On the Amiens Front the French advance towards the Avre Valley; they capture Mailly-Raineval and 1850 prisoners.
H.M.S. Marmora (armed merchant cruiser) is sunk by a submarine off the south coast of Ireland (ten lives lost).
July 24 (Wed.)
Progress is made by the Allies north of Château-Thierry towards Fère-en-Tardenois and at various other points.
July 25 (Thur.)
The Allies capture the forest of Fère, Oulchy-le-Château and other important positions on the Marne Front.
July 26 (Fri.)
The German retreat on the Marne Front extends.
July 27 (Sat.)
The German retreat on the Marne Front continues.
July 28 (Sun.)
The Marne Front:—The Allies capture Fère-en-Tardenois and force the passage of the Ourcq.
July 29 (Mon.)
The Lys Front:—Australian troops capture Merris, near Météren.
The Marne Front:—The French capture positions north-east of Oulchy-le-Château and Grand Rozoy.
July 30 (Tues.)
The Marne Front:—The German resistance stiffens; the Allies capture Remigny and St. Gemme.
July 31 (Wed.)
The Marne Front:—The Americans capture Seringes after fierce fighting.
Aug. 1 (Thur.)
The French and British advance north of the Ourcq and capture important high ground commanding Soissons.
Aug. 2 (Fri.)
It is announced that Admiral Scheer is appointed Chief of the German Admiralty Staff.
The Allies recapture Soissons (lost on May 29); the Germans are again in full retreat in the Soissons-Rheims salient, closely pressed by the Allies, who advance rapidly.
North Russia:—Allied forces are landed at Archangel; they occupy the town and the surrounding district.
Two British destroyers, Vehement and Ariel, are sunk by enemy mines in the North Sea (97 lives lost).
Aug. 3 (Sat.)
The Marne Front:—The Allied advance continues; the Germans are driven across the Vesle.
The Albert Front:—The Germans retire behind the Ancre, evacuating Hamel, Dernancourt, and other villages.
British troops are landed at Vladivostok.
The British ambulance transport Warilda is sunk by a submarine (123 lives lost).
Aug. 4 (Sun.)
The Marne Front:—The Americans capture Fismes; the French cross the Vesle: this ends the Second Battle of the Marne (see July 15).
The Germans retire on a front of ten miles south-east of Amiens.
The Caspian:—A British military mission reaches Baku; it is subsequently reinforced (see Sept. 14).
Aug. 5 (Mon.)
Five Zeppelins fail in an attempt to cross the east coast of England; one of them (the L70) is brought down in flames at sea.
Aug. 6 (Tues.)
General Foch is created a Marshal of France.
The Germans attack the British lines south of Morlancourt and gain ground.
The British destroyer Comet is sunk by a submarine in the Mediterranean.
Aug. 7 (Wed.)
The British counter-attack and recapture the greater part of the ground lost near Morlancourt.
The Marne Front:—The French and Americans cross the Vesle between Braine and Fismes; the French advance north of Rheims.
Aug. 8 (Thur.)
The Battle of Amiens begins (see Aug. 12): the 4th British Army (Rawlinson) and the 1st French Army (Débeney) attack, aided by tanks, on a front of twenty miles east of Amiens (both armies under the command of Sir D. Haig), from the neighbourhood of Morlancourt, north of the Somme, to Braches, on the Avre; the German lines are deeply penetrated and 400 guns and over 16,000 prisoners captured. The advance attains a maximum depth of seven miles.
Aug. 9 (Fri.)
The Franco-British advance proceeds: the British capture Rosières; the French capture Pierrepont and reach Arvillers; the battle-front extends southwards, the French attacking below Montdidier with their 3rd Army (this marks the beginning of the Second Battle of Lassigny; see Aug. 15).
The Lys Front:—The Germans evacuate a number of positions; the British advance between Merville and Locon to a depth of over a mile.
The Rheims—Soissons Front:—The Americans capture Fismettes.
Aug. 10 (Sat.)
The Franco-British advance continues on the whole front from the Ancre to south of Montdidier; the British capture Rainecourt, Méharicourt, and Bouchoir; the French capture Montdidier.
Aug. 11 (Sun.)
The Allies make fresh progress, particularly between the Avre and the Oise.
Japanese contingents land at Vladivostok.
An engagement off the Frisian coast between British naval light forces and aircraft and German aircraft: a German airship is destroyed.
Aug. 12 (Mon.)
The end of the Battle of Amiens (see Aug. 8): it has disengaged Amiens, freed the Paris-Amiens railway, and seriously weakened the enemy's position; captures by the British during the battle amount to 21,850 prisoners and 400 guns.
British airmen destroy a German airship off the Frisian coast.
Aug. 13 (Tues.)
The Czecho-Slovaks are officially declared to be an Allied nation.
The French approach Lassigny.
Aug. 14 (Wed.)
The Germans extend their withdrawal on the Ancre Front, their whole line in this area being threatened by the British advance further south: they evacuate Beaumont Hamel, Serre, Puisieux, and Bucquoy.
The French capture Ribécourt, on the Oise.
Aug. 15 (Thur.)
The British advance across the Ancre.
The French complete the capture of the Lassigny massif: this ends the Second Battle of Lassigny (see Aug. 9).
A German aeroplane raid on Paris.
H.M.S. Scott (flotilla leader) and H.M.S. Ullswater (destroyer) are sunk by submarine in the North Sea.
Aug. 16 (Fri.)
The French make further progress south of Lassigny.
Aug. 17 (Sat.)
The French (under General Mangin) advance between the Oise and the Aisne.
Siberia:—The Czecho-Slovaks recapture Irkutsk, having lost it to the Bolshevists during July (see July 8).
Aug. 18 (Sun.)
The Lys Front:—The British attack on a four-mile front between Vieux Berquin and Bailleul and capture Oultersteene and over 400 prisoners.
The French offensive between the Oise and Aisne develops.
Aug. 19 (Mon.)
The Lys Front:—The British capture Merville.
The French advance in the Ribécourt sector towards Noyon.
Aug. 20 (Tues.)
The French continue to advance between the Oise and the Aisne and reach Lombray; they capture over 8000 prisoners.
Aug. 21 (Wed.)
The Battle of Bapaume begins (see Aug. 31): the British 3rd Army (Byng) attacks on a ten-mile front between Albert and Arras; Beaucourt, Achiet-le-Petit, Courcelles, and Moyenville are captured.
Between the Oise and the Aisne the French outflank Noyon, reaching the line Pontoise—Cuts—Camelin.
British air-squadrons bomb Frankfurt, Cologne, Mannheim, and Trèves (night of Aug. 21-22).
Aug. 22 (Thur.)
The British attack on a six-mile front between Albert and Bray; they capture Albert and penetrate the German positions to a depth of two miles.
The French continue to advance south of the Oise and capture St. Aubin and Pommières.
The Austrians launch a counter-offensive in Albania.
The Bolshevists defeat the Trans-Caspian forces and capture Merv.
Aug. 23 (Fri.)
The British attack and advance on a thirty-mile front from Mercatel (5 miles south of Arras) to Lihons (8 miles south of the Somme): they capture Boyelles, Hamelincourt, Ervillers, Gommiécourt, and Achiet-le-Grand in the northern sector of the attack, and in the south Chuignolles and Chuignes.
Aug. 24 (Sat.)
The British continue to make rapid progress in the Bapaume area: they capture Biefvillers and reach the outskirts of Bapaume at Avesnes; nearer Albert they capture Thiepval and the Thiepval ridge, Pozières, Courcellette and Martinpuich; further south they capture Bray.
Aug. 25 (Sun.)
The British advance continues: the whole of the road between Albert and Bapaume is captured (with Le Sars and Warlencourt), also Le Barque, Mametz, and other ruined villages; the prisoners captured since the battle began exceed 17,000.
Aug. 26 (Mon.)
The British offensive develops northwards; this marks the beginning of the Battle of the Scarpe (see Sept. 3); the British attack along both banks of the Scarpe and advance to the line south-of-Gavrelle—Rœux—Wancourt—Monchy.
Albania:—The Austrians recapture Berat and Fieri (see July 10 and Oct. 1).
The Caspian:—The Turks attack Baku and are repulsed by British and local troops (see Aug. 4).
Aug. 27 (Tues.)
The British make progress north of the Scarpe and capture Gavrelle; further south, amongst other places, they capture Beugnatre, Longueval, Delville Wood, and Maricourt.
The French capture Roye.
Aug. 28 (Wed.)
The Germans retreat at most points on the whole front between the Scarpe and the Aisne; the British and the French advance; the latter occupy Chaulnes and Nesle.
Aug. 29 (Thur.)
The British capture Bapaume.
The French capture Noyon, and cross the Ailette.
The British Embassy at Petrograd is attacked by Bolshevist troops, and the Naval Attaché, Captain Cromie, killed.
Aug. 30 (Fri.)
The British cross the Somme south and west of Péronne.
The Germans begin to withdraw on the Lys Front; the British occupy Bailleul.
The French cross the Canal du Nord and capture Chevilly.
Aug. 31 (Sat.)
The end of the Battle of Bapaume (see Aug. 21); this battle, by turning the flank of the German positions on the Somme, compels the enemy to withdraw from the area protected by the Somme and the Ancre; his new positions are henceforward in process of being turned from the north by the Arras offensive, which continues. In the Battle of Bapaume the British captures amount to 34,250 prisoners and 270 guns.
The Germans retreat on most sectors of the entire front between Ypres and Soissons, especially on the Lys Front where they evacuate Kemmel Hill and Steenwerck.
The Caspian:—The Turks again attack Baku (see Aug. 26) and gain ground slightly.
Sept. 1 (Sun.)
The enforced retirement of the Germans continues: the British capture Bullecourt, Heudecourt, Bouchavesnes, Rancourt, Péronne, and, on the Lys Front, Neuve Eglise.
Macedonian Front:—The British gain ground on the right bank of the Vardar.
Sept. 2 (Mon.)
Arras Front:—The Canadians with other British troops break through the Drocourt-Quéant switch line on a front of six miles.
The French capture Neuilly and Terny Sorny.
Sept. 3 (Tues.)
The British widen the breach in the Hindenburg defences, capture Drocourt, and advance on Inchy and Mœuvres; this marks the end of the Battle of the Scarpe (see Aug. 26), in which the British captures amount to 200 guns and over 16,000 prisoners.
The Germans evacuate Lens.
The French cross the Somme at Epanancourt.
Sept. 4 (Wed.)
The British make progress toward Cambrai, exerting pressure on the retiring enemy; they capture Ecourt and reach the outskirts of Mœuvres; on the Lys Front they capture Ploegsteert village.
Sept. 5 (Thur.)
The French strike north-east of Noyon towards St. Quentin; on the Soissons Front they reach the Aisne from Condé to Vieil-Arcy.
Sept. 6 (Fri.)
Between the Somme Canal and the Oise the French capture the Autrécourt massif, Ham, and the railway junction at Chauny.
The Germans retreat rapidly from the line of the Somme south of Péronne towards the Hindenburg line from which they launched their offensive on March 21.
Sept. 7 (Sat.)
The German retreat, pressed by the French, towards St. Quentin, La Fère, and Laon continues.
Sept. 9 (Mon.)
The British reach Gouzeaucourt and Epéhy.
The French cross the Crozat Canal.
Sept. 11 (Wed.)
The British capture Vermand and Vendelles, north-west of St. Quentin; south-west of La Bassée they capture the 'Railway Triangle.'
Sept. 12 (Thur.)
The Americans, under General Pershing, attack both flanks of the St. Mihiel salient (the Battle of St. Mihiel): they capture Thiaucourt and other important positions with 8000 prisoners.
The Battle of Havrincourt and Epéhy begins (see Sept. 18): the British capture Mœuvres, Havrincourt, Trescault, and Gouzeaucourt Wood.
West of St. Quentin the British take Holnon Wood and the French capture Savy.
H.M.S. Sarnia (armed boarding-steamer) is sunk by a submarine in the Mediterranean.
The Union Castle liner Galway Castle is sunk by a submarine (154 lives lost).
Sept. 13 (Fri.)
The Battle of St. Mihiel ends in the complete capture of the salient by the Americans, with 15,000 prisoners and 200 guns.
Sept. 14 (Sat.)
The Caspian:—The British evacuate Baku (see Aug. 4).
Sept. 15 (Sun.)
The Austrian Government issues a 'Peace Note'; Germany offers peace terms to Belgium.
The Germans, after evacuating the St. Mihiel salient, retire on a front of 33 miles, pressed by the Americans and the French, towards the Conflans-Metz-Longwy railway.
Macedonian Front:—The Battle of the Vardar begins, an offensive being launched by the Serbians and the French south-east of Monastir (see Sept. 30).
Sept. 16 (Mon.)
Macedonian Front:—The Serbians and the French advance on a front of 16 miles to an average depth of 4½ miles; they capture over 4000 prisoners and 30 guns.
An aeroplane raid on Paris (6 killed): two of the raiders are brought down.
Sept. 17 (Tues.)
Macedonian Front:—The advance of the Allies continues and develops; the French and the Serbians reach the Tcherna; the movement extends to a front of over 20 miles and attains a maximum depth of over 12 miles.
Sept. 18 (Wed.)
The end of the Battle of Havrincourt and Epéhy (see Sept. 12): strong German counterattacks are repulsed; and Mœuvres, which had been lost, is retaken by the British. In this battle the British 3rd and 4th Armies have captured the outer Hindenburg defences, with nearly 12,000 prisoners and 100 guns.
Macedonian Front:—Serbian cavalry advance rapidly on the Tcherna Front; British and Greek troops attack east and west of Lake Doiran and advance against fierce resistance.
Sept. 19 (Thur.)
Macedonian Front:—The Serbians and the French advance rapidly, at many points in pursuit of a routed enemy; British attacks are stubbornly resisted.
Palestine:—General Allenby launches an offensive in great strength; he breaks the Turkish defences near the coast on a front of 16 miles and his infantry and cavalry advance rapidly through the breach; the infantry reach Tul Keram, the cavalry strike towards Shechem and Beisan to cut off the enemy's retreat; nearer the Jordan the British attack and advance against a stiffer resistance.
Sept. 20 (Fri.)
The French capture Benay, south of St. Quentin.
Palestine:—The battle develops into a decisive victory: British cavalry enter Beisan and Nazareth.
Sept. 21 (Sat.)
Macedonian Front:—Serbian and French forces reach the Vardar in the direction of Negotin.
Palestine:—The British infantry reach the line Bir Asur—Samaria—Beit Dejan; captures to date exceed 18,000 prisoners and 120 guns.
Sept. 22 (Sun.)
Macedonian Front:—The Bulgarians are in full retreat along the whole line between Monastir and Lake Doiran; the Allies capture Ghevgeli.
Palestine:—General Allenby reports the complete destruction of the Turkish 7th and 8th Armies.
Sept. 23 (Mon.)
Macedonian Front:—The French capture Prilep.
Palestine:—The British capture Acre and Haifa and, east of the Jordan, Es Salt; Arab forces capture Maan.
Sept. 24 (Tues.)
Macedonian Front:—The Bulgarians retreat in disorder beyond Veles.
Sept. 25 (Wed.)
Macedonian Front:—The Serbians capture Ishtip and Veles; the British enter Bulgaria near Kosturino; the Bulgarian Government proposes an Armistice.
Palestine:—The British advance continues with increasing rapidity: Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee, and Amman, on the Hedjaz railway, are occupied; captures to date approximate 45,000 prisoners and 265 guns.
Sept. 26 (Thur.)
The Americans and the French attack in the region of the Argonne on a front of over 40 miles, from the Meuse to the Suippe: Montfaucon, Varennes, and many villages are captured; the advance attains an average depth of several miles.
Macedonian Front:—Strumnitza is occupied by the British.
Sept. 27 (Fri.)
The Battle of Cambrai and the Hindenburg Line begins (see Oct. 5): the British attack in front of Cambrai, break through the Hindenburg defences, and capture Beaucamp, Graincourt, Bourlon Wood, and other important positions, with over 10,000 prisoners and 200 guns.
The Argonne Front:—The Americans and French make further progress; the number of prisoners to date exceeds 23,000.
Palestine Front:—Arab forces capture Deraa.
Sept. 28 (Sat.)
The Fourth Battle of Ypres: the Belgians attack from Dixmude to Ypres, the British from Ypres to Ploegsteert; very rapid progress is made by the Belgians, who capture the whole of Houthulst Forest; the British advance on their right beyond the furthest points reached by them in 1917.
The Argonne Front:—The French capture Somme-Py and Maure; the Americans reach Brieulles and Exermont.
Sept. 29 (Sun.)
The British capture Messines and the Messines Ridge; Dixmude is occupied by the Belgians; the Allied front is carried to the neighbourhood of Roulers, Courtrai, and Menin, an important salient being thus driven into the enemy's northern front which endangers his positions on the Belgian coast: this ends the Fourth Battle of Ypres.
Cambrai—St. Quentin Front:—The British, assisted by the 2nd American Corps, reach the outskirts of Cambrai and carry an important section of the Hindenburg defences between Cambrai and St. Quentin.
In the Oise-Aisne area the French reach the line of the Ailette.
Sept. 30 (Mon.)
Serbia:—The Battle of the Vardar (see Sept. 15) ends in complete victory for the Allies; the French capture Uskub.
An Armistice (signed on the previous day) comes into force between the Entente Powers and Bulgaria (see Appendix VI. (i)).
Palestine Front:—Damascus is captured by British and Arab forces.
Oct. 1 (Tues.)
The resignation of Count Hertling, the German Imperial Chancellor, is announced (see Nov. 1, 1917).
The French capture St. Quentin.
The Argonne Front:—The French advance on a front of 14 miles and capture Vaux, Autry, Condé, and Binarville.
Albania:—The Italians recapture Berat (see Aug. 26).
Oct. 2 (Wed.)
The British capture Ledeghem and cross the Lys between Werwicq and Comines.
The British break through a further line of the enemy defences between Cambrai and St. Quentin.
The Germans retreat rapidly between the Vesle and the Aisne, from Rheims westward.
The Adriatic:—Italian and British naval forces attack Durazzo and destroy it as a naval base.
Oct. 3 (Thur.)
Prince Max of Baden succeeds Count Hertling as German Imperial Chancellor (see Nov. 9).
Armentières is occupied by the British.
The British attack on an eight-mile front north of St. Quentin and make progress.
Oct. 4 (Fri.)
A Note from the German Government to President Wilson proposes that peace negotiations should be opened on the basis of his 'fourteen points' (see Appendix V.).
King Ferdinand of Bulgaria abdicates in favour of his son Prince Boris.
The British advance east and south of Armentières.
The Americans renew their offensive between the Meuse and the Argonne and make progress.
The Japanese liner Hiramo Maru is sunk off the Irish coast with a loss of 292 lives.
Oct. 5 (Sat.)
The British advance east of the new breach they have made in the Hindenburg line and capture Montbrehain, Beaurevoir, and high ground further north: this marks the end of the Battle of Cambrai and the Hindenburg Line (see Sept. 27), by which victory, the main Hindenburg defences having been breached, the British directly threaten the enemy's chief line of communications.
The French advance on a front of 25 miles east of Rheims: they capture Fort Brimont, Nogent l'Abasse, and the Moronvilliers Ridge; the German retreat in this sector develops.
Oct. 6 (Sun.)
The British capture Fresnoy (north of the Scarpe, opposite Douai).
H.M.S. Otranto (armed merchant cruiser), carrying United States troops, is sunk in a collision (431 lives lost).
Oct. 7 (Mon.)
North of the Scarpe the British capture Oppy and Biache St. Vaast.
North-east of St. Quentin the French capture Remancourt.
The French capture Berry-au-Bac (north-west of Rheims).
Palestine Front:—The British occupy Sidon; the French occupy Beirut.
Albania:—The Italians capture Elbasan.
Oct. 8 (Tues.)
The Second Battle of Le Cateau (see Oct. 10): the British 3rd and 4th Armies, with the 30th American Division, attack and make rapid progress on a front of 17 miles from Sequehart to south of Cambrai.
The French make important progress in Champagne, and the French and Americans east of the Meuse.
Oct. 9 (Wed.)
The British capture Cambrai and advance upon Le Cateau.
The French advance east of St. Quentin.
In the valley of the Aisne the French capture Grand-Ham and Lançon.
Oct. 10 (Thur.)
The British carry the whole Cambrai—Le Cateau road and enter Le Cateau; this ends the Second Battle of Le Cateau (see Oct. 8), by which the enemy is driven to the line of the Selle.
On the front north of Arras the British advance rapidly after the retiring enemy towards Douai.
The French reach the line of the Oise east of St. Quentin.
Serbia (where the advance of the Allies continues against the Austro-Germans):—The French occupy Prishtina.
The Irish mail boat Leinster is sunk by a submarine between Kingstown and Holyhead with a loss of 527 lives.
Oct. 11 (Fri.)
The German retirement develops in the south, forced by the threat of the Le Cateau salient: the Germans evacuate the Chemin-des-Dames, and, further east, the line of the Suippe; the French and Americans advance, pressing the retreat, on a front of 37 miles.
Serbia:—The French capture Prisrend.
Oct. 12 (Sat.)
Serbia:—The Serbians recapture Nish (see Nov. 5, 1915).
Oct. 13 (Sun.)
The British reach the west bank of the Sensée Canal near Douai.
The Germans retire on a front of a hundred miles, from the Oise opposite St. Quentin to the Argonne; they evacuate St. Gobain Forest and the bend of the Aisne facing Rethel; the French capture Laon and La Fère.
Palestine Front:—The British capture Tripoli.
Oct. 14 (Mon.)
The British, French, and Belgians renew the offensive in the north between Dixmude and the Lys: rapid progress is made; Roulers and Iseghem are captured.
The French capture Sissomme on the 'Hunding' line.
Serbia:—Ipek and Novi Bazar are occupied by the Allies.
Albania:—The Italians capture Durazzo.
Oct. 15 (Tues.)
President Wilson's reply to Germany's peace overtures is published.
The British capture Menin, in the northern offensive; south-west of Lille, they cross the Haute Deule Canal.
Palestine Front:—Homs, 80 miles north of Damascus, is occupied by the British.
Oct. 16 (Wed.)
The Northern Offensive:—The British 2nd Army (Plumer) captures Werwick, Comines, Halluin, and Wevelghem, and reaches the outskirts of Courtrai; the French and the Belgians capture Ingelmunster and Lichtervelde and outflank Thourout.
Oct. 17 (Thur.)
Owing to the threat caused by the Allied advance in Central Belgium, the Germans begin to retire from the Belgian coast north of the salient and, below the salient, to the line of the Scheldt; in consequence, Ostend, Douai, and Lille fall to the Allies (Ostend is occupied by a British naval detachment under Sir Roger Keyes and by Belgian troops; Douai by the British 1st Army under General Horne; Lille is surrounded and captured by the British 5th Army under General Birdwood). The King and Queen of the Belgians visit Ostend.
Further south, the Battle of the Selle begins (see Oct. 25): the British 4th Army, with the 2nd American Corps, attacks the line of the Selle; south of Le Cateau the passage of the river is forced, and the capture of Le Cateau is completed. The French advance in cooperation on the right, south of Bohain.
Oct. 18 (Fri.)
On the Belgian coast the Allies occupy Blankenberghe; north-east of Courtrai the British cross the Sensée; further south the British occupy Roubaix and Tourcoing.
In the Battle of the Selle, British and American troops make further progress from Le Cateau southwards to east of Bohain; they capture Ribeauville and Wassigny. North of the Sensée Canal, Denain is captured by the British 1st Army.
Oct. 19 (Sat.)
Zeebrugge and Bruges are captured by the Belgians.
The French, operating between the Oise and the Serre, break the 'Hunding' line on a front of three miles.
Oct. 20 (Sun.)
The Belgian coast is completely cleared of the Germans, who retire at a number of points on the whole front between the Dutch frontier and Valenciennes.
In Central Belgium, the British 2nd Army approaches the Scheldt.
The Selle Front:—The British attack from Denain to Le Cateau and carry the line of the river.
Serbian Front:—French and Serbian forces approach the Danube near the Roumanian border.
The British monitor M 21 is mined off Ostend.
Oct. 21 (Mon.)
The Germans temporarily gain the protection of water (the Scheldt and its canals and other waterways) from the Dutch frontier to the neighbourhood of Valenciennes.
The British 5th Army reaches Tournai.
Oct. 22 (Tues.)
The French and Belgians advance upon Ghent; they cross the Lys Canal.
The British 1st Army enters the western outskirts of Valenciennes.
Further south the French advance on the River Serre Front.
Serbian Front:—The French occupy Negotin.
Oct. 23 (Wed.)
The British 3rd and 4th Armies attack on a twenty-mile front north-east of Le Cateau; they advance to a depth of four miles. The British 1st Army, advancing between Tournai and Valenciennes, captures Bruay, Bleharies, and Espain.
Further south the French cross the Souche against strong resistance.
Mesopotamian Front:—The British advance (east of the Tigris) along the road Kifri—Kirkuk—Alton Keupri.
Oct. 24 (Thur.)
The British 3rd and 4th Armies advance between the Scheldt and the Sambre; they approach Landrecies and the Forest of Mormal.
Italy:—The Allies launch an offensive on a wide front against the Austrian positions in the Trentino and on the Middle Piave; the Italians capture Monte Solarolo, the French Monte Sisemol; the British attack to force a crossing of the Piave.
Oct. 25 (Fri.)
The British 1st Army advances north of Valenciennes; the British 3rd Army captures eight miles of the Valenciennes-Avesnes railway: this ends the Battle of the Selle (see Oct. 17), which has forced the Germans from the line of the river, driven a new salient into their front, and cut their chief lateral communication, the Valenciennes-Metz railway. Captures in the battle amount to 21,000 prisoners and over 450 guns.
The French attack and advance on a front of twenty-five miles between the rivers Oise, Serre, Souche, and Aisne.
Italy:—Lord Cavan, in command of the 10th Army (of British and Italians), crosses the Piave against fierce resistance.
Mesopotamian Front:—The British capture Kirkuk (see May 24) and force the passage of the Lesser Zab.
Oct. 26 (Sat.)
General Ludendorff, the German First Quartermaster-General, resigns.
The British make progress south of Valenciennes.
Palestine Front:—British and Arab forces capture Aleppo; by this the conquest of Syria is completed and the Baghdad railway cut.
Oct. 27 (Sun.)
Austria asks for an Armistice, which is refused.
The Germans retreat before the French between the Oise and the Aisne towards Hirson.
Italy:—Lord Cavan's army advances several miles east of the Piave.
Albania:—The Italians capture the port of Alessio.
Oct. 28 (Mon.)
An Allied Conference opens at Versailles.
The Italians cross the Piave in the Montello area.
Mesopotamian Front:—General Marshall captures Kalat Shergat on the Tigris.
Oct. 29 (Tues.)
Italy:—The Allies advance rapidly against the yielding Austrians from the Brenta Valley to the sea; Lord Cavan's army forces the passage of the Monticano north of Oderzo; the Allies enter Asiago.
Mesopotamian Front:—General Marshall attacks and routs the Turks five miles north of Kalat Shergat.
Oct. 30 (Wed.)
A Czecho-Slovak State is proclaimed at Prague.
Mesopotamian Front:—The remaining Turkish forces on the Tigris surrender to General Marshall; the number of prisoners captured, including those taken in the last seven days' fighting, exceeds 11,000. This ends the Tigris campaign.
Oct. 31 (Thur.)
An Armistice (signed on the previous day) comes into force between the Entente Powers and Turkey. (Appendix VI. (ii).)
Count Tisza is assassinated.
The Hungarian National Government at Budapest assumes power and proclaims Hungary a Republic; this ends the Dual Monarchy.
Italy:—In the plains, the Austrian disorderly retreat becomes a rout; the Italians approach the Tagliamento in pursuit; in the Trentino, the Italians also advance rapidly against the disorganised enemy. The Austrian dreadnought and flagship Viribus Unitis is sunk at Pola by an Italian naval motor boat.
Nov. 1 (Fri.)
The Battle of the Sambre begins (see Nov. 11); the British attack south of Valenciennes, force the passage of the Rhonelle, capture Maresches, Aulnoy, and other villages, and reach the southern outskirts of Valenciennes.
In Belgium, British, French, and American troops advance and reach the Scheldt in the neighbourhood of Gavere, ten miles south of Ghent.
Between the Aisne and the Meuse American and French troops attack and advance.
Italy:—The Austrian rout continues along the whole line from the Venetian Alps to the sea.
Serbia:—Belgrade is reoccupied by the Serbians.
Nov. 2 (Sat.)
The British complete the capture of Valenciennes.
The French capture Semuy and the south bank of the Canal des Ardennes from Semuy to Neuville; the Argonne Forest is completely cleared of the enemy; the Americans advance rapidly in the Meuse sector.
Nov. 3 (Sun.)
The sailors of the German Fleet at Kiel mutiny.
The Belgians advance south of the Dutch frontier and capture Baasvelde and Steydinge.
Between the Upper Aisne and the Meuse the Americans and French advance rapidly on a front of thirty miles.
Italian troops enter Trent and Udine; Italian military and naval forces occupy Trieste.
Mesopotamian Front:—The British occupy Mosul.
Nov. 4 (Mon.)
An Armistice (signed on the previous day) comes into force between the Entente Powers and Austria (see Appendix VI. (iii)).
Revolution spreads in Germany.
The British 1st, 3rd, and 4th Armies, in conjunction with General Débeney's Army on their right, attack on a front of over thirty miles, from east of Valenciennes to Guise: the British force the passage of the Sambre-Oise Canal; they capture Landrecies, the Forest of Mormal, and Le Quesnoy with its garrison; the French make equally rapid progress.
On the Aisne—Meuse Front the French reach the line of the Ardennes Canal and capture Le Chesne; the Americans approach Beaumont and Stenay.
Northern Albania:—The Italians occupy Scutari.
Nov. 5 (Tues.)
The German Government is informed through President Wilson that application for an Armistice must be made to Marshal Foch in the usual military form.
The French advance between the Oise and the Aisne towards Hirson.
The Aisne—Meuse Front:—The French cross the Ardennes Canal; the Americans capture Beaumont.
Nov. 6 (Wed.)
German delegates start for the Western Front to receive the terms of Armistice from Marshal Foch and Admiral Sir R. Wemyss.
The German retreat becomes general from the Scheldt north of Valenciennes to the Meuse at Sedan.
The British 1st, 3rd, and 4th Armies pursue the enemy towards Mons, Maubeuge, and Avesnes.
The French capture Vervins and Rethel.
The Americans enter Sedan.
Nov. 7 (Thur.)
The Bavarian Republic is proclaimed. Kiel and Hamburg fall into the hands of revolutionaries.
The British 1st Army makes a formal entry into Valenciennes.
The British capture Bavai and reach Haumont (in the valley of the Sambre).
Nov. 8 (Fri.)
The German delegates receive the terms of Armistice of the Allies.
Prince Max of Baden, the German Imperial Chancellor, resigns.
The revolutionary movement spreads rapidly through Germany.
The British capture Maubeuge, enter Tournai, cross the Scheldt south of it, capture Condé and Avesnes, and advance on Mons.
The French advance towards Mézières and Charleville.
Nov. 9 (Sat.)
The Kaiser abdicates and flies to Holland.
Herr Ebert succeeds Prince Max as Chancellor (see Oct. 3).
The pursuit of the enemy by the Allies continues.
H.M.S. Britannia (battleship) is sunk by a submarine off Cape Trafalgar.
Nov. 10 (Sun.)
The French occupy Hirson, surround Mézières, and cross the Meuse.
The Americans advance towards Montmédy and the Briey basin.
Nov. 11 (Mon.)
The Belgians enter Ghent; the British (3rd Canadian Division) enter Mons at dawn.
The Armistice with Germany (see Appendix VI. (iv)) is signed in the Forest of Compiègne, near the Chateau Francport (in the train of Marshal Foch), at 5 A.M. Fighting ceases at 11 A.M.
Note.—The Battle of the Sambre struck at and broke the enemy's last important lateral communications, turned his positions on the Scheldt, and forced him to retreat rapidly from Courtrai. This victory completed the great strategical aim of the Allies, viz. to divide the enemy's forces into two parts, one on each side of the great natural barrier of the Ardennes. The pursuit of the beaten enemy all along the Allied line was only stopped by the Armistice.
Nov. 12 (Tues.)
The Emperor Karl of Austria abdicates.
The Allied fleets pass through the Dardanelles, British and Indian troops occupying the forts.
Nov. 13 (Wed.)
The Allied fleets reach Constantinople.
Nov. 14 (Thur.)
East Africa:—The last of the German forces surrender, in compliance with the terms of the Armistice, on the Chambezi River in Northern Rhodesia.
Nov. 17 (Sun.)
In accordance with the terms of the Armistice, the advance of the Allies on the Western Front begins.
The Caspian:—British and Russian troops occupy Baku.
Nov. 18 (Mon.)
Belgian troops enter Brussels.
Nov. 19 (Tues.)
General Pétain, created a Marshal of France on this day, formally enters Metz at the head of French troops.
Belgian troops enter Antwerp.
Nov. 21 (Thur.)
British troops enter Namur.
The first and main instalment of the German High Sea Fleet (5 battle-cruisers, 9 battleships, 7 light cruisers, and 49 destroyers) surrenders to Admiral Sir David Beatty off the Firth of Forth.
Nov. 22 (Fri.)
King Albert re-enters Brussels after four years of exile.
Nov. 25 (Mon.)
Marshal Foch makes a ceremonial entry into Strasbourg.
Nov. 27 (Wed.)
The last German troops leave Belgium.
Nov. 28 (Thur.)
The Kaiser formally abdicates the crown of Prussia and the German Imperial crown.
Dec. 1 (Sun.)
British troops cross the German frontier.
Dec. 2 (Mon.)
Marshal Foch, M. Clemenceau, Signor Orlando, and Baron Sonnino visit London and receive a public welcome.
Dec. 6 (Fri.)
British troops enter Cologne.
Dec. 12 (Thur.)
British troops cross the Rhine and occupy the Cologne bridge-head.
Jan. 18 (Sat.)
The Peace Conference (the 'Conference of Paris') is opened by M. Poincaré, President of the French Republic, at the Quai d'Orsay; M. Clemenceau is unanimously elected Chairman. On the same date, forty-eight years earlier (Jan. 18, 1871), the German Empire was proclaimed in the Galerie des Glaces, Versailles.
Feb. 11 (Wed.)
Herr Ebert is elected first President of the German Republic.
Feb. 12 (Thur.)
Herr Scheidemann, the first German Prime Minister, forms a Cabinet.
Mar. 25 (Tues.)
To draw up the Treaties of Peace a Council of Four (President Wilson, Mr. Lloyd George, M. Clemenceau, Signor Orlando—the 'Big Four') is substituted for the Council of Ten.
April 23 (Wed.)
President Wilson issues a public statement with regard to Fiume, which concludes with an appeal to the people of Italy as distinct from their Government.
April 24 (Thur.)
Signor Orlando leaves Paris for Italy as a protest against President Wilson's attitude and his published message on the Fiume question.
April 28 (Mon.)
The League of Nations is created by the adoption at the Peace Conference of the amended League of Nations Covenant (see Appendix VII., Part I.).
The Peace Conference adopts the 'Labour Charter,' viz. those sections of the Peace Treaty which create an International Organisation to deal with the needs and problems of Labour (see Appendix VII., Part XIII.).
May 7 (Wed.)
The Peace Terms are presented to the German delegates at the Trianon Palace Hotel, Versailles.
June 2 (Mon.)
The Allied Terms of Peace with Austria, incomplete in certain respects, are handed to the Austrian delegates at St. Germain.
June 19 (Thur.)
Italy:—Signor Orlando and his Cabinet resign.
June 20 (Fri.)
The German Ministry under Herr Scheidemann resign, having disagreed as to acceptance of the Peace Terms.
June 21 (Sat.)
The Germans scuttle their fleet interned at Scapa Flow.
A new German Ministry is formed with Herr Bauer as Premier. The German National Assembly debates the Peace Treaty, and resolves in favour of signature by 237 votes to 138.
Italy:—Signor Nitti forms a Ministry.
June 23 (Mon.)
The Government of the German Republic declares 'that it is ready to accept and sign the conditions of peace imposed by the Allied and Associated Governments.'
June 28 (Sat.)
The Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and the German Republic is signed in the Galerie des Glaces, Versailles, the ceremony beginning at 3 P.M. (see Appendix VII.).
Sept. 10 (Wed.)
The Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers (except Roumania and Jugo-Slavia) and Austria is signed in the Stone Age Hall in the Château de Saint Germain.
Nov. 27 (Thur.)
The Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers (except Serbia and Roumania) and Bulgaria is signed at the Mairie at Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Jan. 10 (Sat.)
The Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and the German Republic is formally ratified in the Clock Room in the French Foreign Office, Paris, the ceremony beginning at 4 P.M.
The Austro-Hungarian Government addressed the following Note to the Serbian Government on the 23rd July 1914, through the medium of the Austro-Hungarian Minister at Belgrade:
'On the 31st March 1909 the Serbian Minister in Vienna, on the instructions of the Serbian Government, made the following declaration to the Imperial and Royal Government:
'"Serbia recognises that the fait accompli regarding Bosnia has not affected her rights, and consequently she will conform to the decisions that the Powers may take in conformity with Article 25 of the Treaty of Berlin. In deference to the advice of the Great Powers, Serbia undertakes to renounce from now onwards the attitude of protest and opposition which she has adopted with regard to the annexation since last autumn. She undertakes, moreover, to modify the direction of her policy with regard to Austria-Hungary and to live in future on good neighbourly terms with the latter."
'The history of recent years, and in particular the painful events of the 28th June last, have shown the existence of a subversive movement with the object of detaching a part of the territories of Austria-Hungary from the Monarchy. The movement, which had its birth under the eye of the Serbian Government, has gone so far as to make itself manifest on both sides of the Serbian frontier in the shape of acts of terrorism and a series of outrages and murders.
'Far from carrying out the formal undertakings contained in the declaration of the 31st March 1909, the Royal Serbian Government has done nothing to repress these movements. It has permitted the criminal machinations of various societies and associations directed against the Monarchy, and has tolerated unrestrained language on the part of the Press, the glorification of the perpetrators of outrages, and the participation of officers and functionaries in subversive agitation. It has permitted an unwholesome propaganda in public instruction, in short, it has permitted all manifestations of a nature to incite the Serbian population to hatred of the Monarchy and contempt of its institutions.
'This culpable tolerance of the Royal Serbian Government had not ceased at the moment when the events of the 28th June last proved its fatal consequences to the whole world.
'It results from the depositions and confessions of the criminal perpetrators of the outrage of the 28th June that the Serajevo assassinations were planned in Belgrade; that the arms and explosives with which the murderers were provided had been given to them by Serbian officers and functionaries belonging to the Narodna Odbrana; and finally, that the passage into Bosnia of the criminals and their arms was organised and effected by the chiefs of the Serbian frontier service.
'The above-mentioned results of the magisterial investigation do not permit the Austro-Hungarian Government to pursue any longer the attitude of expectant forbearance which they have maintained for years in face of the machinations hatched in Belgrade, and thence propagated in the territories of the Monarchy. The results, on the contrary, impose on them the duty of putting an end to the intrigues which form a perpetual menace to the tranquillity of the Monarchy.
'To achieve this end the Imperial and Royal Government see themselves compelled to demand from the Royal Serbian Government a formal assurance that they condemn this dangerous propaganda against the Monarchy; in other words, the whole series of tendencies, the ultimate aim of which is to detach from the Monarchy territories belonging to it; and that they undertake to suppress by every means this criminal and terrorist propaganda.
'In order to give a formal character to this undertaking the Royal Serbian Government shall publish on the front page of their "Official Journal" of the 13th (26th) July the following declaration:
'"The Royal Government of Serbia condemn the propaganda directed against Austria-Hungary, i.e. the general tendency of which the final aim is to detach from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy territories belonging to it, and they sincerely deplore the fatal consequences of these criminal proceedings.
'"The Royal Government regret that Serbian officers and functionaries participated in the above-mentioned propaganda and thus compromised the good neighbourly relations to which the Royal Government were solemnly pledged by their declaration of the 31st March 1909.
'"The Royal Government, who disapprove and repudiate all idea of interfering or attempting to interfere with the destinies of the inhabitants of any part whatsoever of Austria-Hungary, consider it their duty formally to warn officers and functionaries, and the whole population of the kingdom, that henceforward they will proceed with the utmost rigour against persons who may be guilty of such machinations, which they will use all their efforts to anticipate and suppress."
'This declaration shall simultaneously be communicated to the Royal Army as an order of the day by His Majesty the King and shall be published in the "Official Bulletin" of the Army.
'The Royal Serbian Government further undertake:
'1. To suppress any publication which incites to hatred and contempt of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the general tendency of which is directed against its territorial integrity;
'2. To dissolve immediately the society styled 'Narodna Odbrana,' to confiscate all its means of propaganda, and to proceed in the same manner against other societies and their branches in Serbia which engage in propaganda against the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The Royal Government shall take the necessary measures to prevent the societies dissolved from continuing their activity under another name and form;
'3. To eliminate without delay from public instruction in Serbia, both as regards the teaching body and also as regards the methods of instruction, everything that serves, or might serve, to foment the propaganda against Austria-Hungary;
'4. To remove from the military service, and from the administration in general, all officers and functionaries guilty of propaganda against the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy whose names and deeds the Austro-Hungarian Government reserve to themselves the right of communicating to the Royal Government;
'5. To accept the collaboration in Serbia of representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Government for the suppression of the subversive movement directed against the territorial integrity of the Monarchy;
'6. To take judicial proceedings against accessories to the plot of the 28th June who are on Serbian territory; delegates of the Austro-Hungarian Government will take part in the investigation relating thereto;
'7. To proceed without delay to the arrest of Major Voija Tankositch and of the individual named Milan Ciganovitch, a Serbian State employé, who have been compromised by the results of the magisterial inquiry at Serajevo;
'8. To prevent by effective measures the co-operation of the Serbian authorities in the illicit traffic in arms and explosives across the frontier, to dismiss and punish severely the officials of the frontier service at Schabatz and Loznica guilty of having assisted the perpetrators of the Serajevo crime by facilitating their passage across the frontier;
'9. To furnish the Imperial and Royal Government with explanations regarding the unjustifiable utterances of high Serbian officials, both in Serbia and abroad, who, notwithstanding their official position, have not hesitated since the crime of the 28th June to express themselves in interviews in terms of hostility to the Austro-Hungarian Government; and, finally,
'10. To notify the Imperial and Royal Government without delay of the execution of the measures comprised under the preceding heads.
'The Austro-Hungarian Government expect the reply of the Royal Government at the latest by 6 o'clock[4] on Saturday evening, the 25th July.
'A memorandum dealing with the results of the magisterial inquiry at Serajevo with regard to the officials mentioned under heads (7) and (8) is attached to this note.'