MK 6 Mines in WWI

In an attempt to stop German U-boats, the Allied powers began to use underwater mines. They dropped thousands of MK 6 mines all over the North Sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. The North Sea stretches between Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. This vast mine field did much to dishearten the U-boat crews,  and led to mutinies and finally the abandonment of the U-boat campaign in that area.

The MK 6 mines detonated when the metal hull of a ship or submarine brushed against a copper wire that extended above the mine. A battery inside the mine was given enough charge when the ship touched the antenna, for the antenna alone did not have the power to activate the battery. When the ship touched the antenna though the whole ship became the antenna.  When the hull touched the wire it completed an electrical circuit that detonated the mine. The mines were packed with TNT.

After the war, a large scale mine sweeping operation began. The object of which was to rid the ocean of the thousands of still- unexploded mines. Many mines were destroyed through these operations but not all of them. Occasionally, even today, one of these old mines will blow up. They have even damaged or sunk a few ships.

Romania During the First World War

Romania joined the war in 1916 on the side of the allied powers. Romania planned to take over Transylvania, which was originally Romanian land but later had been taken by the Austro-Hungarians. The Romanians did not like the Austro-Hungarians because that alliance refused to give Transylvania back to Romania. The Romanians wanted back Transylvania because it was a large piece of land, and because if they got it back they could make their country ethnically whole again. Therefore Romanian power would be concentrated against them. Fighting with the Romanians were the Russians, who with the Romanians, invaded Austro-Hungary. The campaign was going well until the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917. When the Russian Empire collapsed the Russian troops helping the Romanians abandoned their positions. This left the Romanians at a disadvantage. Unable to defend its gains, the Romanian army was pushed back by the Austro-Hungarians. The Romanians continued to be pushed back into their own country. After the fall of the their capital (Bucharest) the Romanians surrendered to the central powers. Even so, during the signing of the treaty in Versailles, the Romanians were given back their land and the much wanted Transylvania.

     

In Memory of December 13, 1916

My late grandfather, Jim Serpe, was born on December 13, 1916. I decided to see if anything was happening in the war at this time. After doing some research I found that several hundred Austro-Hungarian troops were killed by an avalanche at that time. About 500 Austro-Hungarian troops were stationed on Mount Marmolada, Italy, when a large avalanche came down right on top of their barracks. Somewhere around 300 of them were pulled to safety, but the rest perished in the disaster. This event, known White Friday, was one of the most catastrophic avalanche accidents in history. Around 10,000 Austro-Hungarian and Italian troops died by the end of December from avalanches alone. It is also suspected but not proven, that avalanches were set off on purpose by the enemy.     

Alpine Warfare in WWI

The most intense alpine fighting in the First World War took place in the Italian Alps. It was hard going for both the Italians and the Austro-Hungarians. Frostbite affected everybody for it was below freezing for four straight months out of the year, and the snow could be eight to ten meters deep. Artillery was extremely hard to get in place, and most of the time it had to be brought up by pulleys. The impact of artillery shells frequently caused rock and snow slides. The Italians used mules and cable cars to transport the wounded back down to the base of the mountain for treatment. Digging trenches was not always possible, so both sides built forts and shelters on the sides of the mountains. Sometimes the incline of the slope would be more than 80 degrees. Temporary trenches were built in the snow when they could not be dug in the ground. The Italian Alps campaign was won by the Italians. In 1918 they were able to break through the Austro-Hungarian line near Sacile, a town in northeast Italy. The Austro-Hungarians surrendered soon after.

 

Dazzle Camouflage in WWI

In the early 20^th century, you sank a ship by targeting its expected path with your guns or torpedoes. You did not target your weapons at the ship itself. Back then the projectiles traveled much more slowly than they do today. Therefore it was extremely important to know which direction your target was heading. Norman Wilkinson, a Royal Navy volunteer reserve member, came up with a plan in 1917. He thought of a new type of ship camouflage. His idea was not to camouflage the ship from view but to confuse its attacker of which direction the ship was going. His design was tested on models before it was painted on real ships, and it proved extremely effective. You could not tell which direction the ship was going. He called it dazzle camouflage. Though used during the rest of the war, it was fazed out and not used much in WWII, and then it pretty much disappeared as our locating systems became more sophisticated.