Year 1916

Diary for Monday, April 17, 1916: Southern Fronts Dolomites: Italian mine exploded (night April 17-18), kills 100 Austro-Hungarians and 160 PoWs made as Colonel di Lana taken, but later assaults […]

Diary for Sunday, April 16, 1916: Western Front Flanders: British trench raid south of Bethune-La Bassee road. Eastern Front Baltic Provinces: Russian Twelfth Army Chief of Staff orders secret police,

Diary for Saturday, April 15, 1916: Middle East Mesopotamia, Kut: Air food supply drops start (9 planes max) drop 16,800lb (­until April 29) in 140 flights. 3rd Division takes Bait

Diary for Friday, April 14, 1916: Eastern Front Western Russia – First Battle of Lake Naroch ends: Russian losses 122,000 (including 12,000 frostbite deaths), German 20,000. STAVKA planning conference with

Diary for Thursday, April 13, 1916: African Fronts East Africa: 800 South African horse troopers pursue c.200 Germans for 20 miles in rain and occupy Salanga; 190 animals lost to

Diary for Wednesday, April 12, 1916: Politics Britain: German Lusitania medal published in Britain; photos sent to US, published 7 May, propaganda replica later sold for duration. Germany: Government replies

Diary for Tuesday, April 11, 1916: Southern Fronts Corfu: Serb Army begins embarking for 4-day voyage to Salonika (all shipped until May 31) in Anglo­-French transports without being attacked once.

Diary for Monday, April 10, 1916: Air War Ypres: German anti-aircraft fire downs Royal Flying Corps Morane Parasol from 8,000 ft. Western Front Champagne: German Alpenkorps (from ex-Macedonian Front) receives

Diary for Sunday, April 9, 1916: Western Front Verdun – Germans launch major costly and mainly repulsed assault: Mort Homme forward trench line entered. Petain issues famous Order of the

Diary for Saturday, April 8, 1916: Home Fronts France: 400 St Chamond tanks ordered by War Ministry. During April Colonel Estienne in command of first assault artillery unit (Schneider tanks)

Diary for Friday, April 7, 1916: Eastern Front Reception at German GHQ (Kovno) to mark Hindenburg’s 50 years military service. Tsar inspects Ninth Army at Kamenets-Podolsk, meeting Brusilov there (until

Diary for Thursday, April 6, 1916: Middle East Mesopotamia – First Battle of Sannaiyat (until April 8): 7th Indian Division charges into a ‘torrent of death’ three times, gains only

Diary for Wednesday, April 5, 1916: Western Front Verdun: Germans take Haucourt, but are repulsed at Bethincourt. Meuse: German floating mines detonated in river at St Mihiel. Middle East Mesopotamia

Diary for Tuesday, April 4, 1916: Western Front Verdun: German attack on French centre fails; French advance in Caillette Wood. Somme: Micheler put in command of French Tenth Army. Argonne,

Diary for Monday, April 3, 1916: African Fronts East Africa: Deventer’s South African Mounted Brigade (1,200 men with 8 guns) begins 150-mile surprise advance from Arusha on Kondoa Irangi in

Diary for Sunday, April 2, 1916: Air War Britain: German air ships L14 and L22 bomb Leith and Edinburgh (aiming for Rosyth naval base and Forth Bridge); 37 casualties from

Diary for Saturday, April 1, 1916: Western Front German Army forms 200 independent MG units (16 guns each), 83 get 18 guns by October 1916. First 10,000 British gas shells

Diary for Friday, March 31, 1916: Western Front In April German Army ration strength 6,767,144 soldiers and c.8,000 MGs in service. Verdun: French evacuate Malancourt and also lose ground at

Diary for Thursday, March 30, 1916: Western Front Verdun: German attacks at Fort Douaumont and Malancourt. France: British GHQ leaves St Omer for Montreuil. Sea War Black Sea: U33 sinks

Diary for Wednesday, March 29, 1916: Home Fronts Russia: Reforming War Minister General Polivanov resigns after Tsarina and Rasputin’s intrigues; General Shuvaev succeeds. Japan: ­War Minister Lieutenant General Oka resigns,