lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024 
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 16, 2022 8:08:02 GMT
Day 1226 of the Great War, December 16th 1917Western FrontEast of Avion (south of Lens) British position improved. Italian FrontItalians regain some positions in Brenta valley. Macedonian FrontAllied aeroplanes bomb depots at Cestovo (Macedonia). PortugalNew Portuguese Government declare they will honour all Portuguese engagements. Russia: Bolsheviks Seize SevastopolWhile the Bolsheviks had managed to secure power in much of Russia, various outlying regions, especially those not populated by ethnic Russians, began to organize their own governments or in some cases actively fight against the Bolsheviks. In some cases, the Bolsheviks, embracing a Wilsonian sense of self-determination, allowed independence movements to proceed; in others they swiftly cracked down. On December 13, the Crimean People’s Republic was declared by a council of Crimean Tatars. However, the Bolsheviks had a major presence in the Black Sea Fleet, based out of Sevastopol, and on December 16, sailors from the fleet seized the city, beginning outright conflict between the Bolsheviks and the new Crimean government. Aerial operations: FrancePhoto: A French Breguet 14 A.2 two-seat reconnaissance aircraft [actually a Breguet 14 B.2] at the Villeneuve aerodrome, 16 December 1917 Aerial operations: Trenchard in LondonAfter the Air Force Bill received was given Royal Assent on 29 November 1917, there followed a period of political manoeuvring and speculation over who would take up all the new posts. Lord Rothermere had been appointed president of the Air Council on 26 November 1917, and will be the new Air Minister. Today, Hugh Trenchard, Commander of the RFC in France was summoned back to London. At around 3 pm, Trenchard met Rothermere, who offered Trenchard the post of Chief of the Air Staff and before Trenchard could respond, Rothermere explained that Trenchard’s support would be useful to him as he was about to launch a press campaign against Sir Douglas Haig and Sir William Robertson, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Trenchard flatly refused the job, being personally loyal to Haig and antipathetic to political intrigue. Rothermere and his brother Lord Northcliffe, who was also present, then spent over 12 hours acrimoniously debating with Trenchard. The brothers pointed out that if Trenchard refused, they would use the fact to attack Haig on the false premise that Haig had refused to release Trenchard. Trenchard defended Haig’s policy of constant attack, arguing that it had been preferable to standing on the defensive and he also had maintained an offensive posture throughout the War which, like the infantry, had resulted in the Flying Corps taking dreadful casualties. In the end, the brothers wore Trenchard down and he accepted the post on the condition that he first be permitted to consult Haig. After meeting with Haig, Trenchard wrote to Rothermere, accepting the post. Naval operations: Ionian SeaFrench destroyer sinks two submarines. Naval operations: ship lossesHMS ARBUTUS (Royal Navy) The Anchusa-class sloop, operating as a Q-ship, was sunk in St. George's Channel (51°37′N 5°24′W) by SM UB-65 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nine of her crew. BRISTOL CITY (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 250 nautical miles (460 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (46°38′N 10°28′W) by SM U-94 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 30 of her crew. FOYLEMORE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 22 nautical miles (41 km) east of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°58′N 4°38′W) by SM UB-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. NEW YORK (Italy) The brigantine was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Cape San Vito, Sicily (38°14′N 12°55′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). SAN FRSNCESCO DI PAOLA (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Cape San Vito by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 17, 2022 8:16:48 GMT
Day 1227 of the Great War, December 17th 1917Western FrontFighting near the Ypres-Comines Canal. Photo: A french lorry bogged down in the snow on the Hesdin-St. Pol Road, 17 December 1917 Italian FrontAustrians repulsed on Upper Brenta. Italy35,000 people march in Rome to celebrate the British capture of Jerusalem. The Pope says any Christian nation that would aid the Ottomans in retaking the city will be condemned. Canada: Canadian Government Re-Elected in LandslideCanada had gone without an election since 1911; this was longer than was allowed by law, but the continuing war was given as a reason for its postponement. However, with Canada deeply divided over the issue of conscription, further postponement proved impossible. In the meantime, however, Robert Borden’s ruling Conservatives had invited pro-conscription Liberals to form a coalition Unionist government, largely on the model of Lloyd George’s (and previously Asquith’s) coalition government in Britain. Controversial electoral reforms also granted close female relatives of soldiers the right to vote, and disenfranchised conscientious objectors and any natives of the Central Powers who were naturalized as Canadian citizens in the last 15 years. Soldiers in France were also allowed to vote, but instead of voting in their own ridings, the party they voted for could assign their vote to a riding of their choice; as the soldiers (mostly volunteers themselves) were overwhelmingly pro-conscription, this was expected to give the Unionists a large number of votes to effectively gerrymander where they saw fit after the fact. Ultimately, the soldiers’ vote mattered little in the outcome of the election, which was held on December 17. The Unionists won nearly 57% of the vote and 65% of the seats. In Halifax, still recovering from the disastrous explosion, the Unionists were unopposed. The Liberals, however, dominated in Quebec, winning 73% of the vote and all but three of the seats there. Conscription had deeply divided Canada along linguistic lines, and the results of the election only served to underline this. Aerial operations: RotationThe Admiralty is now convinced of the value of having aircraft with the fleet, and various attempts have been made to provide launch systems for ships other than those classed as aircraft carriers. In August 1917, the Cruiser HMAS SYDNEY was brought to Chatham docks for a refit. During the refit the ship was fitted with a rotating launch platform over one of the turrets. On 8 December, after acquiring a Sopwith Pup aircraft (9932) from sister ship HMS DUBLIN, the SYDNEY carried out a successful test launch of the aircraft with the platform fixed and the ship turned into the wind. Today, the feat was attempted again, this time with the ship cruising as normal and the ramp rotated to face into the wind. The launch was successful – the first launch of an aircraft from a ship-mounted rotating platform. By this point the SYDNEY had acquired use of a second Pup (9931). It’s not clear which of the two Pups was used in this launch, but this was the first launch of its type from any ship. The ramp proved successful and similar ones were fitted to other cruisers for the rest of the war. Naval operations: ship lossesACORIA (Portugal) The schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean south east of the Azores (35°10′N 18°20′W) by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. CONINGBEG (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was sunk in the Irish Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) south west of Bardsey Island, Pembrokeshire by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of all fifteen crew. HMT DUSTER (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was wrecked in Scratten Cove, Portreath, Cornwall. USS F-1 (United States Navy) The F-class submarine sank in the Pacific Ocean after a collision with USS F-3 ( United States Navy) off Point Loma, California. Nineteen of her 22 crew were killed. NEPTUNE (United Kingdom) The fishing smack struck a mine laid by U 80 (Karl Scherb) and sank in the Atlantic Ocean 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km) north of Black Head, County Clare with the loss of four crew. NINA (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea south east of Crete (34°36′N 27°16′E) by SM UB-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 18, 2022 7:21:40 GMT
Day 1228 of the Great War, December 18th 1917
Western Front
Aeroplane raid on London, Essex and Kent; 14 killed, 85 injured.
Heavy air fighting in Allies' favour on northern front.
Eastern Front
Area of civil war extends to the Ukraine. Rada rejects Bolshevist demands for passage.
Italian Front
Italian Fourth Army heavily attacked near Mt. Asolone (Mt. Grappa), Austrians claim 2,000 prisoners.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
British clear ground south-east of Jerusalem, beyond Abu Dir.
Caucasus campaign: Russo-Ottoman Armistice Ends Fighting in the Caucasus
Following the armistice between Central Powers and Russian forces on the Eastern Front, the Ottoman and Russian opposite numbers in the Caucasus concluded their own ceasefire deal. Russian troops abandoned Transcaucasia, falling back to Russia’s old borders. The geopolitical situation became a mess, with a local Transcaucasian government insisting it remained part of Russia, while the Turks planned to reconquer it. The end of fighting in the mountains for now spurred Ottoman hopes of creating a pan-Turkic empire in Central Asia.
United States: US Congress Passes Constitutional Amendment on Prohibition
The temperance movement had already been active and powerful in the United States before the war, and American entry only strengthened their case. The wasting of grain for alcohol production and the deleterious effects of alcohol on industrial productivity during wartime made powerful arguments, as they had in Russia and other belligerent powers (though none had gone so far as to completely ban alcohol). Furthermore, 28 states had already enacted prohibition within their borders, so a nationwide ban was not such a drastic step.
On December 18, the Senate approved the text of what would become the 18th Amendment, following a House vote the previous day. Both chambers approved the amendment with the requisite two-thirds majority; members of both parties approved the measure by similar margins.
To go into effect, the amendment would have to be ratified by three-quarters of the states–at the time, this was 36 states, eight more than had already passed prohibition. Due to the often-infrequent meetings of state legislatures, however, this would take some time. By the end of the war, only fourteen states had ratified the amendment. The amendment was the first to put a time limit on ratification (at seven years), though prohibition advocate William Jennings Bryan correctly predicted it would take no more than three. Opponents, however, warned of the consequences, with representative Julius Kahn telling the press: “You cannot curb intemperance by law, but you make sneaks, liars, and hypocrites of men when you attempt to put in force laws of this kind.”
Portugal
The new Portuguese government, which came in power through an armed coup, pledges to the Allies that it will continue to honor treaties and will remain in the war against Germany.
Canada
In the Canadian federal election held yesterday, Unionists win 153 seats, while the Liberals win 82. The main issue of the election was over conscription, with the Unionists supporting it and the Liberals opposed.
Naval operations: ship losses
CHARLES (United Kingdom) The sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the English Channel by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine SM U-90 with the loss of three of her crew.
RIVERSDALE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) south of Prawle Point, Devon by SM UB-31 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 19, 2022 3:49:19 GMT
Day 1229 of the Great War, December 19th 1917Eastern FrontThe Ukraine defies the Bolsheviks; Odessa supports it. Italian FrontBrisk fighting in Piave delta; enemy stopped. British guns heavily engaged at Montello. Canada Unionist success in Canadian elections. Conscription Law becomes effective. Switzerland: Smuts Attempts Separate Peace Negotiations with AustriaWith Russia now having concluded an armistice with the Central Powers, and Italy having been gravely weakened at Caporetto, Austria-Hungary was in a position of strength not seen since at least the Brusilov Offensive. From the British perspective it also meant that an acceptable peace might be found with the Austrians without offending any important allies (the Italians and Serbians being essentially liabilities at this point). Some in the Foreign Office began to hope that Austria, enlarged by gains in the east, might even be a useful counterweight to the Germans. Acting on this hope, the British dispatched Jan Smuts, South Africa’s top general (now serving on the Imperial War Cabinet), to meet with Albert von Mensdorff, former Austrian ambassador to Britain, in Geneva. Smuts proposed a separate peace, and a larger Habsburg federation, including not just Austria and Hungary, but also Poland and perhaps a south Slavic state (pending negotiations with the Serbians): “our object now [is] to assist Austria to give the greatest freedom and autonomy to her subject nationalities.” The Czechs, typically, were forgotten in Smuts’ analysis. Mensdorff, however, refused to discuss a separate peace, but only wanted to discuss Austria’s role in a general peace–which Smuts was not authorized to discuss. The two parted ways on December 19, having made no progress. United StatesU.S Federal Food Administration set Wednesday as a “Wheat-less Day,” but it is largely a failure as it is not enforced, with bakeries and restaurants freely serving bread, pastries, and other wheat products. Aerial operations: FrancePhoto: Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 (serial number B2258) and a Nieuport Scout (serial number B6821) biplanes at St. Omer Aerodrome at night, 19 December 1917 Naval operations: ship lossesARNO (Denmark) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by U 80 (Karl Scherb) and sank in the North Sea east south east of Aberdeen, United Kingdom (57°20′N 1°00′W). Her crew survived. BORGSTEN (Norway) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Barfleur, Manche, France by SM UC-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. INGRID II (Norway) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 6 nautical miles (11 km) off Trevose Head, Cornwall, United Kingdom (50°36′N 5°11′W) by SM U-60 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of ten crew. S. GUISEPPE B. (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by SM UB-50 ( Kaiserliche Marine). TREVELYAN (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the English Channel 20 nautical miles (37 km) north of Cap Barfleur, Manche by SM UC-64 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was beached and was consequently declared a constructive total loss. Later repaired and returned to service. SM UB-56 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UB III submarine struck a mine and sank in the Strait of Dover (50°58′N 1°21′E) with the loss of all 37 crew. VINOVIA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 8 nautical miles (15 km) south of the Wolf Rock, Cornwall (49°56′N 5°33′W) by SM U-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nine crew.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 20, 2022 3:46:27 GMT
Day 1230 of the Great War, December 20th 1917
Western Front
West of Messines, Germans capture British advanced post in fog.
Italian Front
Italians recapture part of M. Asolone.
United States
Tentative German peace terms in Washington.
Russia
Vladimir Lenin issues a decree establishing the Cheka, predecessor to the NKVD, as a secret police force.
Australia: Australian Voters Reject Conscription Again
Only days ago, Canadian voters had re-elected their government in a vote that was largely seen as a referendum on conscription there. While Canada was deeply divided on linguistic lines, the Anglophone majority ensured the government was returned in a landslide. The question of conscription was even more contentious in Australia, however, which had suffered somewhat heavier casualties and had seen their units dispersed across almost every theater of war, from Gallipoli to Palestine to Flanders. A previous effort to enact conscription had already been defeated at the polls in late 1916, splitting the ruling Labor party in two. PM Billy Hughes had survived by forming a coalition with the Commonwealth Liberals, which was re-elected in a landslide in May. Hughes saw this as a mandate to attempt to enact conscription again, and a second plebiscite was scheduled for December 20.
This proposal was less far-reaching than the one the previous year. Instead of calling up all able-bodied young men, a draft lottery would be held instead, and only to meet a monthly quota (between draftees and volunteers) of 7000 men per month; monthly volunteers alone had fallen a few thousand short of this number in 1917. Nevertheless, the campaign was as contentious as the previous year’s. On November 26, Hughes sent troops to the Queensland Printing Office to seize copies of that state’s Hansard (the official parliamentary transcripts) which contained speeches against conscription, intending to prevent their distribution via the federal mail. Three days later, an egg was thrown at Hughes while he was giving a speech at a railway station, knocking off his hat; Hughes demanded the arrest of the egg-thrower, but was told that he did not have the jurisdiction to do so, the federal government having no police force of its own.
The vote was held on December 20, and the vote was once again against conscription, by a larger margin (7.5%) than in the 1916 vote. Even soldiers serving overseas, who one might expect would support conscription to bolster their own ranks (and increase opportunities for leave, only favored conscription by a five-point margin. Australia would ultimately not enact conscription during the war, and volunteer levels fell to around a third of their targets during 1918.
Aerial operations: The yanks are coming
The 17th Aero Squadron set off for the front today. Many individuals are already serving with allied forces, but this is the first complete squadron assembled by the United States to be sent to the front.
The Squadron set off for New York arriving on 23 December but got stuck there by a shortage of coal and bad weather for two weeks, finally setting sail on 9 January.
The squadron was formed at Kelly Field in Texas in May 1917. It spent the first few months building the camp before being sent to Canada for training in the RFC training camps on 4 August 1917. The squadron returned Texas this time to Taliaferro Field on 12 October 1917.
Just before the Squadron set off, Major Bonnell,who had also been in temporary command, was relieved from duty with the squadron, by Major Martin F. Scanlon —the sixth commanding officer in ten months.
Naval operations: ship losses
ALICE MARIE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 6 nautical miles (11 km) east north east of Start Point, Devon by SM UB-31 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
ATTUALITA (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Gulf of Genoa off Arma di Taggia, Liguria (43°49′N 7°53′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
EVELINE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 9.5 nautical miles (17.6 km) south of Berry Head, Devon by SM UB-31 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
FISCUS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 10 nautical miles (19 km) north north east of Cape Ivi, Algeria by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
KINTUCK (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 8 nautical miles (15 km) north west by north of the Godrevy Lighthouse, Cornwall by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine with the loss of a crew member.
NORIS (Norway) The coaster was sunk in the English Channel 10 nautical miles (19 km) off Port-en-Bessin, Calvados, France by SM UB-54 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of fourteen crew.
POLVARTH (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (48°20′N 6°00′W) by SM U-86 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
REIGN (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Gulf of Genoa 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) south of Cape Mele, Liguria by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
SURUGA (United States) The cargo ship was damaged in the Gulf of Genoa by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was beached at San Remo, Liguria. Later refloated, repaired and returned to service.
WARSAW (United Kingdom) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) south east by east of Start Point by SM UB-31 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seventeen crew.
WAVERLEY (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 33 nautical miles (61 km) north east of Cape Ivi (36°37′N 0°33′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 22 crew.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 21, 2022 3:39:54 GMT
Day 1231 of the Great War, December 21st 1917
YouTube (The Armistice of Brest-Litovsk)
Western Front
Stiff fighting at Harmannsweilerkopf (Alsace).
Italian Front
Italians recapture whole of M. Asolone.
Sinai and Palestine campaign: Battle of Jaffa
By the solstice Allenby’s Egyptian Expeditoinary Force had conquered Jerusalem and begun driving the Turks out of Palestine. That became substantially easier on December 21 after the Battle of Jaffa, when EEF troops crossed the Auju River and broke through to Jerusalem’s port city. The Ottomans had been caught napping, because recent storms had swollen the river and made them believe no one would attempt to cross. Allenby did, and by the next day he had Jaffa in his hands and a port with which to supply his continued advance.
Italy
Italian war industry establishments number 3,500 as against 125 in 1915.
United Kingdom: Munitions Ministry Given Blackout Powers
Enforced blackouts, restricting lighting at night, had been in force in many seaside towns and cities since the start of the war, to prevent German ships from using the lights to sink ships silhouetted against them. After Zeppelins began attacking Britain, this was extended inland as well, to prevent them from using the lights as navigational aids (even if moonlight reflected off rivers tended to be more reliable). This was done on a sporadic basis, however, and the authority to order and enforce the blackouts was never clearly delineated. The matter resumed increased importance in late 1917, when German Gothas began nighttime bombing raids on London. On December 18, the Gothas attacked again, causing 97 casualties and over £200,000 in damage (the costliest Gotha raid yet). Although one of the Gothas was shot down by a fighter (the first time that had happened yet at night), the raid led to renewed calls for government action. On December 21, the Munitions Ministry was empowered to restrict lighting nationwide, in the hope that this would cause future Gotha raids to miss their targets.
China
Chinese government at Harbin orders Russian Bolshevik headquarters in the city to disarm within 48 hours.
Aerial operations: SSP4 Lost
After the loss of the Airship SSP2 on 26 November 1917, the Airship station at Caldale on the Orkney’s suffered another disaster today as the SSP4 failed to return from an anti-submarine patrol and was assumed lost.
The SSP4 left the base at 1700 for the night patrol with a crew of tree Flight Commander William Frith Horner, Engineer Ernest Frank Anthony and Wireless Operator Rowland Charles Behn.
At around 1750 the SSP4 sent a message that they would be returning to base due to heavy snow. The base lights were put on facilitate the return of the ship. At 1810 another message was received from SSP4 requesting information on wind strength and direction. 10 minutes later another message from SSP 4 arrived asking for a destroyer to be sent to 72K and use searchlight.
At 18.50 Caldale received another request from SSP4 for weather conditions at the base. SSP 4 was told that a destroyer had been sent to the position 72K grid square on chart and was asked if they were having difficulties. SSP4 then started having communication problems as it could not receive messages from Caldale although Caldale could hear SSP4. SSP 4 started communicating through Peterhead.
At 1925 a new message arrived:
”Making no headway, ask Destroyers to search east of Orkney”
SSP 4 was lost and needing to get a position fix. To assist both Copinsay and Auskerry lighthouses on islands to the east of the main island were lit and destroyers and patrol boats sent out.
The lights and flares at Caldale were then put out as it was thought the airship would not arrive back for some hours.
At 2110 a message was intercepted from SSP4 to HMS the Campania:
”Despatch destroyer at full speed with searchlight to bearing 355 from Peterhead”
At 2200 the Admiral Commanding Orkney and Shetland (ACOS) sent the following message,
“Can you see any searchlights or shorelights”
By this time Caldale had restored communications with SSP4. The wireless operator estimated that the airship could be no more than 20 miles away from the base. 10 minutes later SSP sent the following:
“Send destroyer to Sanday, may not be able to get back”
At 2233, a message was received at Caldale from ACOS to be passed to SSP 4.
”Priority, you passed over Mull Head Papa Westray at 22.00. The lights at Caldale were lit again.
At 2315 a similar message was sent to SSP4
”Priority, you were over Skea Skerries at 22.45, ships in [Scapa] Flow are burning searchlights”
Nothing more was heard from the airship and at 0100 the lights at Caldale were turned off as the airship was known only to have enough fuel to last until midnight.
The next morning the wreck of SSP 4 was found at Tafts on the south shore of Westray but there was no sign of the crew. Various items including papers, charts, a boot, leather jacket and a glove were found still on board. The airship was salvaged and returned to Caldale. A subsequent court of enquiry determined that the SSP4 hit the water while the engine was still running. The crew likely abandoned the ship thinking it would sink. None of the crew were ever found.
This second accident led to the RNAS abandoning the base at Caldale as too dangerous and the remaining airships were moved to
Naval operations: ship losses
BOA VISTA (Portugal) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south west of the Île d'Yeu, Vendée, France (46°37′N 2°33′W) by SM U-89 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew. Survivors were rescued by Sauterelle ( French Navy).
CITY OF LUCKNOW (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 50 nautical miles (93 km) north east by east of the Cani Rocks by SM UB-50 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
ORNE(France) The coaster was sunk in the English Channel 25 nautical miles (46 km) west of Portland Bill, Dorset, United Kingdom by SM UB-54 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SPRO (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off the Glénan Islands, Finistère, France (47°36′N 4°04′W) by SM U-104 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of twelve crew.
STROMBOLI (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Gulf of Genoa off Cape Mele, Liguria (43°57′N 8°12′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 22, 2022 3:47:38 GMT
Day 1232 of the Great War, December 22nd 1917
Western Front
Germans drive in British advanced posts on Ypres-Staden railway.
Italian Front
Austrian massed attack carries hills near Valstagna.
Arab Revolt
Arabs under Sheikh Feisul capture Turkish troop train on Hejaz railway.
France: French Politician Joseph Caillaux, Advocate of Peace with Germany, Tried for High Treason
The French Chamber of Deputies voted on December 22 to strip former Minister of Finance Joseph Caillaux of his legal immunity and place him on trial for high treason. Caillaux, a member of France’s left-liberal Radical Party, had been a longtime critic of the military and an advocate of peace with the Central Powers. The ascension of Georges Clemenceau to power meant trouble for Caillaux. Clemenceau, an arch-hawk, hated Caillaux, as did many of the public who knew him as “l’homme de defaite.” Caillaux spent the rest of the war in prison waiting for a long-delayed trial, which eventually confirmed the three years he had already served.
United States
U.S. Army during the past two months has court-martialed over 100 American soldiers at Camp Merritt, New Jersey, for pro-German views and activities.
German occupied Belgium: Flanders Declares Independence
The Germans had been quite friendly with Flemish nationalists in Belgium for some time, knowing they were more open to cooperation with Germany and believing they could be useful in whatever role Belgium would play after the war. In February, they had authorized the formation of a Flemish Council, albeit as a purely consultative body. By December, with Russia exiting the war, the fate of Europe’s nationalities had taken center stage. Whatever would happen at Brest-Litovsk (where peace negotiations opened on December 22) would likely decide the fate of Poland and the Baltics; already Lithuania had declared independence in “perpetual union” with Germany, and others seemed likely to follow.
The Flemish Council, not wanting to get left behind by events in Eastern Europe, abruptly declared independence on December 22. The German response, however, was much cooler. Unlike in the East, the Germans had not won the war here; a possibility for a separate peace with Belgium remained, which Flemish independence would ruin. It might also make a general peace settlement more difficult, considering that Britain entered the war to secure Belgian neutrality. Not wanting to completely alienate their Flemish allies, however, the Germans called for new elections for the Flemish Council, to ensure that there was actual popular support for Flemish independence.
Aerial operations: A damp squib
In what turned out to be the final raid of 1917, a half-heated attempt to bomb the Kent coast took place around 1745 this evening. The raid consisted of one Gotha and two Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI “Giant” aircraft.
The Gotha flew over Westgate and, 15 minutes later, landed in a field at Margate, where the seven crew set fire to their aeroplane and surrendered to the police. Their explanation was that one of the Gotha’s engines had gone out of action and that the aeroplane had become almost unmanageable in the gusty wind. They dropped their bombs in the sea before reaching England to lighten the craft, but when that made no difference they were forced to land.
The two ‘Giant’ aeroplanes (Rfa500 and Rfa501) carried a total bomb load of 2,000 kg each, but none of these fell on land. Some of them were heard exploding in the sea between Ramsgate and Sandwich.
Eighteen RFC aircraft went up in search of the attackers but none saw anything of the enemy.
Aerial operations: RFC squadrons of the Palestine Brigade
Following the fall of Jerusalem, the RFC squadrons of the Palestine Brigade were divided as follows:
113 Squadron, working with the XXI Corps on the left, was at Deiran
14 Squadron, with the XX Corps on the right, was at Junction Station, which was also the head-quarters of the Fifth (Corps) Wing.
40 Army Wing, made up of 67 (Australian) Squadron and 111 Squadron, was at Julis.
21 Balloon Company had 50 section at Sarona with the XXI Corps, and 49 Section at Saris with the XX Corps.
The main work of the squadrons after the fall of Jerusalem was reconnaissance, but there was also some co-operation with the artillery and desultory bombing of enemy camps.
Today, as the XXI Corps had advanced north of Jaffa, the weather was fine and contact patrol observers had reported the main British and enemy movements.
With reports that the Turks were retiring, the squadrons of both wings were ordered to bomb the enemy. The main attacks were made on infantry and transport around Qalqilye and Jaljulye where air reconnaissances had reported some crowding. About three hundred light-weight bombs were dropped during the day by thirty-six aeroplanes, and about 7,000 rounds of ammunition were fired on the Turkish troops from low heights.
The retreating Turks were also shelled from the sea by destroyers and monitors. Infantry in Tabsor was also shelled by the Monitor, assisted by an aeroplane from 113 Squadron, and two hits among the soldiers were signalled.
Naval operations: ship losses
CLAN CAMERON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 23 nautical miles (43 km) south west of Portland Bill, Dorset by SM UB-58 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
COLEMERE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in St. George's Channel 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of the Smalls Lighthouse by SM U-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four crew.
MABEL BAIRD (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) west south west of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°57′N 5°17′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.
PIEMONTE (Italy) The cargo ship was damaged in the Gulf of Genoa south of Livorno, Tuscany by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was beached but was later salvaged.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 23, 2022 7:06:56 GMT
Day 1233 of the Great War, December 23rd 1917
Western Front
Fighting at Poelcapelle, near Epehy (south-west Cambrai) and Caurieres Wood (Verdun).
Germany
The Kaiser on the Almighty as a German ally.
Russia: Bessarabia declares Independence from Russia
When the Tsar abdicated in March 1917, the Russian empire began to fall apart. In fact, the nation had been falling apart for some time due to the inability of the Tsarist government to administrate it, and councils of local magnates, nobles, and landholders grouped together in zemstvos to organize administration and the war effort. These local groups proved very effective, and when the Republic fell to the Bolshevik coup, many continued to operate.
With no clear government of the country, many of Russia’s imperial holdings around the border decided to take matters into their own hands. Bessarabia, located on the frontier between Ukraine and Romania, declared its independence on December 23 as the Moldavian Democratic Republic.
Naval operations: Three British Destroyers Sunk by Mines
The Allied convoy effort in the Atlantic also extended to the North Sea, where regular convoys ran between Britain and the Netherlands and Norway. These convoys helped keep trade open with those countries and gave the British a powerful negotiating chip when attempting to restrict their trade with Germany. However, being so close to Germany, these were some of the riskiest routes; in October, a convoy to Norway was destroyed by German surface vessels.
In the wee hours of December 23, while waiting just outside Dutch territorial waters for merchant ships to join them, the destroyer HMS TORRENT struck a German mine. Only the previous day, another destroyer in the convoy had hit a mine on the way to the Netherlands, and had to be towed back to Britain by a second destroyer. Two other destroyers, the TORNADO and the SURPRISE, quickly went to TORRENT'S aid, but the TORRENT hit another mine and quickly sank. The destroyers that had come to help soon hit mines themselves and sank, leaving only one destroyer, the RADIANT. She attempted to recover what survivors she could, but with three ships sinking in a quick span and the risk of German mines still very present, she was only able to save 12 people; 252 were killed.
Naval operations: ship losses
CABOTO(Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Gulf of Genoa 20 nautical miles (37 km)north of Polpulonia, Tuscany by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
GRANTLEY HALL (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 4 (Walter Schmitz) and sank in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) east of Orfordness, Suffolk. Her crew survived.
HILDA LEA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 24 nautical miles (44 km) south by east of St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight by SM UB-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
PIETRO (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Puerto Mazarrón, Murcia, Spain (37°28′N 1°10′W) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
RAGNA (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 16 nautical miles (30 km) north west of the Cap de La Heve Lighthouse, Seine-Maritime, France by SM UB-54 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
VELLORE (Norway) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 24, 2022 10:24:17 GMT
Day 1234 of the Great War, December 24th 1917
Western Front
Mannheim (Rhine) heavily bombed by British airmen.
Eastern Front
German forces not sent west or to Italy being massed on southern and Romanian fronts.
Telegraph between Petrograd and south-west interrupted by Ukraine authorities.
Italian Front
Italians regain much of lost ground near the Brenta.
Enemy claims 9,000 prisoners in last two days.
Italian front: Italians Stop Final Austrian Push in the Alps Before Winter
The Austrians had been trying to outflank the Italian lines on the Piave by attacking through the mountains to the north. They ultimately fell just short near the Piave, with the last attack with German help being stopped with great cost on the evening of the 18th after capturing Mt Asolone. Further to the east, however, Conrad was determined to continue the attack, exploiting his success earlier in the month. If Conrad broke through, he would outflank both the Piave and the Brenta rivers, likely forcing a complete evacuation of northern Italy. On December 23, promising his troops a Christmas Mass in Venice, he launched a last fierce attack, preceded by a withering bombardment and gas barrage. Advancing two miles, he captured two major mountains and 9000 PoWs.
The next day, on Christmas Eve, the Italians counterattacked, capturing one of the two lost mountains and the bulk of the other. That evening brought the first heavy snowfall of the season, a month later than was expected. This would end Austrian efforts to break through from the mountains for the season, and with the Italians now backed up by the French and British, prospects for next year did not look much better.
French raids in Albania.
Canada
Starting today, Canada prohibits the importation of alcohol of more than 2.5%. Prohibition of liquor will follow in 1918.
Aerial operations: An early Christmas present
41 Wing RFC was established in October 1917 at Ochey with the purpose of finally realising the long held plans to bomb strategic targets in Germany. The Wing consists of 55 Squadron RFC (day), 102 Squadron RFC (Night) and 16 Squadron RNAS for long range.
Raids have been few and far between as the weather has been pretty bad and in fact no raid has been made since 1 November. Today, however, the weather improved sufficiently for 55 Squadron to mount a raid on Mannheim in their DH4s with the objective of bombing factories (including chemical works, aircraft engines, locomotives and rolling stock, submarine parts, and magnetos) and railways. .
At midday the DH4s appeared over Mannheim and dropped their bombs. One of the aircraft (A7465) took a hit from ground fire and was forced to land. The crew, 2nd Lieutenant George Frederick Turner and 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Frederick Castle were taken prisoner.
Another crew 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Southward Wilson and 2nd Lieutenant Leonard Cann in A5718 crashed with a tender on landing from the mission but survived unscathed.
According to German official reports no military damage was inflicted by this attack, but two civilians were killed and twelve wounded.
Naval operations: Belgium
British seaplanes bomb Bruges Docks and other aerodromes.
Naval operations: ship losses
CANOVA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk 15 nautical miles (28 km) south of Mine Head, Ireland by SM U-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seven crew.
DAYBREAK (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) east of the South Rock Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM U-87 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 21 of her crew.
LUCISTON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the English Channel 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) west by south of the Owers Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. She was beached was declared a total loss. The wreck was dispersed in December 1923.
HMS PENSHURST (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bristol Channel (51°38′N 5°48′W) by SM U-110 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two crew.
TURNBRIDGE (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 34 nautical miles (63 km) north east by north of Cape Ivi, Algeria (36°37′N 0°24′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 25, 2022 8:23:10 GMT
Day 1235 of the Great War, December 25th 1917
Italian Front
Heavy fighting continues on Asiago plateau for passage of Brenta river.
East Africa campaign
British pursue Germans 40 miles south of River Rovuma; latter broken up.
German submarine SM U-87, credited with sinking 22 ships during its career, is sunk with all 44 crew when it is rammed by the HMS Buttercup in the Irish Sea.
Austria-Hungary: Austria Deflects Russian Peace Term Proposals
With an armistice having been concluded, the Russians and the Central Powers now turned to the question of a final peace. Negotiations opened at Brest-Litovsk on December 22, with Joffe, Russia’s lead negotiator, proposing essentially a more detailed version of Russia’s basic peace proposal since the overthrow of the Czar–a peace without indemnities or annexations, and of self-determination for long-oppressed peoples. Czernin, the Austrian Foreign Minister, replied when the negotiations reopened on Christmas. He largely accepted Russia’s points in style, but in substance managed to work them into his favor. Self-determination, while important, should be a matter for each country to work out–Austria-Hungary’s complex problems with its nationalities was not a matter for the peace conference. Similarly, Germany’s colonies should be returned to her as part of a peace without annexations, and their future was an internal German matter.
Despite these caveats, the Russians still saw Austria’s response as a good sign–that the Bolsheviks, for example, might still have a free hand in the Ukraine, or even that Latvia or Lithuania could be returned for them to sort out. Privately, on the other hand, the Austrians were convinced that they needed Poland, at the very last, with Czernin telling Emperor Charles as much in a letter on the same day. The Germans had more expansive aims, and the next day told the Russians in no uncertain terms that they would continue to occupy what they had taken in the Baltic until peace was restored in Europe; afterwards, plebiscites would be conducted (under German supervision) to decide their future. This was not what the Russians were hoping for:
Joffe looked as if he had received a blow to the head….Pokrovsky said, with tears in his eyes, it was impossible to speak of a peace without annexations when about 18 [provinces] were torn from the Russian Empire. In the end the Russians threatened to break off the conference and depart.
U.S. involvement in the Mexican Revolution: Brite Ranch Raid
Mexico was a troublesome neighbor. The revolution that had begun in 1911 against the corruption of Mexico’s political elite worried the American government, particularly as violence occasionally spilled across the border. By 1915, the revolution was mostly over as the liberal Constitutionalists had conquered Mexico City and defeated their chief rival to the north, Pancho Villa. America had finally backed a contender for the Mexican government, Constitutionalist general Venustiano Carranza.
Yet violence continued to seep over into Texas. On Christmas day, 1917, a posse of Mexican raiders attacked a ranch on over the border. They shot dead four Americans and robbed a general store - they were Villistas, and their faction had been largely broken, reduced to mere banditry. However they did provoke a response by the American cavalry, who chased them back into Mexico, killed several, and recovered the stolen property. Far more of the American military had left the border, in training to go to France, where a few regiments of their fellows were already in the trenches. It was the last Christmas of the war.
Russia
Ukrainian People’s Republic of Soviets is proclaimed in Bolshevik-occupied Kharkiv. Most of Ukraine is controlled by the anti-Bolshevik Rada.
Naval operations: ship losses
AGBERI (United Kingdom) The Elder Dempster 3,463 grt ocean liner was torpedoed and sunk in St. George's Channel 18 nautical miles (33 km) north west of Bardsey Island, Pembrokeshire by SM U-87 ( Kaiserliche Marine) en route from Dakar to Liverpool. There were no casualties.
AJAX (Denmark) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay off Audiere, Finistère (47°53′N 4°32′W) by SM U-104 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eleven crew.
ARGO (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 18 nautical miles (33 km) north west of Cape Ténès, Algeria (36°42′N 1°01′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
CLIFTONDALE (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 36 nautical miles (67 km) east by north of Cape Ténès by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three crew.
ESPAGNE (Belgium) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel off St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom (50°26′N 1°29′W) by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 21 crew.
HELKA(Denmark) The coaster struck a mine laid by UC 53 (Kurt Albrecht) and sank in the Mediterranean Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) south west of Cape Palinuro, Italy (39°50′N 15°42′E) with the loss of thirteen of her crew.
NORDPOL (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Cape Cherchell, Algeria (37°02′N 2°02′E) by SM U-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SANT' ANTONIO (Italy) The barque was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria by SM UB-50 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
SM U-87 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type U 87 submarine was rammed in the Irish Sea by HMS BUTTERCUP and was then depth charged and sunk by the patrol craft PC-56 (both Royal Navy) with the loss of all 44 crew.
UMBALLA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Policastro 8 nautical miles (15 km) south of Cape Scala, Italy (39°46′N 15°39′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 26, 2022 8:43:40 GMT
Day 1236 of the Great War, December 26th 1917
Western Front
Hostile artillery activity near Vimy and east of Ypres.
Germans repulsed in Caurieres Wood (Verdun).
Italian Front
Big aerial fight 18 miles north of Venice.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
Palestine: Sharp fighting during night; British picquets attacked.
United Kingdom: Jellicoe Abruptly Sacked
Since November 1916, Jellicoe, who had previously commanded the Grand Fleet, had been serving as First Sea Lord, overall military head of the Royal Navy. However, he lacked the necessary political skills to truly excel in the post, and, rightly or wrongly, fallout over the failure to destroy the German fleet at Jutland still dogged him. Lloyd George, who became PM a month after he became First Sea Lord, never really liked him, and especially found his pessimism about the U-boat threat aggravating. He thought about dismissing him in July, but brought Churchill back instead (albeit as Minister of Munitions). Calls to remove him escalated again after the surface attack on the Norwegian-bound convoy in October, which Jellicoe’s detractors claimed he had not done enough to prevent, despite forewarning from Room 40.
On Christmas Eve, the First Lord of the Admiralty abruptly dismissed Jellicoe, with tacit backing from Lloyd George. The timing of the move was specifically conducted to ensure minimal political fallout, as few, even in Parliament, were paying attention to politics at Christmas. The move was made public on December 26, along with the announcement of his replacement, Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss, who had been serving as Jellicoe’s deputy. The more junior Sea Lords, intensely loyal to Jellicoe, threatened to resign when they heard the news, but Jellicoe had few friends elsewhere; the Army was not particularly enamored with him, and Beatty, now in command of the Grand Fleet, had been informed of the move beforehand.
United States
U.S.A. Shipping Board promises five million tons in 1918.
Aerial operations: Coastals clash
The various aircraft types have been doing their best to protect the convoys sailing from England. Often their presence is enough to cause u-boats to dive or call off attacks to avoid detection. The waters around the Cornish Coast were often too rough for seaplanes and much of the patrol work here is carried out by airships. In fact the base at Mullion was the busiest of all the airship stations during 1917 flying 2845 hours, sighting 17 submarines and bombing 12 of them.
Today, the Airship C23A left its base at Mullion around 1100 to patrol east of Falmouth to ensure that the way was clear for a convoy of 24 ships.
At 1420 the convoy was in line ahead with its escort of two destroyers and ten armed trawlers on the starboard side and the airship on the port side. At 1500 when the airship was steering east for the head of the line some distance away, one of the leading ships, the steamer Benito was hit by a torpedo.
The C23A moved at full speed towards the ship, which was about seven miles away, and three minutes later saw a second ship – the steamer Tregenna – torpedoed.
At 1510 the airship had reached the position, and within three minutes one of the ships sank. The other was abandoned. The airship continued to patrol between the derelict vessel and the convoy, and at 1540 spotted a torpedo breaking the surface astern of the last ship of the group. The airship located the beginning of the torpedo track and dropped two 100lb. bombs with delay-action fuses. The sea was rough and no results were observed. The airship crew kept watch over the rear of the convoy for another hour, but no trace of the U-boat was discovered. This also allowed the crews of both ships were rescued.
Subsequent records show that the attack was carried out by UB57, which sunk another ship on 28 December and clearly escaped unscathed.
Naval operations: ship losses
BENITO (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 9 nautical miles (17 km) south of Dodman Point, Cornwall (50°04′N 4°45′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
LYDIA (Portugal) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Faial Island, Azores (37°50′N 28°40′W) by SM U-157 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SKAALA (Norway) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) west of Prawle Point, Devon, United Kingdom (50°11′N 3°50′W) by SM UB-35 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
TREGENNA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 9 nautical miles (17 km) south of Dodman Point (50°04′N 4°45′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 27, 2022 3:45:17 GMT
Day 1237 of the Great War, December 27th 1917
Western Front
German attacks around the Verdun are repulsed by French defenders, although 100 French prisoners are taken.
Sinai and Palestine campaign: Turkish Counterattack on Jerusalem Quickly Repulsed
Before Christmas, Falkenhayn’s forces had been driven away from Jaffa, giving the British in Palestine a secure harbor to use for resupply, without having to trace supply back across the Sinai. Jerusalem was still not entirely secure, however, and the Turks attempted a counterattack with fresh forces on December 27. However, the British were well forewarned by deciphered radio intercepts, and had assembled their own force for a push north, whose own advance had only been delayed by heavy rains. The Turks were quickly repulsed and the British began to advance, securing Jerusalem’s flanks and forcing the Turks out of Ramallah.
Ukrainian War of Independence
Bolsheviks try to get Ukraine to fight Cossacks.
Russia: Bolsheviks Nationalize the Banks
Outside Russia, few knew who the Bolsheviks were. A group of German fifth-columnists, figured the British military. An unpopular set of radicals, doomed to be swept away as fast as Kerensky, figured the New York Times. Inside Russia, few understood who the Bolsheviks were either. The majority of Russia’s peasantry supported land reform and the Socialist Revolutionary party; Lenin’s group held sway only in the cities.
Yet already the Bolsheviks were changing Russia. Many of European Russia’s industrial cities had fallen into step with Lenin’s party, including Petrograd and Moscow. The forces which opposed the Bolsheviks were unorganized and around the peripheries, France and Britain were still officially allies. For now, Lenin, Trotsky, and other leading revolutionaries planned to go full steam ahead with their reforms. They were negotiating for peace with Germany, which meant they could begin their real war - the one against the bourgeoisie.
The first attack fell heavily on December 27 as the Bolsheviks nationalists Russia’s banks. If many wealthy Russians were shocked, Lenin did not believe hte issue so important. “Nationalisation of the banks,” he wrote, “would not deprive any “owner” of a single kopek, presents absolutely no technical or cultural difficulties, and is being delayed exclusively because of the vile greed of an insignificant handful of rich people. If nationalisation of the banks is so often confused with the confiscation of private property, it is the bourgeois press, which has an interest in deceiving the public, that is to blame for this widespread confusion.”
Naval operations: ship losses
ADELA (United Kingdom) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 12 nautical miles (22 km) north west of The Skerries, Isle of Anglesey by SM U-100 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 24 of her crew.
P.L.M. 4 (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 28 nautical miles (52 km) north east of Barfleu, Seine-Maritime by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 28, 2022 3:47:43 GMT
Day 1238 of the Great War, December 28th 1917
YouTube (Ludendorff Plans for a Spring Offensive)
Western Front
Much activity on both sides north of St. Quentin.
Italian Front
Enemy bridges at Zenson bend (lower Piave) destroyed.
Padua bombed, 13 killed, 60 injured.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
A final Ottoman attempt to recapture Jerusalem failed. The Ottoman army’s elite Yildirem Force, led by German General von Falkenhayn, attacked the line of villages north of the city on the previous day, reaching the town of Ramallah.
Falkenhayn, who had commanded the German attack on Verdun, failed to reach his objective amidst a staunch British defense. A further 1,000 casualties completed the destruction of the Yilderim army. The final tally for the Jerusalem campaign amounted to 18,000 killed, wounded, or missing on the British side, and 25,000 on the Ottoman.
United Kingdom
Labour memo on War Aims accepted in special Conference.
France
French war aims outlined by Foreign Minister.
United States: America Nationalizes the Railroads
The sudden need to assemble, transport, and supply the new US Army put heavy strains on the American railway system, and added to the ever-present labor disputes in the system. Attempts to better coordinate for the war effort ran into problems with anti-trust regulations, and a lack of central authority among government departments making requests for rail transport led to further confusion as they ordered ever-increasing priority for their shipments.
To relieve these issues, on December 28, President Wilson put all the nation’s railroads under federal control, which he was empowered to do by the previous year’s appropriations act. The move was to be a temporary measure, that would automatically be cancelled within two years of a final peace. The owners of the railroads would receive yearly compensation at least equal to the average of their three previous years’ incomes, and the government was to assume responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of the railroads.
The United States Railroad Administration was created, under the leadership of Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo (Wilson’s son-in-law). The USRA would coordinate the nation’s rail traffic, introduce standard equipment, eliminate inefficient or unnecessarily duplicated services, and raise both wages and ticket prices.
Aerial operations: upgraded to Brigade Status
Today 41 Wing RFC was upgraded to Brigade Status and will now be known as VIII Brigade. The Brigade’s purpose remains that of Long Range Bombing in Germany.
The move is entirely formal as the Wing still exists as a subordinate formation and consists of the same three squadrons (55 Squadron RFC (day), 102 Squadron RFC (Night) and 16 Squadron RNAS for long range). Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Louis Norton Newall, who has been in charge of 41 Wing since its formation, remains in charge but has been temporarily promoted to Brigadier General.
In fact the Brigade did not begin work as such until 1 February 1918 when an independent head-quarters was opened in the Chateau de Froville, near Bayon. No new squadrons were added until May 1918.
Naval operations: ship losses
ALFRED H. READ (United Kingdom) The pilot vessel struck a mine laid by UC 75 (Johannes Lohs) and sank in the River Mersey with the loss of 39 lives.
CHIRRIPO (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 75 (Johannes Lohs) and sank in Belfast Lough. Her crew survived.
CLARA (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel (50°11′N 5°36′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
DAUNO (Italy) The coaster was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea east of Benghazi, Libya by SM UC-73 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
FALLODON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 12 nautical miles (22 km) south south east of St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight (50°26′N 1°06′W) by SM UC-71 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
LORD DERBY (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in St. George's Channel 7 nautical miles (13 km) south west by south of St. Anns Head by SM U-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three crew.
MAGELLAN (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 166 nautical miles (307 km) north west of Cape Finisterre, Spain (43°10′N 13°32′W) by SM U-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
MAXTON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 28 nautical miles (52 km) north of Malin Head, County Donegal by SM U-19 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
HMT PISCATOTIAL II (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 71 (Ernst Steindorff) and sank in the English Channel 7 nautical miles (13 km) south west of Brighton, East Sussex with the loss of all ten of her crew.
ROBERT EGGLETON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in St. George's Channel 10 nautical miles (19 km) south west of Bardsey Island, Pembrokeshire by SM U-91 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
SANTA AMALIA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 30 nautical miles (56 km) north north east of Malin Head by SM U-19 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 43 crew.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 29, 2022 3:50:20 GMT
Day 1239 of the Great War, December 29th 1917
Western Front
Local German attacks south of St. Quentin and near Ypres-Staden railway.
Italian Front
Padua again bombed, three killed, three injured.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
Further British advance north of Jerusalem.
Netherlands: First British PoWs Arrive in Netherlands for Internment
The vast majority of prisoners of war were captured on the Eastern or Italian fronts, but a sizable number were also captured on the Western front as well, whether in the mobile first months of the war, in trench raids, as a result of desertion, or in the large battles of 1916 and 1917. On humanitarian grounds, both sides had agreed to prisoner exchanges of severely wounded soldiers via Switzerland. Switzerland had also agreed to intern ill soldiers (such as those with tuberculosis) who would still be able to perform war work if repatriated, in exchange for their free labor. Later, Swiss internment was expanded to those over the age of 48 (mostly officers) and those who had spent more than a year and a half in captivity. By the end of 1916, there were well over 20,000 prisoners so interned in Switzerland, and the Swiss were loath to accept more.
Eventually, the Netherlands agreed to accept PoWs for internment on a similar basis. The Netherlands already had a sizable population of internees who had crossed the border when Antwerp surrendered (including 1500 British soldiers from the Royal Naval Division) as well as the occasional German soldier who had gotten lost and crossed the border by mistake. On December 29, the first trainload of British PoWs from Germany arrived in the Netherlands. While the numbers involved were never large, more continued to trickle in for the remainder of the war.
France
French Chamber of Deputies adopts a resolution prohibiting the manufacture of gin.
United States
Efforts of U.S.A. Shipping Board bent on steel ships.
US Generals slam the War Department for the shortage of arms, as soldiers are training without guns.
Finland
Finnish Republic asks for recognition.
Russia
Bolsheviks seize all banks.
German Naval Mission under Admiral Kaiserling arrives at Petrograd.
Aerial operations: Nineteen
The weather improved today on the Western Front, although the snow remained on the ground, and visibility remained poor. hampering artillery co-operation work. Photographic work and bombing was more successful including attacks on Ingelmunster and Staden aerodromes.
19 Squadron RFC are based at Ballieul as part of 11 Army Wing and provided air cover for these operations. Like their 1 Squadron colleagues, they are also saddled with an obsolete aircraft in the SPADVII. They got into a scrap with German pilots from Jasta 3 shortly after 1000 near Houthulst Forest and claimed seven enemy Albatrosses out of control. Major Albert Desbrisay Carter claimed one, and Lieutenant John G S Candy attacked another which was diving on Major Carter from behind and shot it down out of control. Lieutenant Arthur Bradfield Fairclough destroyed one and shot down a second out of control, and Lieutenant John Dartnell De Pencier hit one which fell out of control, while Captain Patrick Huskinson shot down two out of control. German records suggest that none of claims actually resulted in any losses.
19 Squadron did however lose one of its own aircraft when 2nd-Lieutenant Howell Elias Galer was shot down and taken prisoner in his SPADVII (B6780). Leutnant Carl Menckhoff from Jasta 3 claimed the victory.
Naval operations: German Naval Mission Arrives in Petrograd
Throughout 1917 the Germans had been closing in on Petrograd, conquering their way to the Russian capital through the Baltics. On December 29 they finally arrived - but not as conquerors. As a sign of goodwill and to further the peace negotiations taking place between the Bolshevik government and the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk, a German naval mission arrived at Petrograd that day.
A regiment of soldiers was paraded to demonstrate Russia’s enthusiasm for peace. Behind the the talk of peace there was also tension, however. The Germans could not have failed to note the aggressive way the Bolsheviks referred to both the Central Powers and the Entente as “imperialists,” nor fail to note that Russian officers had been stripped of all their insignia of rank.
Naval operations: ship losses
ENNISMORE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 15 nautical miles (28 km) south east of Buchan Ness, Aberdeenshire (57°17′N 1°25′W) by SM UC-58 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of ten of her crew.
Patria (Russia) The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea 8 nautical miles (15 km) off Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom by SM UB-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
PEREGRINE (United Kingdom) The passenger ship ran aground in the North Sea 14 nautical miles (26 km) off Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. All 88 people on board were rescued by the Walton Lifeboat.
HMT SAPPER(Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 71 (Ernst Steindorff) and sank in the English Channel off the Owers Lightship ( United Kingdom) (50°37′N 0°41′W) with the loss of all nineteen crew.
TIRO (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 7 nautical miles (13 km) north west by west of The Lizard, Cornwall, United Kingdom (49°56′N 5°23′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
|
|
lordroel
Administrator
Member is Online
Posts: 68,024
Likes: 49,424
|
Post by lordroel on Dec 30, 2022 8:30:44 GMT
Day 1240 of the Great War, December 30th 1917
Western Front
South of Marcoing (Cambrai) British regain portions of Welsh Ridge.
Italian Front
French storm Austrian trenches east of M. Grappa.
Padua again bombed.
Sinai and Palestine campaign
British continue advance north; take Bethel, etc.
United States
Tuskegee Institute releases report that 38 African Americans were lynched in the United States this year.
Cold weather and a coal shortages cause two riots in break out in New York City.
United Kingdom/France relations: Churchill Denies French Request for Tanks
While First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill had been one of the strongest advocates for what would come to be known as tanks, founding the “Land Ships” Committee in early 1915. While he would be ousted before their first use in battle, he would be vindicated by their first major success, the massed tank attack at Cambrai in November 1917. As Minister of Munitions since July, Churchill had effective control over new tank production, and believed that a massive increase in their use would help win the war; this often led to disputes with his former colleagues in the Admiralty over the supply of steel. Thinking in the long term, he would eventually call for the production of nearly 9000 tanks by September 1919, which could launch a decisive war-winning offensive (if the war were still going on by then).
In December, the French, seeing the great results at Cambrai, requested 200 tanks from the British, for delivery by March 1918. The French did have their own tanks, but they tended to either be too light (and thus easily taken out by German gunfire) or too heavy (and thus too unwieldy to use on the shattered battlefields of the Western Front). Churchill, wanting to build up a large force of tanks, and knowing that 200 tanks could not possibly make a difference by themselves, denied the request on December 30.
Aerial operations: HMS ARAGON
The RFC suffered one of its largest losses of life in one day during the war today as 75 men were killed.
The loss was part of a larger disaster when the troopship HMT ARAGON was sunk by a torpedo. The ship had arrived at Alexandria at daybreak on Sunday 30 December accompanied by the destroyer HMS ATTACK. On approach to the port the Attack zig-zagged ahead to search the channel for mines while Aragon waited in Alexandria Roads. At this point the armed trawler HMT POINTS CASTLE approached ARAGON flying the international flag signal “Follow me”. The troop ship did so, until ATTACK returned and signalled “You have no right to take orders from a trawler”.
The destroyer intercepted POINTS CASTLE and then ordered ARAGON to return to sea. The troop ship obeyed and turned back to sea. Later investigation was unable to make sense of this order. Explanations such a lack of space in the port or a concern for mines have never been proved conclusively.
Regardless, the decision proved costly as shortly afterwards the ARAGON was hit by a torpedo from u-boat UC34. The torpedo caused extensive damage to the almost empty number 4 hold and the ship listed heavily starboard.
The ATTACK and the POINTS CASTLE immediately came to the rescue. ATTACK drew right alongside ARAGON to take survivors aboard as quickly as possible. After about 20 minutes the ARAGON went down.
The ATTACK was now crowded with 300 to 400 survivors. At this point a second torpedo hit the ATTACK blew the ship into two pieces, both of which sank rapidly, at the same time spilling tons of bunker fuel oil into the sea.
The ARAGON’S surviving lifeboats now ferried hundreds of survivors to trawlers which had come out to assist.
20 crew members from the ARAGON including the Captain were drowned along with 10 from the Attack. 610 of the troops on the Aragon were also killed.
Naval operations: ship losses
HMS ATTACK(Royal Navy) The Acheron-class destroyer was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Alexandria (31°18′N 29°49′E) by SM UC-34 ( Kaiserliche Marine) whilst rescuing survivors from ARAGON( United Kingdom). Ten of her 70 crew were killed.
HERCULES (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east north east of Whitby, Yorkshire (54°32′N 0°39′W) by SM UB-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of twelve of her crew.
JOACHIM MUMBRU (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Madeira, Portugal (31°17′N 17°20′W) by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
ZONE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off St. Ives, Cornwall (50°16′N 5°29′W) by SM U-110 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
|
|
