Diary December 1, 1918

American military musical band in Cochem
An American military musical band in Cochem on the Moselle.
World War One Diary for Sunday, December 1, 1918:

Western Front

BEF and AEF cross pre-1870 German frontier: British Second Army (11 divisions plus 1st Cavalry Division) cross between Oudler and Eupen. US Third Army (243,707 men) enters Trier at 0530 hours. Foch in London urges a grand Confederation of the Rhine: ‘All the French, Belgian, Luxembourg and Rhenish provinces. With a population of 54 million it will counter-balance the 65 to 76 million over the Boches’ Rhine.’ Both Lloyd George and Bonar Law oppose as it will create ‘another Alsace and Lorraine’. Foch obtains permission to extend Armistice and to exact further pledges if necessary. He urges British to keep 10 divisions in Occupied Territory even after peace signed and another 10 in Belgium and France.

Sea War

North Sea: 8 U-boats surrender at Harwich (total now 122); 62 seaworthy boats left. Total of 176 surrender; Britain gets 105, France 46, Italy 10, Japan 7, US 6, Belgium 2.

Politics

Britain: Clemenceau, Foch, Italian Prime Minister Orlando and Baron Sollino arrive in London for Allied Conference (until December 3).
Rumania: King Ferdinand re-enters Bucharest in triumph. 100,000-strong National Assembly of Rumanians in Hungary proclaim union with Rumania at Alba Julia (Transylvania), form Provisional Government on December 2.
Italy: Rome Conference votes to annex Fiume, Sibenik, Spoleto etc.

Neutrals

Holland: German Crown Prince renounces all rights to Prussian and Imperial crowns, but connives at officers’ rescue plot which Dutch foil on December 5.

Home Fronts

Britain: RFP down 4% to 29%. Car drivers allowed to travel freely within 30 miles of home (unlimited distance on December 16).
USA: First troops return to New York in British liner Mauretania (3,798 return on December 23).

Oval@3x 2

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