The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 891 of the Great War, January 6th 1917

Western Front

Big daylight raid by British south-east of Arras.

Romanian Campaign

Stubborn fighting between the Carpathians and Focsani; some enemy progress, especially in the Susitsa valley and near Odobesti.

Russian counter-offensive between Focsani and Fundeni; ground recovered near Obilesti.

Netherlands

The Dutch government states it has taken no steps to promote peace in Europe, believing it would be worthless in the present circumstances.

Japan

Japan starts arming its merchant ships with 10-inch guns in order to protect them against German submarines.

Italy: Allied Leaders Hold Conference in Rome

The conferences at Paris and Chantilly in November had resolved on a strategy that was essentially a repeat of 1916′s: another large attack on the Somme along with simultaneous offensives elsewhere. Within a month, however, many of the major Allied war leaders were out of office, leaving this strategy quickly out-of-date. New British PM Lloyd George, in particular, was desperate for some options that were not just further attacks on the Western Front, and organized a conference in Rome for January 5-7, allowing for greater participation of the Italians and the commanders at Salonika.

On January 6, Lloyd George proposed that the Allies should give major assistance, up to 400 heavy guns, for another Italian offensive from the Isonzo. With such masses of artillery, the Italians would surely break through the Austrian lines, push on to Trieste and Ljubljana, and perhaps force beleaguered and divided Austria out of the war. The capturing of Austrian ports would also end much of the German U-boat threat in the Mediterranean. The French, who had not been consulted and who had staked everything on Nivelle’s upcoming offensive, were not keen on the idea. They agreed in principle, but would only lend the guns until May.

Cadorna was eager to have help from the Allies, but did not think Lloyd George’s offer would be enough. He wanted at least 8 divisions to assist in the attack, and rejected the offer of guns that would only have to be returned too soon. Lloyd George offered British guns on a longer basis, but Cadorna refused this as well. This infuriated Lloyd George, who would later write that Cadorna threw away “the most promising chance afforded to him to win a great triumph for his country.” British generals, however, were pleased; Chief of the Imperial General Staff Robertson had been busily working the other Allies behind the scenes to prevent Lloyd George’s scheme from gaining acceptance.

The second major topic was the Salonika front. The Italians, fearing a resurgent Serbia, were opposed to any major offensive here, and even proposed an evacuation of Monastir, their one gain there. The French government wanted Italian and British reinforcements to be sent, which their militaries were not keen to part with. Sarrail had a more drastic proposal, asking only “for the British and French Governments to shut their eyes or turn their heads for a fortnight” while he moved against the Greek armies loyal to King Constantine. Lloyd George, fearing the reaction of other neutrals to what would be a sudden attack on a neutral country, convinced Sarrail to back down. The Greeks would be convinced by diplomatic means to withdraw their forces south of Athens (far away from the Allied lines north of Salonika) and Sarrail would have a major advocate in the West in Lloyd George. Sarrail himself was promoted to “Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Army of the Orient,” giving him command over all Allied forces in the area.

Photo: Lloyd George (center) in Rome on January 6, 1917



United States: Wilson Gives up on German Peace Terms

All Entente powers had rejected Germany’s late 1916 peace proposal, but American President Woodrow Wilson still clung to hope that, with his help, the Europeans could resolve their conflict. On January 4, the president who had campaigned that “he kept us out of the war” assured his countrymen that he intended to do just that: “There will be no war. It would be a crime against civilization for us to go in.”

Two days later, however, he was stunned to learn from his ambassador in Berlin that the German peace terms were less generous than he thought. The Germans offered to withdraw from Belgium, but demanded “guarantees” that the Allies had already called clearly unacceptable. The Germans wanted to maintain garrisons at Liege and Namur, occupy all Belgian military forts, ports, and railways, and guard Belgium while disallowing a Belgian army. In short, Belgium would be absorbed into the German Empire.

America’s ambassador replied to the German Chancellor that: “I do not see that you have left much for the Belgians, excepting that King Albert will have the right to reside in Brussels with an honor guard.” “We cannot allow Belgium to be an outpost of Great Britain,” the Chancellor replied.

Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Hans Adam, commanding U-82, stops British freighter SS BEUAFRONT, 1,720 tons, bound from Bilbao for Tees with a load of iron ore. After the crew abandons ship, Adam sinks her with a torpedo. The crew are rescued by Swedish freighter SS ALDEBARAN, and ALDEBARAN'S master, Harald Holmgren, is given a British silver cup. Adam's score is now 10 ships and 16,115 tons.

Naval operations: Bay of Biscay

Berndt Buß, in U-48, sinks two French freighters northwest of Coruna, Spain:
SS Alphonse CONSEIL, 1,591 tons, travelling from Nantes to Oran with a general cargo.
SS VILLE DU HAVRE, 5,026 tons, en route from Saigon to Dunkerque with an unspecified cargo.
Buß's score is now 8 ships and 23,135 tons.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

1430 Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, in U-35, sinks British freighter SS HUDWORTH, 3,966 tons, carrying a load of barley and seed from Karachi to Hull east of Malta. His score is now 136 ships and 270,584 tons.

Naval operations: Zanzibar

HMS SEVERN is still offloading stores to HMFM TRENT. At the same time the other monitor, HMS MERSEY, ties up on the other side of TRENT and is using her power supply to run their lights. The problem of swells and ships bumping continues.

Day 893 of the Great War, January 8th 1917

Eastern Front

Heavy fighting south of Lake Babit; no material change of positions.

Russians recover island in Dvina near Glandau.

Photo: Austro-Hungarian mortar battery near Berejany , 1917



Romanian Campaign

Enemy advance in Casin and Susitsa valleys (Moldavia), capture Focsani, with 5,500 prisoners, and make progress near Fundeni.

United States

President Wilson criticizes newspapers for speculating on U.S. diplomatic moves, as it could lead to war.

Canada

Canadian official casualties now number 68,290 men killed, wounded, and missing.

Russia: Prince Golitsin becomes last Tsarist Prime Minister

Rasputin was dead, be he was to have one last laugh. Russia’s Prime Minister, Alexander Trepov, (the third since the Tsar left for the front in 1915), was an unabashed enemy of the mad monk, and had even tried bribing him to leave politics forever and return to Siberia. Rasputin’s refusal spurred the conspiracy that shot him to death. However, Rasputin had informed the Tsarina of Trepov’s bribery attempt before his death. In her rage after he died, Trepov was one of the government officials to get the boot.

Prince Nikolai Golitsin replaced him as Tsarist Russia’s final Prime Minister, the fourth since September 1915. Seeing the way things were going, the Prince begged the Tsar not to give him the job, but had no luck. The timid man served for barely a month before resigning when the February Revolution broke out.

Aerial operations: Allotments and Presentations

Perhaps the new Air Board has finally begun to have an impact on the allocation of resources between the RFC and the RNAS. Today the RFC was allotted 23 new aircraft, 3 FE2b’s and 20 BE2e’s. 7 of the BE2e’s were originally destined for the RNAS but have been diverted to the RFC.

All seven of these aircraft are also what is known as “presentation” aircraft in that they have been paid for by funds from a variety of sources around the empire, frequently local citizen groups or local governments. Today’s allocations included one from the Rhodesian Government (A3150), one from British Residents in Siam (A3151), one from the British West Indies (A3152) and four aircraft from His Highness the Maharaja of Bikanir (A3153-A3156). To date, various groups have paid for over 700 aircraft out of around 8000 allocated.

Germany: The Kaiser Decides On Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

By early January, most of the important German war leaders had decided that the U-boats should be unleashed against England, without any restrictions on their behavior to appease the Americans. The most recent to add their support was Admiral Müller, an ally of Chancellor Bethmann and a close personal friend of the Kaiser, who wrote early on January 8 that “after our peace feelers and their curt rejection by the Allies, circumstances warrant the use of this weapon which offers a reasonable chance of success….I told [Admiral] Holtzendorff he could rely on my support.”

Still opposing the move was Chancellor Bethmann; however, he was still in Berlin while most of the proponents of the U-boats were with the Kaiser in Pless. Holtzendorff discussed the situation with Hindenburg & Ludendorff in the afternoon, in a conversation whose transcript was recorded:

HOLTZENDORFF: The Chancellor arrives here tomorrow.
HINDENBURG: What’s troubling him now?
HOLTZENDORFF: He wants to control the diplomatic presentation of the announcement in order to keep the United States out of it….The Foreign Office is worried about what South America will do and our relations with them when the war is over.
HINDENBURG: We must conquer first…
HOLTZENDORFF: Later today I will read my memorandum to His Majesty, who even this morning had no real understanding of the situation.
HINDENBURG: That is true.
HOLTZENDORFF: What shall we do if the Chancellor does not join us?
HINDENBURG: That is just what is bothering me.
HOLTZENDORFF: Then you must become Chancellor.
HINDENBURG: No, no. I cannot do that. I won’t do it. I cannot talk in the Reichstag. I refuse.
LUDENDORFF: I would not try to persuade the Field Marshal…
HINDENBURG: Well, we shall hold together anyway. We have to. We are counting on the probability of war with the United States and we have made all preparations to meet it. Things cannot be worse than they are now. The war must be brought to an end by whatever means as soon as possible.
HOLTZENDORFF: His Majesty doesn’t understand the situation.
LUDENDORFF: Absolutely not.
HOLTZENDORFF: People and Army are crying for the unrestricted U-boat war.
LUDENDORFF: Quite so.
HOLTZENDORFF: [Interior Secretary] Helfferich said to me, “Your plan will lead to ruin.” I said to him, “You are letting us drift into ruin.”
HINDENBURG: That is true.

Holtzendorff presented his memorandum to the Kaiser that evening. The memorandum was wildly over-optimistic about the U-boat’s capacity to break Britain’s economy and food supply–despite its ultimately relatively conservative figures for British shipping to be lost to U-boats. Nonetheless, it had the appearance of scientific certitude and the backing of all of Germany’s military leaders.

That evening, the Kaiser suddenly announced that he would support unrestricted submarine warfare “even if the Chancellor is opposed,” stating that the U-boats were “a purely military affair which did not concern the chancellor in any way,” despite the obvious implications for Germany’s foreign relations.

The Chancellor arrived the next day to find that he had already been defeated. He argued the case against the submarines for an hour, but even he ended by telling the Kaiser that “I cannot counsel you to oppose the vote of your military advisers.” The Kaiser had already made up his mind, as had the entire leadership of the armed forces, and he knew he could no longer count on a majority in the Reichstag to oppose it. Unrestricted submarine warfare, one of the few tools that could punish hated England, was immensely popular both among the people and the politicians.

On the evening of January 9, the Kaiser signed the order:

I order that unrestricted submarine warfare be launched with the utmost vigor on the first of February.

The stage was now set for an inevitable confrontation with the United States. Bethmann would not resign, but confided to his colleagues that this was the end of Germany: the Finis Germaniae.

Naval operations: North Sea

His Majesty's Drifter CAPE COLONY, 82 tons, hits a mine laid by Benno von Ditfurth in UC-11. Ditfurth's score is now 6 ships and 10,045 tons.

Naval operations: Spain

Berndt Buß, in U-48, captures Norwegian freighter SS THOLMA, en route from Cardiff to Genoa with a load of coal. Buß keeps the ship while they use its stores.

Naval operations: Mediterranean Sea

Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, in U-35, sinks two British freighters south-east of Malta:
SS ANDONI, 3,188 tons, travelling from Karachi to London with a load of grain.
SS LYNFIELD, 3,023 tons, carrying rail cars, coal and coke from Cardiff to Saloniki and Alexandria.
Von Arnauld is once again the leading U-boat ace with 139 ships and 280,473 tons.

Naval operations: Zanzibar

HMS SEVERN is still offloading stores to HMFM TRENT. The swells continue, and the bumping becomes so bad that some of Severn's rivets come loose, and she starts leaking.

Day 895 of the Great War, January 10th 1917

Eastern Front

Russian progress south of Lake Babit.

Romanian Campaign

Enemy carry two heights in Oitoz valley (Moldavia), but are thrown back across the Putna north of Focsani.

Mesopotamian campaign

British progress continued north-east of Kut.

United States: German Consul in San Francisco Convicted of Conspiracy

German espionage activities in the United States were not solely limited to the East Coast and the embassy in Washington. The German consulate in San Francisco was perhaps even more involved in plots to disrupt American munitions production and the British and Canadian war efforts. Their involvement was eventually uncovered, possibly with the help of Voska’s Czech intelligence network, and on January 10 the consul and much of his staff were convicted of conspiracy to restrain interstate and international commerce, and of violations of American neutrality by “conspiring to set on foot a military enterprise” against Britain from American soil. Many of the conspirators would ultimately serve several years in Alcatraz. One of them, Wilhelm von Brincken, would become an American citizen after the war and have a successful career in Hollywood playing German villains, including the Baron von Richthofen in Howard Hughes’ Hell’s Angels.

The charges the consul and his staff were convicted of mainly related to activities in the United States and Canada. They still faced the prospect of charges on a more elaborate conspiracy, one to smuggle arms from California to a prospective rebellion against British rule in India, which American investigators and prosecutors were still unraveling at the time of this trial.

The major news story in America today, though, was not these German conspiracies, but the escape of Harry K. Thaw, noted for the 1906 murder of Stanford White and the ensuing “trial of the century.” Found not guilty by reason of insanity, he escaped from his asylum in 1913 and fled to Canada. After being extradited back to the United States in 1914, he was released the following year. In 1916, however, he kidnapped and physically and sexually assaulted a 19-year-old in Kansas City. On January 10, he was supposed to surrender himself to the authorities, but instead went on the lam; he was caught the next day, and unsuccessfully attempted suicide.

Aerial operations: Raid on Rafah

British troops in Palestine completed the capture of Rafah today with assistance from the RFC.

Two days ago the British forces began their advance from El Arish at 1600. To ensure surprise, air patrols were maintained over the Rafah area until dusk to prevent enemy airmen from reconnoitring the column, but, in fact, no enemy aeroplanes appeared.

At dawn next morning the Desert Column was approaching the Rafah defences. Aeroplanes, operating from an advanced landing-ground at Sheikh Zowaiid, were flying over the Turkish positions from 0700., and the early observers reported the roads east and south-east of Rafah clear of troops.

When this information reached Major-General Sir H. G. Chauvel, the General Officer Commanding the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division, at 0830, he issued orders to encircle the Turkish positions.

At least two aeroplanes, equipped with wireless, were maintained in the air all day to assist artillery-fire. Three Martinsydes, escorted by three Bristol Scouts, bombed the aerodrome at Beersheba: six enemy aeroplanes were wheeled out of their sheds on the approach of the bombers, but only one left the ground.

At 1630 when the last aeroplane left the area of the battle, the fight was still in progress, although the Turkish position was enveloped. Five minutes before the aeroplane left, an enemy column, estimated at about 1,200 men with six guns, was observed marching between Shellal and Weli Sheikh Nuran to reinforce the Rafah defenders. It was realized that if the Turkish positions were not captured quickly the enemy reinforcements might turn the scale against the attackers, and orders were written directing that the engagement be broken off, but before they could be issued a final assault was launched which prove dentirely successful. The garrison, numbering 1,635, including thirty-five officers, was captured. The British losses in this brilliant little action were 487 (seventy-one killed). The British forces , their main task accomplished, withdrew,

This morning, further air reports revealed that the Turks had made no attempt to reoccupy Rafah, and a small force was sent back with all available limbered wagons to bring in captured material.

Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Walter Roehr, commanding U-84, sinks Norwegian freighter SS BERGENHUS, 3,606 tons, bound from Newport, Wales for Portovecchio with a load of coal. His score is now 3 ships and 7,168 tons.

Naval operations: English Channel

Paul Günther, in UB-37, sinks Danish freighter SS TUBORG, 2,056 tons, carrying a load of coal from Sunderland to Lisbon, south of Cornwall. His score is now 19 ships and 32,829 tons.

Naval operations: Spain

Two days earlier, on January 8th, Berndt Buß, in U-48, captured Norwegian freighter SS THOLMA, 1,896 tons, en route from Cardiff to Genoa with a load of coal. After using it for a stores ship Buß scuttles Tholma west of Cape Finisterre, bringing his score to 11 ships and 30,523 tons.

Heinrich Jeß, in U-79, sinks British freighter SS BROOKWOOD, 3,093 tons, carrying a load of coal from Penarth to Port Said, northwest of Cape Finisterre. His score is now 11 ships and 21,555 tons.

Naval operations: Zanzibar

British monitor HMS SEVERN is ready for towing. Final preparations are made and the ship battened down. The crew are all aboard HMFM TRENT, along with all ship's stores.

Naval operations: Brazil

German raider SMS MOWE captures and scuttles British freighter SS NETHERBY HALL, 4,461 tons, off Pernambuco. Möwe's score is now 33 ships and 134,244 tons.

Naval operations: Atlantic Ocean

German raider SMS SEEADLER captures and scuttles British freighter SS LUNDY ISLAND, 3,095 tons, off Santa Maria Island, in the Azores. Her score is now 2 ships and 6,363 tons.

Day 897 of the Great War, January 12th 1917

YouTube (No Peace For The Wicked)



Eastern Front

German attack near Kalutsem again repulsed.

Romanian Campaign

Enemy capture Mihalea, on Sereth (north-west of Braila).

Map: Romanian Front - January 1917



France: Foch Plans For Intervention in Switzerland

General Foch, who had long been Joffre’s right-hand-man and who had been in charge of French efforts on the Somme last year, was sacked by Joffre as one of his last acts as commander-in-chief, in a misguided attempt to save his own skin. Joffre’s departure did not change his fortunes, and was placed in the unappreciated roles of contingency planning and coordination with the Italians.

A persistent rumor in recent weeks had been that Germany would try to invade neutral Switzerland, using it to outflank the French or Italians, as they had done with (less-mountainous) Belgium in 1914. A move through Switzerland could also endanger the major French city of Lyons and its industry. On January 12, Foch submitted ‘Plan H’ to Nivelle, calling for 30 divisions to be rushed into Switzerland within 10 days of any German violation of Swiss neutrality, planning to stop the Germans before they reached Neuchatel or the French border beyond. Foch would command the resulting “Helvetic Army.”

Although Plan H was never enacted (despite some later scares), related plans to shift French troops to Italy in case of an emergency would later prove quite useful.

Map: Presumed German invasion routes of Switzerland



Aerial operations: Richthofen awarded Ordre Pour Le Mérite

Today, the Kaiser awarded Manfred von Richthofen the Ordre Pour Le Mérite, the highest award possible. This is in recognition of him downing 16 enemy aircraft. It is exactly one year since Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann received the award for shooting down eight. Richthofen is now the leading German pilot left alive.

The news did not reach Richthofen for a few days, and in the meantime he was put in command of Jasta 11. He was not pleased. He wrote in his memoirs:

“One fine day a telegram arrived, which stated: “Lieutenant von Richthofen is ap- pointed Commander of the Eleventh Chasing Squadron.” I must say I was annoyed. I had learnt to work so well with my comrades of Boelcke’s Squadron and now I had to begin all over again working hand in hand with different people.

It was a beastly nuisance. Besides I should have preferred the Ordre pour le Merite. Two days later, when we were sitting sociably together, we men of Boelcke’s Squadron, celebrating my departure, a telegram from Headquarters arrived. It stated that His Majesty had graciously condescended to give me the Ordre pour le Merite. Of course my joy was tremendous.”

Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Walter Roehr, commanding U-84, sinks British freighter SS AUCHENCRAG, 3,916 tons, bound from La Plata for Cherbourg with a load of wheat, off Ushant. His score is now 4 ships and 11,084 tons.

Naval operations: English Channel

Wilhelm Kiel, in UC-18, stops and scuttles French schooner SAINT MICHEL, 419 tons, en route from Le Havre to Britton Ferry with 200 tons of steel shavings. His score is now 27 ships and 23,837 tons.

Naval operations: North Sea

British freighter SS BRENTWOOD, 1,192 tons, travelling in ballast from London to Tyne, hits a mine laid off Whitby by Erwin Sebelin in UC-43. His score is now 2 ships and 1,731 tons.

Naval operations: Spain

Berndt Buß, in U-48, sinks two allied ships off Cape Finisterre:
French schooner EMERAUDE, 183 tons, en route from Lisbon to Palmpol; scuttled.
Norwegian freighter SS VESTFOLD, 1,883 tons, carrying a load of coal from Hull to Cette.
Buß's score is now 12 ships and 32,589 tons.

Day 899 of the Great War, January 14th 1917

Eastern Front

Photo: Austria-Hungarian emperor Karl visiting the Eastern Front



Romanian Campaign

Enemy thrown back in Casin valley and repulsed north-east of Focsani, but capture Vadeni (between Braila and Galatz).

In Romania, German-led forces advance on a 10-mile front towards the Siret River against Romanian and Russian forces, capturing 2 villages.

Poland: First Meeting of Provisional Polish Government in Warsaw

In November, the Germans and Austrians had promised that Poland would become independent after the war. Even while the war was still ongoing, however, a Provisional Council of State was set up, and held its first meeting on January 14. Its 25 members (15 appointed by the Germans and 10 by the Austrians) were Polish notables who were willing to cooperate with the Central Powers for Polish independence. For now, the Council was purely advisory, but it began to draw up draft legislation for after the war and privately advocated for Polish matters to the German and Austrian governments. Its military affairs department, led by Josef Piłsudski, also had responsibility for recruiting Polish volunteers to help the Central Powers with the war effort–which was the main reason Hindenburg & Ludendorff had tolerated the creation of a Polish government in the first place.

Photo: First meeting of Provisional Council of State



Naval operations: English Channel

Paul Günther, commanding UB-37, sinks Danish freighter SS NORMA, 1,997 tons, bound from Valencia for Falmouth and then London with a load of oranges plus general cargo. Later Günther comes across another small freighter and opens fire at 3,000 yards. The freighter stops and the crew abandon ship. UB-37 continues to fire, and then the ship starts to return fire. The "freighter" is actually the Q-Ship HMS PENSHURST, and the "crew" were a "panic party", acting as a decoy by manning the lifeboats and leaving. PENSHURST scores several hits, and UB-37 sinks. The Q-Ship finishes the job, dropping depth charges. UB-37 is lost, Paul Günther and his 20 crew all going down with their ship. HMS PENSHURST had previoiusly sunk UB-19 on the previous November 30th. Günther's final score is 20 ships and 13,175 tons.

Wilhelm Kiel, in UC-18, sinks British freighter SS Martin, 1,904 tons, travelling from Bayonne to Barry with a load of pit props, northwest of Ushant. His score is now 29 ships and 28,813 tons.

Photo: Q-Ship PENSHURST showing the bridge-screen dropped on the port side and the bridge gun ready to fire



Naval operations: Spain

Berndt Buß, in U-48, stops French freighter SS Sydney, 2,695 tons, carrying a load of coal from Cardiff to Bône (modern Annaba), and sinks her with his deck gun off Cape Villano.. His score is now 13 ships and 35,284 tons.

Naval operations: Japan

Japanese armored cruiser TSUKUBA, 13,750 tons, suffers a magazine explosion while anchored at Yokosuka, with the loss of 305 of her crew.

Postcard: TSUKUBA on an old postcard

Day 901 of the Great War, January 16th 1917

Western Front

Another big British daylight raid west of Lens.

Capture of enemy posts on front of 600 yards north of Beaucourt-sur-Ancre.

Italian Front

Photo: Austria-Hungarian emperor Karl visiting the front in South Tyrol



Romanian Campaign

Mackensen's advance in Romania checked.

Germany

Germany claims that Allied shelling and air raids have killed 2,557 French and Belgian civilians in occupied areas.

Greece/United States relations

Greece government asks the U.S. for help, stating Allied meddling in the country is causing starvation among its people.

Germany: Germans Order Tank Prototype

After the debut of British tanks on the battlefield in September, the Germans began to consider building their own. In an attempt to keep the effort secret, the committee for tank development and production was given the innocuous name of Section 7, Transportation (Abteilung 7 Verkehrswesen), or A7V. They were several years behind the British, and Ludendorff did not consider them a top priority, so development was slow, but initial plans were shown to the Army by December. On January 16, a prototype tank was ordered from Daimler; it would take several months to construct and even then lacked armor. The resulting tank model would be called the A7V, after the department that commissioned them.

Drawing: A design for the AV7 tank, the chosen prototype vehicle



Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Paul Wagenfür, commanding U-44, sinks British freighter SS BARON SEMPILL, 1,607 tons, bound from Glasgow for Huelva with a general cargo. His score is now 9 ships and 31,289 tons.

Wilhelm Amberger, in UB-38, sinks Spanish freighter SS MANUEL, 2,419 tons, carrying a load of copper ore from Bilbao to Glasgow. His score is now 4 ships and 7,995 tons.

Naval operations: Bay of Biscay

Wilhelm von Fircks, in U-59, stops and scuttles French barque BRENN, 2,189 tons, travelling in ballast from La Pallice to Taltal. His score is now 4 ships and 5,581 tons.

Wilhelm Kiel, in UC-18, sinks Norwegian freighter SS CITY OF TAMPICO, 1,513 tons, carrying a load of coal from Manchester to Nantes. His score is now 32 ships and 30,855 tons.

Naval operations: Spain

Berndt Buß, in U-48, scuttles Norwegian freighter SS ESPERANCNA, 4,428 tons, travelling in ballast from La Spezia to Cardiff. The ship was captured the previous day off Cape Finisterre. Buß's score is now 14 ships and 38,712 tons.

Naval operations: South Africa

HMFM TRENT comes to rest and a damage crew visits HMS SEVERN to inspect for leaks. Finding everything shipshape the tow to Durban is resumed.

Day 903 of the Great War, January 18th 1917

Romanian Campaign

Unsuccessful attacks on enemy positions between Casin and Susitsa valleys.

Naval operations: Germans Lay Mines off of South Africa

The German commerce raider WOLF had successfully made it through the British blockade, passing through Norwegian waters and around the north coast of Iceland to break into the Atlantic in December. By mid-January, she had steamed the whole length of the Atlantic without incident, arriving off of the coast of South Africa. Here, off of Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, she laid 29 mines, eventually sinking 4 ships in this important shipping lane, and one which the Allies had thought was secure. The mines themselves would not be completely swept until at least 1918. The WOLF then proceeded into the Indian Ocean, where she would be the first armed German ship at sea since the scuttling of the EMDEN in November 1914 (the KONINGSBERG having been holed up in the Rufiji River from October 1914 until her sinking in July 1915).

Image: Anatomy of a raider



Naval operations: Ireland

Carl-Siegfried von Georg, commanding U-57, sinks British freighter SS MANCHESTER INVENTOR, 4,247 tons, bound from St. John, New Brunswick, Canada for Manchester with a general cargo. His score is now 25 ships and 20,686 tons.

Naval operations: Celtic Sea

Wilhelm Amberger, in UB-38, sinks Norwegian freighter SS ASP, 1,759 tons, travelling from Barry to Fayal, in the Azores, with a load if coal. His score is now 5 ships and 9,754 tons.

Naval operations: English Channel

Egon von Werner, in UC-16, sinks Italian freighter SS TARMINA, 2,457 tons, en route from Huelva to Newport, Wales with a load of Iron Ore, off the Isle of Jersey. His score is now 40 ships and 45,575 tons.

Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, torpedoes British destroyer HMS FERRET, 778 tons, off St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight. The damaged ship makes port safely and is repaired and converted to a fast minelayer.

Naval operations: North Sea

Friedrich Karl Sichart von Sichartshofen, in UB-41, attacks British trawler CETUS, 139 tons, with his deck gun. The damaged trawler manages to make safe port.

Danish freighter SS DAGMAR, 758 tons, travelling in ballast from Trouville to Methil, hits a mine laid by Georg Reimarus in UC-4 near Orfordness. Reimarus' score is now 2 ships and 940 tons.

Naval operations: Bay of Biscay

Wilhelm Kiel, in UC-18, sinks two French vessels off Brittany:
Auxiliary motor schooner LOUIS JOSEPH, 197 tons, bound from La Rochelle for Port Talbot with 230 tons of pit props, scuttled off Guilvinec.
Ketch LOUISE, 101 tons, carrying 65 tons of pit props from Le Verdon to Swansea; scuttled off Penfret.
Kiel's score is now 36 ships and 33,644 tons.

Naval operations: Durban, South Africa

0810 HMFM TRENT stops outside Durban Harbour and a work crew goes aboard HMS SEVERM.
0940 HMS SEVERN'S tow ropes are slipped and the minitor proceeds into the harbour under her own power.
1120 HMFM TRENT anchors and waits for tug boats.
1250 TRENTis moored alongside HM Trawler HUNSTGREEN.