Diary January 28, 1918

Sea War

Dardanelles: HM Submarine E14 (11 survivors PoWs) mined and sunk off Kum Kale in vain attempt to torpedo Goeben. (Lieutenant Commander G S White posthumous Victoria Cross in only Royal Navy vessel to have 2 captains with VC).
Spain: U-boat torpedoes SS Giralda, Government protests on February 6.

Eastern Front

CIVIL WAR IN FINLAND (until May 15): 9 Red Guard battalions take Helsinki but Mannerheim seizes Vaasa and Russian garrisons (5,000 PoWs, 37 guns, 34 MGs, 8000 rifles for 20 casualties until January 31). Sovnarkom decrees the formation of Worker-Peasant Red Army.
Southern Russia­: Reds fight Ukrainians at Lutsk.
Don: Cossacks mutiny and depose Kaledin.
Baltic Provinces: ­Baron Dellinghausen invites Germans to occupy Estonia.

Air War

Britain: 233 casualties in moonlight raid on London (night January 28-29) by 3 of 13 Gothas sent (7 attack, 1 lost) and 1 Giant of 2. 8,100lb bombs dropped. Record 103 defence sorties (1 Bristol Fighter lost to Giant R12, 1 Sopwith Camel shot down by own anti-aircraft fire); Hackwill and Banks of No 44 squadron in Camels shoot down Gotha GV at Wickford, Essex; Banks’ Camel is special (3-gun) model with illuminated Neame ring­sight. 660lb bomb from R12 hits London Odhams Press, Long Acre (118 casualties of night’s total 233).
Western Front: All British aircraft leaflet-dropping stopped (until October 31); balloons instead.

Home Fronts

Germany: Great 400,000-strong peace strike in Berlin (until February 4).
Russia: Lenin orders ‘Send grain, grain and again grain! Otherwise Petrograd will starve to death … for God’s sake!’
Rumania: Bratianu Cabinet resigns.