Raemaekers' Cartoon History of the War, Volume 2

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RAEMAEKERS' CARTOON HISTORY OF THE WAR

[Illustration: (signed) Louis Raemaekers]

RAEMAEKERS'

CARTOON

HISTORY OF THE WAR

COMPILED BY

J. MURRAY ALLISON

Editor of _Raemaekers' Cartoons_, _Kultur in Cartoons_, _The Century Edition de Luxe Raemaekers' Cartoons_, _etc._

VOLUME TWO

THE SECOND TWELVE MONTHS OF WAR

NEW YORK

THE CENTURY CO.

1919

FOREWORD

The second year of the war opened in the West with the enemy, although superior in man power and munitionment, pinned down to a defensive line from Belfort to the sea. The new armies of the British Empire were still being raised and trained, and neither England nor France had reached their zenith in the production of guns and munitions. The western front was to remain for a time comparatively inactive.

In the East the great Teutonic drive through Poland was still in progress, although the Russian armies had everywhere escaped envelopment, and their retreat was nearly at an end. Warsaw was occupied by the Germans early in August. It was a moment chosen by Germany to make an offer of separate peace to Russia. The enemy sought to gain by bribery what his armies had failed to accomplish in the field. The offer was rejected by Russia.

By October Germany's greatest military effort so far had failed and the Russian armies stood intact from the Bukovina to Riga.

The next great development in the history of the war was the entry of Bulgaria in October on the side of the Central Powers. Whilst great German and Austro-Hungarian forces crossed the Danube in the north the Bulgarians attacked Serbia on the flank. In a few weeks Serbia and Montenegro suffered the fate of Belgium and Luxemburg, the British and French troops not having arrived in time to render material aid to the Serbians. Greece, failing to live up to her treaty with Serbia, contributed to the defeat of that country and was for many months to form a menace to the allied troops who were making the port of Salonika their base in the Balkans.

In the meantime the western allies had taken the offensive in September, the French attacking in Champagne and the British in Flanders. The attack was not driven home and no further offensive upon a large scale was to take place until July in the following year.

January saw Gallipoli evacuated by the Allies, releasing Turkish troops for service in Mesopotamia which was doubtless to have its effect in the fall of Kut and the capture of the garrison later on.

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