The Second Ostend Raid was the latter of two failed attempts by the
Royal Navy to block the channels accessing the Belgian port of
Ostend in 1918. The
German Navy had used the port since 1915 as a base for their
U-boat activities during the
battle of the Atlantic and the strategic advantages conferred by the Belgian ports in the conflict were very important. A successful blockade of these bases would have forced German
submarines to operate out of more distant ports, such as
Wilhelmshaven, on the German coast. The ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge provided sea access via canals for the major inland port of
Bruges, which was used as a base for small warships and submarines. The Ostend Raid was largely a failure as a result of heavy German resistance and British
navigational difficulties in poor weather. In anticipation of a raid, the Germans had removed the navigation
buoys and without them the British had difficulty finding the narrow channel into the harbour in poor weather. When they did discover the entrance, German resistance proved too strong for the operation to be completed as originally planned. British casualties in the raid were heavy, compared to minimal German losses. Despite its failure, the raid was presented in Britain as a courageous and daring gamble which came very close to success. (
more...)
... that
William Butler Yeats loathed Robin de la Condamine's performance in his The Shadowy Waters, but could not fire him because all the actors were working for free?
1879 – The Blackpool Illuminations(modern example pictured) in the English seaside town of
Blackpool, billed as "the greatest free light show on earth", were switched on for the first time.
1939 – The Nazi propaganda radio programme Germany Calling began broadcasting to audiences in England and the United States.
1974 – Hurricane Fifi struck Honduras, destroying 182 towns and villages in the first 24 hours, and ultimately causing over 8,000 deaths.
2001 – Five letters containing
anthrax spores were mailed to various media outlets in the United States.
This Wikipedia is written in
English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains
3,741,345 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.