Diary November 21, 1917

11-1917, Diary WWI, War Diary, Year 1917 / 1 minute of reading

British reserves are waiting in the trenches.

World War One Diary for Wednesday, November 21, 1917:

Western Front

Cambrai: British advance to Cambrai resumed and with 12 tanks captures Cantaing (300 PoWs) and Tadpole Copse; 2 tanks and 6th Division recapture Noyelles. At Fontaine-Notre Dame they are only 2 1/2 miles from Cambrai, but tiredness, fuel and ammo shortages telling. German 20th Division recaptures Moeuvres on north flank.
Aisne: French storm salient on Craonne Plateau south of Juvincourt, beat off counter-attack on November 22.

Air War

Cambrai: German aircraft strafe BEF 62nd Division as it advances on Bourlon Wood (and on November 22).
Salonika: Local Top German fighter pilot Lieutenant Eschwege (20 victories), ‘Eagle of the Aegean’ killed by explosive-packed balloon (3 British balloons attacked since October 28).

Eastern Front

Russia: Bolsheviks radio C-in-C General Dukhonin to negotiate armistice. Trotsky tells Petrograd Soviet ‘We make a formal offer to commence peace negotiations and to conclude an armistice’.

Sea War

Channel: Dover Straits deep minefield (Varne-Cap Gris Nez) partially laid with night illumination and 80-100 patrol vessels, but 21 U-boats get through until December 8.
Mediterranean – Allied naval conference in Rome (Weymss, Bon, Calthorpe, Revel): British offer 1,200 mines and minelayers; French offer to send submarines to Upper Adriatic; Otranto Barrage to be reinforced.

About The Author

Kretaner

My name is Norman 'Kretaner' and since my childhood I am interested in history and strategy games. Later, I have learned programming and the development of computer games, and finally with the Internet, also web design. I'm in the fortunate position to combine all my interests with my work and to live on a place of my choice, on Crete. All information, figures, specifications and statistics used here had been compiled from a variety of sources and the large, over decades collected, library of the author about military history, WW2 and weapons.