America's War for Humanity Part 68

A bombsh.e.l.l was cast into the camps of the nations at war on December 20, when President Wilson unexpectedly addressed a message to the belligerents, urging them to state their terms of peace and end the war without further fighting.

An explanation of the President's message to the nations was made by Secretary of State Lansing on the morning of its publication. In the course of this he a.s.serted that the United States had been brought to "the verge of war," which was generally understood to mean that a threatened resumption of submarine activities by Germany on a large scale might create an intolerable situation; also that the President desired to know the terms of peace contemplated by the powers at war, so as to be informed as to how they would affect the interests of the United States.

Germany replied to the President's note on December 26, giving no terms, but lauding the "high-minded suggestion" of Mr. Wilson and proposing "an immediate meeting of delegates of the belligerent states, at a neutral place," continuing as follows: "The imperial government is also of the opinion that the great work of preventing further wars can be begun only after the end of the present struggle of the nations. It will, when this moment shall have come, be ready with pleasure to collaborate entirely with the United States in this exalted task."

The reply of the Entente Allies to President Wilson's message was received January 11. While disclaiming any intention of exterminating the Teutonic peoples, the Allies in this reply stated terms of peace which would result in the humbling of Germany and Austria-Hungary and the expulsion of Turkey from Europe.

ENTENTE PEACE TERMS.

The Entente peace terms enumerated in the reply to the President were:

Restoration of Belgium, Serbia and Montenegro, with the payment of indemnities to each by Germany.

Evacuation of France, Russia and Roumania, with reparation to each by Germany.

Reorganization of Europe "guaranteed by a stable regime and founded as much upon respect of nationalities and full security and liberty of economic development, which all nations, great or small, possess, as upon territorial conventions and international agreements suitable to guarantee territorial and maritime frontiers against unjustified attacks."

ALSACE-LORRAINE TO FRANCE.

Restoration to France of Alsace and Lorraine by Germany and to Italy of the former northern provinces by Austria.

Liberation of Italians, Slavs, Roumanians and Tcheco Slovaques (Czech Slavs) from domination by the Central Powers, which would mean the cession of several outlying portions of Austria-Hungary to Russia, Roumania, Serbia and Italy.

Enfranchis.e.m.e.nt of the Armenians and other "populations subject to the b.l.o.o.d.y tyranny of the Turks."

Expulsion of the Turkish empire from Europe, thus giving Constantinople to Russia.

WOULD LIBERATE EUROPE.

"It goes without saying," concluded the note, "that, if the Allies wish to liberate Europe from the brutal covetousness of Prussian militarism, it never has been their design, as has been alleged, to encompa.s.s the extermination of the German peoples and their political disappearance.

"That which they desire above all is to insure a peace upon the principles of liberty and justice, upon the inviolable fidelity to international obligation with which the government of the United States has never ceased to be inspired.

WANT VICTORIOUS WAR.

"United in the pursuits of this supreme object, the Allies are determined, individually and collectively, to act with all their power and to consent to all sacrifices to bring to a victorious close a conflict upon which they are convinced not only their own safety and prosperity depend, but also the future of civilization itself."

Belgium, in addition to joining with her allies in the reply to the President, sent an individual note, in which the conquered kingdom made a stirring appeal for American sympathy in its purpose to fight on till it won freedom with reparation.

The Allies promised that in the event of peace on these terms Russia would carry out her announced intention of conferring autonomy on Poland.

THE PECULIAR SITUATION IN GREECE.

A curious situation developed in Greece during the fall and early winter of 1916. The German sympathies of King Constantine had brought him into conflict with the considerable portion of the Greek people led by the former premier, Venizelos, and the latter had proclaimed a Greek republic and placed troops in the field in active co-operation with the Allies. Diplomatic representatives of the Entente Powers who had remained in Athens were ordered to leave early in November, their presence being felt to be a menace to the interests of the Allies, whose warships commanded the Greek ports and whose troops were stationed at Saloniki in large numbers. The ostensible neutrality of King Constantine's government was regarded by the Allies as dangerous, the failure of Greece to respond to the call of Serbia, its treaty ally, having demonstrated the governmental inclination toward the cause of the Central Powers. In order to minimize the danger, therefore, the French admiral, Du Fournet, in command of the Allied fleet, demanded the surrender to the Allies of certain guns and war material, and this demand being refused French and British marines were landed at the Piraeus on December 2, 1916, and took possession of the Acropolis. This led to their being fired upon by Greek reservists who had been called out, and some bloodshed resulted, there being about 200 casualties before a compromise was reached between King Constantine and the Allied commanders and the Greek crisis pa.s.sed for the time being. The king submitted to part of the Allied demands, the others were waived, and the forces landed were withdrawn, after a day of fighting in which the Greek reservists engaged in many clashes with the armed followers of Venizelos.

On January 9 ministers of the Entente Powers handed to the Greek government an ultimatum giving Greece forty-eight hours to comply with the demands contained in the note drawn up by France, Great Britain and Russia on December 31.

Included in the ultimatum was a request by the Entente Powers that the Greek government fulfill at the earliest possible moment the agreement of December 14 regarding the transfer of Greek troops from Thessaly.

BRITISH ENTER GERMAN LINES.

During the night of January 14 a party of British troops entered the German lines east of Loos. Many casualties were inflicted on the enemy, his dug-outs were bombed and some prisoners were secured. North of the Ancre an enemy transport was successfully engaged.

In addition to the usual artillery activity the enemy's positions were effectually bombarded southeast of Loos and opposite the Bois Grenier.

GERMANS DRIVEN BACK.

The official communication of the French war office January 15, 1917, announced that reciprocal bombardments took place on both banks of the Somme, the right bank of the Meuse and in Lorraine.

After a bombardment the night before between the Aisne and the Argonne the Germans attacked the French advanced posts; they were driven back after a spirited combat with grenades.

On their side the French carried out several surprise attacks on the enemy lines, taking material and prisoners.

On January 16 a powerful offensive was started by the Russo-Roumanian forces in the Roumanian theatre of war, with strong attacks between the Casinu and Sus.h.i.tza valleys and on both sides of Fundeni. In places the trenches of the German Allies were entered.

CHAPTER XXIX.

CONTINUATION OF WAR IN 1917.

_German Sea Raider Busy--British Victory in Mesopotamia --Russia Dethrones the Czar--United States' Relations with Germany Severed--Germans Retreat on the West_.

On January 10 the Greek government accepted the ultimatum of the Allies, providing satisfaction to them without interfering with the administration of the country or local communications. From this time on the situation in Greece ceased to be a source of serious trouble to the Allied commanders at Saloniki.

GERMAN SEA RAIDER BUSY.

It was learned on January 17 that a German sea raider, which had succeeded in slipping through the cordon of British ships, had been preying on commerce in the south Atlantic for six weeks. Twenty-one vessels were reported to have been sunk by the raider, with a total loss of approximately $40,000,000. Victims of the raider who were landed at Pernambuco, Brazil, January 18 stated their belief that she was the steamship Moewe, notorious as a raider early in the war, but later reported docked in the Kiel Ca.n.a.l. It was said that she left the Ca.n.a.l disguised as a Danish hay-ship.

NAVAL BATTLE IN THE NORTH SEA.

In a sea battle off Zeebrugge, Holland, on January 23, fourteen German torpedo-boat destroyers, attempting to leave port, were attacked by a British flotilla and seven of them were reported sunk.

BRITISH VICTORY IN MESOPOTAMIA.

Victorious advances were made in Mesopotamia during the month of January by the British forces, who were determined to wipe out the reverse sustained in the surrender at Kut-el-Amara in 1916. On January 21 it was announced that the Turks had been driven out of positions on the right bank of the Tigris, near Kut, the British occupying their trenches on a wide front.

After a series of persistent attacks Kut-el-Amara fell before the British advance on February 26, opening the road to Bagdad. The Turkish garrison of the city took flight, hotly pursued by the British cavalry, and more than 2,000 prisoners were taken, with many guns and large quant.i.ties of war material. Next day the British defeated the Turks in a sanguinary battle 15 miles northwest of the captured town, and took many more prisoners. Bagdad soon fell into their hands, and as the month of April approached the British were on the eve of effecting a junction with the Russian army advancing through Mesopotamia.

ON THE EASTERN FRONT.

After many vicissitudes in the fighting on the Eastern front in January, the Russians struck a smashing blow at the Teuton line on January 28, tearing a mile-wide gap in Bukowina, close to the Roumanian frontier.

Berlin admitted that the offensives on the Sereth and Riga fronts had been temporarily stopped, that many prisoners had been taken by the Russians, and that the German lines had been withdrawn because of superior pressure. The reorganized Roumanian army was reported ready for a new offensive in the spring.

The Russian successes were, however, only temporary and the remainder of the winter campaign was marked by repeated efforts on the part of the Germans to break down the Russian defenses of Riga on the north, and to push the Slavs still further back on the south. Late in February the Teuton forces entered Russian positions in Galicia and also re-took the offensive on the Roumanian front, raiding Russian trenches in the Carpathians and blocking all Russian attempts to force the mountain pa.s.ses. On February 28 they recaptured most of the peaks in the Bukowina which were lost to the Russians earlier in the year, and took a large number of Russian prisoners.

Meanwhile the Russian advance in Persia and Mesopotamia against the Turks continued unchecked, and events of importance were shaping themselves in the Russian empire, calculated to have an immense effect on the conduct of the Russian armies in the field as well as on the fortunes of the Romanoff dynasty.