- - ---,----- 34 Feature THE SUNDAY TIMES OF MALTA I August 28, 2016 THE SUNDAY TIMES OF MALTA I August 28,2016 Feature 35 An 18-pounder Royal Artillery field gun in action in Salonika. Photo: Imperial War Museum British stretcher cases on a motor lighter in Salonika harbour awaiting transfer to a hospital ship. Victories, retreats and staleinates Photo: Imperial War Museum during August-Deceinber 1916 believed a development of strategic impor­ August 29, 1916, and replaced by Field Marshal On October 8, 1916, the German military tance could be gained in the Balkans. Paul von Hindenburg, with General Luden-· authorities founded the Luftstreikrafte In late summer 1916, Bulgarian troops occu­ dorff as his deputy. The new supreme com­ (German Air Force), by amalgamating various pied parts of northern Greece, including Seres mand ordered an end to attacks at Verdun and aerial fighting groups. on August 19, and Drama and the port of the dispatch of n·oops from there to Romania In Eastern Europe, ori October 10, 1916, the Kavala on September 12. The Bulgarians also and the Somme front. Romanian army started retreating back to A. colunin of.ffie Austro-Hungarian cavalty assumed occupation duties in Serbia to release On September 5, proposals for a new, shorter Romania when the Ausn·o-Hungarian-German Bucharest, Dec~mbE!' 6, 1916. Photo: Imperial War· Museum Charles Debono Germans soldiers for the Western Front. defensive position to be built in France were troops pushed them out of Hungary. After­ In August 1916, fo llowing the Romanian requested from the commanders of the west­ wards they invaded Romania and headed declaration of war against Austria-Hungary, ern armies, who met Hindenburg and Luden­ towards Bucharest. On December 6, German and Austro-Hungarian officers in one Charles Debono is curator, Bulgaria joined the other Central Powers in dorff at Cambrai on September 8. The western Bucharest, the capital of Romania, fell in Aus­ ofthe main streets of Bucharest, December National War Museum. an attack on Romania. Bulgarian troops front commanders were told that no reserves tro-Hungarian-German hands. This brought 1916. Photo: Imperial War Museum advanced into the Dobmdzha against Roman­ were available for offensive operations, except the end of Romanian resistance. ian and Russian opposition, and seized the those planned for Romania. In October, Captain Joseph Ardoino, who On August 27, 1916, Romania declared war Black Sea port of Constanta on October 21. On September 15, 1916, the British used had joined the Manchester Regiment from the on the Central Powers and began the inva­ Together with German and Ottoman units, tanks for the first time during the Battle ofFlers­ Malta Militia, was transferred to the Indian sion of Austria-Hungary through the Bulgarian forces also crossed the Danube and Courcelette (September 15-22, 1916), which Army, where he had been pi-omoted to the rank Carpathian Mountains. The Romanians overran Wallachia. was part of the Battle of the Somme. They of major as fromAprill916. The London Gazette advanced 50 miles into Transylvania. A day These attacks effectively knocked Romania attacked German positions along a five-mile of October 4 announced the promotion of later, Italy declared war ~n Germany, thus out of the war and restored to Bulgaria south­ front, advancing 2,000 yards with tank support. another Maltese, Surgeon Captain R. Ran don, expanding the scope of its military activities ern Dobrudzha, which had been taken by Britain was the first counn-y that developed Royal Malta Artillery, to Surgeon Major. beyond the Italian-Austrian Front. On Sep­ Romania during the Second Balkan War. With the tank, which consisted of two small side­ On the Italian front, on August 6, 1916, the tember 1, 1916, Romania was invaded by the the occupation of Macedonia and southern cannons and four machine-guns, operated by Italians started the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo newly formed Danube Army, consisting of Dobrudzha, Bulgaria had accomplished its eight crew members. As the infantry advanced, (August 6-17, 1916). This was the first rea!Ital- Germans, Turks and Bulgarians under the major war aims. Thereafter, Bulgarian strategy individual tanks provided support by rolling ian success of the war, when they gained a command of a German general. became largely defensive. over the German barbed wire, penen·atingthe foothold on the Carso around Monte San After Romania declared war, during an On September 2, 1916, the British War Office frontline defence, and then moving along the Michele. Gorizia was captured and a bridge­ evening performance on StGeorge's Square, issued a call for Maltese men to join the Mal­ length of the trench, using their machine-guns head secured on the river. The Austro-Hun­ Valletta, by the band oftlie King's Own Malta tese Labour Battalion to serve at Salonika. The against the German soldi!=!rs . garians shifted troops to the Gorizia sector to Regiment of Militia, the band also performed service was to be for three montlis and could prevent a breakthrough. The Italian offensive Tanks ent~red combat for in the Romanian anthem for the first time, in be extended if necessary. All those who joined 11 stopped there. history on September 15, 19~6, wifi!Brttish addition to the anthems of Britain's other allies, would be subject to military law. The call was 0n September 21, 1916, Fighting continued through the autumn dur­ troops atFler& Courcelette during~e Batfle of which were usually played in public at the end for leading stevedores, leading labourers, ing the Seventh (September 14-17, 1916), the Somme. Pho!o: Imperial War Mm~u.m of a programme. The Governor, who at that stevedores and labourers. Their payment was the Maltese Labour Eighth (October 10-12, 1916) and the Ninth Bat­ time was attending a dinner at the Casino Mal­ to be 5s, 4s, 4s and 2s 6d respectively. Those Battalion paraded in tles of the Isonzo (November 1-4, 1916). They Several other clashes were fought during the skill and determination at a very critical tese, listened to the Romanian anthem from wishing to join had to report to Major E. Amato were essentially a continuation of attempts to Battle of the Somme, which included the Battle moment in the attack. British troops with a tank at Flers­ the balcony overlooking the square in com­ Gauci, King's Own Malta Regiment of Militia Lascaris Ditch prior to their extend the bridgehead established at Gorizia. ofThiepval (September 26-28, 1916), the Battle On December 7, 1916, Lloyd George was Courcelette. Photo: Imperial War Museum pany of the consul of that country. According (KOMRM) at Lascaris Barracks, Valletta. departure. The battalion The Austro-Hungarian Army's command of ofLe Transloy (October 1-18, 1916, and the appointed Britain's new P1ime Minister. His new to the Daily Malta Chronicle, when the anthem A few days afterwards enough men had been the mountainous terrain provided a formidable Battle of the Ancre Heights (October ! -Novem­ War Cabinet immediately began to organise the ended "there was an outburst of enthusiasm recruited to form the Maltese Battalion. Many consisted of 850 men" natural barrier to the Italians' attempts to ber 11, 1916). On November 13, 1916, British country for "total war'. Five days later, Joseph expressed in cheering and clapping of hands had already served at Mudros Island dwing the achieve a breaktluough. On 13 December 13, troops started the Battle of the Ancre, which Joffre resigned under pressure from his position which was maintained by vigour". Gallipoli campaign. 1916, known as 'White Friday', 10,000 soldiers, was a surprise attack and captured the towns as Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, Meanwhile, in the eastern Mediterranean, On September 21, 1916, the Maltese Labour On the Eastern Front, on September 20, both Italian andAustro-Hungmians, were killed of Beaumont Hamel and Beaucourt at the and he was replaced by General Robert Nivelle. Anglo-French forces had already landed in the Battalion paraded in Lascaris Ditch prior to 1916, the Brusilov Offensive was brought to a by avalanches in the Dolomites. northern end of the Somme Front. The last offensive in the Battle of Verdun Greek port of Salonika on October 5, 1915. their departure. The battalion consisted of850 halt. The Russian army, under the command In October 1916, Corporal Henry De Lmlcel­ The Battle of the Somme ended on Novem­ started on December 15, 1916, when the Briti ~h troops stationed there were known as men, under the command of Major Vella; the of General Alexei Brusilov, swept eastward up loti arrived in Malta on leave of absence, after ber 18, 1916, when the British and French French pushed the Germans out ofLouvemont the British Salonika Force. I twas commanded officers in charge were Captain Pace, Adjutant to 60 miles deep along a 300-mile front, where 16 months service in the 27th Regiment, Italian decided to halt the offensive. By now, the Ger­ and Bezonvaux on the east bank of the Meuse by Lieutenant General Gemge Milne as from and Qr Mr Adair, Lieutenant Samut Taglia­ they captured about 350,000 Ausn·o-Hungar­ Army. He took part in action in the first line on mans had been pushed back just a few miles River. Combined with other ground losses, the May 1916, following General Sir Bryan Mahon's ferro, Second Lieutenant Baroncino J. ian n·oops. However, the Russians were forced the heights of Padgora, where his gallantry along the entire 15-mile front, but the m ajor German withdrawal ended the immediate posting to Egypt. From late 1916 to early 1917, Chapell, Second Lieutenant Huber, Captain to withdraw after the Germans brought in 24 earned him decoration.