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TarJak · 08-31-14, 06:23 PM

1 September 1914

The battle of Nery in the opening weeks of the Great War began when the advancing Germans surprised the 1st British Cavalry Brigade quartered in the small French town. Chaos ensued, and the British took time to organise their defence, but eventually struck back with two batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery especially distinguishing themselves. The Queen s Bays cavalry regiment charged in classic style, and the Germans, mistakenly believing themselves outnumbered, withdrew with heavy casualties. Though tiny by later Great War standards, the affair at Nery , in which three VCs - two of them posthumous - were won, was a textbook example of guns and horses teaming up to turn defeat into victory.

During the morning the British 5th Cavalry Brigade moved to the west bank of the Oise about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Cérizy (Moÿ-de-l'Aisne). Around noon German cavalry appeared on the road from St. Quentin and were engaged by a party of cavalry with a machine-gun 0.5-mile (0.80 km) east of Cérizy supported by a section of Royal Horse Artillery. The party of cavalry was forced back but German attempts to enter La Guinguette Farm were repulsed. In the afternoon, two German cavalry squadrons appeared and were engaged. The Germans dismounted and then their horses bolted, followed by the riders. The British immediately pursued around the eastern flank and met mounted cavalry near Moy and a party of lancers forced the Germans to dismount with rifle-fire and stampeded their horses. Mounted cavalry got within 50 yards (46 m), charged and inflicted 70–80 casualties with– swords and lances for a loss of five killed. The British gathered c. 30 wounded and estimated that the total German loss was 300 casualties. The Germans had expected to meet a weak infantry detachment and attacked with three dismounted squadrons, intending to charge with three more. A troops of Dragoons was overrun by British cavalry but the Germans eventually managed to disengage and withdraw behind a hill north of the woods; during the evening the British retired to the south.[

Air reconnaissance on the fronts of the VII Corps and X Reserve Corps on 31 August reported that the British were retreating south of the Aisne towards Crépy-en-Valois. The five Jägerbattalions of the II Cavalry Corps were sent towards Crépy on 1 September and encountered the 13th Brigade of the 5th Division, which began to retire at 10:00 a.m. A German attack began from Béthancourt, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Crépy and mainly met the West Kents on the left flank. The 119th Battery of the XXVII Brigade RFA was about 100 yards (91 m) from the British line and fired 150 shells in five minutes, when the Germans had approached within 1,400 yards (1,300 m). By noon the British had fallen back and German cavalry patrols probed forward without infantry. On the right flank, the 2nd Duke of Wellingtons at a crossroads near Raperie, were able to withdraw, under cover of the other two batteries of the XXVII Brigade. The 1st Army had attempted to trap British rearguards at Crépy and Villers-Cotterêts but they had slipped away. Air reconnaissance revealed that British columns were moving south from the area south-west of Villers-Cotterêts, south of Crépy and from Creil.

The 6th Division of the III Corps crossed the Aisne at Vic on 1 September and engaged the 3rd Cavalry Brigade at Taillefontaine, about 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west of Villers and drove it slowly back towards the village
At 10:00 a.m. the 4th Guards Brigade was attacked by a mixed force of cavalry, infantry and artillery, which was repulsed until another attack at 10:45 a.m. and got round the western flank and advanced on an open area from Rond de la Reine to Croix de Belle Vue and filtered through gaps in the line of the 3rd Coldstream Guards, who fell back slowly, with the 2nd Grenadier Guards on the right. By 2:00 p.m. the British had retreated to the northern fringe of the village during hand-to-hand fighting. The British retreat began again at 6:00 p.m. and Villers-Cotterêts was captured late in the night, after the British had retired to the south and south-west. By the end of the day the 1st Army headquarters had abandoned hope of cornering large British forces south of Verberie, Crépy-en-Valois and Villers-Cotterêts.

A retired Admiral, Charles Fitzgerald, conceived the notion of the White Feather movement in Folkestone. Local women are encouraged to join in the shaming of non-combatants, with more or less success.

General Russian withdrawal towards the Bug.

St. Petersburg renamed "Petrograd".

In Galicia the Battle of Lemberg goes against the Austrians.

The Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya arrives off Kiaochow Bay, China, to participate in operations during the Siege of Tsingtao. It is the first combat deployment of an aviation ship by any country.

No. 3 Squardon RNAS was formed at St Pol. This formation was later renamed to No. 203 Squardon RAF when the RAF was formed in 1918. Among its notable Officers Commanding were Canada's first ace, Redford Mulock; Lloyd S. Breadner, future Air Marshal of the Royal Canadian Air Force; Raymond Collishaw, sixth scoring ace of the war; and Tom F. Hazell, the Royal Air Force's tenth scoring ace of the war. The squadron produced a number of other notable aces, including Leonard Rochford; Arthur Whealy; James Alpheus Glen; Edwin Hayne; William Sidebottom; Frederick C. Armstrong; Joseph Stewart Temple Fall; Harold F. Beamish; future Air Marshal Aubrey Ellwood; John Joseph Malone; John Denis Breakey; Frederick Britnell; Francis Casey; Australia's highest scoring ace, Robert A. Little; Harold Spencer Kerby; Alfred Williams Carter; and Herbert Travers.

Eleven of the squadron's 23 aces were Canadian. The squadron claimed about 250 aerial victories during World War I.

08-31-14, 06:23 PM	#184
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	1 September 1914 The battle of Nery in the opening weeks of the Great War began when the advancing Germans surprised the 1st British Cavalry Brigade quartered in the small French town. Chaos ensued, and the British took time to organise their defence, but eventually struck back with two batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery especially distinguishing themselves. The Queen s Bays cavalry regiment charged in classic style, and the Germans, mistakenly believing themselves outnumbered, withdrew with heavy casualties. Though tiny by later Great War standards, the affair at Nery , in which three VCs - two of them posthumous - were won, was a textbook example of guns and horses teaming up to turn defeat into victory. During the morning the British 5th Cavalry Brigade moved to the west bank of the Oise about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Cérizy (Moÿ-de-l'Aisne). Around noon German cavalry appeared on the road from St. Quentin and were engaged by a party of cavalry with a machine-gun 0.5-mile (0.80 km) east of Cérizy supported by a section of Royal Horse Artillery. The party of cavalry was forced back but German attempts to enter La Guinguette Farm were repulsed. In the afternoon, two German cavalry squadrons appeared and were engaged. The Germans dismounted and then their horses bolted, followed by the riders. The British immediately pursued around the eastern flank and met mounted cavalry near Moy and a party of lancers forced the Germans to dismount with rifle-fire and stampeded their horses. Mounted cavalry got within 50 yards (46 m), charged and inflicted 70–80 casualties with– swords and lances for a loss of five killed. The British gathered c. 30 wounded and estimated that the total German loss was 300 casualties. The Germans had expected to meet a weak infantry detachment and attacked with three dismounted squadrons, intending to charge with three more. A troops of Dragoons was overrun by British cavalry but the Germans eventually managed to disengage and withdraw behind a hill north of the woods; during the evening the British retired to the south.[ Air reconnaissance on the fronts of the VII Corps and X Reserve Corps on 31 August reported that the British were retreating south of the Aisne towards Crépy-en-Valois. The five Jägerbattalions of the II Cavalry Corps were sent towards Crépy on 1 September and encountered the 13th Brigade of the 5th Division, which began to retire at 10:00 a.m. A German attack began from Béthancourt, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Crépy and mainly met the West Kents on the left flank. The 119th Battery of the XXVII Brigade RFA was about 100 yards (91 m) from the British line and fired 150 shells in five minutes, when the Germans had approached within 1,400 yards (1,300 m). By noon the British had fallen back and German cavalry patrols probed forward without infantry. On the right flank, the 2nd Duke of Wellingtons at a crossroads near Raperie, were able to withdraw, under cover of the other two batteries of the XXVII Brigade. The 1st Army had attempted to trap British rearguards at Crépy and Villers-Cotterêts but they had slipped away. Air reconnaissance revealed that British columns were moving south from the area south-west of Villers-Cotterêts, south of Crépy and from Creil. The 6th Division of the III Corps crossed the Aisne at Vic on 1 September and engaged the 3rd Cavalry Brigade at Taillefontaine, about 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west of Villers and drove it slowly back towards the village At 10:00 a.m. the 4th Guards Brigade was attacked by a mixed force of cavalry, infantry and artillery, which was repulsed until another attack at 10:45 a.m. and got round the western flank and advanced on an open area from Rond de la Reine to Croix de Belle Vue and filtered through gaps in the line of the 3rd Coldstream Guards, who fell back slowly, with the 2nd Grenadier Guards on the right. By 2:00 p.m. the British had retreated to the northern fringe of the village during hand-to-hand fighting. The British retreat began again at 6:00 p.m. and Villers-Cotterêts was captured late in the night, after the British had retired to the south and south-west. By the end of the day the 1st Army headquarters had abandoned hope of cornering large British forces south of Verberie, Crépy-en-Valois and Villers-Cotterêts. A retired Admiral, Charles Fitzgerald, conceived the notion of the White Feather movement in Folkestone. Local women are encouraged to join in the shaming of non-combatants, with more or less success. General Russian withdrawal towards the Bug. St. Petersburg renamed "Petrograd". In Galicia the Battle of Lemberg goes against the Austrians. The Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya arrives off Kiaochow Bay, China, to participate in operations during the Siege of Tsingtao. It is the first combat deployment of an aviation ship by any country. No. 3 Squardon RNAS was formed at St Pol. This formation was later renamed to No. 203 Squardon RAF when the RAF was formed in 1918. Among its notable Officers Commanding were Canada's first ace, Redford Mulock; Lloyd S. Breadner, future Air Marshal of the Royal Canadian Air Force; Raymond Collishaw, sixth scoring ace of the war; and Tom F. Hazell, the Royal Air Force's tenth scoring ace of the war. The squadron produced a number of other notable aces, including Leonard Rochford; Arthur Whealy; James Alpheus Glen; Edwin Hayne; William Sidebottom; Frederick C. Armstrong; Joseph Stewart Temple Fall; Harold F. Beamish; future Air Marshal Aubrey Ellwood; John Joseph Malone; John Denis Breakey; Frederick Britnell; Francis Casey; Australia's highest scoring ace, Robert A. Little; Harold Spencer Kerby; Alfred Williams Carter; and Herbert Travers. Eleven of the squadron's 23 aces were Canadian. The squadron claimed about 250 aerial victories during World War I. Last edited by TarJak; 08-31-14 at 07:17 PM.