The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

[lordroel]

Day 1420 of the Great War, June 29th 1918

Western Front

French, south of River Ourcq, carry hill between Mosloy and Passy-en-Valois.

Italian Front: Americans Arrive in Italy

There were 800,000 American troops in France in June 1918, a far cry from the amount demanded by Britain and France but already making a decisive impact plugging the Allied lines. To the irritation of their commander General Pershing, however, American troops were still serving under the overall command of British and French corps commanders.

The Allies called upon more help from the Americans that June in Italy, where a US infantry regiment landed at Genoa. From there it marched towards the Asiago front where Italians troops were locked in a life-or-death struggle versus the Austrians. Some Americans had already beaten them there, though, by volunteering to serve as ambulance drivers for the Red Cross. One of them was Ernest Hemingway, another was Lieutenant Edward M McKey, who that month became the first American to die on the Italian front.

Russian Civil War

Provisional Government proclaimed at Vladivostok (some members remaining at Tomsk).

United States

U.S. announces it is committed in freeing “all branches of the Slav race” from German and Austrian rule after the war.

France/Czechoslovakia relations: France Supports Czechoslovak Independence

There had long been hope that a separate peace could be concluded with Austria-Hungary. Emperor Charles had reached out privately to the Allies, and after Russia’s exit, only the Italians had a true interest in extracting concessions from the Austrians. However, the embarrassing revelation of Charles’ peace overtures largely put an end to these hopes; France took a harder line against Austria-Hungary, and Charles was forced to make humiliating concessions that tied him inextricably to Germany. Austria’s (failed) offensive on the Piave was also seemingly a clear signal that, like the Germans, they had decided on a military solution to the war.

As a result, the Allies, who had been reluctant to meddle in internal Austrian affairs, began to more openly call for the breakup of Austria-Hungary, and embrace as allies those within Austria-Hungary committed to achieving that goal. Wilson, who in the Fourteen Points had only called for “autonomous development” and a “place among the nations” for Austria’s nationalities, now explicitly said that “all branches of the Slav race should be completely free from German and Austrian rule.” On June 29, France recognized the Czechoslovak right to independence, and Masaryk’s Czechoslovak National Council as the official representatives of the Czechoslovak people. The next day, President Poincaré made a show of visiting and honoring a unit of the Czech Legion serving on the Western Front. The bulk of the Czech Legion, however, was still embroiled in the Russian Civil War.

Naval operations: ship losses

ARIADNE (Norway) The sailing vessel was damaged in the North Sea (57°20′N 5°32′E) by SM UC-59 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was towed into Frederikshavn but was declared a constructive total loss.

CASTOR I (Norway) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea 30 nautical miles (56 km) west of Ragefjord by SM U-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

DRWONING THYRA (Denmark) The auxiliary four-masted schooner was sunk in the North Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) off Lindesnes, Vest-Agder, Norway (57°30′N 6°42′E) by SM UC-59 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

FLORENTIA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) east by north of Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.

GREKLAND (Sweden) The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire (54°09′N 0°02′E) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine), with the loss of one crew member.

HERDIS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 7 nautical miles (13 km) south east by south of Robin Hood's Bay (54°20′N 0°20′W) by SM UB-88 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

MIDSTJO (Norway) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Skagerrak 15 nautical miles (28 km) south of the Songvår Lighthouse, Vest-Agder by SM U-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

SIXTY-SIX(United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east of Scarborough, Yorkshire by SM UB-88 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of six of her crew.

[lordroel]

Day 1421 of the Great War, June 30th 1918

Western Front

French success between Marne and Ourcq.

German attack on British near Merris (River Lys) repulsed; British success north-west of Albert.

Western Front: French Tank Attack Breaks Through German Lines

A French attack cut through the German lines at Ambleny on the Aisne on June 30, 1918, with astonishing success. The French victory owed much to the use of new Renault FT tanks. Unlike clunky earlier tanks, like the British Mark I, the French Renault was light and manueverble at only five and a half tons. Small, narrow, and (relatively) fast, the Renault was conceived as a machine that could swarm through the enemy lines. Its turret allowed it to have only one machine gun or cannon but still have have 360 degree coverage, unlike British and German tanks which needed large crews to man guns on all sides.

The Renault was light enough to be ferried to the front on trucks. Each truck had written on the back plate: “Le meilleur ami de l’infanterie” (“infantry’s best friend”). This time the French took a tip from the German playbook and charged through the German lines rapidly to their objectives without hanging around to secure the rear-areas. Only once they had secured their goals did soldiers turn back and capture a thousand Germans they found hiding in caves and dugouts.

Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War: First Allied-Bolshevik Skirmish

The British had landed a small contingent of 170 Marines at the north Russian port of Murmansk in March. They had actually come at Trotsky’s invitation; after the Germans called off the armistice in February, the Bolsheviks were willing to accept any help they could find. However, they landed after Brest-Litovsk was signed, and remained there to guard the stockpile of supplies there that had been meant for the Russian war effort. On June 23, they were joined by 600 more, as the Allies, encouraged by Czech successes, began to plan further intervention in Russia. On June 30, the local Soviet announced its full cooperation with the Allies; meanwhile, a group of thirty marines headed south along the Murmansk Railway. The Bolsheviks by this point were taking the Allied threat more seriously, and had sent three troop trains north to reassert their authority in the north. They encountered the British near Soroka [Belomorsk], a small village about halfway between Murmansk and Petrograd. After some brief skirmishes, the British drove the Russians off and secured the village by June 30. The fighting there was the first direct conflict between the Allies and the Bolsheviks.

Italian Front

Italians capture Monte di Val Bello and Col del Rosso (Asiago). 2,000 prisoners.

Aerial operations: France

Two air-raids on Paris.

Naval operations: Merchant shipping losses

British, Allied and Neutral ships lost to enemy submarines, mines and cruisers etc in the month - 119 ships of 263,000 tons gross.

Naval operations: ship losses

ORIGEN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 115 nautical miles (213 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère, France by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine with the loss of a crew member.

W. M. L. (United Kingdom) The three-masted schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 400 nautical miles (740 km) north north west of Cape Finisterre, Spain by SM U-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four crew.

[lordroel]

Day 1422 of the Great War, July 1st 1918

Western Front

French capture St. Pierre Aigle (village north-west of Forest of Villers-Cotterets).

Americans capture Vaux (west of Chateau-Thierry).

Photo: Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, decorating a sergeant of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment at his inspection of the 2nd Brigade at Bruay, 1 July 1918



Photo: Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, inspecting troops of the 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, 2nd Brigade. Near Bruay, 1 July 1918



Italian Front

Italians gain positions in north-west of Monte Grappa.

East Africa campaign

Portuguese East Africa: Germans under Lettow-Vorbeck fight British and Portuguese at Nhamacurra (26 miles north of Quilimane).

United Kingdom

Appointment of five M.P.'s to investigate Alien question and to advise action to be taken.

Serious explosion at shell factory in Midlands, 100 killed, 150 injured.

United States

Photo: USS ABSECON (ID-3131) 1 July 1918 On trial trip in Delaware Bay



Aerial operations: Montenegro

Five British aeroplanes bomb Austrian base at Cattaro.

Aerial operations: Germany

British air raids on Mannheim, Coblenz, Thionville and Treves.

Naval operations: ship losses

CHARING CROSS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) east by north of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

USS COVINGTON (United States Navy) The troopship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 100 nautical miles (190 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (47°31′N 7°09′W) by SM U-86 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of six of her crew.

Photo: USS COVINGTON sinking off Brest



MONTE CRISTO (France) The four-masted schooner was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Lion (41°56′N 4°52′E) by SM U-65 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two crew.

ORIGEN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 115 nautical miles (213 km) west of Ouessant (47°28′N 8°20′W) by SM U-86 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.

WESTMOOR (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 210 nautical miles (390 km) west of Casablanca, Morocco (34°10′N 11°47′W) by SM U-91 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew. Her captain was taken as a prisoner of war.

[lordroel]

Day 1423 of the Great War, July 2nd 1918

Western Front

Germans re-capture ground north-west of Albert.

French advance north of River Aisne near Moulin sous Touvent (north-west of Soissons).

Italian Front: Skirmishes Continue as Italians Follow up Victory on the Piave

A hard-won victory on the Piave River gave Italians some respite after months of worrying whether the next Central Powers offensive might be a repeat of Caporetto. After a week of fighting, the Italians under their new commander General Armando Diaz had thrown back all Austrian bridgeheads over the river and raked retreating enemy troops; one 1919 estimate believed that 20,000 Austrians had drowned fleeing from the Italians.

The battle had broken the morale of the Austrian military in Italy, which had believed itself superior to the Italians. Bolshevist mutterings among the troops - many of whom had recently been freed from captivity in Russian - were becoming common. As July dawned the Italians set to work jostling for positions from which they could launch a counter-attack and drive the Dual Monarchy out of Italy for good. Another 3,000 Austrians fell into their hands or surrendered in the first weeks of the month.

One man happy to be there was Ernest Hemingway, a young American volunteer driving ambulances for the Italian Army. Hemingway spent his time collecting souvenirs from the battlefield, but found himself spoiled with choice. “I was all through the big battle and have Austrian carbines and ammunition, German and Austrian medals, officers’ automatic pistols, Boche helmets, about a dozen Bayonets, star shell pistols and knives and almost everything you can think of. The only limit to the amount of souvenirs I could have is what I could carry for there were so many dead Austrians and prisoners the ground was almost black with them. It was a great victory and showed the world what wonderful fighters the Italians are.”

United kingdom

Opening of International Commercial Conference at Westminster.

Establishment of (British) Central Council of Agriculture.

United States: Over One Million Americans “Over There”

The United States had been in the war for over a year, but had only had a significant front line presence since late May. Nevertheless, it was clear that the Americans would soon make a significant impact, if only with numbers alone. On July 2, hoping “to give additional zest to our national celebration of the Fourth of July,” Wilson announced in the country’s papers that 1,019,115 troops had sailed for Europe from the start of the war through the end of June 1918, over 275,000 in the last month alone. Only 8,165 of those were casualties so far (on net), including just 291 lost at sea (though one of those was this author’s great-great uncle), contrary to Admiral Holtzendorff’s promise that not a single American soldier would set foot on European soil.

Naval operations: ship losses

ADMIRAL (United Kingdom) The tug was shelled and sunk in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) north of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

ERME(United Kingdom) The auxiliary sailing vessel was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 240 nautical miles (440 km) north west by west of the Fastnet Rock (52°30′N 16°00′W) by SM U-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

SHIRALA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) north east by east of the Owers Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eight of her crew.

[lordroel]

Day 1424 of the Great War, July 3rd 1918

Western Front

French advance north of Aisne between Autreches on east and Moulin sous Touvent on west; 1,000 prisoners.

Photo: Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and King Albert I of Belgium watching Belgian troops marching past at Houthem, 3 July 1918



Russian Civil War

Germans prepare to advance on Murman railway.

New Provisional Government established at Vladivostok.

East Africa campaign: Germans Take Huge Supply Haul at Nhamacurra

Desperately low on supplies after Korewa, Lettow-Vorbeck’s forces dashed south towards the port of Quelimane, hoping that the area would be better-provisioned. On July 1, they attacked the railway town of Nhamacurra, home to a sugar factory and defended by a force of around 900 British KARs and Portuguese troops. By July 3, they had almost completely destroyed the Allied force, which had lost 540 prisoners and 209 dead (many victims of crocodiles while trying to escape by swimming the nearby river); the Germans only took 25 casualties. The haul from Namacurra and the Allied prisoners included 2 field guns, 350 rifles, ten machine guns, 300 tons of food, clothing for their entire force, and so much alcohol that “with the best will in the world it was impossible to drink it all.”

The British and Portuguese were worried that the resupplied Germans might then move on the major port of Quelimane. After Namacurra, however, Lettow-Vorbeck had no real reason to do so, and turned back north while the British rushed past him to erect defenses around the city. Namacurra was the furthest south the Germans would reach in their campaign in Mozambique.

United Kingdom

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland John French restricts the activities of Sinn Fein, Irish Volunteers, and the Gaelic League, labeling them as “dangerous organizations.”

Death of Lord Rhondda (British Food Controller).

Ottoman Empire: The death of Mehmed V of Turkey

Today sees the death of 73 year old Mehmed V, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and to true Muslims the Caliph, successor of the Prophet. Mehmed’s reign recalls that of Austria-Hungary’s Franz Josef (who died in 1916), in that both men have seen decline of their empires to shadows of their former selves. In Franz Josef’s case the decline took place over the long decades of his rule, but Mehmed was unfortunate enough to see his empire wrecked in the nine years since he ascended the throne in 1909. In these short years the Turkish Empire has lost its North African territories and the Dodecanese in the Italo-Turkish war and almost all of European Turkey in the First Balkan War. Following these disasters effective power in Turkey fell to the so-called Three Pashas, Enver, Talaat and Djemal.

Since Turkey’s entry into the current war the British have driven Turkish forces from Mesopotamia and southern Palestine. Only in the Caucasus do Turkish fortunes appear to be in the ascendant, with Enver taking advantage of Russia’s turmoil to recapture territories lost there in previous wars. Mehmed’s only real part in the current war was to declare a Jihad , calling on all Muslims to wage holy war against the infidel Allies; this appears to have had little effect, with many Arab Muslims instead choosing to support Sharif Hussein of Mecca and his Arab Revolt.

Like Franz Josef, Mehmed is perhaps fortunate to die when he does. The war is not over yet, but Turkey’s position is now looking extremely precarious. Ottoman fortunes are so tied to Germany’s that if, as now appears likely, the German offensives on the Western Front fail to win victory then Turkey will follow the Germans to defeat. That will most likely mean the effective end of the Ottoman Empire. Mehmed V is spared the ignominy of being the last Sultan. That honour may fall to his half-brother, who now ascends to the Sultanate as Mehmed VI

Aerial operations: France

Photo: Officers of No 1 Squadron, RAF with SE5a biplanes at Clairmarais aerodrome, near Ypres, 3 July 1918



Naval operations: ship losses

AGIA TRIAS (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (36°05′N 22°10′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

EVANGELISTRIA (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (36°39′N 22°18′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

GRIPEN (Sweden) The wooden barque was shelled and sunk in the Skagerrak 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) off the Ryvingen Lighthouse, Vest-Agder, Norway by SM U-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine), with the loss of two of the crew.

PANAGHIA (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea 36°05′N 22°10′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

P. C. PETERSEN (Norway) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea 55 nautical miles (102 km) west of Lindesnes, Vest-Agder by SM U-80 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[lordroel]

Day 1425 of the Great War, July 4th 1918

Western Front: Australians and Americans Take Hamel

Since the German drive towards Amiens stalled in early April, the Allies had conducted some small-scale attacks to take key positions around the large German salient. In late May, the Americans captured Cantigny, and in early July, the Australian Corps was tasked with capturing Hamel. They were to be assisted by ten companies of American troops, as well, in order to give them much-needed combat experience. Pershing was not pleased that Americans would be under Australian command, and tried to pull out his troops. However, he was eventually convinced by Haig to let four companies remain, largely because the attack was scheduled for July 4, and an American victory on Independence Day would improve morale for the whole AEF.

Australian General Monash made meticulous plans for a combined-arms assault on Hamel. A preliminary bombardment began at 3:02 AM, as had occurred on many previous days (when it had included gas shells); meanwhile, the noise of the bombardment let the British tanks move up to the front lines, though they did not always make it by the time the rolling barrage and smoke screens started twelve minutes later. After some fierce fighting, the Australians and Americans took their objectives in 93 minutes, only 3 minutes longer than Monash’s plan had called for, while suffering around 1400 casualties (while steep, they were lighter than the Americans had suffered at Cantigny with a smaller force). The Australians and Americans then dug in beyond Hamel and received fresh supplies carried by tanks and dropped by parachute. This was the first time aerial resupply had been attempted during an offensive (it had only been used previously to resupply surrounded defenders, such as at Kut). The Germans did not counterattack until the next day, and were repulsed.

Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion

Czecho-Slovaks defeat Bolsheviks near Nikolaievsk (50 miles north of Vladivostok) and occupy the town.

Italian Front

Continued Italian advance in Piave delta and on Grappa front.

United Kingdom/Netherlands relations

British Government reiterates British right of search, but waives it re: Dutch Convoy to East Indies.

United States

American Independence Day celebrations.

Ottoman Empire

Proclamation at Constantinople of Vahid-ed-Din as Sultan.

France

Photo: United States Marines parade through the streets of Paris, France on 4 July 1918



Aerial operations: Battle of Hamel

Early this morning Australian Forces (with a small US contingent) under General Monash successfully attacked the town of Le Hamel within 93 minutes. The attack is cited as one of the earliest attempts to implement a combined arms attack using infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft.

Overnight aircraft had flown over the front to mask the noise of tanks moving up. This was repeated at 0302 by 101 Squadron RAF who dropped bombs behind the lines whilst the artillery opened fire.

At 0310 a creeping barrage was laid down and the troops began to advance. 3k Squadron AFC provided contact patrols and the objectives had been taken by 0443. A few minutes later at 0445, aircraft from 3 Squadron AFC began photographing the new front line so that maps could be produced. They continued to monitor the new front line for enemy counter attacks and carried out counter battery work.

At 0600, 9 Squadron RAF, began flying aerial resupply sorties dropping ammunition to the advanced troops. This was done by employing specially designed parachutes (developed by Australian airman Captain Lawrence Wackett). This supplemented supplies brought up by tanks.

As well as this 23, 41 and 209 Squadrons harassed the Germans behind the lines with machine gun fire and bombs. No German fighters appeared over the lines until around 0930 and at that point the RAF became involved in air to air combat as well. The RAF appears to maintained air superiority as losses were slight and the other tasks allotted to the squadrons were completed.

9 Squadron suffered a number of casualties all from ground fire which was unsurprising given the nature of their task.

Lieutenant Harry Heatly Riekie and 2nd Lieutenant William Knowles from 3 Squadron AFC were killed when their RE8 (B5073) crashed after being hit by ground fire while ammunition dropping.

RE8 C4580 after crashing

Lieutenant Sidney Ernest Harris and Lieutenant D E Bell, USAS were on their second run in RE8 C4580 when the came across a group of enemy fighters. They were shot down and crashed south of Hamel. Harris was killed but Bell survived. A little later Lieutenant Hugh Erfyl Pryce was wounded by another enemy pilot but he managed to escape.

In addition, 2nd Lieutenants Eric Raymond Moore and Richard Ernest Hagley were also wounded, though in Moore’s case it was as a result of a crash landing following an engine failure. The pilot Lieutenant David Shearer Ogilvie was unhurt.

Naval operations: ship losses

CORDOVA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Taormina, Sicily (37°51′N 15°25′E) by SM UC-52 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

MENTOR (Norway) The sailing vessel was torpedoed and damaged in the North Sea 12 nautical miles (22 km) east of Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom by SM UB-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. She was towed in to port but was a constructive total loss.

NAPOLI (Italy) The ship collided with a vessel from Convoy GaG 37 in the Mediterranean Sea and sank.

SM U-20 (Austro-Hungarian Navy) The U-20-class submarine was torpedoed and sunk in the Adriatic Sea (45°29′N 13°05′E) by the submarine F-12 ( Regia Marina) with the loss of all eighteen crew.

[lordroel]

Day 1426 of the Great War, July 5th 1918

YouTube (The First Modern Battle - The Battle of Hamel)



Western Front

Australians advance line north-east of Villers-Bretonneux (south-east of Amiens).

Italian Front

French and Italian offensive in southern Albania begins.

United Kingdom/Netherlands relations

Dutch Government accepts conditions re: convoy; Convoy sails.

Caucasus campaign: Cossacks with British Armored Cars Arrive in Baku

Dunsterville’s mission to stop the Turkish advance east into the Caucasus and Persia had made little material progress so far, but he had made some unlikely allies in his time in Persia. Among these was a group of Cossacks under Lazar Bicherakov, essentially the last forces of what had once been a considerable Russian military presence in Persia. Dunsterville provided Bicherakov with money and with several armored cars. In early July, with Dunsterforce now having enough British troops to cover northwestern Persia, Bicherakov departed for Baku. On paper, at least, Bicherakov had embraced the Bolshevik revolution, and had even already been appointed as the overall commander of Bolshevik forces around Baku before his arrival there on July 5.

Bicherakov’s 1200 well-trained men and four armored cars were desperately needed in Baku. The Turks were advancing through the Republic of Armenia as per the terms of their treaty with that country, and were raising the new “Army of Islam” for an advance on Baku, which had already defeated local Armenian forces in a series of battles west of the city.

Germany

Treaty of Bucharest passes Reichstag.

Naval operations: ship losses

COLUMBIA (United States) The passenger ship capsized and sank in the Illinois River with the loss of 87 or 175 lives (depending on sources).

VERA ELIZABETH (United Kingdom) The auxiliary schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 54 nautical miles (100 km) south by east of Suðuroy, Faroe Islands (60°42′N 5°32′W) by SM U-60 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[lordroel]

Day 1427 of the Great War, July 6th 1918

Italian Front

Piave delta cleared of Austrians by 23rd Italian Corps; 21,000 men and 63 guns, etc., taken by Italians since 15 June.

Russian Civil War: Left SRs Assassinate German Ambassador

The last non-Bolshevik party still supporting Lenin’s Sovnarkom was the Left SRs, the faction of Socialist Revolutionaries that did not opposed the October Revolution. However, by mid-1918, relations were strained. The Bolsheviks, not wanting to share power with them, had tried to sideline Left SR-dominated soviets. Furthermore, they had key differences on agricultural policy, and above all, the relationship with Germany; the Left SRs firmly opposed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

In the early afternoon of July 6, two Left SR agents assassinated the German Ambassador, Count Mirbach. Later that day, the Left SR Central Committee justified the action:

Count Mirbach, torturer of the Russian toilers, friend and favorite of [Kaiser] Wilhelm, has been killed by the avenging hand of a revolutionary in accordance with the resolution of the Central Committee of the Left SR Party. German spies and traitors demand the death of the Left SRs. The ruling group of Bolsheviks, fearing undesirable consequences for themselves, continue to obey the orders of German hangmen.

The Left SRs’ motivations remain unclear. Soviet historiography always painted the incident as the start of a general uprising against the Bolsheviks. However, the Left SRs took few open steps against the Bolsheviks. They did mobilize some of their military units as a precautionary measure, briefly occupied the telegraph exchange, and took Felix Dzerzhinsky (head of the Cheka) hostage after he came looking for the assassins. However, otherwise, the Left SRs took no hostile action against the Bolsheviks, and did nothing beyond criticizing their foreign policy in their rhetoric. It seems most likely that the Left SRs simply wanted to provoke a break with Germany and stop the Bolsheviks from continuing to give active aid to the Germans under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

The Left SRs’ case was not helped by a simultaneous uprising of Right SRs in Yaroslavl under Boris Savinkov. Savinkov had been in contact with the Allies, and believed they would soon land at Archangelsk and send him aid by railway. However, the Allies would not land there for another month, by which time the Bolsheviks had retaken Yaroslavl.

In Moscow, Lenin gathered what loyal troops he could, mainly consisting of various detachments of the Latvian Rifles. Late in the morning of July 7, the Latvians attacked the Left SR headquarters, and the “uprising” in Moscow was soon over.

United Kingdom

Publication of Mantagu-Chemsford Report re: Indian Constitutional Reforms.

Silver Wedding of Their Majesties.

United States

U.S. first large aeroplane launched near New York.

Russia: Allies Declare Vladivostok a Protectorate, Siberian Duma Declares Independence

Allied marines and a Bolshevik committee had icily co-existed in Vladivostok for some time when the first soldiers of the Czech Legion arrived at the end of June and threw the Bolsheviks out. With that complication removed, and with the Entente newly committed to Czechoslovak independence, the Allies declared the Russian port an Allied protectorate on July 6. The Czech troops could embark ships there for the United States, and then on to France and the Western Front. Woodrow Wilson asked whether more Japanese troops might be sent to Russia to help the rest of the Czechs safely reach the coast.

Meanwhile, still far to the West, Czech troops continued to move through Siberia on trains and kick out local Red Guards. Russians who opposed the Bolshevik revolution emerged in the Czechs’ wake and set about organizing their own governments. Irkutsk was taken from the Bolsheviks on July 7. In Omsk, which the Czechs had cleared of Reds, a Siberian Duma gathered to declare their own independence from Moscow. The Bolsehviks feared that Czech soldiers might even reach the village of Ekaterinburg and free the Tsar and his family.

Aerial operations: British sub attacked from the air

Fresh from his victories over Felixstowe flying boats on 4 July, Oberleutnant zur See Frederich Christiansen scored another remarkable success today when he surprised the British submarine C25 on the surface in the Thames Estuary. He bombed the craft killing its commander Lieutenant David C Bell and five other crewmembers:

- Leading Seaman William Barge
- Petty Officer William G Borrow
- Signalman Charles A Buttle
- Able Seaman George S Hamilton
- Able Seaman John M Walsh

Bell and three of the others had been on the conning tower at the time of the attack. One of the bodies blocked the hatch so the submarine was unable to dive. The first Lieutenant, Sub Lieutenant Ronald M. Cobb, and two engine room artificers cut off the leg of one of the bodies with a hacksaw to free the hatch. The other two crew members died while trying to close the hatch.

The German aircraft flew off to refuel and rearm but were driven off on their return by the destroyer HMS LURCHER. The submarine was subsequently towed back to shore and after repairs resumed service.

Naval operations: ship losses

BERTRAND (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 28 nautical miles (52 km) east south east of Cape Bon, Algeria (36°58′N 11°36′E) by SM UC-67 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

GULLFAXI Iceland) The fishing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Iceland by SM U-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

PORT HARDY (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 78 nautical miles (144 km) west of Cape Spartel, Morocco (35°44′N 7°35′W) by SM U-91 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seven of her crew.

SAN NICOLA (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (36°06′N 25°19′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

[lordroel]

Day 1428 of the Great War, July 7th 1918

Western Front

Australian advance continued on each side of River Somme.

German air-raid on ambulance park at La Panne (village behind Yser): 43 girls killed.

Western Front: Austrian Troops Arrive on Western Front

As the Germans suffered massive casualties in their offensives in the West, they became increasingly desperate for manpower. In June, they appealed to their Austro-Hungarian allies for six divisions, and the Austrians called off their Piave offensive partially for that reason. The first two divisions, the 1st and 35th, arrived near Verdun on July 7. The local German commanders were circumspect as to the Austro-Hungarians’ abilities, and made them go through a period of retraining and switched out much of their materiel for varieties they could more easily resupply. Ultimately, at this point in the war (and especially after their heavy losses on the Piave), the Austrians could spare little beyond the Italian Front, and were only able to provide two more divisions for service in France.

Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion

Czecho-Slovaks defeat Bolsheviks near Chita (east of Irkutsk).

Italian Front

Italians attack on Middle and Lower Vojusa (southern Albania).

United States

President Wilson agrees to organize an Allied intervention in Russia against the Bolsheviks.

Russia: the Bolshevik regime secure once more as the Left SR uprising fizzles out

The Left faction of the Socialist Revolutionaries (the Left SRs) used to be allies of the Bolsheviks but now they are enemies. After murdering Count Mirbach, the German ambassador, the Left SRs have taken up arms and are calling on the masses to overthrow the Bolsheviks as betrayers of the revolution. Yesterday the situation hung in the balance, with Bolshevik forces in Moscow heavily outnumbered by the Left SRs, who controlled most of the armed militia of the Cheka, the political police.

But now the Left SR rising is over. The masses have failed to rally to the Left SRs while the rebels failed to capitalise on their temporary advantage by storming the Kremlin and arresting the Bolshevik leaders. Instead the uprising runs out of steam, with the Bolsheviks managing to round up Maria Spiridonova and other Left SR leaders (who have conveniently all gone to attend a meeting of the Soviet Congress without any armed guards) and muster enough forces of their own to oblige the surrender of the rebellious Cheka units.

With the Left SRs defeated, the Bolsheviks are once more secure in Moscow. Left SR supporters can now be purged from the Cheka and other Soviet bodies. The reformed Cheka will then be free to ensure there is no fresh challenge from the Left SRs or other disgruntled parties on the left.

Photo: Latvian riflemen guard the Bolshoi Theater during the V Congress of Soviets



Aerial operations: Germany

Hermann Göring assumes command of the "Flying Circus", Jagdgeschwader 1.

Aerial operations: Houton Bay

Today, Captain Henry (Harry) William Kendall and Lieutenant Walter Baldwin Eyer Powell were scrambled from the RAF Station at Houton Bay after a u-boat was spotted 50 miles off Shetland. In the event they located the u-boat and dropped two 230lb bombs on it. At the time they believed they had hit it, but German records show that no u-boat was lost in the area at the time. Nevertheless Kendall was awarded the Air Force Cross for his efforts.

Houton Bay is in the Orkney Islands to the west of Scapa Flow. It had been established as a kite balloon and seaplane base in 1916. At a conference involving the First Sea Lord and the Commander-in Chief of the Grand Fleet held in August 1917, it was decided to establish a flying boat base in the north of Scotland so that long range aircraft as well as naval vessels could patrol the minefield between Scotland and Norway and further harass U-Boats using Scottish waters to enter the Atlantic.

In February 1918 the Dover Barrage made passage through the English Channel for u-boats too dangerous and they were ordered to sail around Scotland to reach the Atlantic, increasing u-boat traffic in the area.

At its height the base operated 18 aircraft and had a staff of about 400. The units based there were:

- 430 Flight (Short 184 seaplanes).
- 306 Flight (Felixstowe F2A and F3 flying boats).

Naval operations: ship losses

ABY (United Kingdom) The fishing vessel was scuttled in the North Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) east by north of Spurn Point, Yorkshire by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

ALBION (United Kingdom) The fishing vessel was scuttled in the North Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) east by north of Spurn Point by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

CARL (Denmark) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Ireland (49°20′N 9°40′W) by SM U-70 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of fourteen crew.

SMS G172 (Kaiserliche Marine) The S138-class destroyer struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of sixteen of her crew.

GIUSEPPINO PADRE (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (37°30′N 18°30′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

MAROSA (Norway) The full-rigged ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean (40°00′N 50°35′W) by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

SMS S138 (Kaiserliche Marine) The S138-class destroyer struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 32 of her crew.

VERGINE DI LOURDES (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Sicily by SM UC-52 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[lordroel]

Day 1429 of the Great War, July 8th 1918

Western Front

Successful French attack north-west of Longpont (west of Villers-Cotterets); 346 prisoners.

Russian Civil War

Declaration of aims to Allies by Siberian Government.

Russian Civil War: Red Army Commander on the Volga Mutinies

The Bolshevik situation on the Volga was quickly deteriorating. The Czechs were now openly fighting them, and, with their help, SR members of the Constituent Assembly had created a new government, the Komuch, in Samara. Opposing the Czechs and Komuch was the new Red Eastern Army Group, under the command of General Muraviev, whose previous successes included the capture of Kiev from Rada forces in February. Muraviev was a Left SR, but he was not removed in the immediate aftermath of the Left SR “uprising” in Moscow on July 6, instead quitting the party immediately. However, this proved to be just a ruse, and on July 9, proclaiming himself the “Garibaldi of the Russian people,” called for renewed action against the Germans. He ordered an immediate ceasefire with the Czechs, and hoped they would turn back to the west to help fight the Germans.

The next day, he sailed with a thousand men down the Volga to Simbirsk, where he arrested many who remained loyal to the Bolsheviks, including General Tukachevsky. Whether Muraviev could have rallied the entirety of the Eastern Army Group to his cause, and what he would have done with them if he did, is still unclear–like the Left SRs in Moscow, he did not openly call for the overthrow of the Bolsheviks. These questions were rendered moot on July 11, when Muraviev was killed in an ambush set by Vareikis, a Lithuanian worker who had been sent to lead the local Bolshevik party. His revolt ended, but the incident seriously affected the morale of his army group, and the Czechs and the Komuch were soon emboldened to attack.

Italian Front

Italians win passage of Vojusa and occupy Fieri (20 miles north-east of Valona); French and Italians threaten Berat (north-east of Valona).

Macedonian Front

British monitors aid Italian advance on Lower Vojusa.

United Kingdom

Report of five M.P.'s re: enemy aliens, recommending stricter treatment.

House of Commons prolongs life of Parliament to 30 January 1919.

Naval operations: ship losses

BEN LOMOND (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 30 nautical miles (56 km) south east of the Daunt Rock by SM U-92 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 23 crew.

CHICAGO (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) north east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire by SM UB-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.

HORTA (Portugal) The cargo ship was sunk in the Strait of Sicily by SM UC-73 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

MANX KING (Norway) The full-rigged ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean (40°05′N 52°00′W) by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

MARS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 74 nautical miles (137 km) west by north of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (49°44′N 8°20′W) by SM U-92 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

SAN NICOLA (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Aegean Sea off Andros by SM UC-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

WAR CROCUS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km) east by north of Flamborough Head by SM UB-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[lordroel]

Day 1430 of the Great War, July 9th 1918

Russian Civil War

Bolsheviks take Sizran and Bulgulma, and reach Stavropol (north-west of Samara).

Martial law at Moscow.

Macedonian Front: Italian Offensive in Albania

The Italians had successfully defended their line on the Piave against the Austrians in June, in a battle rightfully hailed as a great victory for them. General Diaz was cautious and saw no need to waste men trying to cross the Piave in a counteroffensive, but the Italians were emboldened enough to launch an offensive on their subsidiary front in Albania. On July 6, the Italian XVI Corps around Valona [Vlorë], which had done little since late 1916, launched a general offensive on its sixty-mile front; troop densities were far lower in neglected Albania than almost any other section of front in the war. On July 10, they took the local Austrian headquarters in Berat, part of an advance of over ten miles on a broad front that took 2000 Austrian PoWs. The victorious Italians were subsequently severely weakened by malaria, which took an especially high toll that summer.

Austria-Hungary

Salzburg Conference opens re: economic relations of Central Powers.

Germany: Paul von Hintze Becomes Germany’s Fourth Foreign Minister Since the War Began

Paul von Hintze became German Foreign Minister on July 9, and the penultimate man to hold that position during the Kaiserreich. A middle-class naval officer who had been ennobled and promoted to rear admiral, Hintze had been German ambassador to Mexico before the war and during the beginning of that nation’s great revolution. Hintze had taken some part, although how large is unclear, helping supply arms to the conservative Mexican Huerta government, to the outrage of the Americans.

During the war Hintze served in China, where he build up a German intelligence service in the Far East. This was considered enough experience to make him Foreign Minister when his predecessor Richard von Kühlmann resigned. Külhmann had taken over for the incompetent Arthur von Zimmerman, but had fallen afoul of Hindenburg and Ludendorff, Germany’s de facto military dictators who allowed no uppity civilians in their government.

United Kingdom

Appointments of Mr. J. R. Clynes, M.P. as (British) Food Controller.

Naval operations: United Kingdom

Announced that ships lost homeward bound to U.K. since 1 January 1918 rather more than 1 per cent.

Naval operations: ship losses

HM CMB-2 (Royal Navy) The Coastal Motor Boat was lost on this date.

FREDERIKA (Netherlands) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the MAAS Lightship ( Netherlands) by SM UC-70 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

FRYKEN (Sweden) The coaster was sunk in the Humber Estuary[43] (53°27′N 0°29′E) by SM UB-107 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

SILVIA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of Gibraltar (35°54′N 7°18′W) by SM U-91 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

TRIS ADELPHI (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (35°47′N 25°19′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

[lordroel]

Day 1431 of the Great War, July 10th 1918

Western Front

French capture whole of Courcy (village east of Villers-Cotterets).

Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion

General Horvath (Czecho-Slovak Commander) establishes new Siberian Government at Grodekovo (north-west of Vladivostok).

Macedonian Front

Italians occupy Berat (Albania).

Germany

German Socialists in the Reichstag declare they will not vote on a budget unless Germany’s war aims are clarified.

Russia: Promulgation of the First Russian Constitution

The Fifth-All Russian Congress of the Soviets convened in Moscow in July 1918, and when it finished on July 10 produced the first Russian constitution, a document which promised the “abolition of the exploitation of men by men.” The chief failing of the liberal-left Russian Provisional Government had been lack of legitimacy; a new constitution and an elected government had never appeared despite months of promises.

Under the Bolsheviks, a constitution and an elected government was formed through the soviets, which were to elect representatives to provincial congresses. Although ultimately in the aim of eliminating class distinctions, the Bolsheviks proceeded according to Marxist ideas and for the time being afforded more representation to factory workers while disenfranchising the bourgeois and the aristocracy. This was no milquetoast liberal democracy, Lenin was saying, but the precursor to a socialist government. The most important task lay on the battlefield: defeat of the anti-revolutionary Whites and groups on the left which did not support the Bolsheviks.

Germany: Flu Pandemic Affects German Planning

The flu pandemic had, by mid-summer, crossed the Atlantic with the Americans and was afflicting soldiers on both sides of the war. The effects were more pronounced for the Germans, who were shorter on manpower in the first place and were planning two large offensives for the near future. It should be stressed that the flu in the summer of 1918 did not follow the same pattern as the more famous and deadly flu that hit in the fall; mortality was not unusually high, and young people were not disproportionately affected. Nevertheless, the first cases had already caused issues during Operation Gneisenau in June. The next offensive, directed mainly at Rheims, would go forward on July 15 regardless, but worries began to mount for the long-delayed Operation Hagen, aimed at the British in Flanders and currently planned for August 1. On July 11, Crown Prince Rupprecht, in charge of executing Operation Hagen, seriously considered postponing it due to the flu; too many soldiers were incapacitated by it, and it would certainly interfere with the large movement of men back to Flanders that would be necessary over the next three weeks. Rupprecht decided against a postponement, and troop transfers would go ahead as planned, beginning as early as July 16–and by August, the flu pandemic had subsided for the time being. While ultimately Operation Hagen would never take place, it would not be because of the flu.

Naval operations: ship losses

SMS A79 (Kaiserliche Marine) The A56-class torpedo boat struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 53 of her crew.

AGIOS LOUKIS (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (35°45′N 25°19′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

SMS S62 (Kaiserliche Marine) The V25-class destroyer struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 27 of her crew.

SMS S66 (Kaiserliche Marine) The V25-class destroyer struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 76 of her crew.

[lordroel]

Day 1432 of the Great War, July 11th 1918

Western Front

Successful Australian raid near Merris (north of River Lys).

Photo: British troops using a German machine gun



Germany

Count Herling in Committee of Reichstag on foreign policy; to be unchanged.

United Kingdom

British Government announces stricter treatment of enemy aliens to be adopted.

Aerial operations: Germany

74 British air-raids in Germany during June announced.

Naval operations: ship losses

AGIOS CONSTANTINOS (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (35°38′N 25°12′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

BACCHUS (France) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Ionian Sea 78 nautical miles (144 km) south west of Sapienza (36°25′N 20°19′E) by SM UB-51 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 28 crew.

KONG SUTTORM (Norway) The coaster was sunk in the English Channel 30 nautical miles (56 km) south east of Portland Bill, Dorset, United Kingdom by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eleven of her crew.

MARIGO (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (36°59′N 34°08′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.

ROBERTO (Spain) The coaster was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 60 nautical miles (110 km) north of Alexandria, Egypt by SM UC-74 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

USS WESTOVER (United States Navy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Ireland (46°36′N 12°21′W) by SM U-92 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eleven of her crew.

[lordroel]

Day 1433 of the Great War, July 12th 1918

YouTube (The Gardeners Of Salonica Prepare A New Offensive)



Day 1434 of the Great War, July 12th 1918

Siberian intervention

Announcement of Allied force on Murman coast.

Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion

Czecho-Slovaks capture Kazan (on River Volga); Czecho-Slovaks control Siberian Railway east of Penza.

Macedonian Front

French advance on both sides of River Devoli (southern Albania); Austrians retreat.

Germany

Count Hertling in Reichstag on Belgium as a pawn.

Prussian Upper House expels Prince Lichnowsky.

Australia

Mr. Huges (Australian Premier) re: Pacific islands.

United Kingdom

Denaturalisation Bill passes first and second reading in House of Commons.

Naval operations: ship losses

KAWACHI (Imperial Japanese Navy) The KAWACHI-class battleship suffered an onboard explosion and sank at Tokuyama with the loss of 621 of her 1,059 crew. The hulk was subsequently scrapped.

[lordroel]

Day 1435 of the Great War, July 13th 1918

Macedonian Front

French General Gramat appointed Chief of Staff to Greek Army.

Sinai and Palestine Campaign

Turks attack British positions on Jordan and on Abu Tellul ridges (seven miles north of Jericho).

Russian Civil War: Railway Workers Kill Tashkent Cheka Chief

Although they were quickly losing control of the situation further north, the Bolsheviks still nominally had control of Russia’s possessions in Central Asia. However, as was the case throughout the Civil War, control of the railways was key, and the Bolsheviks had annoyed the railway workers in modern-day Turkmenistan. Vladimir Frolov, the head of the Cheka in Tashkent (in modern-day Uzbekistan) declared martial law in the area in July and had several leaders of the railway workers in Ashgabat shot. While returning to Tashkent, Frolov was confronted and killed by railway workers in Kizyl Arvat [Serdar] on July 13. The next-day, an SR-led committee seized power in Ashgabat, and the other major cities of Turkmenistan followed within a week. Knowing they could soon expect reprisal from Bolshevik forces based in Tashkent, the new government in Ashgabat appealed to the small British military mission across the Persian border in Mashhad for aid. The British were reluctant to get involved, but were worried that the chaos in the area might allow the Turks or Germans to get a foothold in the area should they reach and cross the Caspian.

United kingdom

Demonstrators in Trafalgar Square urge the British government to intern all enemy aliens.

Haiti

Haiti declares war on Germany.

Naval operations: ship losses

BADAGRI (United Kingdom) The Elder Dempster 2,956 grt cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 425 nautical miles (787 km) west north west of Cape St. Vincent, Portugal (35°17′N 16°50′W) by SM U-91 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, but her captain was taken as a prisoner of war.

PLASWOTH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 105 nautical miles (194 km) west by north of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (49°36′N 9°10′W) by SM U-60 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.

PONTA DELGADA (Portugal) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 50 nautical miles (93 km) off Oran, Algeria by SM UC-54 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

RAMON DE LARRINAGA (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 180 nautical miles (330 km) off Cape Finisterre by SM U-92 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.