Diary October 17, 1914

Australian infantry embarking
Australian infantry at Melbourne embark on the transport that will take them to the Western Front.
War Diary of World War One for Saturday, October 17, 1914:

Western Front

Flanders: ALLIED OFFEN­SIVE ENDS with capture of Herlies and BEF 4th Division entry into Armentieres. New German Fourth Army (Württemberg), including 8 newly raised ‘schoolboy’ divisions with III Reserve Corps from Antwerp and a Marine division begin to advance west from line Courtrai-Ostend towards Yser and Ypres. British II Corps occupies Aubers and Ridge, reaches Givenchy-Festubert-north of Aubers next day, nearest to La Bassee for 4 years.

Home Fronts

Australia: 1st AIF (20,226 men) embarks for France.
Russia: Council of Ministers passes order for 30 large US locomotives.

Eastern Front

Poland: Crisis of battle, Russian reinforcements save city of Warsaw.

Sea War

North Sea: 4 German destroyers (abortive mine laying sortie) sunk (31 survivors, 200 casualties) off Dutch coast (Texel) in chase by cruiser Undaunted and 4 destroyers (5 casualties). Abortive U­-boat operation against Scapa Flow.
Baltic: E1 (Laurence) and E9 (Horton), former vainly attacks German cruiser Victoria Luise next day, are first British submarines to enter this sea on October 19, going on to Libau (on October 21 and 22) and Helsinki. E11 (Nasmith) forced to return to Harwich, where it arrives at October 24.
Pacific: ­Japanese cruiser Takachiho torpedoed and sunk (271 dead) by German torpedo boat S90 off Tsingtao, which scuttles herself thereafter.

Neutrals

USA: 25,000 people visit a two-day-long German festival at St Louis and spend $20,000 war relief.

Oval@3x 2

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