Western Front
Britain: Supreme War Council recommend BEF take over more of French sector, and creation of general Allied reserve (January 23). British War Office orders reduction in battalions per division from 12 to 9 thus disbanding 141 battalions and 2 cavalry divisions until March 10 to compenÂsate for insufficient reinforceÂments (200,000 instead of 615,000 requested).
SommeÂ: British Fifth Army relieves French in St Quentin sector (completed January 14).
Ypres: British trench raid.
Eastern Front
Britain: Government assures Bolsheviks she supports an independent Poland.
Ukraine: Central Powers and Bolsheviks recognize Ukraine as separate state.
Don: Independent Republic declared under General Kaledin.
Rumania: After request on January 6, 3 Rumanian divisions cross river Pruth into Bessarabia, enter capital Kishinev on January 26.
Politics
Britain: Balfour Edinburgh speech ‘the horrors of war … are nothing to .. a German peace’, House of Lords adopts women’s suffrage clause.