Alfred von Kiderlen-Wächter dies in Germany

Herr von Kiderlen

From the New York Times of December 31, 1912: The death of the German Foreign Secretary isreported. He will be replaced with Gottlieb von Jagow, who would be the Foreign Secretary for the beginning of World War One.

"NEW BISMARCK" OF GERMANY DEAD

Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter, Foreign Secretary, Dies Suddenly in His Stuttgart Home.

BERNSTORFF MAY SUCCEED

Ambassador to Washington Regarded in Berlin as Most Likely Candidate for the Post

Special Cable to the New York Times.

   Berlin, Dec. 30 - Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs since July 1910, who had been called "the new Bismarck," died at Stuttgart this morning as a result of heart failure after an illness of less than three days. He was 60 years of age.

Herr von Kinder, as he was commonly known in Germany, left Berlin on Christmas Eve to spend the holidays with his sister, Baroness von Gemmingen. He appeared his usual jovial self until Saturday, when signs of indisposition showed themselves, and he failed rapidly. The funeral will be held at Stuttgart on Thursday.

Herr von Kinderlen-Wächter, who ranked with the late Baron Marschall von Bieberstein as a shrewd diplomat, was the fourth Foreign Secretary in ten years and the second to die in the harness. His death is a great loss to the Government at this particular crisis in international politics, as he was accounted the greatest exppert on Near Eastern affairs in Germany. He was stationed for ten years at Bucharest and repeatedly served as deputy for von Bieberstein as Ambassador at Constantinople.

His last public utterance was a striking Anglophile speech in the Reichstag on Dec. 2 when he laid stress on "the gratifying intimacy" in Anglo-German relations in connection with the Balkan situation.

   Although he was the leading spirit in Germany's adventure at Agadir, in the Summer of 1911,  which had for its aim among other things the smashing of the entente cordiale, he was given numerous proofs in recent times of his cordial desire for an understanding with Great Britain. It ws a sonsummation which lay close to his heart, and he was devoting much energy to this plan at the time of his death.

   He did not stand among the apostles of limitless naval competition, and his point of view often brought him into conflict with Admiral von Tirpitz, the head of teh Admirialty, and other zealous advocates of a "forward" naval policy.

   Herr von Kinderlen-Wächter had steadily and rapidly grown in favor with the Kaiser of late. Owing to the inexperience of Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg, the imperial Chancellor, in foreign affairs, the direction of the relations of Germany with other countries had passed almost exclusively into the hands of the Foreign Secretary. He was in supreme charge of the policy of Germany in the crisis which arose from the Balkan war, and his voice and influence were consistently on the side of conciliation and peace.

   

   




  

The War Council of December 1912

The "War Council" of December 1912


 Disagreement remain over the importance of the War Council meeting of 1912, but it may support those beliefs that World War One was not instigated by the events of Sarajevo in June 1914, but  by the outcome of the Second Moroccan Crisis and the list of diplomatic miscalculations by Germany.


Attendees included Kaiser Wilhelm II, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz (the Naval State Secretary), Admiral Georg Alexander von Müller (the Chief of the German Imperial Naval Cabinet), General von Moltke (the Army's Chief of Staff), Admiral August von Heeringen (the Chief of the Naval General Staff), and possibly the Chief of the German Imperial Military Cabinet General Moriz von Lyncker. The importance of this meeting can be seen in that the leaders of both the German Army and Navy attended. On the other hand, Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg and GeneralJosias von Heeringen, the Prussian Minister of War, were not invited

From an entry from the diary of Georg Alexander von Müller (December 8, 1912).

Sunday: summoned to the palace to see His Majesty at 11 o’clock along with Tirpitz, Heeringen (Vice Admiral), and General von Moltke. H.M. with a telegraphic report on the political situation sent by the ambassador in London, Prince Lichnowski. As Grey’s spokesman, Haldane informed Lichnowski that if we attack France, England will come to France’s aid, for England cannot tolerate a disturbance in the European balance of power. H.M. welcomed this message as providing the desired clarification for all those who have been lulled into a false sense of security by the recently friendly English press.

H.M. painted the following picture:

Austria must deal firmly with the Slavs living outside its borders (the Serbs) if it does not want to lose control over the Slavs under the Austrian monarchy. If Russia were to support the Serbs, which she is apparently already doing (Sassonow’s remark that Russia will go straight into Galicia if the Austrians march into Serbia), war would be inevitable for us. But there is hope that Bulgaria, Romania, and Albania—and perhaps even Turkey—will take our side. Bulgaria has already offered Turkey an alliance. We really went to great lengths to persuade the Turks. Recently, H.M. also tried to convince the crown prince of Romania, who stopped here on his way to Brussels, to come to an agreement with Bulgaria. If these powers ally themselves with Austria, it will free us up to throw our full weight behind a war against France. According to His Majesty, the fleet will naturally have to prepare for war against England. After Haldane’s statement, the possibility of a war against Russia alone—as discussed by the chief of the Admiralty in his last talk—will not be considered. So, immediate submarine warfare against English troop transports on the Schelde River or near Dunkirk, mine warfare up to the Thames. To Tirpitz: rapid construction of additional submarines, etc. A conference is recommended for all interested naval offices. Gen. v. Moltke: “I consider a war inevitable—the sooner, the better. But we should do a better job of gaining popular support for a war against Russia, in line with the Kaiser’s remarks.” H.M. confirmed this and asked the secretary of state to use the press to work toward this end. T. called attention to the fact that the navy would gladly see a major war delayed by one and a half years. Moltke said that even then the navy would not be ready, and the army’s situation would continue to worsen, since due to our limited financial resources our opponents are able to arm themselves more rapidly.

That was the end of the meeting. There were almost no results.

The chief of the general staff says: the sooner war comes, the better; however, he hasn’t concluded from this that we should give Russia or France, or even both, an ultimatum that would trigger a war for which they would carry the blame.

I wrote to the chancellor in the afternoon about influencing the press. 



Source: Entry from the diary of Georg Alexander von Müller (December 8, 1912). Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, Freiburg [BArch N 159/4 Fol. 169-171].

Original German text reprinted in John C. G. Röhl, Kaiser, Hof und Staat: Wilhelm II. und die Deutsche Politik[Kaiser, Court and State: Wilhelm II and German Politics]. Munich, 1987, pp. 175-76.

Translation: Adam Blauhut

Peace Conference Planned to end Balkan War

POWERS TO OVERSEE PEACE CONFERENCE

Most Important Diplomatic Gathering Since Treaty of Berlin Will Be Held in London.

LARGE QUESTIONS TO SETTLE

Greece Continues Military Operations, but These Are Only to Assure Her of Share of War Spoils

Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

LONDON, Dec. 7. – Although Greece is continuing was operations on land and sea, the outlook for peace in the Balkans and an amicable settlement of all questions between the powers is very bright.

   By the acquiescence to-day of Germany in the proposal of Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Minister, for a conference of Ambassadors of the great powers, such a gathering will be held in London, Coincident with the meeting here of the Turkish and Balkan delegates next week to discuss peace terms. In many respects this gathering will be the most important diplomatic conference since the Treaty of Berlin was signed in 1878.

   The British Government has decided to put St. James Palace at the disposal of the representatives of Turkey and the allies. Here they will have the splendid apartments which were used by the Duke and Duchess of Connaught previous to their departure for Canada thrown open to them, including a dining room on the ground floor, which overlooks the gardens.

   There is some doubt whether the delegates will arrive in London in time for the first meeting, which has been fixed for Friday. This is generally regarded as a purely provisional date, as thus far only Turkey, Servia, and Montenegro have names their representatives. Greece and Bulgaria are expected to reach a decision in twenty-four hours.

Bulgaria and Turkey Agreed.

   According to the writer in the Observer, there is reason to believe that the ultimate division of Thrace between Turkey and Bulgaria will be the first subject broached by the delegates. It is not expected that difficulties will supervene which will render abortive the negotiations on this particular question, as it is undoubtedly the fact that Turkey and Bulgaria are already agreed in principle on a frontier line, based upon the treaty of San Stefano.

   With regard to Adrianople, which will be one of the most delicate questions handled, the hope is held that a settlement will be reached on the basis that the stronghold will be dismantled and remain in the possession of the Turks.

   The question of the Thracian Peninsula also includes such matters as revenues accruing to the Ottoman debt abd customs, but it is thought that a commercial understanding between Turkey and Bulgaria will ultimately be reached which will embody all matters of economical interest to both countries.

   It ius thought possible that matters relating to Macedonia will form the subject of more protracted discussions, and it is also probable that when the deliberations have reached that stage a formal meeting of the Ambassadors will take place.

   The Ambassadors will follow the discussions of the delegates  and, if necessary, render help where the interests of the great powers are involved with those that have emerged from the war.

Refugees and Retaliation in Turkey

Misery in Constantinople.

Refugees Continue to Arrive – Reports of Massacres Corroborated.

Special Cable to the New York Times.

London, Tuesday, Nov 12. – The Daily Telegraph’s Constantinople correspondent wires via Constanza:

   “Constantinople presents a very mournful aspect.

   “Mussulmen families from the country, worn out with hunger and fatigue, continue to flock into town.

   “All the hospitals are filed with the wounded to such an extent that it is impossible to give them all the proper attention, and in certain hospitals gangrene has begun to make its appearance. Pitiful cases are related of soldiers dying, not from wounds, by from starvation.

   “To crown all these calamities, the authorities now admit an outbreak of cholera.

   “Constantinople, however, remains perfectly calm, and no single case of aggression is reported. At the same time there appears to be no doubt that in the immediate environs, or example at Silivri, on the Sea of Marmora, a few miles from Tchatalja, massacres have taken place, and details given to the Silivri affair contain a fact which is perhaps presented for the first time in Turkish history, namely, that the massacres were not political, but religious, as it is announced that Greeks, Armenians, and Jews were killed indiscriminately.”

Balkan League Gaining Momentum Against the Ottoman Empire

One month into the First Balkan War and the Momentum of the War appears to be completely on the side of the Balkan League, as they march towards Istanbul. An account, published in the New York Times, also demonstrates the role of the Great Powers in this war, and wars to come.

Difficult Questions Now Up.

Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES

   London, Saturday, Nov 9. – With Salonika fallen to the Greeks, Adrianople almost fallen, and the Bulgarian attack upon Tchatalja lines progressing favorably, the Balkan war in the full sense of the word is practically over. There now remains only the settlement of the questions which the war has raised.

   The difficulties of that settlement are now bulking greater than ever. Bulgaria officially declared, in a communiqué issued in London yesterday, that her army must enter Constantinople in order to obtain a stable and lasting peace, but not remain there. This the question of the ultimate ownership of Constantinople is left open to the possible solution by what undoubtedly is the easiest course at present within the power of European diplomacy, namely, that of leaving the peninsula on which Stamboul stands as a last remnant of the Ottoman dominion in Europe.

   This is the most favorable aspect of the diplomatic situation that the news of the past twenty-four hours presents. The most unfavorable feature is the approaching crisis in the relations of Austria and Servia. The news of Austria’s attitude cabled to the New York Times’s Vienna correspondent to-day:  

   Austria is absolutely determined not to allow Servia to occupy an Adriatic port, even at the risk of Servia’s being supported by Russia.  The Austrian view is fully supported by Germany and Italy.

Austria Suspicious of Russia.

   Austria offers Servia a seaport on the Aegean. Servia shows every sign of persisting in her ambition for an outlet on the Adriatic. In Vienna there exists a strong suspicion that she is being encouraged by Russia, and although a London news agency yesterday circulated a report to the effect that the powers of the Triple Entente had notified Servia that while felling the warmest sympathy with her in her desire for an Asiatic port, they hoped she would consent to submit the matter to international decision in the interests of European peace, this morning’s Times denies that Russian, France and England have yet taken up any definite position on the question. The situation thus seems to be one of extreme delicacy and difficulty.

   The serious view taken of the international outlook may be gauged by a leader in this morning’s Telegraph, which says:

   “At the end of the week of such anxiety as the diplomacy of Europe has not known in many years it is our duty to say that the situation in the Near East gives more ground for apprehension than has existed at any time since the opening of the war.”

  

The Cruelest and Fiercest War Set to Start in the Balkans

Accounts of the start of the Balkan War from the London Daily Mail's Correspondent's perspective. Note the Ottoman bias in the account.

WAR DECLARATIONS TO-DAY.

States Said to be in Perfect Accord –

Powers Taking Precautions.

Special Cable to The New York Times.

LONDON, Thursday, Oct. 10. – The Daily Mail’s special correspondent in Vienna telegraphs:

“Europe stands on the threshold of a general conflagration in the Balkans, an event, which, viewed from Vienna, the half way house between Europe and the Near East, is fraught with the gravest possibilities in view of the all too imperfect accord at present existing between the great powers.

 “From a source in the closest touch with the Balkan Governments I have received information which I transmit, fully conscious of its gravity.

 “I am in a position to state that the action of Montenegro in breaking diplomatic relations with the Porte and declaring war was not a hasty action. Inspired by the personal ambition of King Nicholas, it was the first move in a most carefully preconcerted plan elaborated by the Balkan League, and Europe to-morrow (Thursday) will witness consecutive steps in the plan.

 “While the great powers were bickering over the Austrian and British objections to the intervention proposals of Premier Poincaré, with the result that their intervention became practically useless, the Balkan Governments, leaving their representatives abroad completely in the dark, tranquilly pursued the way prescribed by the provisions of a secret  agreement between them. It is possible that King Nicholas anticipated events by a day or so, but it was part of the arrangement for Montenegro to strike first, as the information of the Balkan allies showed that the Turkish troops were weakest at the Montenegrin frontier.

 “The next move in the plan will be concerted action by Bulgaria and Servia. Their ministers at Constantinople may already, this afternoon, have demanded their passports, or will do so by to-morrow. The rupture of diplomatic negotiations will be followed by a formal declaration of war, whereupon the Bulgarian Army, with the Servian force on its right wing, will instantly take the offensive. It is not impossible that a Servo-Bulgarian force is already drawing near the Turkish frontier.

 “I have the impression that the events have been delayed by the slowness of the Greek mobilization, and that it is this circumstance, and not any intention on the part of the Balkan States to admit the intervention of the powers, that has prevented a declaration of war by the Balkan league up to the present, and may yet delay the climax by twenty-four hours.

 “I have reason to believe that the answer of the Balkan States to the representations of Austria and Russia will take the following form: They will point out that during the past few days their relations with Turkey have become so bad that they cannot be remedied by intervention of the great powers, and will add that the note of the powers does not contain any guarantees adequate to assure the prompt and efficient execution of reforms in the Turkish provinces.

 “The great powers have been hoodwinked by the Balkan League like a greenhorn over a horse deal. While the European diplomacy was working miracles of speed in patching up an accord between powers to facilitate intervention at the earliest possible moment, events in the Balkans were steadily marching on.

 “The King of the Montenegrins will have a hearty laugh at his headquarters in the mountain fastnesses if ever he reads the ingenious disquisitions of the Vienna press regarding his alleged desire to steal the halo of the King of Servia.”

 Very little hope remains in London that Bulgaria will longer delay a declaration of war. From the military point of view, she would be badly advised to do so. Her superior organization and readiness for war give her an advantage and, as the Military Correspondent of the Times points out:

 “Considering the lengths to which matters have already gone, it would be an act of military folly for Bulgaria, if she is sure of her stroke, to waste time in negotiations which might, if prolonged, entirely transform the situation. Whether with or without a declaration of war, we must expect now to hear very soon of combats of advanced guards.”

 M.H.Donohoe, The Daily Chronicle’s correspondent in Constantinople, wires: “It is the general expectation that  the war will be one of the cruelest and fiercest ever known, and that the civil populations will suffer equally with the armies.”

 The Time Sofia correspondent says he learns from Bukarest that the Rumanian government has tendered explicit assurances to Bulgaria with regard to Rumania’s attitude of neutrality. The intimation was couched in most friendly language.

 Last month the Turkish government made great efforts to obtain the cooperation of Rumania.

SS Octopus completes Torpedo Tests

Royal Flying Corps Commander speaks on Military Aviation

General David Henderson, first commander of the Royal Flying Corps, outlines the future of military aviation, as reported by the New York Times on May 19, 1912

Lt General Sir David Henderson

Italy conquers Dodecanese Islands

Location of the Dodecanese Islands

Ottoman rule ends on Karpathos on May 12, 1912, when the Italians conquered the island, together with the whole Dodecanese, during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-12. On that day sailors of the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) ship Vittorio Emanuele and the destroyer Alpino landed in Karpathos.





From the New York Times:

Machine Gun Fired from Airplane for First Time

May 8, 1912

A machine gun was fired from an airplane for the first time, in a test conducted near the College Park, Maryland, airfield by the U.S. Army. Charles deForest Chandler, chief of the Aeronautical Division of the Signal Corps, was able to fire a 28-pound Lewis Gun to hit targets on the ground, while Lt. Thomas D. Milling piloted the Wright biplane

Italy attacks Ottoman Forts at Entrance to Dardanelles

April 18, 1912

As the newly formed Sublime Porte meets in Constantinople, the Italian Navy attacks forts on both the European and Asiatic side of the Dardanelles, in an apparent attempt to attack the Ottoman fleet sheltered in the straits. Some of these same forts that would be attacked during the Gallipoli campaign, would receive significant damage, with about 15 Turks killed. The result of the attacks was the forced closure of the Dardanelles to international traffic, by the Turks.

Seddil-Bahr defended Italian attack

Patent for Lewis Machine Gun is Submitted

April 16, 1912: Patent for Lewis Machine Gun is Submitted

The Lewis Machine Gun was invented primarily by Issac Newton Lewis. Lewis had been working closely with British arms manufacturer the Birmingham Small Arms company (BSA) in an effort to overcome some of the production difficulties of the weapon.

Production contracts for first “European” Lewis LMG were placed in 1913, and the first batch of 50 BSA-made Lewis guns was completed by mid-1913. When war broke, BSA received orders for Lewis guns, and by the end of the war, the BSA factory alone made 145,397 of these weapons. In the US, Lewis machine guns were built in .30-06 caliber, mostly for US Army Air Corps and for US Marine corps. The Lewis gun also saw extensive use as an aircraft machine gun during WW1 and in following decade. 

Lewis light machine gun became most famous in British use and manufacture, as it replaced the Vickers Machine Gun, deemed as a heavy machine gun. It was widely used by British troops during WW1 and afterwards. During WW1 it was also supplied to Imperial Russia.

Royal Flying Corps formed in England

April 13, 1912: After prolonged discussion on the Committee of Imperial Defence the Royal Flying Corps was constituted by Royal Warrant on 13 April 1912.

By the Treaty of Fez (Arabic: معاهدة فاس‎), signed March 30, 1912, Sultan Abdelhafid gave up the sovereignty of Morocco to the French, making the country a protectorate, resolving the Agadir Crisis of July 1, 1911.

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany met with Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

Bulgaria and Serbia form the basis of the Balkan League

Balkans at the formation of the Balkan League

March 13, 1912

The Ottoman Empire, entrenched in a war with Italy in Libya and the Dardenelles, continues to lose its power in the Balkans. Russia seeking to take advantange by creating a "Slavic block" in the Balkans, directed both against Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans, used diplomacy to bring together Serbia and Bulgaria to reach a compromise and form an alliance, later to be known as the Balkan League.

Ivan Evstratiev Geshov, prime minister for Bulgaria, and Milovan Milovanović, prime Minister for Serbia, signed the agreement, as well as the resprective Monarchs, Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. and Peter I of Serbia.

The treaty created a defensive alliance between the two countries, in which they pledged themselves to defend one another in the event of one of them being attacked as well as providing for the possibility of war against Turkey, and territorial divisions in the event of  victory. According to the agreement, northern territories were to go to Serbia, and the territory south to Bulgaria. Autonomy was to be given to the intermediate region. The Tsar of Russia would arbitrate if there was any other questions that might arise from the treaty. The territorial arrangements represent an attempt to reconcile the Serbian desire for partitions and access to the Adriatic with the Bulgarian plan for Macedonian autonomy.

Greece and Montenegro would eventually join the Balkan League, in the coming months, leading to the attack on the Ottoman Empire and the commencement of the First Balkan Wars in October 1912, precursor to World War I.


Source: The Major International Treaties of the Twentieth Century, J.A.S. Grenville (2001). "The Major International Treaties of the Twentieth Century", Routledge, London, UK

First Turkish Pilot completes flight Training

On 21 February 1912, Captain Fesa completed his flight training successfully and returned to his country upon receiving the 780th and the 1st pilot wings awarded by France and the Turkish Army respectively, while Yusuf Kenan Bey returned receiving the 797th pilot wings. Eight Turkish officers were also sent to France for flight training in the same year and the two aircraft purchased from France were delivered to Fesa and Yusuf Kenan in İstanbul on 15 March 1912. So, in early 1912, the Turkish Army had its first pilots and aircraft, and through the inauguration of the Air School (Flight School) in Yeşilköy (İstanbul) on 3 July 1912, the Turkish Army started to provide in-country training for its pilots.

German Reichstag Elections Concluded

German Reichstag Elections Completed

Voting in elections for the German Reichstag was concluded, with the Socialists having the largest number of seats—100 out of 397, and the Radical and National Liberal parties having 44 and 47, for a total of 191, still short of a majority. Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg was able to find a new government.

Turkish Chamber of Deputies Dissolved

The Turkish Chamber of Deputies was dissolved, three days after a proposed constitutional amendment would have allowed Sultan Abdul Hamid II to dissolve Parliament in time of war. The proposal failed to receive more than 125 votes out of 188 that would have been necessary in the 376 member chamber.

French Census 1911

On this date, January 12, 1912, the results of the French Census of 1911 were released, showing 39,601,509 residents, and increase of 349,264 from the 1906 census of 39,252,245. The next census, including the formally lost provinces of  Alsace and Lorraine  included the forthcoming enumeration:  the total population of France according to the 1921 census would be 41,475,523. Taking into account  the deaths directly due to the war were estimated at about 1,750,000. 
The returns of the 1921 census were expected to show a corresponding decrease. 

From the 1912 boundaries, France may have had less deaths, however these deaths included territorials. For example 12,000 deaths were from Vietnam.