The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

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Day 1513 of the Great War, September 27th 1918

YouTube (The Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Bulgarian Collapse)



Western Front

Great British attack on Cambrai front, extending from Sauchy l'Estrees to Gouzeaucourt.

Second battle of Cambrai and battle of St. Quentin begin.

Hindenburg Line pierced.

Beaucamp, Graincourt, etc., taken; Canadians capture Bourlon Wood.

Photo: Single file of Canadian infantry going forward during the Battle of the Canal du Nord, 27 September 1918



Further Franco-American advance between Reims and Verdun, converging move on the Argonne. 23,000 prisoners taken.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

In Tafas, Syria, retreating Ottoman soldiers massacre 250 civilians, including women and children. T.E. Lawrence and his Arab allies find the massacre and attack the Ottoman soldiers, taking no prisoners.

Norway

Reported from Christiana that British flag hoisted over (destroyed) German property at Spitsbergen.

Naval operations: ship losses

EN AVANT Avant (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 45 nautical miles (83 km) north of Ouessant, Finistère by SM U-54 ( Imperial German Navy).

HATASU (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 50 nautical miles (93 km) north by west of Oran, Algeria (36°32′N 0°53′W) by SM UB-49 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of two of her crew.

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Day 1514 of the Great War, September 28th 1918

Western Front

Further Franco-American progress; General Mangin advances in Champagne and on the Aisne.

Germans retire to the Ailette.

Italians force crossing of the Aisne east of Conde.

American line advanced to Exermont and Brieulles, many villages taken.

Photo: Men of the American 30th Division at rest with German prisoners following the capture of Bellicourt, 29 September 1918. In the background are British Mark V tanks (with 'cribs' for crossing trenches) of the 8th Battalion, Tank Corps, which was one of four battalions of the 5th Tank Brigade allotted to the 5th Australian Division and American Corps for the operation, 28 September 1918



Long range bombardment of Dunkirk.

Western Front: Belgians Go on the Offensive; Ludendorff Panics

The Belgians, who had lost 90% of their country to the German occupation in 1914, had, with a few exceptions, mainly been on the defensive since then. They had limited resources, were protected by flooded canals, and Belgium’s claims of neutrality meant their coordination with the Allies was limited. However, with Germany clearly faltering, King Albert determined that the time was ripe for the Belgian army to go on the offensive in conjunction with the Allies and liberate their country. The offensive in Flanders would go ahead on September 28, a day after the attack on the Canal du Nord and two days after the start of the Meuse-Argonne offensive–part of Foch’s overall strategy to attack in as many places as possible and keep the Germans unbalanced. King Albert would be in overall command of a joint Belgian, French, and British force, though in practice most military decisions were deferred to the French General Degoutte.

The Belgians started a three-hour preliminary bombardment at 2:30AM; Plumer, commanding the British forces in the area, did not join in, hoping to achieve surprise. This was not to be, but the Germans in the area were heavily outnumbered; the Germans had used Flanders as a source of reserves to strengthen the Hindenburg Line, Metz, and the Meuse-Argonne. The weather was atrocious, as it had been last year, but the German positions were mopped up with alacrity. The Allies advanced up to six miles on a 23-mile long front, even taking Passchendaele and most of the nearby ridge–an objective that had taken the British last year over three months and 265,000 casualties.

The rain and ensuing mud, more than anything else, prevented a general breakthrough in Flanders, as supplies could not be effectively brought up to the advancing forces. In some cases, the front line units were resupplied by the RAF, which would drop 13 tons of supplies over the coming days.

This was little comfort to Ludendorff back in Spa, however, who was seeing his armies begin to crack while he lacked the reserves to halt the innumerable Allied attacks. The final trigger appears to have been the collapse of the Bulgarians; that evening, he was informed that Bulgaria had entered into negotiations for an immediate armistice. The exit of Bulgaria would open the way into the Balkans, and the Germans and Austrians simply did not have the resources to stop Franchet d’Esperey’s Army of the Orient.

Accounts differ as to whether Ludendorff, whose mental state was already precarious at best, went into a physical fit. Regardless, something snapped. Meeting with Hindenburg that evening, he advocated for an immediate armistice, to save the German Army before it was destroyed. Ludendorff hoped that an armistice would let the army regroup in Germany, allowing it to remain in being and at least avoid a humiliating defeat and “shameful peace.” He also entertained a fanciful notion (as the Russians had at certain points in 1917 and 1918) that the German people would form a levée en masse to oppose the Allied advance.

The pair met with the Kaiser the next day, along with Foreign Minister Hintze, who had received his own independent assessment of the army’s desperation from his friends at OHL. Hintze agreed with Hindenburg & Ludendorff that an armistice was necessary, but stressed that certain political preconditions needed to be met, both to satisfy Wilson and to prevent a complete collapse at home. A new government needed to be formed, including the Social Democrats, and Hindenburg and Ludendorff needed to be subordinate to the new Chancellor. This new government would then ask for an armistice on the basis of the Fourteen Points. Hindenburg & Ludendorff agreed, seeing this as a means to divert blame onto the civilian government. Chancellor Hertling of course objected, but was too late; the Kaiser, believing this was the only way to save his throne, had already signed off on Hintze’s proposal.

Macedonian Front

Bulgaria makes request for an Armistice with a view to peace negotiations.

Italian Front

Austrian attack in Val Giudicaria (Dol.) repulsed.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

British troops under General Allenby cross the Upper Jordan at Jisr Benat Yakub and effect a junction with Arab forces near Deraa.

British cavalry at El Kuneitra, 40 miles from Damascus.

British/German relations

Germany refuses British proposal re: Prisoners agreement.

Naval/Air operations: Zeebrugge

British ships and aeroplanes co-operate in attack on Zeebrugge.

Naval operations: ship losses

BALDERSBY (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 9 nautical miles (17 km) east of the Codling Bank Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-91 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of two of her crew.

BENHA (Egypt) The sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Ras el Dabas by an enemy submarine.

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Day 1515 of the Great War, September 29th 1918

Western Front

Good progress of Anglo-Belgian attack; Dixmude, Passchendaele, Messines, Gheluvelt and other places occupied; Allies reach Roulers-Menin road. British reach outskirts of Cambrai and break Hindenburg Line on a 6-mile front. 22,000 prisoners taken in three days.

General Mangin reaches the Ailette.

At Marcoing, France, British Private Henry Tandey allegedly takes aim at Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler but chooses not to shoot him as an act of mercy.

Western Front: Battle of the St Quentin Canal

The fourth and final hammer blow of the Allied offensives in late September fell on the Hindenburg Line behind the St Quentin Canal. The main attack was to be undertake by the Australians, but after months of hard fighting they were exhausted, and they were reinforced by an American corps. During the rapid advance on August 8, plans for the sector were captured by a tank officer. While somewhat out of date, they were still extraordinarily detailed and allowed the Allied bombardment to hit its targets with pinpoint accuracy. Despite this, and extensive tank support, the Australians and Americans were quickly bogged down. The rolling barrage started too far away and advanced too quickly (in an effort not to hit survivors of a failed trench raid who may still have been in no-man’s-land).

However, further to the south, the 46th Division had a stunning success. In what they thought would be a purely diversionary attack, they crossed the canal using equipment salvaged from cross-Channel passenger ferries an hour after the Americans attacked, and took the Germans completely by surprise. Private George Waters recalled:

The men were on top of the Germans before they knew what was happening. A corporal, Crutchley, suddenly came to a German machine gun post protecting the bridge and he shot the German crew down before they could get their guns into action.

They were able to secure the bridge before the Germans had a chance to set off the demolition charges, and more troops streamed over (while still others swam across with the help of life belts).

By the end of the day, the 46th Division had advanced three miles, taking the bulk of the Hindenburg Line in their sector. A single regiment took over 4200 PoWs themselves. Following up on this success, by the end of the next day over 30 miles of the Hindenburg Line were in Allied hands, with only one German reserve line in between them and open country beyond.

Macedonian Front

Armistice between Bulgaria and Entente signed.

Serbs close to Bulgarian frontier south of Kustendil and storm Bulgarian position, 11 miles north-east of Veles.

French cavalry enter Uskub.

Severe fighting with Austrian rearguards in Albania.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

Cavalry and car movement towards Damascus continues.

10,000 Turks, part of 2nd corps, 4th army, between Maan and Amman, surrender at Ziza (17 miles south of Amman).

Japan

Japanese Cabinet formed under Mr. Kei Hara.

Austria-Hungary

Czecho-Slovak resolution for liberty proclaimed at Prague.

Germany: Germany’s “Revolution from Above”

Germany’s position is unravelling. The Allies are pressing hard on the Western Front while its allies are being picked off: Bulgaria has thrown in the towel, Turkey is being battered in the Middle East and Austria-Hungary looks like it might be on the brink of disintegration. Ludendorff has come to the conclusion that an armistice must be secured at once before the situation deteriorates further. Now he and Hindenburg meet with Hintze, the foreign minister, and demand an immediate request to the Allies for an armistice.

Hintze however fears the political consequences of an armistice request. The German public have largely been shielded from the facts of the disastrous situation at the front and are still under the impression that victory is within Germany’s grasp. A sudden revelation of the true situation could lead to an explosion of anger against the regime. To prevent a domestic crisis, Hintze proposes that the German government be reformed by bringing in parties from across the political spectrum, in order to spread the responsibility for defeat. This “revolution from above” might just prevent a revolution from below.

Ludendorff and Hintze’s case is put to the Kaiser. He agrees to the government’s reformation and the subsequent request to Wilson for an armistice on the basis of his Fourteen Points. Then they all go for lunch.

Naval operations: ship losses

LIBOURNE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 10 nautical miles (19 km) south of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°47′N 5°10′W) by SM U-54 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of three crew.

USS MINNESOTA (United States Navy) The Connecticut-class battleship struck a mine in the Atlantic Ocean 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the Fenwick Island Lighthouse, Delaware and was severely damaged. She was subsequently repaired and returned to service.

NYANZA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 10 nautical miles (19 km) north west by west of the Corsewall Lighthouse, Wigtownshire by SM UB-95 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of thirteen of her crew.

SM UB-115 (Imperial German Navy) The Type UB III submarine was depth charged and sunk in the North Sea 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km) off Newton-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, United Kingdom (55°13′N 1°22′E by HMS OUSE, HMS STAR, HMT VIOLA (all Royal Navy) and the R23X-class airship R27 ( Royal Air Force) with the loss of all 39 crew.

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Day 1516 of the Great War, September 30th 1918

Western Front

Important progress on St. Quentin-Cambrai Front. Thorigny-Guistain-Rumilly taken.

Cambrai fired by Germans.

General Gouraud, on a 20-mile front in Champagne, takes Ste. Marie-a-Py and surroundings.

General Mangin progresses on Aisne and Vesle.

Belgians take Dixmude and threaten Roulers.

Stiff American fighting in Argonne forest.

British progress north of Neuve Chapelle.

Macedonian Front: Bulgaria Exits the War

The organized retreat of the Bulgarians had turned into a rout, and revolution was brewing at home; a republic had been declared at Radomir, and mutinous troops were marching on Sofia. Under these circumstances, the Bulgarians asked for an armistice. Bulgarian representatives met with Franchet d’Espérey on September 28. Without consulting any of the Allied governments, Franchet d’Espérey read his terms: all Serbian and Greek territory would be evacuated, all German and Austrian troops would leave Bulgaria, the Allies could use Bulgarian railways to continue the war against the Central Powers and occupy whatever strategic points were necessary to do so (not including Sofia), and all but three divisions of the Bulgarian army would demobilize.

These were extremely harsh terms (compare the Russian and Romanian ones signed the previous year), and the Bulgarians attempted to modify them. However, late on September 29, news reached Salonika that Jouinot-Gambetta’s cavalry had reached and captured Skopje, cutting off most Bulgarian forces still in Macedonia. Franchet d’Espérey then further demanded the full surrender of the (technically German) Eleventh Army. The Bulgarians felt they had no choice but to agree, and signed the armistice at 10:10 PM that night.

The armistice went into effect at noon on September 30; Bulgaria was out of the war. The only forces the Central Powers had to resist an advance northward into the rest of Serbia were the scattered German remnants of the Eleventh Army, along with German and Austrian reinforcements being hurriedly rushed down the railway, but they were still more than fifty miles away when the armistice was signed. The exit of Bulgaria also cut off Turkey for the first time since 1915, cutting off a vital flow of supplies (though the Central Powers now firmly controlled the Black Sea), and also raised the prospect of an Allied advance towards Constantinople on land.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

Damascus taken by British and Arabs. Seven Thousand prisoners taken.

End of Battle of Samaria.

Siberian intervention

Canadian contingent lands at Archangelsk to join Allied Expeditionary Force.

United Kingdom

Chancellor of the Exchequer opens a "Feed-the-Guns" campaign to raise a second War Loan.

Mr Balfour speaks on the League Of Nations.

Germany

Count Hertling, German Imperial Chancellor, resigns.

Japan

Lieutenant-General Glichi Tanaka appointed Japanese Minister for War.

Naval operations: ship losses

USS TICONDEROGA, a steamship in the United States Navy is torpedoed by submarine SM U-152. 121 soldiers lost.

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Day 1517 of the Great War, October 1st 1918

Western Front

British progress and take ground south of Le Catelet; stiff fighting near Bony and south of Cambrai.

French retake part of St. Quentin.

Germans fall back from Reims-Aisne plateaux; steady French advance in Champagne; Flanders ridge occupied and Ledeghem seized by British.

Sinai and Palestine campaign: The Fall of Damascus

Allenby’s stunning success at Megiddo essentially destroyed two Turkish armies in Palestine, while Arab forces loyal to the Hashmites had cut off the railway that provided the most convenient route of escape for the remaining Turkish Fourth Army. As a result, the way north was almost free of opposition for the British and Arabs–supplies and politics would prove the main troubles. Lawrence desperately wanted the Arabs to be the first to enter Damascus, so that Feisal would be seen as the liberator of Syria–legitimizing his claim versus the French one from the Sykes-Picot agreement. Allenby, having no particular interest in going out of his way to protect French claims, was fine with this, but to Lawrence’s chagrin, an element of Australian cavalry (who were really just en route to secure the road to Homs) entered the city an hour before the Arabs. Lawrence tried to gloss over this, and installed a pro-Hashemite local as the new governor of the city. Feisal entered the city triumphantly the next day (ending a brief period of looting and violence).

After the fall of Damascus, the attention of the British and Arabs turned further north, especially on the ports that could help supply a continued advance. It was here that the French had the most interest, however, and tensions between the French and the Hashemites would only escalate.

Austria-Hungary

Austrians take defensive measures on their southern frontier in consequence of Bulgarian Armistice.

Baron Husarek (Austrian Prime Minister) on situation: open to Peace offers; great row in Reichsrath.

Albania

Berat, Albania, is retaken by Italian forces.

Germany

German majority programme issued.

United Kingdom

Milk to be controlled in Great Britain.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Operations

Allies establish a net and mine barrage across the Strait of Otranto.

Naval operations: ship losses

ALDEBRAN,the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 7 nautical miles (13 km) off the Wolf Rock, Cornwall, United Kingdom (49°54′N 5°59′W) by SM UB-112 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of all nineteen crew.

BYLANDS, the cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 150 nautical miles (280 km) north-northwest of Cape Villano, Spain by SM U-139 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

FRANCOLI, the cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 14 nautical miles (26 km) east of Cape Palos, Murcia by SM UB-49 ( Imperial German Navy). Her fourteen crew were rescued by a French merchant vessel.

GIUSEPPINO M., the sailing vessel was sunk in the Gulf of Salerno by SM UC-53 ( Imperial German Navy).

GEJTRUD, the coaster was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west of The Lizard, Cornwall by SM UB-112 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of eleven of her crew.

MANIN, the cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 150 nautical miles (280 km) north north west of Cape Villano by SM U-139 ( Imperial German Navy).

MONTFORT, the cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the Atlantic Ocean 170 nautical miles (310 km) west south west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (48°00′N 10°20′W) by SM U-55 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of five crew. She sank the next day.

S. GUISEPPE A., the sailing vessel was sunk in the Gulf of Salerno by SM UC-53 ( Imperial German Navy).

THERESE ET MARTHE, the fishing vessel was sunk in the Bay of Biscay (46°36′N 2°38′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy).

VANYA, the gunboat was shelled by artillery and White ships, plus fired on by infantry, and sunk on the Kama River. 30 crewman killed including her commanding officer, 48 rescued.

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Day 1518 of the Great War, October 2nd 1918

Western Front

Germans withdraw on a wide front north and south of the La Bassee Canal. British recapture Armentieres.

French force the Germans from St. Quintin.

Allies advance north of the Vesle to Cormicy.

Lille is evacuated.

The French capture Challerange, in the Argonne.

Western Front: Americans Bogged Down in the Argonne Forest

The American death toll had been light compared to that of the European powers, but in the Muese-Argonne Offensive the First US Army endured the full horrors of industrial warfare. The American offensive had gone well, initially. American divisions were twice the strength of European ones, and perhaps three times larger than the battered and demoralized Germans in the Argonne Woods. More than 400,000 Americans attacked about 50,000 Germans.

But the terrain was rough going. Instead of the flat plains of St Mihiel, in the thick sloping Argonne woods German positions proved difficult to find and much harder to take. As one shell-shocked Doughboy complained, it was just “one damn machine gun after another.” A corps commander wrote that the Argonne was ‘a natural fortress, beside which the Wildnerness in which Grant and Lee fought was a park.’American tanks led by the fiery Colonel George Patton had charged into the fray with gusto, but received a bloody nose from field guns the Germans had learned to advance to the frontlines as anti-tank guns. Pershing almost called off the offensive, then decided to send reserves in instead. The American army was being chewed up in the sort of Materialschalft that had been consuming German, British, French, and Austrian armies for years.

One interesting chain of events began that day, when an American force about 500 men strong advanced further than the units on its flanks and found itself cut off. The “Lost Battalion” was surrounded by German troops the next day.

Norway

Maxim Litinov arrives at Bergen.

Poland

Jan Kucharzewski is appointed Polish Prime Minister.

Palestine/Syria

Allies recognise the belligerent status of Arab allies in Palestine and Syria.

Germany

Grand conference in Berlin under the Kaiser's presidency.

General Ludendorff sends a military representative to Berlin, informing the legislature the War is lost and negotiations should begin immediately.

Aerial operations: Durazzo

Today a British and Italian fleet attacked Durazzo, and the bombing aircraft of the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Wings, operating from the aerodrome at Andrano, were given a special part. They operated in four formations. The first, of eight DH4s from 224 Squadron, escorted by four Sopwith Camels, arrived over Durazzo at 0615. They dropped High explosive bombs of 100lb., 112lb., and 230lb to a total weight of 3,500 lb., together with eighty small incendiary bombs.

Just before the first formation of bombers returned to Andrano, the second formation, made up of six DH9’s of 226 Squadron RAF, left and they attacked Durazzo with 2,780-lb. weight of bombs at 10 a.m. On the outward journey this formation sighted the Allied fleet steering for Durazzo, and before they had finished dropping their bombs, the fleet had opened fire. The third formation, of four bombers of 226 Squadron, and the fourth, of seven, arrived over their objective at 10.50 a.m. and 11.30 a.m.
respectively. Before the last of the bombers left, the bombardment by the Allied fleet had ended and Durazzo was burning fiercely in many places. A large America flying-boat and three Short seaplanes accompanied the fleet, and fighting formationsof Sopwith ‘Camels’ patrolled over the town while the bombing attacks were in progress.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Operations

German submarine shells and sinks Spanish SS FRANCOLI off Cartagena.

Naval operations: ship losses

HMS ARCA (Royal Navy), the tanker was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 40 nautical miles (74 km) north west by west of Tory Island, County Donegal (55°45′N 7°35′W) by SM U-118 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of 52 crew.

AVE MARIE STELLA (France), the fishing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Bay of Biscay (45°59′N 2°14′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy).

BAMSE (United Kingdom), the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) east of The Lizard, Cornwall by SM UB-112 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of eleven of her crew.

KELTIER (Belgium), the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (46°16′N 9°52′W) by U-55 ( Imperial German Navy). The crew took to the lifeboats but were not recovered.

MAIA, (France), the schooner was shelled and sunk in the Bay of Biscay (45°25′N 1°48′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of two of her crew.

MARIE EMANUEL (France), the fishing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Bay of Biscay south of the Île d'Yeu, Finistère (46°33′N 2°23′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of five of her crew.

POLJAMES (United Kingdom), the coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 6 nautical miles (11 km) south of The Lizard by SM UB-112 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of thirteen of her crew.

RIO CAVADO (Portugal), the sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 290 nautical miles (540 km) off Cape Prior, Spain by SM U-139 ( Imperial German Navy).

SMS Z (Imperial German Navy), the barracks ship was scuttled at Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium.

[lordroel]

Day 1519 of the Great War, October 3rd 1918

Western Front

Germans withdraw from Lens-Armentieres line and past La Bassee.

British successfully attack on eight-mile front and take Le Catelet, etc.

Stiff fighting by French north of St. Quentin, north-west of Reims and in Champagne.

British capture Gheluwe; French and Belgians reach Hooglede.

Brutal order by Ludendorff re: prisoners.

Successful Allied air fighting, 55 German planes down.

Russian Civil War

The Ufa (southern Urals) loyal Government declare all Soviet treaties void and propose All-Russian Constituient Assembly.

Fighting in the Urals.

Japanese reported to have joined Semenov at Ruchlevo (Siberia); 1,500 Magyar prisoners.

Italian Front

Big British raid on Asiago front.

Syria: Allenby lays down the law to Faisal

The people of Damascus are still celebrating their deliverance from Turkish rule, though incidents of looting carried out by Bedouin followers of the Arab army may have dampened the mood somewhat. Now Emir Faisal arrives, intent on staking his father’s claim to the city as capital of the Arab kingdom promised by the British. After riding triumphantly into the city on horseback, he meets Allenby in the Victoria Hotel. The two have not met previously. It is not a meeting of equals, Allenby disabusing Faisal of any notions he might have developed. Faisal is informed that the Balfour Declaration means that Palestine is outside his father’s domain, while Lebanon will be coming under French control in line with the Sykes-Picot agreement. The flag of Sharif Hussein, Faisal’s father, can continue to fly in Damascus, but so long as the war continues all formerly Turkish territory will be effectively under British military control.

Serbia

Allied forces in touch with Austro-Germans in southern Serbia; Serbs capture 7,000 Bulgars.

Germany

Germans witholding ratification of Prisoners of War Agreement because of Germans interned in China.

Germany/Austria-Hungary relations: Germany and Austria-Hungary Ask for Peace

At Hindenburg & Ludendorff’s insistence, Chancellor Hertling was replaced with Prince Max of Baden, who despite his royal background was considered a liberal who could attract a wide base of support in the Reichstag and successfully appear to the Allied governments. His government largely drew on the majority that had already supported Erzberger’s peace resolution of July 1917, including parties as far left as the Social Democrats. Prince Max was not especially eager for an immediate armistice, believing that asking for one as his first act as Chancellor would be a clear sign of Germany’s weakness. His allies in the Reichstag, who had been lied to for months about Germany’s military prospects, were also unenthusiastic.

However, Hindenburg insisted: “It is desirable in the circumstances to break of the battle in order to spare the German people and its allies useless sacrifices. Every day wasted costs thousands of brave soldiers their lives.” An OHL representative briefed Reichstag leaders, blaming the current predicament on Bulgaria’s collapse and saying that the German army was “still strong enough to hold out against the enemy for months,” while also saying that “every twenty-four hours might make matters worse and lead the enemy to discover our real weakness.”

On the night of October 3, Prince Max, at Hindenburg & Ludendorff’s insistence, sent a note to Wilson via Switzerland:

The German Government requests the President of the United States to take in hand the restoration of peace, acquaint all the belligerent States of this request, and invite them to send plenipotentiaries for the purpose of opening negotiations.

It accepts the program set forth by the President of the United States in his message to Congress on Jan. 8 [The Fourteen Points], and in his later pronouncements…as a basis for peace negotiations.

With a view to avoiding further bloodshed, the German Government requests the immediate conclusion of an armistice on land and water and in the air.

Hindenburg & Ludendorff had apparently not even read the Fourteen Points when they called for the armistice.

In conjunction, Austria-Hungary sent a similar note to Wilson on the same day, just weeks after their last peace note. The call greatly hurt morale in the armies of the Central Powers, and greatly emboldened Austria-Hungary’s subject nationalities. Two days later, a National Council of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in Zagreb, and two days after that, the German puppet government in Poland declared its independence and laid claim to Galicia.

United Kingdom

Sir G. Cave Chairman of Inder-departmenal Prisoners of War Committee.

France

General Moiner appointed Governor of Paris.

Naval operations: ship losses

ALBERTO TREVES (Italy), the cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 300 nautical miles (560 km) off the coast of the United States by SM U-155 ( Imperial German Navy).

ARIEL (United Kingdom), the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 54 nautical miles (100 km) north of Cape Ténès, Algeria (37°36′N 1°08′E) by SM UB-105 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

ATLANTIS (Norway), the cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 6 nautical miles (11 km) south east of The Lizard, Cornwall, United Kingdom by SM UB-112 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of two of her crew.

BLASIOS GREECE (Greece), the sailing vessel was sunk in the Aegean Sea by SM UC-23 ( Imperial German Navy).

EUPION (United Kingdom), the tanker was torpedoed and sunk in the River Shannon by SM UB-90 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of eleven of her crew.

SMS G41 (Imperial German Navy), the V25-class torpedo boat was scuttled at Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium.

SMS M (Imperial German Navy), the barracks ship was scuttled at Bruges.

SMS S33 (Imperial German Navy), the V25-class torpedo boat was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea by HMS L10 ( Royal Navy).

SMS S34 (Imperial German Navy), the V25-class torpedo boat struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 70 of her crew.

SAINT LUC (France), the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 48 nautical miles (89 km) nort of Cape Ténès (37°43′N 1°35′E) by SM UB-105 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of 29 of her crew.

SMS V74 (Imperial German Navy), the V25-class destroyer was scuttled at Bruges.

WESTWOOD (United Kingdom), the collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south west of The Lizard by SM UB-112 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of a crew member.

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Day 1520 of the Great War, October 4th 1918

YouTube (Germany's Reckoning - Bulgarian Armistice)



Western Front

British and French heavy fighting St. Quentin to Cambrai.

French and Americans increase gains in Champagne as far as the River Arnes.

Announcement re: prisoners, etc.

American attack west of the Meuse gains ground north-east of Argonne Forest.

German guns being removed from Flanders coast.

Macedonian Front

Greek troops occupy Seres and Demir Hissar.

French and Serbs drive back Austrians in Vranya region, and French and Italians drive back Austrians in Albania.

Italian Front

Sharp fighting in Monte Grappa (Upper Brenta) region.

Germany

Prince Max of Baden appointed German Imperial Chancellor, and succeeds Admiral von Hintze as Foreign Minister.

German and Austro-Hungarian Governments send Notes to President Wilson proposing armistice talks based on his 14 Points. The German note will be received by President Wilson on October 6th and the Austrian on October 7th. They have bypassed the British and French in favor of the Americans who they feel will be more lenient. Wilson, however, responds with a list of demands, including the German withdrawal from all occupied lands and the immediate cessation of all U-Boat attacks.

Bulgaria

Ferdinand of Bulgaria abdicates; succeeded by his son Boris III, who signs decree for demobilisation of Bulgar Army.

Naval operations: Karl Dönitz Captured

Convoys had dramatically reduced the effectiveness of U-boats in the last eighteen months of the war. It was essentially as difficult to find a convoy as it was to find a single ship, and then the U-boat could perhaps sink one ship in the convoy before it passed by, and was under threat of immediate attack by the naval ships in the convoy. Karl Dönitz, commanding UB-68 (after having started the war on the Breslau during its dramatic escape to Turkey), learned this the hard way on October 4, encountering a convoy in the Mediterranean. He did sink the British cargo ship OOPACK; while attempting to escape, his boat experienced mechanical difficulties and was forced to surface. It was soon destroyed by British gunfire, and most of its crew, Dönitz included, were taken prisoner.

Naval operations: ship losses

HIRANO MARU (Japan), the passenger ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 200 nautical miles (370 km) south of Ireland by SM UB-91 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of 292 of the 320 people on board.

INDUSTRIAL (United Kingdom), the schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 250 nautical miles (460 km) south east of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, United States (37°57′N 66°41′W) by SM U-155 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

KASSID KARIM (Egypt), the sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 75 nautical miles (139 km) north of Alexandria by an enemy submarine.

HMS L10 (Royal Navy), the L-class submarine was sunk in the Heligoland Bight by SMS V28 and SMS V79 (both Imperial German Navy) with the loss of all 38 crew.

MERCEDES (Spain), the cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa (43°25′N 1°59′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

NANNA (Norway),the cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) west north west of The Lizard, Cornwall, United Kingdom by SM UB-112 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of nine of her crew.

OCENIA (Austria-Hungary), the ship struck a mine in the Adriatic Sea off Cape Rodoni, Albania and was abandoned. The wreck was torpedoed and sunk by 16 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy).

OOPACK (United Kingdom}, the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 110 nautical miles (200 km) east of Malta (35°56′N 16°20′E) by SM UB-68 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

SAN SABA (United States), the cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the Atlantic Ocean off the Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey (39°40′N 73°55′W) with the loss of 30 crew.

SM UB-68 (Imperial German Navy), the Type UB III submarine was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (33°56′N 16°20′E) with the loss of one of her 34 crew.

URANUS (Russia), the brigantine was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean south west of the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom (46°42′N 12°23′W by SM U-55 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew took to the lifeboats, but were not recovered.

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Day 1521 of the Great War, October 5th 1918

Western Front

Enemy falls back between La Catelet and Crevecoeur and burns Douai.

British carry Beaurevoir, etc. (East of Le Catelet)

End of Second Battle of Cambrai, and of Battle of St. Quentin.

Germans fall back towards the Suippe river; fighting on the Arnes (Champagne).

French occupy Moronvilliers Massif (east of Reims).

Stiff American fighting west of Meuse.

Much successful bombing by Allies.

Macedonian front

German troops reported withdrawn from Bulgarian front.

Franco-Serbs take Vranya (50 miles south of Nish).

Dibra (Albania) occupied.

Italians active on their own mountain fronts.

Germany

Prince Max speaks in the Reichstag. Messrs. Grober, Erzberger and Scheidemann Secretaries of State, and Dr. Solf Foreign Minister.

United States

Figures re: U.S.A. forces in Europe published.

Aerial operations: School runs

In an attempt to secure air superiority for the forthcoming offensive in Italy, the RAF attacked two Austrian flying schools.

Yesterday, the school at Campoformido, south-west of Udine, which handled ‘refresher’ courses to pilots, and trained observers, mechanics, and wireless Operators, was bombed. 23 Sopwith Camels from 28 and 66 Squadrons RAF, with three others as escorts dropped ten 40lb phosphorous and 77 20lb bombs on the target.

22 hits were scored on the hangars and sheds, and later intelligence suggested that two hangars were demolished with ten new aeroplanes destroyed. In addition, three enemy fighters were also destroyed in combat.

Today the school at Egna, south of Bolzano, was attached. It was where pilots received advanced training on service type aeroplanes. This time 22 Sopwith Camels with 20 40lb. phosphorous bombs and 41 20lb bombs made the raid. A shed and hangars were burnt and some of the bombs, which were dropped from heights under 500 feet, exploded among aeroplanes lined up on the landing-ground.

Naval operations: ship losses

BREMERHAVEN (Imperial German Navy), the GRETA-class Vorpostenboot was sunk by four Royal Navy torpedo boats 119 nautical miles (220 km; 137 mi) off Helgoland.

ERINDRING (United Kingdom), the cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay (43°27′N 2°24′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of all 22 crew.

GELDERLAND (Germany), the cargo ship was scuttled at Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium.

HAGIOS MARCOS GREECE (Greece), the sailing vessel was sunk in the Gulf of Salonica by SM UC-23 ( Imperial German Navy).

HEATHPARK (United Kingdom), the cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay (43°27′N 2°18′W) by SM U-91 (Imperial German Navy) with the loss of all eighteen crew.

MARIA (Spain), the schooner was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Salonica.

MARIA (Spain), the cargo ship was sunk in the Gulf of Salonica (39°58′N 23°07′E) by SM UC-23 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

MARGIO (France), the sailing vessel was sunk in the Gulf of Salonica by SM UC-23 ( Imperial German Navy).

USS MARY ALICE (United States Navy), the patrol vessel was rammed and sunk in the long Island Sound off Bridgeport, Connecticut by USS O-13 ( United States Navy). Her crew were rescued by USS O-13.

REVENTAZON (United Kingdom), the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Salonica 14 nautical miles (26 km) west by south of Kassandra Point, Greece by SM UC-23 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of fifteen of her crew.

RIO PARDO (Germany), the cargo ship was scuttled at Bruges.

SMS T122 (Imperial German Navy), the S90-class torpedo boat struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of twelve of her crew.

SM UB-10 (Imperial German Navy), the Type UB I submarine was scuttled in the North Sea off Zeebrugge, West Flanders, Belgium (51°21′N 3°12′E).

SM UB-40 (Imperial German Navy), the Type UB II submarine was scuttled in the North Sea off Ostend, West Flanders, Belgium.

SM UB-59 (Imperial German Navy), the Type UB III submarine was scuttled in the North Sea off Zeebrugge (51°19′N 3°12′E).

SM UC-4 (Imperial German Navy), the Type UC I submarine was scuttled in the North Sea off the coast of West Flanders (51°22′N 3°12′E).

[lordroel]

Day 1522 of the Great War, October 6th 1918

Western Front

British take Fresnoy (north of Arras).

Second Battle of Le Cateau begins.

French press enemy back along Suippe front.

Italian advance north of Ostel (nine miles south of Laon); Laon on fire.

Stiff American fighting on Meuse-Argonne front continues.

Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War

British officials from Petrograd reach Swedish frontier.

Bolsheviks repulsed by Allied troops at Seletskaya (170 miles south of Archangel).

Macedonian front

65,000 Bulgars have surrendered altogether.

Prince Regent of Serbia accepts promotion to General.

Italians pushing on in Albania, north of Berat, towards Elbasan.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

Reported 79,000 prisoners taken since 18 September 1918.

Zahleh and Rayak (north-west of Damascus) occupied by British cavalry.

French and British warships find Beirut evacuated.

Bulgaria

Peaceful manifesto by King Boris.

Germany

Prince Max's letter of 12 January 1918 revealed.

France

France warns Germany re: crimes on French territory.

China

Canton Government declares war on President Hsuh Shih Chang.

Naval operations: Deadliest American Troopship Loss of the War

The fierce seas of the North Atlantic were occasionally a deadlier threat than German U-boats. A fierce gale struck a convoy bound for Liverpool on October 4, preventing a rendezvous with British destroyers and rendering navigation extremely difficult. As dawn broke on October 6, the liner-turned-troopship HMS OTRANTO (whom we last saw wisely escaping the German East Asia Squadron off of Chile, during a brief career as an auxiliary cruiser) found herself about three miles from a rocky coastline. Believing themselves to be off the Irish coast, the bridge crew of the Otranto turned to port (towards the north); nearby, the HMS KASHMIR, (correctly) believing themselves to be off Scotland, turned to starboard (towards the south).

Attempts to avoid a collision failed (each turning the wrong way), and Kashmir’s bow struck the side of OTRANTO, tearing a huge hole. KASHMIR was able to get away successfully (making it to Glasgow without loss of life), but OTRANTO quickly took on a heavy list. Many of her lifeboats were destroyed in the collision (and by an earlier, minor one off Newfoundland earlier in the voyage), and the list and heavy seas prevented the launching of the remaining ones. She quickly lost power as her engine rooms flooded, and she began to drift towards the coast.

A destroyer, HMS MOUNSEY, rendered assistance to the OTRANTO about a half hour later, positioning his ship close to let men jump aboard. The two ships struck several times, severely damaging the MOUNSEY, but nearly 600 men were able to make it onto the destroyer before it was forced to depart.

The OTRANTO was wrecked on a reef about 1300 yards offshore of Scotland; nineteen men managed to survive the swim.to land. Around 470 men died on the OTRANTO, including 358 Americans; this was a deadlier sinking than any troopship lost to enemy action during the war.

Naval operations: ship losses

HMS C12 (Royal Navy), the C-class submarine collided with a destroyer in the Humber Estuary and sank. She was subsequently raised, repaired and returned to service.

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Day 1523 of the Great War, October 7th 1918

Western Front

British advance north of Scarpe river.

Heavy French fighting all along their line; they take Berry-au-Bac (Aisne river).

Americans drive enemy back south-east of Grand Pre.

Russian Civil War

M. Guchkov (late Minister of War) executed by Bolsheviks.

Macedonian Front

Italians occupy Elbasan (Albania).

Macedonian Front: Allies to Advance on Constantinople and the Danube

The sudden collapse of Bulgaria gave the Allies many unexpected options in the Balkans. Franchet d’Espérey advocated for a major offensive north towards the heart of the Central Powers, writing on October 2:

I can with 200,000 men cross Hungary and Austria, mass in Bohemia covered by the Czechs and march immediately on Dresden. If the Boches dig themselves in along the Rhine, that will be the way to pry them out which is most economical of human life and especially of Frenchmen. There is no doubt that my sudden appearance in Bohemia would send them crashing down. But at Supreme Headquarters they have such rigid views that it will be there as it was with Macedonia, where they believed everything was impossible.

He drew up plans for a general advance to the north, in many cases using the Bulgarian railways provided by the armistice for transport. The British would head towards Romania (hoping to encourage her to re-enter the war), the French would cross the Danube just west of the Romanian border, the Serbians would liberate their own country, while a small force would clear the Austrians out Albania.

The British, however, disagreed with this notion, being far more invested in the war against Turkey than against Austria-Hungary (or any far-fetched notion of a drive into Germany from the south), and wanted to turn east and strike towards Constantinople. In a meeting of the Supreme War Council on October 7, it was decided that General Milne would lead the bulk of the British forces in the area in an advance into European Turkey. Franchet d’Espérey, meanwhile, was largely given free rein with the remainder of his forces. On the same day, Clemenceau ordered him to liberate Serbia, re-establish contact with the Romanians and any forces in the Ukraine hostile to the Germans and Austrians.

The Turks were well aware of the threat posed by Milne’s forces. They were now cut off from external aid (except via the Black Sea), they were out of manpower, they had overcommitted to the Caucasus, and Allenby was advancing unchecked into Syria. On October 7, Talaat Pasha resigned as Grand Vizier; a few days later, a new government with fewer obvious ties to the Young Turks was sworn in and charged with seeking an armistice with the Allies.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

British occupy Sidon (Saida).

British and French occupy Beirut.

Poland: Polish Politicians Agitate for Autonomy

In Berlin authorities argued over whether the war was lost or not. Hindenburg and Ludendorff had admitted it after the appointment of Prince Max as Chancellor, but since then all three had changed their position and declared the army could hang on. Throughout Germany’s imperial territories, however, it had become increasingly clear that the old order was on its way out.

On October 7, Polish deputies in Warsaw declared their administrative authority. The Germans had established a Polish Kingdom as a part of the Kaiserreich, but over time as it became obvious that this was nothing more than a German puppet regime most Poles turned against it, such as the military leader Józef Piłsudski, who was arrested for refusing to swear loyalty to Wilhelm II. German troops remained in Eastern Europe, but Polish deputies demanded rule not over only Warsaw, but also Polish territory which remained behind the 1914 German border.

United States

USA solid views on answer to be given to Central Powers.

Sir E. Geddes and Naval Mission arrive New York.

Germany

Vice-Admiral Ritter von Mann German Naval Secretary.

Russia: Twilight of the Komuch

In Siberia the leftist government of the Komuch (the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly) attempted to present itself as a progressive alternative to the Bolshevik dictatorship (as opposed to conservative figures like Denikin and Kornilov). Soon after the Komuch formed an alliance with the Czechoslovak Legion, which took control of the Trans-Siberian Railway and carved out an impressive swathe of territory they then placed under the Komuch’s notional control. An early acquisition by the Legion was the city of Samara, which the Komuch then made its capital.

Now though the Czechoslovaks’ power is eroding; many of their soldiers have become demoralised and are wondering why they are fighting against the Bolsheviks instead of returning to Western Europe to fight for the creation of independent Czechoslovakia. The Red Army meanwhile is becoming ever more powerful. They have already recovered Simbirsk, birthplace of Lenin, and now they chase the Komuch from Samara itself.

The Komuch retreat to Ufa to lick their wounds, but here they find themselves falling under the influence of more reactionary forces of the White Russian counter-revolution. The Komuch never managed to establish much of a popular following for itself. Now it appears that its attempt to present itself as a progressive rallying point for opposition to the Bolsheviks appears to have failed.

Naval operations: ship losses

MADEIRA (Portugal), the cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off San Pietro Island, Italy by SM UB-105 (Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

SAINT BARNABE (France), the cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 38 nautical miles (70 km) east of San Pietro Island by SM UB-105 ( Imperial German Navy).

TRUD (Russian Navy White Movement), the gunboat was sunk on the Kama River by mines.

[lordroel]

Day 1524 of the Great War, October 8th 1918

Western Front

Second Battle of Cambrai begins. Great Allied (3rd and 4th British Armies, 30th U.S.A. Division and French) three-mile advance on St. Quentin-Cambrai 20-mile front; over 10,000 prisoners and 150 guns.

North of Scarpe British take Fresnes-Rouvroy line.

French drive Germans back on the Arnes, Aisne and Suippe.

Americans and French take Cornay and Consenvoye, and drive enemy back north of Verdun.

Photo: Troops of the American 30th Infantry Division awaiting orders in a sunken road at Premont following their capture of the village on the afternoon of 8 October 1918



Photo: Troops of the American 30th Infantry Division moving forward during their advance on the village of Premont, 8 October 1918



Photo: A British soldier covering a captured German 10.5 cm (105 mm) FH 98/09 howitzer with a French flag. Premont, 8 October 1918



Photo: Men of the 20th Battalion, Manchester Regiment (25th Division) resting by a tank (serial number 9891), disabled by side-slipping down a railway embankment. Near Premont, 8 October 1918



Macedonian Front

Greeks occupy Drama.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

26 Turkish Divisions reported wiped out in Syrian and Mesopotamian campaigns.

Sinai and Palestine campaign: As French troops land in Beirut, the Turkish government resigns

Britain has made a few too many promises about how Turkey’s territories in the Middle East are to be carved up after the war ends. Sharif Hussein of Mecca was given to understand that he would become ruler of a vast Arab kingdom stretching from the north of Syria to the Arabian peninsula, but in the Sykes-Picot agreement British and French diplomats agreed to divide the region into French and British spheres of influence. Then last year Britain’s foreign minister declared that Britain supported the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine.

On the ground it is British and Commonwealth forces who are doing most of the fighting against the Turks, although Arab forces loyal to Sharif Hussein have established themselves in Damascus. Britain’s contradictory agreements mean that it will have to disappoint someone; to make sure it is not them, the French today land in Beirut. The French have long cultivated links with Lebanon, particularly with the region’s Christian communities, and they are determined to stake their claim to the region and use it as base to assert their rights in Syria.

Turkey is now in a desperate state. The British have overrun Palestine and Syria and will soon be in a position to press on into the Anatolian heartland. No help can be expected from Germany, which has requested an armistice from the Allies and has been separated from Turkey by the surrender of Bulgaria. Realising that they are staring defeat in the face, the Turkish government resigns, with the ruling triumvirate of Enver (war minister), Talaat (Grand Vizier and minister of the interior) and Djemal (proconsul in the Middle East) departing the political stage. Now the delicate process of forming a new government to negotiate an armistice with the Allies begins.

Russia

M. Trepov (ex-Premier) reported shot.

United States

President Wilson replies to Note of German Govermnent, and demands evacuation of occupied territories as first condition of armistice.

Poland

Polish manifesto summoning popular Government.

Spain

Spanish Cabinet (Sr. Maura) resigns.

Naval operations: ship losses

CAZENGO (Portugal), the cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay off Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Basses-Pyrénées, France (44°16′N 1°20′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

HAWANEE (United Kingdom), the schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 350 nautical miles (650 km) off Cape Finisterre, Spain (42°55′N 7°41′W) by SM U-157 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

THALIA (United Kingdom), the cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) east south east of Filey, Yorkshire by SM UC-17 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of three of her crew.

[lordroel]

Day 1525 of the Great War, October 9th 1918

Western Front

Advance continued. Since 21 August entire Hindenburg system broken through, 110,000 prisoners and 1,200 guns.

British arrive within two miles of Le Cateau.

North of Verdun French and Americans push beyond 1915 line.

Hostile counter-attacks on River Arnes repulsed.

Western Front: Canadians Capture Cambrai

The British made the first hole in the Beaurevoir line on October 5, and the Canadians followed up on October 8 north of Cambrai. With extensive support from the RAF and 94 tanks, they advanced up to three miles and threatened to outflank the city. At around 1:30 AM on October 9, the Canadians began to push into the city itself, occasionally fighting from house to house. But the bulk of the German forces were evacuating, setting fires to destroy as much as they could (despite a substantial civilian population); they would not be fully extinguished for several days. Over the next two nights, the Germans evacuated what was left of the Beaurevoir line. They fell back behind the River Selle to the “Hermann Position” which a month ago had mainly existed on paper. The Canadians deployed cavalry in an attempt to chase down the retreating Germans, and there was a rare successful cavalry charge on October 9–but for the most part the cavalry was not worth the concomitant supply difficulties. The Germans would get a week’s respite behind the flooded waters of the Selle.

Photo: Civilians found in Brancourt on its capture by the American 30th Division on 8 October 1918. Photograph taken on 9 October 1918



Macedonian Front

Serbs enter Leskovats; fighting on River Toplitsa.

Greek troops enter Kavalia.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

British armoured cars enter Baalbek and take 500 prisoners.

Ottoman Empire

Talaat and Enver Pashas reported resigned, and replaced by Ahmed Tewfik and Izzet Pashas.

United Kingdom

Milk controlled; jam to be rationed.

Spain

Spanish Premier remains; crisis over.

Finland: Finland Gets a King

The November Revolution caused great changes in Finland. The autonomous duchy broke off from the Russian Empire and declared its independence, only to be thrown into a viscous internecine war between the working-class and the bourgeoisie. The Finnish Whites won with German help, and brutally purged the defeated Reds.

What now for Finland? Because Germany had helped win their civil war, the middle-class supported closer ties with the Kaiser. Nothing demonstrated this better than the adoption of a monarchist constitution by the parliament, and on October 9 the election of a German prince, Frederick Charles of Hesse and Wilhelm II”s brother-in-law, as the King of Finland. However, the Central Powers would be defeated before Frederick’s coronation, ending plans to make Finland part of a larger German Empire.

Poland

Proclamation of Regency Council in favour of an independent and re-united Poland.

Aerial operations: More Bombing

On the Western Front, poor weather kept the aircraft on the ground in the evening, but earlier on a full programme of work was carried out including reconnaissance, photography, contact patrol and bombing. The railway junctions at Lille, Mons and Valenciennes were the main targets in an attempt to hinder the enemy retreat. This was a costly exercise and resulted in four aircraft lost.

107 Squadron RAF lost two of its DH9s bombing Mons: 2nd Lieutenant Derek Errol Webb and 2nd Lieutenant John Harvey Thomson (D1107) claimed by Leutant Otto Löffler from Jasta 2. His colleague Leutnant Hermann Vallendor claimed 2nd Lieutenant Charley Houlgrave and 2nd Lieutenant William Meech Thompson (F5846). Houlgrave was taken prisoner but the other three were killed.

At Valenciennes, Captain Lynn Campbell and Lieutenant William Hodgkinson from 62 Squadron RAF, who were escorting the raid, were shot down in their Bristol F2B (E2256) along with their colleagues Lieutenant James Ewart Sitch and 2nd Lieutenant Donald Storrs Fox (E2528). Leutnant Paul Bäumer claimed a Bristol shot down. He has traditionally been associated with E2256 as that claim was at Preseau just south west of Valenciennes. In any case Campbell and Hodgkinson were killed and the others taken prisoner.

Naval operations: ship losses

PIERRE (France), the three-masted schooner was shelled and sunk in the Bay of Biscay (43°49′N 1°34′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy). Her crew survived.

USS SC-219 (United States Navy), the SC-1 class Submarine chaser sank in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Azores due to an explosion and fire while refueling alongside USS Chestnut Hill. 4 killed, 8 wounded.

[lordroel]

Day 1526 of the Great War, October 10th 1918

Western Front

British take Le Cateau and Rouvroy (south-east of Lens) and Sallaumines. King's congratulations.

Germans forced back by French beyond Oise Canal and in Champagne (losing Grand Pre) and from part of the Chemin des Dames.

Argonne forest cleared.

Photo: Officers of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment (possibly 4th Battalion, 46th Division) with civilians in Bohain, 10 October 1918. Note a boy holding a German Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr anti-tank rifle



Russian Civil War

Death of General Alexeiev.

Macedonian Front

French occupy Prishtina, Serbia.

Macedonian Front: Serbians Liberate Nish

With the collapse of Bulgaria, the way was open for the Serbian Army to push deep into their own country for the first time since they were forced to abandon it in November 1915. The remaining Germans in the area put up a fierce resistance, and the Austrians were rushing what reinforcements they had to the area, but it was not enough. The Serbians were determined and had strong support from the local populace, who brought them food, served as ammunition porters, and even fought alongside them with weapons taken from abandoned Bulgarian munitions dumps. On October 10, the Serbians liberated the key rail junction of Niš–an advance of 170 miles in just 25 days. Even with local support, their supply situation had been pushed to the limit by this point, and the Serbians were forced to wait for a few days while the French caught up. This let the Central Powers regroup somewhat, but their new commander, Field Marshal Kövess, knew well that the rest of Serbia could not be held, and made plans to evacuate behind the Sava and Danube north of Belgrade.

East African campaign

Von Lettow-Vorbeck reported moving to northern end of Lake Nyassa.

United Kingdom

Lord Grey on the League on Nations.

Germany

General von Scheuch succeeds von Stein as German War Minister.

Cuba

Cuban troops offered to U.S.A.

France

French Socialist Congress passes a "Bolshevist" resolution.

South Africa

Severe "flu" epidemic in South Africa.

China

Tuann Chi Jui, Chines Prime Minister, retired.

Naval operations: ship losses

ANDRE (France}, the sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom by SM U-55 ( Imperial German Navy).

LEINSTER (United Kingdom), the troopship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea (53°19′N 5°47′W) by SM UB-123 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of 523 lives. Survivors were rescued by HMY HELGA, HMS LIVELY, HMS MALLARD, HMS SEAL (all Royal Navy).

SMS SENATOR SCHRODER (Imperial German Navy), the Vorpostenboot was scuttled at Ostend, West Flanders, Belgium.

[lordroel]

Day 1527 of the Great War, October 11th 1918

YouTube (The Hindenburg Line Breaks - The Lost Battalion Returns)



Western Front

Strong German resistance north of River Selle (Le Cateau); Germans retreat from strong positions north of River Sensee; British close to Douai.

Enemy retreats on 38-mile front north of Rivers Arnes and Suippe.

Big French advance.

Germans strip Flanders coats of ships and aeroplanes.

Western Front: Italians Capture Chemin des Dames

The Chemin des Dames, a ridgeline road overlooking the Aisne, had been the site of fierce fighting since September 1914. The Nivelle Offensive in April 1917 failed to take it, but Pétain’s more measured push in October did. The bitterness of the fighting for the road meant the French were extremely unwilling to give it up, and this was responsible, in large part, for the German breakthrough there in May 1918 (as the French refused to have any defense-in-depth). The general Allied offensive spread to the Aisne in October, and the Germans there were in danger of being outflanked on their right by the fall of the Beaurevoir line and on their left by the continued Franco-American attack in the Meuse-Argonne, and began to fall back from the Aisne. On October 11, the Chemin des Dames was captured by the Italian II Corps as part of a six-mile advance, and it would remain in Allied hands thereafter. The Italian II Corps, the only Italian force on the Western Front, had arrived there in May in response to the German offensives, and as repayment for the deployment of British and French forces to Italy after Caporetto.

Macedonian Front

Heavy fighting on Asiago plateau; 500 prisoners.

General Jekor, Bulgarian Commander-in-Chief, dismissed.

Allied raid north of Monte Grappa.

Nish, Serbia, reoccupied by Allied forces.

Prizren, Serbia, retaken by French forces.

Germany

Herr Erzberger announces German militarism is dead.

United States

Huge military appropriations demanded in U.S.A.

Austria-Hungary

Emperor Karl receives nationality deputations at Reichsrat.

Dr. Wekerle, Hungarian Prime Minister, resigns.

Poland

Martial law in parts of Poland.

China

Feng-Kuo-Chang, President of China, retires.

Aerial operations: God

Today, Reverend Harry Dan Leigh Viener was appointed the first Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force and given the relative rank of Brigadier General. He had previously been a Chaplain in the Royal Navy.

At this point he didn’t have much to manage as the Royal Air Force Chaplaincy Brnach was not formally established until December 1918.

Naval operations: Germany

The Imperial German Navy's air command proposes that merchant ships be converted into Germany's first aircraft carriers with flight decks.

Naval operations: ship losses

LUKSEFJELL (Norway), the cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay 8 nautical miles (15 km) west north west of Capbreton, Landes, France (43°41′N 1°37′W) by SM U-91 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of seven of her crew.

MAJA (Sweden), the cargo ship was sunk in the Irish Sea 15 nautical miles (28 km) east of Ardglass, County Down, United Kingdom by SM UB-126 ( Imperial German Navy) with the loss of nine of her crew.