The Great War (1914-1918) in real time

Day 1318 of the Great War, March 17th 1918

Western Front

Big German raid north-east of Verdun.

Western Front: German Deserters Reveal Plans of Coming Attack

There was grumbling in the 16th (Irish) Division on St. Patrick’s Day 1918 that they had not been relieved from front-line duty. Both the 16th and their Ulster cousins in the 36th Division composed part of the British army’s forward zones of defense in the Somme region near St. Quentin. But most battalions found the time for some relaxation, football, and feasting, although there was still work to be done manning defenses and keeping the Germans on edge. The 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers raided the German trenches that night uneventfully, but on the way back over No-Man’s Land was struck by British shells falling short, killing one man and wounding five others.

British battalions commanders kept their units busy raiding the German lines that week to find out the extent of their preparations for a coming attack. Yet even though prisoners were taken, few British soldiers were aware that almost one million German troops had arrived at the front, ready to smash a hole in the Allied armies in several days. Even the capture of some German deserters eager to talk did not reveal just how soon and how hard the attack would come. Although HQ was “on edge,” many battalions continued to occupy themselves with planting vegetables and other not-so-urgent tasks, rather than building up the new British defense-in-depth that still needed much work to be fully battle-ready.

Ukrainian War of Independence: Germans Capture Black Sea Shipyards

Only days after capturing Odessa, on March 17 the Germans entered the main (formerly) Russian Black Sea shipyards at Nikolayev. There they captured many ships the Russians had been constructing, including one dreadnought, the DEMOKRATIIA (formerly the EMPEROR NICOLAS I). She was still perhaps two-thirds complete, however; unrest in the shipyards in 1917 had slowed construction until the Provisional Government finally halted construction in the last days before the October Revolution. The Germans had little desire to spend resources on completing a dreadnought on the wrong side of Europe, and did not restart construction before the war’s end. The Germans would certainly have loved to have captured either of Russia’s two intact dreadnoughts in the Black Sea (the third having capsized in 1916), which would be at least useful to harass Allied forces in the Aegean; both of them were still safe (for now) with the remainder of the Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol.

United States

White House announces it will cancel its annual egg rolling for Easter to conserve food. Other groups in the U.S. also urge people to observe an eggless Easter.

Aerial operations: Germany

British aircraft continue their daylight raids against Germany, hitting the barracks and railway station at Kaiserslautern, Bavaria.

Naval operations: ship losses

ANNE YVONNE (France) The sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the English Channel 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) off Cadgwith, Cornwall, United Kingdom (49°59′N 5°10′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

AEVOR (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the English Channel 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) north east of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°59′N 5°10′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

BEATA (France) The sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the English Channel 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) north east of The Lizard (49°59′N 5°10′W) by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

CRESSIDA (United Kingdom) The steam yacht was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 16 nautical miles (30 km) west by north of The Skerries, Isle of Anglesey (53°23′N 5°05′W by SM U-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three crew.

ELIZA ANNE (United Kingdom) The ketch was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 33 nautical miles (61 km) south by west of the Eddystone Lighthouse by SM UC-75 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

GUADALQUIVIR (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (33°10′N 9°37′W) by SM U-154 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

IVYDENE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 36 nautical miles (67 km) north of Cape Bougaroni, Algeria (38°49′N 6°32′E by SM UB-52 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.

SEA GULL (United Kingdom) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 7 nautical miles (13 km) off Point Lynas, Anglesey by SM U-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of twenty crew.

SOUTH WESTERN (United Kingdom) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 9 nautical miles (17 km) west by south of St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight by SM UB-59 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 24 of her crew.

TRIPOLI (Italy) The passenger ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Capo Figari, Sardinia (41°07′N 9°57′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

WAIHEMO (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 37 (Otto Kümpel) and sank in the Aegean Sea off Piraeus. Her crew survived.

Day 1320 of the Great War, March 19th 1918

Ukrainian War of Independence

Germans still advancing in Ukraine.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

Small British advance in coastal sector of Palestine.

United Kingdom

The House of Lords debates on the principles of the League of Nations, with Lord Landsdowne stating it was the only guarantee of future peace.

United States

President Wilson signs the Standard Time Act, which implements daylight savings time and institutes time zones in the United States.

Aerial operations: Trenchard Resigns

You would have thought that with the imminent formation of the Royal Air t everyone would be working hard to make it a success. Unfortunately, relationships at the new Air Ministry have become more and more strained.

The problem lies primarily with e relationship between Lord Trenchard, Chief of the Air Staff and Lord Rothermere, Air Minister.

Trenchard had accepted the post of Chief of the Air Staff reluctantly on 18 January 1918. Lord Rothermere did not like General Douglas Haig, in commend of British Forces, and was opposed to his offensive policy. Trenchard was loyal to Haig and only accepted the post with Haig’s blessing.

In post, Trenchard continued to clash with Rothermere. Rothermere tended to ignore his military advisers in favour of outside experts. Secondly,

The two also clashed over the role of the RAF. Rothermere wanted to expand his empire and make the RAF as large as possible whereas Trenchard saw his role, as he always had done, as supporting the Arrmy to win the war. Taking men needed elsewhere was as anathema to Trenchard, as was any attempt to take away support for the army in favour of long range bombing.

Trenchard and Rothermere became increasingly estranged and in mid-March when Trenchard discovered that Rothermere had promised the Navy 4000 aircraft for anti-submarine duties. This was a ridiculous promise as such aircraft were not available, but for Trenchard even making the offer was totally wrongheaded. Yesterday, Trenchard and Rothermere exchanged letters. Today, failing to gain any satisfaction, The following day Trenchard sent Rothermere a letter of resignation.

Rothermere asked him to remain, but Trenchard only agreed to defer his resignation until after 1 April when the RAF officially cAME into being.

Naval operations: ship losses

BURNSTONE (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 44 nautical miles (81 km) north of the Farne Islands, Northumberland by SM UB-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.

GIOVANNI ALBANESI (Italy) The barque was shelled and sunk in the Gulf of Naples (40°25′N 13°17′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

LINZ (Austria-Hungary) The ocean liner sank in the Adriatic Sea on 20 February or 19 March 1918 after she hit a mine.

SAN FRANCESCO DI PAOLO (Italy) The sailing vessel was scuttled in the Gulf of Naples 70 nautical miles (130 km) west of Naples (40°40′N 13°48′E) by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

LUXOR (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 27 nautical miles (50 km) west by south of St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

Day 1322 of the Great War, March 21st 1918

Western Front: Operation Michael

At 4:40AM on March 21, German artillery opened a barrage with no warning along a fifty-mile stretch of front, across from the British Third and Fifth Armies. Erich Kubatzki, a German artillery observer recalled:

Within seconds of the bombardment opening, we could see sparks and columns of fire in the enemy trenches and their rear area. A terrific roar, an immense noise greeted the young morning. The unbearable tension eased. We were ourselves again and knew that it had come off all right. In the past the French and the Tommies had bombarded us for seven days without a pause; we would now do it in five hours. We laughed and looked happily at each other. Words were useless; the hell of the inferno outside saw to that. There was only lightning and noise.

The experience on the other side of no-man’s land was far less joyful. Private T.C.H Jacobs recalled:

The sense of isolation really got me now. We were trapped in a stinking mud hole filled with gas-laden fog, no adequate fire-step and no protecting wire. All we could do was crouch there in the mud and wait, stunned by noise and concussion. As time dragged on without any let-up in the bombardment, fear was replaced with weary exasperation. I recall thinking, “For Christ’s sake, pack it up, Jerry. Come over and fight, you bastards.” At the same time I was sane enough to realize that while all those shells were falling we were safe from infantry attack.

The fog and mist that day (contributed to by German gas shells) did prevent artillery spotters from correcting artillery fire, so the bombardment was not as accurate as it could have been; it did, however, conceal the German troops as they advanced at 9:40AM. In most places, the Germans quickly took the British first line with little resistance. In part, this was due to the success of the bombardment or pre-emptive retreats; in many places (especially in the south) however, there was never much of a continuous front line to begin with. Those few locations that held out soon found themselves alone in the fog, surrounded by Germans, with little hope of relief.

In two hours, the Germans had taken nearly fifty miles’ worth of the British front line, and had killed, wounded, or captured nearly 30% of the British Fifth Army. The Germans then put in their second wave of troops and moved their artillery up to start hitting the second British line immediately. Here, resistance stiffened, but the Germans were still able to take large sections of it throughout the afternoon, threatening to isolate the surrounding sectors which held out. The Germans had deliberately not attacked the Flesquières salient, the result of the Battle of Cambrai, hoping to encircle it and capture entire British divisions; while they failed at doing so on the first day, it was still gravely threatened at nightfall and General Byng was reluctant to withdraw from it entirely. The most problematic sector was at the far southern end of the line, which the British had only taken over from the French two months earlier; there, the second line had been breached entirely and a general withdrawal was ordered. Soon, the British forces to the north and French forces to the south would be forced to withdraw as well to avoid breaches in the front.

Photo: Advancing in the "Spring Offensive" through the Somme wasteland



East Africa campaign

Official report of fighting 22 February 1918 at Msalu (Portuguese East Africa) and of occupation of Nampula by column from Mozambique.

Germany

This day was the Imperial German Army's worst single day. 10,851 Killed In Action (KIA), 28,778 WIA, 300 taken POW for a total of 39,929 Casualties.

Kaiser Wilhelm: “We are at the decisive moment of the war, and one of the greatest moments in German history.”

United Kingdom

London and southern counties of England will institute a curfew for 10:30 pm, when all theatres and shops must close and restaurants and hotels cannot serve hot meals, as a measure to conserve fuel and power.

Aerial operations: Michael

Operation Michael, the long awaited German Offensive exploded into action today. Despite knowing it was coming, the British forces were mostly taken by surprise. The Germans were partially aided in this by the poor weather which had laid down ground mist and prevented much in the way of air reconnaissance last few days.

The British air forces had been provided with orders for the offensive but the weather, which prevented most flying in the morning, and the surprise of the German attack threw most of these into disarray. In fact the first many of the British forces knew of the attack, the Germans had already passed the front line trenches and were into second and third lines.

The Germans too were limited by the weather in the air support they could give to the attacking troops. The German plan had envisaged growing support from 5he aircraft but in the end little of this materialised. In the south the mist was heavy and the German forces were able to make inroads into the British 5th Army line. Air patrols were limited by the fog but those that did report significant advances by German troops. The weather was slightly better in the north where the 3rd Army was able to put up some resistance. Air activity increased here in the afternoon as the Germans attempted to establish superiority and the British attempted to find out what was going on. Fighter Squadrons from 1st Army were diverted to assist in the 3rd Army area.

Captain Douglas Harold Oliver and 2nd Lieutenant William Hastings Leighton from 59 Squadron were critical in identifying the German’s proximity to Vaulx-Vraucourt before their RE8 (B6547) was hit by a shell and they were forced to land.

There’s no doubt that the Germans had the better of the air battle and 37 British aircraft were forced out of the battle. Despite this, only one loss resulted in fatalities when an Armstrong Whitworth FK8 from 8 Squadron crashed behind enemy occupants 2nd Lieutenant Cyril Barnet Banfield and 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Kneller were badly wounded and later died of their injuries. Lieutenant Arthur Thomas Isbell from 41 Squadron was also taken prisoner when his SE5a (B698) was shot down.

The advance was such that many of the advanced aerodromes were threatened and many squadrons had to make plans to move. In the even only 5 Squadron RNAS was forced to move after their aerodrome was destroyed by bombing.

Naval operations: Flanders coast

Great activity off Flanders coast: Dunkirk bombarded by German destroyers, Ostend by British monitors; two destroyer actions, three enemy vessels sunk.

Naval operations: ship losses

SMS A7 (Kaiserliche Marine) The A1-class torpedo boat was shelled and sunk in the North Sea off Zeebrugge, West Flanders, Belgium by HMS MORRIS( Royal Navy) and/or BOUCLIER and CAPITAINE MEHL (both French Navy) with the loss of 23 of her crew.

SMS A10 (Kaiserliche Marine) The destroyer was rammed and sunk in the North Sea off Zeebrugge by HMS BOTHA( Royal Navy).

BEGONIAS (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 44 nautical miles (81 km) north of Wolf Rock, Cornwall (49°13′N 5°40′W) by SM UB-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

DANTE C (Italy) The vessel was sunk in the Gulf of Naples by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

IKEDA (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 7 nautical miles (13 km) west of the Brighton Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

TERMINI (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Aegean Sea off Milos, Greece (36°49′N 24°21′E) by SM UC-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

TYRHAUG (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) north east of the Pendeen Lighthouse, Cornwall (50°19′N 5°36′W) by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.

Day 1324 of the Great War, March 23rd 1918

Western Front

Germans take Monchy-le-Preux, cross Tortille river (between Bapaume and Peronne), capture Peronne and Ham, and reach line of Somme.

French troops enter battle on British southern wing.

Photo: Photograph of a camouflaged British BL 6-inch Mk XIX field gun of 484 Siege Battery R.G.A., towed by a Holt tractor along the Bapaume-Albert Road, France. March 23 1918



Photo: Men of the Royal Garrison Artillery unloading 12-inch howitzer shells. Near Bapaume, 23 March 1918



Photo: 8 Men of the Royal Garrison Artillery unloading shells at an artillery dump near Bapaume, 23 March 1918



Photo: Men of the Royal Garrison Artillery loading shells from an ammunition dump into lorries. Near Bapaume, 23 March 1918. Note camouflage netting on shells



Western Front: Bombardment of Paris by long-range guns (74 miles) begins

Two days after the German offensive against the British began, there were mysterious explosions throughout Paris. The first assumption was an air raid by German Gothas or Zeppelins, but unlike on the Somme, skies were clear in Paris and no planes were in sight, leading to wild speculation about the cause of the explosions. By the end of the day, however, the army had realized that they were caused by German shells fired by an unprecedentedly large artillery piece, firing from a range of 75 miles away. The projectiles from this “Paris Gun” rose to a height of 25 miles in flight, by far the highest any altitude any human-made object had ever reached. As a result, the ballistics calculations necessary to hit Paris needed to fully take into account the Coriolis effect from the rotation of the earth to have a chance of anything resembling accuracy.

Photo: The German Paris Gun, also known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Gun



Even so, the gun was still highly inaccurate, basically hitting random targets in Paris no more than once every half hour with 264-pound shells. Despite this, Ludendorff was ecstatic that evening, believing that Operation Michael had defeated the British and the Paris Gun would destroy French morale; champagne toasts were drunk at OHL that evening. Apart from an acceleration in the rate of civilian evacuation from Paris, the gun had little of its desired effect, only serving to anger the French more and giving them a nice propaganda tool as the “barbarous” Germans continued their shelling of the City of Light.

British air-raid on Konz (near Treves) by night.

Germany

Russian and Romanian treaties adopted by Reichstag.

Aerial operations: Radio direction finding

Away from the war, the RNAS has still found time to experiment in improving aircraft technology. At RNAS Cranwell, a team has been working on the development of airborne radio direction finding.

The process has already been used by ground stations established in England and France to detect and track the direction of Zeppelins and bombers, but the question is whether it’s possible to use the same system for an aircraft to navigate by.

Essentially the system is the same, in that the radio operator will attempt to establish his bearings by distance from a number of radio beacons. These were set up south of England in February 1918 at Poldhu, Ipswich, Chelmsford, Stonehaven and Horsea Island. It was decided not to test the system in France in case the technology fell into enemy hands.

At the same time, a suitable transmitter was designed for a Handley Page 0/400 and personnel trained in its operation. The transmitter consisted of a rotating coil which enabled the bearings to joe taken without turning the aircraft. At this time the size of the coils (5 feet tall) meant only a large aircraft such as the Handley Page was suitable.

Today the first test flight took place, with Squadron Commander Harold Frederick Towler, successfully navigating a flight from RNAS Cranwell to the Air Station at Stonehenge.

Despite this early success, the system never really advanced much further during the war. The unreliability of the aircraft and the need for specialist crews hampered development and the military authorities were reluctant to introduce the concept unless it would provide a decisive advantage.

Naval operations: ship losses

AULTON (United Kingdom) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 9 nautical miles (17 km) south east by east of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland by SM UB-83 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.

CHATTAHOOCHEE (United States) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 28 nautical miles (52 km) south of Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom (49°39′N 5°23′W) by SM UB-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

ETONIAN (United Kingdom) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 34 nautical miles (63 km) south by east of the Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork by SM U-61 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seven crew.

JANE GREY (United Kingdom) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Irish Sea 14 nautical miles (26 km) north west by west of the Smalls Lighthouse by SM U-101 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

MADAME MIDAS (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 38 nautical miles (70 km) west south west of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°27′N 5°28′W) by SM UB-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

MaR BALTICO (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel (49°17′N 5°05′W) by SM UB-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

HMT NEW DAWN (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 17 (Erich Stephan) and sank in the English Channel off The Needles, Isle of Wight with the loss of three of her crew.

VENBORG (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 25 nautical miles (46 km) north of Ouessant, Finistère, France (48°55′N 5°02′W) by SM UB-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

Day 1326 of the Great War, March 25th 1918

Western Front: Germans Redirect Offensive South; French Consider Withdrawal to Protect Paris

The plan behind the German Spring Offensive was to drive a wedge between the British and French armies. The British could be isolated and destroyed, whereupon the French would surrender. That meant any German breakthrough should head north, rolling up the British lines to the sea. But that is not what happened.

The greatest success on March 21 had come in the south, where Crown Prince Wilhelm’s army had struck the British Fifth Army where it connected with the French. Wilhelm now asked for permission to exploit his advance. Technically, he was meant to be hold the flank while two other armies went north to hit the British. But because he had punched through the furthest, and because he was the Kaiser’s son, he received reserves and permission to keep driving forward.

This change of emphasis made the French, not the British, the new focus of the attack. This greatly aided the British by allowing them to muster reinforcements and reform their positions. But now it also threatened to cause the Allied crisis the Germans wanted. A massive German artillery gun was now shelling Paris and the French worried the British would retreat, maybe even back across the Channel. There was talk in England of a possible German invasion. Petain and Haig squabbled; the French commander was considering breaking contact with the British and falling back to defend Paris.

Photo: British 60 pounder gun firing near La Boisselle on 25 March 1918



Photo: First Battle of Bapaume (Operation Michael). A 60 pounder Mark II battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery in action in the open near La Boisselle, 25 March 1918. Note a line of soldiers resting in the foreground



Photo: Mark V tanks of the 2nd Tank Battalion halted in Aveluy, 25 March 1918. Numerous isolated soldiers are passing up and down the road



Western Front: American Engineers To Fight on the Somme

The situation of the British Fifth Army was growing increasingly desperate. On March 25, they were thrown back another four miles across a twenty-three mile front, and the Germans entered Bapaume and Noyon. Despite the symbolic value of the latter to French PM Clemenceau (whose paper continually reminded its readers that “les allemands sont toujours à Noyon“ until Operation Alberich), the French had provided only eight divisions to check the southern flank of the German advance and did not want to provide more; the first gap opened between the Fifth Army and Fayolle’s French forces on the same day.

Desperate for any troops he could find, General Gough ordered his chief engineer, Major General Grant, to form a force from whatever engineers or other typically non-combat he had available. Soon, Grant had assembled a force of around 3000 men from a variety of sources–British tunnelers, Canadian engineers, American bridge-builders, and other soldiers who had returned from leave during the battle and could not easily get to their own units. In the coming two weeks, the force would help defend the approaches to Amiens from the Germans.

The around 500 Americans in Grant’s force would be the only notable American contribution to the battle, despite desperate appeals for aid. Pershing and Pétain met late that night, asking for American troops to be used to help plug gaps where needed. Pershing refused, even in this moment of crisis, to break up his unified American force; he was willing to put all four divisions he had available into the battle, but doing so would have been logistically infeasible. Ultimately, the Americans just relieved French divisions who were then diverted elsewhere.

Sinai and Palestine campaign

British take Es Salt.

Mexico

Mexican rebels cross the Texas border and raid a ranch, killing two. This is the last major attack by Mexican rebels on U.S. soil.

Naval operations: ship losses

HMT BORDER LADS (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off the mouth of the River Tyne by SM UB-78 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her crew.

CARLO SPLENDOR (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Strait of Messina by SM UB-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

DESTRO (United Kingdom) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south west of the Mull of Galloway, Wigtownshire (54°34′N 4°45′W) by SM U-96 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of six of her crew.

FRANCESCO ANTONIO AIELLO (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Strait of Sicily by SM UC-67 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

HERCULES (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) north north west of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire by SM UB-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.

L'IINZIATORE (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Strait of Sicily (37°30′N 11°45′W) by SM UC-67 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

PARTENOPE (Regia Marina) The minelayer was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Bizerta, Algeria (37°53′N 10°10′E) by SM UC-67 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

RiO AVE (Portugal) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 100 nautical miles (190 km) off Madeira (38°33′N 18°08′W) by SM U-155 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

Day 1328 of the Great War, March 27th 1918

Western Front: German Offensive Slows

After six days of the offensive, the Germans had advanced over thirty miles against the British Fifth Army. On March 27, they pushed the French out of Montdidier, cutting off a key rail connection to Amiens. To the north, they were only twelve miles from the city. The gap between the French and the remnants of the British Fifth Army had still not been plugged. But the German advance showed signs of slowing. Fayolle’s French forces checked the Germans just past Noyon, and the British slowed the Germans near Rosières. Looting also became a widespread problem–when the Germans entered Albert on the morning of March 27, they spent a considerable portion of the day feasting and drinking on the captured stores there. What they found was quite a bounty for soldiers who had been chafing under the British blockade for years, but the looting caused further delays. The abundance also disheartened the soldiers; the U-boat campaign had clearly not hurt the English as much as the blockade had hurt them. Finally, the further the Germans advanced, the longer their supply lines became–not everything could be replenished by looting. Reinforcements and ammunition had to come over longer and longer roads increasingly torn up by German trucks with metal wheels (rubber being in short supply). Many of the supply lines now traced through the destroyed ground of the Somme battlefield of 1916, as well. And, with Foch now in charge, the French were bringing in more reinforcements daily.

Photo: German prisoners, some of them wounded, and British infantrymen resting on the roadside in Bouzincourt, 27 March 1918



Photo: A battery of 18-pounder guns of the Royal Field Artillery passing through Mailly-Maillet to meet the German advance, 27 March 1918



Photo: A 6-inch Mark VII gun of the Royal Garrison Artillery in action near Hedauville, 27 March 1918



Russia: Bolsheviks Allow Czechoslovak Legion to Depart Russia

Russia had deserted its commitment not to make a separate peace with the Germans and dropped out of the war. But there were still thousands of men in Russia at war with the Germans. There were a few bands of “White” Russians, who remained loyal to the Allied cause and made war on the Bolsheviks. But the largest group of men in Russia who refused to make peace was the Czechoslovak Legion.

The Czechs were a Russian army corps formed out of Hapsburg prisoners of war. There were some 50,000 Czech troops still under arms in Russia when the Bolsheviks made peace. Eager to keep fighting against their imperial oppressors, the Czechs pledged their loyalty to the French and asked permission from Lenin to leave Russia. On March 26 Lenin gave his consent and gave the Czechs trains to journey across Siberia to Vladivostok, where they would board transports for America, and then on to France and the Western Front.

The British, however, demanded that the Czechs head west, not east and fight the Germans and Austrians in Russia. They would join the small force of Royal Marines that had just landed in Murmansk, with Lenin’s permission. A compromise was worked out: most the Czechs would journey west in trains to Vladivostok, others would remain in Russia to form the nucleus of an Allied army on the Eastern Front.

Naval operations: ship losses

ALLENDALE (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 52 nautical miles (96 km) south by west of The Lizard, Cornwall (49°50′N 5°50′W) by SM U-101 ( Kaiserliche Marine with the loss of a crew member.

BEIRA (Portugal) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean (34°10′N 14°35′W) by SM U-154 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

CARLO P. (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 30 nautical miles (56 km) north of the Galite Islands, Tunisia by SM UC-54 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

Castrenzo Coppola (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Naples by SM UC-53 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

HMS KALE (Royal Navy) The E-class destroyer struck a naval mine and sank in the North Sea.

WATAUGA (United Kingdom) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 450 nautical miles (830 km) west by north of Lisbon, Portugal (38°54′N 18°24′W) by SM U-155 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five crew.

Day 1330 of the Great War, March 29th 1918

YouTube (Backs To The Wall - All Eyes On Amiens)



Western Front

No serious fighting north of Somme. Between Somme and Avre Germans continue to advance, taking Hamel, Mezieres and Demuin.

French hold line west of Mezieres-La Neuville-Sire Bernard-outskirts of Montdidier.

Continued French counter-attacks on southern flank.

Germans claim 70,000 prisoners and 1,100 guns since opening of offensive.

General Foch appointed to co-ordinate action of Allied Armies.

Photo: Horse-drawn 60 pounder guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery passing along Clermont-Compiegne road, 29 March 1918



Western Front: Paris Gun Kills 91 In Good Friday Church Service

The Germans’ “Paris Gun” continued its random shelling of Paris while the German armies attacked the British to the north. Its deadliest day came on March 29, when a shell hit the roof of the St-Gervais-et-St-Protais Church during one of its Good Friday services. The whole roof collapsed, killing 91 and injuring 68. More than a third of the total deaths caused by the Paris Gun came from that single shell. While it did frighten the Parisian population, the Good Friday attack on Paris mainly served to increase hatred of the Germans. The French Socialist leader said in Parliament: “At the moment when women, children and he aged were imploring Heaven to end this horrible butchery, the roof of the church, shattered by steel, responded with blood to their prayers.”

Photo: The aftermath in St-Gervais-et-St-Protais



Germany

Germans ratify Brest-Litovsk treaty of 3 March.

Ottoman Empire

Turks ratify peace with Russia and Ukraine.

Naval operations: ship losses

PORTO SANTO (Portugal) The cargo ship foundered in the Aegean Sea off Antimilos, Greece, possibly after striking a mine laid by UC 37 (Otto Kümpel) . Her crew survived.
HMT Swallow (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date.

T. R. THOMPSON (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 7 nautical miles (13 km) south of Newhaven, East Sussex by SM UB-57 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 33 of her crew.