May 15—Gen. Petain succeeds Gen. Nivelle as commander in chief of the French armies.
May 17—Russian Provisional Government reconstructed. Kerensky (formerly minister of justice) becomes minister of war.
May 18—President Wilson signs selective service act.
June 3—American mission to Russia lands at Vladivostok ("Root Mission"). Returns to America Aug. 3.
June 7—British blow up Messines Ridge, south of Ypres, and capture 7,500 German prisoners.
June 10—Italian offensive on Trentino.
June 12—King Constantino of Greece forced to abdicate.
June 15—Subscriptions close for first Liberty Loan ($2,000,000,000 offered; $3,035,226,850 subscribed).
June 26—First American troops reach France.
June 29—Greece enters war with Germany and her allies.
July 1—Russian army led in person by Kerensky begins a short-line offensive in Galicia, ending in disastrous retreat (July 19-Aug. 3).
July 4—Resignation of Bethmann Hollweg as German chancellor. Dr. George Michaelis, chancellor (July 14).
July 20—Drawing at Washington of names for first army under selective service.
July 20—Kerensky becomes premier on resignation of Prince Lvov.
July 30—Mutiny in German fleet at Wilhelmshaven and Kiel. Second mutiny Sept. 2.
July 31-Nov.—Battle of Flanders (Passchendaele Ridge); British successes.
Aug. 10—Food and fuel control bill passed.
Aug. 15—Peace proposals of Pope Benedict revealed (dated Aug. 1). United States replies Aug. 27; Germany and Austria, Sept. 21; supplementary German reply, Sept. 26.
Aug. 15—Canadians capture Hill 70, dominating Lens.
Aug. 19—New Italian drive on the Isonz front (Carso Plateau). Monte Santo captured (Aug. 24).
Aug. 20-24—French attacks at Verdun recapture high ground lost in 1916.
Sept. 3—Riga captured by Germans.
Sept. 8—Luxburg dispatches ("Spurlos versenkt") revealed by United States.
Sept. 10-13—Attempted coup d'etat of Gen. Kornilov.
Sept. 15—Russia proclaimed a republic.
Oct. 12—Germans occupy Oesel and Dago Islands (Gulf of Riga).
Oct. 17—Russians defeated in a naval engagement in the Gulf of Riga.
Oct. 24-Dec.—Great German-Austrian counterdrive into Italy. Italian line shifted to Piave River, Asiago Plateau and Brenta River.
Oct. 23-26—French drive north of the Aisne wins important positions including Malmaison Fort.
Oct. 26—Brazil declares war on Germany.
Oct. 27—Second Liberty loan closed ($3,000,000,000 offered; $4,617,532,300 subscribed).
Oct. 30—Count von Hertling succeeds Michaelis as German chancellor.
Nov. 2—Germans retreat from the Chemin des Dames, north of the Aisne.
Nov. 3—First clash of American with German soldiers.
Nov. 7—Overthrow of Kerensky and Provisional Government of Russia by the Bolsheviki.
Nov. 13—Clemenceau succeeds Ribot as French premier.
Nov. 18—British forces in Palestine take Jaffa.
Nov. 22-Dec. 13—Battle of Cambrai. Successful surprise attack near Cambrai by British under Gen. Byng on Nov. 22 (employs "tanks" to break down wire entanglements in place of the usual artillery preparations). Bourlon Wood, dominating Cambrai, taken Nov. 26. Surprise counter-attack by Germans, Dec. 2, compels British to give up fourth of ground gained. German attacks on Dec. 13 partly successful.
Nov. 29—First plenary session of the Inter-allied Conference in Paris. Sixteen nations represented. Col. E.M. House, chairman of American delegation.
Dec. 5—President Wilson, in message to Congress, advises war on Austria.
Dec. 6—United States destroyer "Jacob Jones" sunk by submarine, with loss of over 40 American men.
Dec. 6—Explosion of munitions vessel wrecks Halifax.
Dec. 6-9—Armed revolt overthrows pro-Ally administration in Portugal.
Dec. 7—United States declares war on Austria-Hungary.
Dec. 9—Jerusalem captured by British force advancing from Egypt.
Dec. 10—Gens. Kaledines and Kornilov declared by the Bolsheviki Government to be leading a Cossack revolt.
Dec. 15—Armistice signed between Germany and the Bolsheviki Government at Brest-Litovsk.
Dec. 23—Peace negotiations opened at Brest-Litovsk between Bolsheviki Government and Central Powers, under Presidency of the German foreign minister.
Dec. 26—President Wilson issues proclamation taking over railroads and appointing W.G. McAdoo, director-general. Proclamation takes effect at noon, December 28.
Dec. 29—British national labor conference approves continuation of war for aims similar to those defined by President Wilson.
1918.
Jan. 19—American troops take over sector northwest of Toul.
Feb. 6—"Tuscania," American transport, torpedoed off coast of Ireland; 101 lost.
Feb. 22—American troops in Chemin des Dames sector.
Mar. 3—Peace treaty between Bolshevik Government of Russia and the Central Powers signed at Brest-Litovsk.
Mar. 4—Treaty signed between Germany and Finland.
Mar. 5—Rumania signs preliminary treaty of peace with Central Powers.
Mar. 20—President Wilson orders all Holland ships in American ports taken over.
Mar. 21—Germans begin great drive on 50-mile front from Arras to La Fere. Bombardment of Paris by German long-range gun from a distance of 76 miles.
Mar. 29—General Foch chosen commander-in-chief of all Allied forces.
Apr. 9—Second German drive begun in Flanders.
Apr. 10—First German drive halted before Amiens after maximum advance of 35 miles.
Apr. 15—Second German drive halted before Ypres, after maximum advance of 10 miles.
Apr. 23—British naval forces raid Zeebrugge in Belgium, German submarine base, and block channel.
May 27—Third German drive begins on Aisne-Marne front of 30 miles between Soissons and Rheims.
May 28—Germans sweep on beyond the Chemin des Dames and cross the Vesle at Fismes.
May 28—Cantigny taken by Americans in local attack.
May 29—Soissons evacuated by French.
May 31—Maine River crossed by Germans, who reach Chateau Thierry, 40 miles from Paris.
May 31—"President Lincoln," American transport, sunk.
June 2—Schooner "Edward H. Cole" torpedoed by submarine off American coast.
June 3-6—American marines and regulars check advance of Germans at Chateau Thierry and Neuilly after maximum advance of Germans of 32 miles. Beginning of American co-operation on major scale.
June 9-14—German drive on Noyon-Montdidier front. Maximum advance, 5 miles.
June 15-24—Austrian drive on Italian front ends in complete failure.
July 12—Berat, Austrian base in Albania, captured by Italians.
July 15—Stonewall defense of Chateau Thierry blocks new German drive on Paris.
July 16—Nicholas Romanoff, ex-Czar of Russia, executed at Yekaterinburg.
July 18—French and Americans begin counter offensive on Marne-Aisne front.
July 19—"San Diego," United States cruiser, sunk off Fire Island.
July 21—German submarine sinks three barges off Cape Cod.
Aug. 3—Allies sweep on between Soissons and Rheims, driving the enemy from his base at Fismes and capturing the entire Aisne-Vesle front.
Aug. 7—Franco-American troops cross the Vesle.
Aug. 8—New Allied drive begun by Field-Marshal Haig in Picardy, penetrating enemy front 14 miles.
Aug. 10—Montdidier recaptured.
Aug. 29—Noyon and Bapaume fall in new Allied advance.
Sept. 1—Australians take Peronne.
Sept. 1—Americans fight for the first time on Belgian soil and capture Voormezeele.
Sept. 11—Germans are driven back to the Hindenburg line which they held in November, 1917.
Sept. 14—St. Mihiel recaptured from Germans. General Pershing announces entire St. Mihiel salient erased, liberating more than 150 square miles of French territory which had been in German hands since 1914.
Sept. 20—Nazareth occupied by British forces in Palestine under Gen. Allenby.
Sept. 23—Bulgarian armies flee before combined attacks of British, Greek, Serbian, Italian and French.
Sept. 26—Strumnitza, Bulgaria, occupied by Allies.
Sept. 27—Franco-Americans in drive from Rheims to Verdun take 30,000 prisoners.
Sept. 28—Belgians attack enemy from Ypres to North Sea, gaining four miles.
Sept. 29—Bulgaria surrenders to Gen. d'Esperey, the Allied commander.
Oct. 1—St. Quentin, cornerstone of Hindenburg line, captured.
Oct. 1—Damascus occupied by British in Palestine campaign.
Oct. 3—Albania cleared of Austrians by Italians.
Oct. 4—Ferdinand, king of Bulgaria, abdicates; Boris succeeds.
Oct. 5—Prince Maximilian, new German Chancellor, pleads with President Wilson to ask Allies for armistice.
Oct. 9—Cambrai in Allied hands.
Oct. 10—"Leinster," passenger steamer, sunk in Irish Channel by submarine; 480 lives lost; final German atrocity at sea.
Oct. 11—- Americans advance through Argonne forest.
Oct. 12—German foreign secretary, Solf, says plea for armistice is made in name of German people; agrees to evacuate all foreign soil.
Oct. 13—Laon and La Fere abandoned by Germans.
Oct. 13—Grandpre captured by Americans after four days' battle.
Oct. 14—President Wilson refers Germans to General Foch for armistice terms.
Oct. 17—Ostend, German submarine base, taken by land and sea forces.
Oct. 19—Bruges and Zeebrugge taken by Belgians and British.
Oct. 25—Beginning of terrific Italian drive which nets 50,000 prisoners in five days.
Oct. 31—Turkey surrenders; armistice takes effect at noon; conditions include free passage of Dardanelles.
Nov. 3—Austria surrenders, signing armistice with Italy at 3 P.M. after 500,000 prisoners had been taken.
Nov. 11—Germany surrenders; armistice takes effect at 11 A.M. American flag hoisted on Sedan front.
Nov. 21—The German high seas fleet, 74 vessels in all, surrendered to the Allied fleet to be interned at Scapa Flow.
Dec. 4—President Wilson sailed from New York for Europe, to attend conference on the larger phases of the treaty of peace.
Dec. 15—The Allied force complete the occupation of the left bank of the Rhine.
1919.
Jan. 10—A republic is proclaimed in Luxemburg.
Jan. 18—The peace congress (without delegates from the defeated powers and Russia) met at Paris. Premier Clemenceau made permanent chairman.
Jan. 21—Germany by the terms of its new constitution divided into eight federated republics.
Jan. 25—Discussion of the covenants of the League of Nations begun in the peace congress.
Feb. 11—Friedrick Ebert elected first president of the German State.
Feb. 14—The draft of a constitution for a League of Nations adopted by the peace congress.
Feb. 19—Attempted assassination of Premier Clemenceau.
April 23—Montenegro becomes a part of Jugo-Slavia.
May 7—The treaty of peace framed by representatives of the twenty-seven allied and associated powers, handed to the German delegates at Versailles.
June 21—The German high sea fleet interned at Scapa Flow sunk at its anchorage by the officers and men left in charge.
June 28—The treaty of peace signed in the Hall of Mirrors, palace of Versailles, by all the representatives of the Allied powers (except China) and the German delegates, officially closing the World War. Just five years after the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand at Serajevo.
June 29—President Wilson left Europe for the United States.