Year 1917

World War One Diary for Monday, December 31, 1917: Western Front British took 1,018 PoWs and 4 guns. 183,896 AEF (American Expedition Force) personnel now in Europe. Sea War Allied […]

World War One Diary for Sunday, December 30, 1917: Southern Fronts Piave: French 47th Division (259 casualties) recaptures Mt Tomba in 25 minutes with nearly 1,564 PoWs. Austrians forced to

World War One Diary for Saturday, December 29, 1917: Home Fronts Britain: National Labour Convention demands general rationing. Churchill letter ‘I am strongly pressing that the cavalry should be put

World War One Diary for Friday, December 28, 1917: Air War Western Front: ­Royal Flying Corps ace McCudden shoots down 3 LVGs in 20 minutes (4 kills on December 23).

World War One Diary for Thursday, December 27, 1917: Middle East Palestine: Turk counter­attack towards Jerusalem fails 3 miles north astride Nablus road despite fresh 1st Division. Deciphered radio message

World War One Diary for Wednesday, December 26, 1917: Air War Italy: Large air battle 18 miles north of Venice, 9 of 30-40 Austrian aircraft shot down bombing Istrana airfield

World War One Diary for Tuesday, December 25, 1917: Africa Mozambique: British patrols pursue Germans 40 miles south of river Rovuma. Lettow receives Christmas dinner from his officers. Eastern Front

World War One Diary for Monday, December 24, 1917: Sea War Britain: Jellicoe resigns as First Sea Lord at Geddes’ request (made public on December 26). Admiral Sir W Wemyss

World War One Diary for Sunday, December 23, 1917: Southern Fronts Italian Front: French Tenth Army C-in-C Fayolle informs Foch that Italians ‘had recovered their spirit and wanted to fight’.

World War One Diary for Saturday, December 22, 1917: Western Front Britain: Lieutenant-General Sir R Maxwell BEF QMG since January 1915 resigns; succeeded by Lieutenant-General Sir T Clarke. France: General

World War One Diary for Friday, December 21, 1917: Western Front Alsace: Fierce clashes at Harmannsweilerkopf, Germans ejected. Eastern Front Russia: Antonov, People’s Commissar for War, made C-in-C ‘for the

World War One Diary for Thursday, December 20, 1917: Middle East Palestine – Battle of Jaffa (­until December 22): XXI Corps’ 8,100 men and 88 guns surprise cross river Auja

World War One Diary for Wednesday, December 19, 1917: Air War Britain: Air defences finally told of Giant bomber, codenamed Bertie, after its eight raid. Sea War Channel: New Dover

World War One Diary for Tuesday, December 18, 1917: Southern Fronts Piave: Austrian 4th Division captures Mt Asolone (5315 ft) with 2,000 PoWs and view of plains below, farthest Austrian

World War One Diary for Monday, December 17, 1917: Home Fronts Britain: Lord Rhondda says ‘Food queues must be stopped’, rationing probably inevitable. No post to neutrals, except to PoWs