Diary April 30, 1918

standard Fokker Dr I triplane
A standard Fokker Dr I triplane in 1918.
World War One Diary for Tuesday, April 30, 1918:

Air War

Western Front: 180 German triplanes available. Allied April losses 232 aircraft and 16 balloons to Germans’ 136 aircraft.
Britain: Since April 27 flights of obsolete DH6s on anti­-U-boat patrol.

Western Front

Flanders: Ludendorff halts Operation Georgette. OHL decides on major diversionary offensive (Goerz) against French designed to draw Allied reserves south from Flanders. Once achieved, a further heavy attack will be mounted to encompass BEF’s destruction.
France: During April 118,000 US troops sail for France, BEF losses 143,168 soldiers, only 48 of 61 divisions battleworthy.

Eastern Front

USSR: Ex-Tsar and family brought to Ekaterinburg in the Urals.
Finland: Red Western Army cut in half by German-White Guard attacks.
Russia: ­By now 386,000 Austro­-German PoWs returned home. Turkestan Soviet Republic proclaimed.

Middle East

Palestine – Second Trans­-Jordan ‘Raid’ (until May 4): Chauvel’s 13,000 men with 66 guns vs 9,000 Turks and Germans and c.70 guns. 60th Division and NZ Mounted Brigade only take first line of Turk Nimrin position east of Jordan, 3rd ALH (Australian Light Horse, mounted infantry) Brigade captures Es Salt (Turk Fourth Army HQ) but 4th ALH Brigade checked at Jisr-ed-Damieh bridge.
South Persia – Sykes’ Mission: 3,344 British troops and 7,898 South Persia Rifles (292 British-Indian officers and NCOs).

Sea War

Atlantic: U-boat sinks Canadian Pacific liner SS Oronsa.
Irish Sea­: Royal Navy convoy sloop Coreopsis gunfire sinks coastal submarine UB-85 in Northern Channel.
Allied and neutral shipping losses to U-boats in April: 112 ships (67 British with 488 lives) worth 273,355t (215,543t British from all causes); German U-boat figure 134 ships worth 300,069t including 43 ships worth 80,126t in Mediterranean; 6 U-boats sunk.

Oval@3x 2

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