Seven Things About Cinco de Mayo-- Part 2: France Won the War Anyway

4.  After losing the Battle of Puebla, France went on to win  the war.

Mexican victory at Puebla slowed, but did not stop the French onslaught.  French Emperor Napoleon  III ordered another 30,000 troops sent to Mexico under a new commander.  They overran Puebla easily and captured Mexico City. 

Juarez and his followers escaped to the mountains and Napoleon installed  Ferdinand Maximilian von Hapsburg, second in line to the Austro-Hungarian throne as Mexico's ruler.

5.  The French occupation of Mexico was short-lived.

Back in France, Napoleon III was growing increasingly concerned about  Prussia, which had won victories against Denmark and Austria and figured they would next try to  reclaim the  the disputed territories of  Alsace and Lorraine.

Meanwhile, the Civil War in the United States had ended and  the U.S. government was putting pressure on him to get out and also supplying  weapons to  to Juarez's army.

Continued.

--Cooter

10 Years That Made the Modern World-- Part 1: 2001, 1848, 1918, 1962, 1953

From the February 3, 2020, ListVerse by Himanshu Sharma.

I am doing the very short version.  Go to site for more info and pictures.

10.  2001

Understanding the human genome, 9/11 terrorist attacks on U.S.

*****************

9.  1848 

Wave of revolutions that hit Europe and elsewhere.  Idea of nation-state.

*****************

8.  1918

The end of World War I, end of Ottaman, German,  Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires.  Spanish flu pandemic.

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7.  1962

Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis,   Things heating up in Vietnam.  Vatican Council

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6.  1953

Coup in Iran,  Rise of Iran as a power  DNA a double helix, designer babies and clones.

--Cooter

WW I Ending-- Part 5: Austria-Hungary Signs Armistice, Kaiser's Government Collpases

NOVEMBER 3, 1918

Austria-Hungary, Germany's only remaining ally, signs armistice with Italy, leaving Germany alone.

NOVEMBER 8, 1918

At Compiegne, France, six representatives of the German government are presented with armistice terms by the Allied Supreme Commander, Marshal Ferdinand Foch.  The terms include the Germans leaving all occupied lands, the Allied occupation of Germany west of the Rhine River, surrender of weaponry, including all submarines and battleships and indefinite  continuation of the naval blockade.

NOVEMBER 9, 1918

The Kaiser's Imperial government collapses in ruin as the German Republic is proclaimed with Friedrich Ebert heading the new provisional government.  Kaiser Wilhelm seeks refuge in Holland.

It's About Over.  --Cooter

WW I Ending-- Part 3: Allies Break Through Hindenburg Line and German Army Retreating

OCTOBER 5, 1918

The Allies break through the last remnants of the Hindenburg Line.

OCTOBER 6 AND 7, 1918

The state of Yugoslavia proclaimed signalling the beginning of the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in central Europe which had existed for six centuries.

Poland proclaims itself independent from the Russian Empire.

OCTOBER 13, 1918

The German Army  involved in a general retreat from a 60-mile  portion of the Western Front. in France.

OCTOBER 23, 1918

Wilson informs Germany that any negotiations could not include current German military leaders.    Ludendorf disavows this and is forced to resign by the Kaiser.  Civilians are now to do most of the negotiating.  This was the basis of the military's "stab-in-the-back" defense after the war.  They had been sold out by the civilians.

--Cooter

WW I: October 24 to Nov. 4: The Battle of Vittorio Veneto in Italy

ITALY:  BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO

October 24 to November 4, 1918

The U.S. 332nd Infantry Regiment's (83rd Infantry Division) 2nd Battalion defeats Austrians at Gravo di Papdopoli on November 3,

Armistice in Italy is declared on November 4 --  one week before the more famous one in France.

--Cooter

There Was Another Armistice Ending Fighting in WW I: Armistice of Villa Giusti

While researching the 332nd U.S. Infantry Regiment, I came across an armistice between Italy and Austria-Hungary that ended fighting in the Italian Front a week before the better known 11th hour of the 11th month one ended fighting between Germany and the Allies.  See my July 25 entry in this blog.

From Wikipedia.

The Armistice of Villa Giusti ended fighting between the forces of Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I.  It was signed 3 November 1918, to take effect 24-hours later at 3 p.m. 4 November.

By the end of October 1918, the Austria-Hungarian Army was extremely fatigued and tired of the fighting, forcing its leaders to seek a cease-fire.  The Vittorio-Venito Offensive at the end of October sealed its fate as Austrian-Hungarian soldiers withdrew chaotically.

Even though the armistice was to start 3 November, Austrian-Hungarian commanders ordered their men to stop fighting 3 November.

--Cooter

Doughboys of 332nd Regt. to Italy-- Part 2: Vittoria-Venito Offensive

The American pilots served with Italian bombardment groups on bombing raids behind Austrian lines and were especially active during the  Vittorio-Venito Offensive.

The principal mission of the Americans was to build up Italian morale and depress the enemy's by making them think large numbers of Americans were getting ready to join the battle lines in Italy.  The 332nd first was given time to learn methods of mountain fighting which comprised a greater part of operations in the Italian theater of operations.

Moved up to the front lines, the 332nd stages constant movements during the day for Austrians to see, then went back at night and did it again, the next day.

They took part in the Vittorio-Venito Offensive 24 October-4 November 1918 in which Austrian troops were pushed back until an armistice was signed at 3 p.m. November 4, ending the fighting between the Austrian-Hungarians and Italians.

The unit was involved in peacekeeping duties after that until the 332nd was disbanded in 1919.

--Cooter

Magyars and Jugo-Slavs

In the last post I mentioned these two groups and was not sure who they were.

MAGYARS:  Ethnic group associated with Hungary.  Also a name used for the Hungarian language.

As of 2001, there were about 9.5 million Magyars in Hungary.

JUGO-SLAVS:  Yugoslavians   I should have picked up on this one.

--DaCootYar

About That War 100 Years Ago-- Part 4: "Some Damned Foolish Thing In the Balkans"

With Europe indulging in an orgy of militarism, imperialism, and nationalism, it was unlikely that this balance of power could be indefinitely maintained.

It was finally upset in the Balkans, where racial hatreds and nationalistic striving were complicated by the conflicting ambitions of Austria and Russia.

One of the Serbian intrigues against Austria, encouraged by Russia, came to a head on June 28, 1914, when Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, was assassinated while visiting the city of Sarajevo in the Austrian province of Bosnia.

Doggone Balkans.  --DaCoot

About That War 100 Years Ago-- Part 3: Forming Alliances

Italy, since her unification, would extend her boundaries to include Italian-speaking peoples to the north and east;  Austria-Hungary, cut off from expansion to the west, looked upon the Balkans as a normal region for expansion and thus came into conflict with Russia.

Obviously, there was enough tinder here for a dozen conflagrations, and it is amazing that, with the exception of the Balkans, Europe maintained peace over a long period.

For this period of peace, Germany was primarily responsible.  Wedged in between hostile nations and anxious to maintain the status quo in Europe, she constructed in 1882 the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy.

To protect herself, France achieved an alliance with Russia in the early nineties and a close understanding with Great Britain, while the later attempted to iron out her conflicting imperialistic rivalries with Russia and Japan.

Just Waiting for a Spark.  --CootWar