The morale of the Austrian troops, except when aided by the Germans, was never satisfactory, and the condition of her home affairs became worse as the war progressed. The Emperor Francis Joseph died in November, 1916, and he was succeeded by the Emperor Karl, who was suspected of having strong leanings in the direction of peace. The food problem in Austria also became a very difficult one, and this, combined with industrial and political unrest, tended to undermine the Empire’s military efficiency until eventually the operations against Italy came to be regarded as of secondary importance, and overtures were made for peace.
The Allies recognised the Czeko-Slovaks as a separate nation; the Croatians recognised themselves; and a promise was made that Bohemia should be divided into national districts. Following unsuccessful attempts to obtain peace through President Wilson, the Austrians acknowledged the inevitable and asked for peace on October 27th, 1918. Bulgaria had surrendered on September 29th.
TURKISH POWER BROKEN.
When war broke out the position of Turkey was an uncertain one, but she eventually fell a victim to German machinations and threw in her lot with the Kaiser. In the early days she gave shelter to the runaway German cruisers, the Goeben and the Breslau—and later both these vessels were used to bombard Sebastopol and Theodosia. The campaign against Turkey was in three sections—the attack on the Dardanelles, the expedition to Mesopotamia, and the preservation of Egypt and the advance through Palestine. Although the Dardanelles attack was not successful and we had a set-back at Kut, the British forces eventually broke the Turkish power in Mesopotamia and Palestine, and on October 30th, 1918, the Turks were granted an armistice.
THE BARBARITY OF THE HUN.
One of the outstanding features of the war was the ruthlessness which marked German methods throughout. In the invasion of Belgium and Northern France no measure was too base to adopt in order that the spirit of the invaded countries might be broken. Looting on the part of officers and men was officially recognised, as also was the wholesale destruction of property, machinery and valuable works of art.
Later, the barbarity of the Hun method was demonstrated by the submarine campaign, in the course of which defenceless merchant and passenger vessels, and even hospital ships were “sunk at sight” and the survivors either shot or left to drown. German warships also bombarded such “fortified” places as Scarborough, Whitby, Lowestoft and Margate; while their Zeppelins, and subsequently their aeroplanes, visited England again and again, causing many casualties—a large proportion of them women and children—in a vain endeavour to create panic in this country.
Other methods by which the Germans revealed their inhumanity in warfare included the abominable treatment of prisoners of war; the deportation of thousands of the civilian population of France and Belgium to serve as slaves behind the German lines; and the execution of Nurse Cavell and Capt. Fryatt.
THE BRITISH NAVY’S GREAT WORK.
The operations of the British Navy were undoubtedly one of the dominating factors in the war. For more than four years the silent service watched unceasingly and offered an effectual bar to such naval enterprise as the Germans appeared capable of. The first naval engagement was off the coast of Chili in November, 1914, in which the Good Hope and Monmouth were sunk and Admiral Craddock lost his life.