February 28

1833 Birth: Alfred von Schlieffen—Count, Prussian general, field marshal:

Alfred von Schlieffen was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1833. He attended the Berlin War Academy (1858-61) and was a staff officer during the Austro-Prussian War (1866). In 1891 Schlieffen replaced Helmuth von Moltke as Chief of General Staff. Schlieffen feared that France and Russia would join together to attack Germany. His main concern was to devise a plan.

1844 Armaments: President John Tyler narrowly escapes death:

[The President was cruising] the Potomac with 400 others aboard the U.S. Navy's new steam frigate USS Princeton, not realizing that his life will soon be in danger . . . . The Princeton carried a brand new 12-inch, 27,000-pound cannon called the Peacemaker. The gun's co-designer, John Ericsson, argued with the ship's captain, who wanted to demonstrate the new weapon, over whether it was safe to discharge because he feared it had not been sufficiently tested. Days before the cruise, Captain Robert Stockton had boasted about the Navy's new ship and armament, which he had helped design, to congressmen and reporters. He and the crew were eager to show off the cannon's ferocity, and despite Ericsson's warnings, Stockton insisted on firing the cannon during the Potomac cruise. The first two successful and ear-splitting volleys sent the crowd into wild applause . . . . 

Then the secretary of war asked for a third firing . . . . Stockton may have recalled Ericsson's concerns or thought it best not to push their luck with the new cannon, because he initially refused the secretary's request. In the end, though, he bowed to his superior's wishes . . . . The third round proved deadly. In the worst peacetime disaster of its time, the cannon exploded, killing several aboard.

Second Reich: The Year of the Three Emperors:

Frederick III (1831-1888) was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888 during the Year of the Three Emperors. Following the unification of Germany in 1871 his father, William I‑-then King of Prussia‑-became the German Emperor, and on William's death at the age of 90 on 9 March 1888, the throne passed to Frederick, having by then been the Crown Prince for 27 years

Frederick was suffering from cancer of the larynx and died on 15 June 1888, aged 56, following unsuccessful medical treatments for his condition. The timing of Frederick's death, and the length of his reign, are important topics among historians. The reign of Frederick III is considered a potential turning point in German history; many historians believe if Frederick succeeded to the throne sooner, he would have transformed Germany into a liberal state. They argue this would have averted the events preceding World War I. Other historians contend that Frederick's influence and political leanings were greatly exaggerated, noting that he tended to defer to his father and Bismarck when confronted, and would not have dared to challenge their conservatism even as ruler . . . . William II [his heir] abandoned all of his father's policies and ideas, and eventually led Germany into World War I.

1894 Birth: Ben Hecht: Novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, born on this day in New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants:

Hecht's family moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where Hecht attended high school. He started studies at the University of Wisconsin but soon quit and took a job chasing down photos of crime victims for the Chicago Journal, which paid him $12.50 a week. Hecht later became a star reporter, known for his sensational and colorful, if not always accurate, stories. Another paper, the Chicago Daily News, sent him to Berlin to cover the aftermath of World War I, which inspired his first novel, Erik Dorn (1921).

1916 World War I: German Cameroons surrenders to Allied forces:

Drawn by the rich trade of slaves, ivory and rubber established in the 17th century, German and British settlers began to explore inland Africa beginning around 1860. In 1884, Germany established a protectorate over the Douala region; Britain did not dispute the claim. By the early 20th century, Germany had built roads, begun the construction of a railroad and cultivated large plantations of cacao, palm and rubber in the region. They had also built a city, Douala, on the Atlantic coast, which by 1914 served as the principal port and wireless station in the Cameroons.

The British launched their campaign in the German Cameroons in late summer 1914, just after the outbreak of World War I; it would last 18 months. The British failed to anticipate the German strategy: knowing the formidable strength of the British navy, the Germans decided not to concentrate on defending the coast, but instead to withdraw inland and use the rough interior of the continent to fortify their resistance. Thus, although British forces earned quick successes— they secured Douala by September 27, 1914, without firing a shot— they were not able to fully take control of the Cameroons until the following February.

The West African Frontier Force, fully committed in the Cameroons until March 1916, was one of two sets of "local" troops that the British turned to in Africa; the other was the South African Defense Force, which concentrated on the campaign in German Southwest Africa (now Namibia). African soldiers in World War I were generally compelled to enlist or were mercenaries. Some served on both sides during the war.

In 1919, during the Versailles peace conference, Britain was given a mandate over one-fifth of the former German Cameroons; the rest was assigned to France. A mandate was a commission granted by the newly created League of Nations allowing member states of the League to establish their own governments in former German territories. Both the British and French Cameroons were made trust territories of the United Nations after World War II. The French Cameroons gained their independence in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year, after a U.N. plebiscite was conducted in the British Cameroons, the southern half of the territory joined the Republic of Cameroon, while the Northern Cameroons became part of Nigeria. (History.com)

1918 World War I: Official Statement of Belgian Prime Minister on the Fourteen Points:

The Belgian Government's views are known and have not changed. It affirmed them quite recently. In its answer to the Holy See on December 24th the Belgian Government said: The integrity of the metropolitan and colonial territory; political, economic and military independence without condition or restriction; reparation for damages and guarantees against repetition of the aggression of 1914 are the indispensable conditions for a just peace as far as Belgium is concerned. The Belgian Government has already declared and repeated that it will not discuss peace except in consort with the powers which guaranteed its independence and which have fulfilled their obligations toward Belgium.

 

 




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