May 22, 1915
Western Front There is a slight British advance at Festubert.
Black Sea The Russian pre-dreadnought Panteleimon (formerly the Potemkin)is torpedoed.
Italy Mobilization is ordered.
May 22, 1916
Western Front, Verdun Following the disastrous explosion at Fort Douaumont, General Charles Mangin, commanding 5th Division, has proposed attacking the fort and has received Nivelle’s blessing. The French gain a foothold near Douaumont. Although the Germans learn of the planned attack on the day Nivelle orders it, May 13, they could hardly be more surprised when it begins anyhow, since Mangin has assembled 300 guns for a five day bombardment that precedes the attack. Though the fort is badly battered by the bombardment and all the observation turrets are destroyed, the Germans greet the attacking French troops with a devastating artillery shelling. Even so, the battered French attackers, in less than an hour, take three-fourths of Douaumont’s superstructure. A few enter the fort itself, but the Germans drive them back. Fighting continues through the day in the fort’s outer tunnels and the French set up a machine gun on the ramparts that sweeps the entire superstructure. In the evening, premature reports reach both commands that the French have retaken the fort.
May 22, 1917
Italian Front Austrian attacks in the Trentino are repulsed.
Palestine An Anzac mounted raid demolishes 13 miles of the Hejaz railway.
Austria-Hungary Count Tisza is dismissed as Hungarian premier. He is replaced by Count Maurice Esterhazy.
Russia Kerensky forces General Alexeev to resign as Commander in Chief, appointing Brusilov in his place. The new commander plans a great offensive similar to the one of 1916, although further south, focusing on Lemberg. But there is little real prospect for such an offensive as over 2 million men have deserted since October, with few replacements available. Brusilov must depend greatly on shock battalions set up by Alexeev with volunteers taken from units throughout the army.
Macedonia Sarrail’s and Milne’s offensive peters out, having succeeded only in capturing and holding a few Bulgarian outposts at a cost of 14,000 men. The Italians blame the failure of the offensive on Sarrail.
May 22, 1918
Belgium Air raids on Zeebrugge sink a German destroyer.
Caucasus Further Turkish attacks at Sardarapat are halted.
Portuguese East Africa Near Korewa, a British column nearly manages to surround Koehl’s column. 60 Germans and askaris die in the fighting. Most of the Germans escape, but they lose their transport and a large quantity of ammunition.
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