germans six months to ferry us to India?"

St. James liked Sandeep, unlike Garvey. "As far as I can tell that sounds about right, Sandeep," he answered, "which is why I think you too are better used here and now instead of trying to reach India eventually which frankly may never happen."

Sandeep looked disappointed though only moderately so. "I too have reflected on this matter during our trip across the Atlantic. The more I thought about it the more difficult it sounded, esp. I learned about the poor state of the railroads in the Ottoman Empire. The option of fighting here in Ireland instead cannot be ruled out. I am all too aware of the parallels between the respective political situations in Ireland and India. I would like to discuss this with my men though before I give you an answer though I will say that I have some sympathy to your suggestion."

"I can give you an answer right now!" yelled Garvey, "The U.N.I.A. is going to Africa. We are not going to do any fighting in Ireland."

St. James shook his head and rolled his eyes. After a long and deep sigh he said, "Shouldn't you at least take some time to talk to your men as Sandeep is wisely doing?"

"No! I run the U.N.I.A. My men will do what I tell them to do!"

St. James stared again at the faces of Garvey's men. A few of them looked like fanatical devotees who would indeed do whatever Marcus told them no matter how stupid.. The great majority though looked skeptical and unsure. Cornelius had slowly established prestige and authority amongst most of the U.N.I.A. contingent during the training sessions he had conducted on the sea voyage. If Garvey pressed the issue St. James suspected more than half of the U.N.I.A. men would abandon their leader and follow Cornelius instead. "Some of them will, some of them won't, Marcus. Do you really want to find out which one is the larger group?"

At that Marcus turned to look at his own men. To his satisfaction Cornelius noticed that many of them avoided making eye contact with Garvey, who in turn began to look uneasy about what he was observing. Finally he said, "It is late and perhaps I am being hasty. I will give this matter some thought."

"OK but don't take too much time. This vessel will begin offloading within the hour."

------SMS President Grant Galway Bay 2325 hrs

Fred Austerlitz, James Cagney Jr. and Jack Moran had gone outside to try to get their first glimpse of Ireland. All they succeeded in doing was getting wet from the rain. They returned to the ballroom where champagne was being served to all to celebrate their arrival at Ireland. The band was playing Irish music.

"You don't look very happy, Jack," Cagney commented after his third glass of champagne, "Is there something wrong with the bubbly? You and Fred are more used to it than I am. It tastes just fine to me."

"The champagne is excellent," remarked Fred, "It is a shame they waited until the last minute before serving it."

"The champagne is not the problem," said Moran, speaking in a softer voice than usual. "It's just, it's…" His voice trailed off.

"It's just what, man? Speak louder I can barely understand you," said Cagney, "Here we are about to land in Ireland and have the adventure of a lifetime and you are all piss in the your beer glum except it happens to be champagne not beer."

Jack turned to Fred. They simultaneously nodded as if sharing a single thought. Cagney saw this and said, "Now you got Fred doing it! What gives you two?"

It was Fred who answered also in a subdued voice, "We have been wondering if we have made a mistake."

"Mistake? Mistake about what? The dancing classes?" asked Jimmy.

"No, you stupid Mick, the mistake was in joining this expedition," Moran said in a low dark voice. Fred nodded some more then added, "We are going to war you know."

Cagney shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Especially coming from you, Jack. Jesus fuckin' Christ! You were part of the Hudson Dusters! Those guys ain't afraid of anything!"

"Something in my gut tells me war is going to be different," replied Moran glumly.

Fred nodded again. Cagney cuffed him yelling, "Will you stop doing that! You're givin' me the willies!"

"Don't hit Fred again," Moran ordered.

"Or you do what you yellow bellied coward?"

Jack stood up and hissed, "No one calls me that!"

Jimmy stood up as well and countered, "Well then, are you going to do something about it?"

Fred stood up as well. He was worried that his two friends would come to blows. "Now, now there is no need for us to make our last night aboard this fine liner unpleasant. I would not like to have to explain this to my father tomorrow."

Jack nodded to Fred and slowly sat down. "Now sit down and behave yourself, James. There will be more than enough fighting for everyone in the days ahead. No reason for anyone to jump the gun tonight" Fred told Cagney who was still glaring defiantly at Jack.

Finally Cagney said, "Ah, to Hell you two pansies." He then left their table and went in search of another where he could get drunk in peace."

------Limerick area 2340 hrs

Brigade Hell finally reached Limerick city. Elements of the 111^th Infantry Division had already linked up the Irish rebels northeast of Mungret. Oberst Hell had received a report that an enemy force was now encircled. This was true but the size of the trapped force was exaggerated in the reports causing him to erroneously conclude that he had encircled most of the Lowland Division. In fact the encircled Scottish forces consisted of what was left of the 1/5^th Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers, 3 separate rifle companies each from a different battalion, the 2/2^nd Lowland Royal Engineers Field Company, a battery of 15 pounder field guns, a battery of 5" howitzers, the divisional cyclist company, and half of an A.S.C. company. These had been crowded together by the enemy attacks and once they realized that their escape was blocked they tried to assume a crude hedgehog defensive position.

That portion of the Lowland Division that had escaped encirclement had ended up moving 3 miles instead of the 2 miles permitted by General Wilson. General Egerton was very upset with the minimal assistance he was receiving from General Hammersley, which amounted to two battalions, the 6^th Lincolnshire and the 7^th South Staffordshire, both of which were receiving confusing orders.

"In the late afternoon there was great excitement in my company as it was becoming evident that the enemy resistance near Mungret, which had been so determined earlier in the day was now collapsing. The Scots were on the run! In the chill rain we pursued with great enthusiasm. The enemy had set aside small packets of troops to delay our pursuit. These could be troublesome esp. if they had a machinegun.

The fighting continued after sunset. The sky was lit by an eerie combination of flares, tracers and lightning from the thunderstorm which gave the battlefield a strange beauty that is difficult to describe properly. Suddenly we were put on alert as an enemy force was approaching! As they grew closer some of the men began shooting. Within seconds our officers began shouting, 'Cease fire, cease fire! They are friendly forces.'

We put down our rifles. Yes, it was true. These were more of the Irish rebels. Most but not all wore that strange steel helmet. A few had tunics in the shade of green the Irish units used. The rest wore armbands that said 'IRA'. We realized that we had linked up with the forces that had been inside Limerick. The officers had told us that one of our objectives was to lift the siege of Limerick. We were therefore very proud of what we had done.

There was a very strange woman with the Irish rebels. She carried a rifle and wore a helmet and a military tunic. Since coming to Ireland I had heard stories of these wild Celtic Amazons but I had thought that they were only stories. Now I saw one with my own eyes. The Irishmen did not seem to think there was anything wrong with this. Some of them were very respectful to her and I began to wonder if she might be the Irish version of Joan of Arc."

----Ernst Junger, Storm of Steel

Uwe, Battle of Cape Saryth happened in Nov 1914 both OTL and OU. The rendezvous of HSF and 2nd SG occurred nearly 90 nm west of Galway with von Spee's PDN and liners ~ 20nm west of 2SG. Max speed of President Grant is 14 knots. Gen von Francois was looking forward to destroying 3 British divisions in about 5 days. Like the Battle of Sambor where he thought he could completely destroy Brusilov he is finds himself with a much less decisivTome victory (but still a victory). Tom