Łukasz Skowroń
Author
(1516)1916
January
- 08
- Key eventEnd of the evacuation of GallipoliOn the night of 8–9 January 1916 the last British troops sailed from Helles. After eight months of fighting the Gallipoli campaign ended in Allied defeat.
- End of the Battle of Sheikh SaadOn 8 January 1916 Aylmer's exhausted troops did not renew their attack at Sheikh Saad. The Turks withdrew in the night; the British had lost about 4,000 men.
- 10
- Entente notifies Greece of the transfer of the Serbs to CorfuOn 10 January 1916 the Entente ministers in Athens told Greece that the remnants of the Serbian army would be shipped from Albania to the Greek island of Corfu.
- Key eventAustrians capture LovćenOn 10 January 1916 Austro-Hungarian infantry reached the summit of Lovćen, the Montenegrin mountain fortress above Kotor. The road to Cetinje lay open.
- 13
- Greece refuses consent to the occupation of CorfuOn 13 January 1916 the Skouloudis government protested at the French occupation of Corfu, citing its perpetual neutrality. The Entente did not yield.
- Russians take KangavarOn 13 January 1916 Baratov's corps took Kangavar in western Persia after hard fighting, routing Kanitz's detachments and the Turkish battalion supporting them.
- 14
- Fighting on the WadiOn 14 January 1916 the British found the Turkish trenches on the Wadi empty. The Turks slipped away to the Hanna defile; the Tigris Corps lost over 1,600 men.
- Percy Lake appointed commander in MesopotamiaOn 14 January 1916 Gen. Percy Lake, chief of staff of the army in India, was appointed commander in Mesopotamia in place of the gravely ill Gen. John Nixon.
- 15
- Möwe captures the AppamOn 15 January 1916 the raider Möwe captured the British liner Appam off Madeira. A German prize crew took her with prisoners to the United States.
- Serbian government moves to BrindisiIn mid-January 1916 Pašić's government left threatened Scutari and sailed to Brindisi in Italy. A few days later it moved on from there to Corfu.
- King Peter leaves SalonikaOn 15 January 1916 King Peter I of Serbia sailed from Salonika on a French warship. He went to take a cure at the spa of Edipsos on the Greek island of Euboea.
February
- 10
- Military Service Act comes into forceOn 10 February 1916 the British Military Service Act came into force. Single men had three weeks to come forward or to apply for exemption from conscription.
- German memorandum on armed merchant shipsOn 10 February 1916 Berlin told the neutrals in a memorandum that from the end of February armed enemy merchant ships would be treated as warships.
- 16
- Key eventRussians capture ErzurumOn 16 February 1916 Cossacks rode into Erzurum, left by the Turks. The fall of a fortress thought impregnable was Russia's greatest success in the Caucasus.
- War Office takes over air defenceOn 16 February 1916 the air defence of London passed from the Admiralty to Field Marshal John French, and soon after that of the whole country.
- War Office takes over the Mesopotamian campaignIn mid-February 1916 control of operations in Mesopotamia passed from the Government of India and the India Office to the War Office in London.
- 17
- Pro-Austrian Albanians occupy BeratIn mid-February 1916 Essad Pasha's men gave up Berat. The town was taken by Albanian units allied with the Austrians, and soon the Bulgarians appeared there.
- Germans cross into Spanish GuineaOn 17 February 1916 Kamerun's governor told Berlin he had taken refuge in Spanish Muni with his whole force. The last units had crossed two days earlier.
- 21
- Key eventStart of the Battle of VerdunOn 21 February 1916 more than 1,200 German guns opened fire on the French positions at Verdun. A battle began that lasted until December 1916.
- Macready leaves the BEF staffOn 21 February 1916 General Nevil Macready ceased to be Adjutant-General of the BEF. He had handled its manpower since the first days of the war in France.
- 23
- Portugal seizes German shipsOn 23 February 1916, at Britain's request, the Portuguese seized 36 German and Austrian ships that had lain in the Tagus off Lisbon since the start of the war.
- Robert Cecil becomes Minister of BlockadeOn 23 February 1916 Asquith announced that Lord Robert Cecil, with Cabinet rank, would direct the whole blockade of Germany. So the Ministry of Blockade arose.
- 29
- Action between Alcantara and GreifOn 29 February 1916 the armed merchant cruiser Alcantara fought the German raider Greif off Shetland. Both ships sank and more than 200 sailors died.
- Lifting of the blockade of KamerunOn 29 February 1916, after the end of the fighting in Kamerun, the Allies lifted the blockade of its coast, declared in April 1915.
- Germany will not postpone submarine warfareAt the end of February 1916 Berlin told Washington it would not defer its orders against armed ships. Intensified submarine warfare took effect from 1 March.
March
- 06
- Newton Baker becomes US Secretary of WarOn 6 March 1916 Wilson announced that the new US Secretary of War would be Newton Baker, former mayor of Cleveland, seen as a pacifist. He replaced L. Garrison.
- Sepahsalar becomes prime minister of PersiaIn early March 1916 Mohammad Vali Khan Tonekaboni, the Sepahsalar, hero of the 1909 revolution and advocate of accord with Russia, became Persian premier.
- 12
- End of the fighting at Latema NekAt dawn on 12 March 1916 the British saw their own men on the Latema ridge. The Germans had left the pass during the night and fallen back towards Kahe.
- Reports of the capture of KerendAccording to British sources, on 12 March 1916 the Russians took Kerend on the Kermanshah–Baghdad road. They did not hold it: in April the Turks defended it.
- 14
- British retake SollumOn 14 March 1916 General Peyton's troops entered Sollum unopposed, and the Duke of Westminster's armoured cars routed the fleeing Senussi forces.
- Dismissal of Alfred von TirpitzIn mid-March 1916 Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, creator of the German navy, left office after losing the dispute over submarine warfare.
- 15
- Austria-Hungary breaks off relations with PortugalOn 15 March 1916, six days after the German declaration of war, Austria-Hungary broke off diplomatic relations with Portugal. Its minister left Lisbon.
- Key eventAustria-Hungary at war with PortugalOn 15 March 1916 Austria-Hungary followed Germany and broke with Portugal. The two were now at war, though by contemporary sources with no separate declaration.
- 16
- Sudanese troops enter DarfurOn 16 March 1916 Kelly's mounted units left En Nahud for the Darfur border. By the end of March they held the wells of Umm Shanga and Jebel el Hilla.
- Roques replaces GallieniOn 16 March 1916 the gravely ill Gallieni resigned as Minister of War. His successor was General Pierre Roques, 1st Army commander and an old friend of Joffre.
- Russians take MamahatunOn 16 March 1916 a Russian outflanking detachment entered Mamahatun on the Erzurum–Erzincan road, taking 800 prisoners and five guns, per Allen and Muratoff.
April
- 17
- Key eventRussians capture TrebizondIn mid-April 1916 the Turks abandoned Trebizond, the chief port of northern Anatolia, without a fight. On 18 April General Lyakhov's Russians entered it.
- Italy announces economic reprisalsOn 16 April 1916 Sonnino announced in the Chamber a decree on reprisals against enemy subjects' property. Trade with Germany was not yet fully banned.
- 18
- Fighting at Beit AiessaOn 17 April 1916 the British took the Turkish position of Beit Aiessa on the Tigris. They beat off a big night counter-attack but lost 1,600 men and stalled.
- US note on the SussexOn 18 April 1916 Washington threatened to break with Germany unless it gave up its present submarine warfare methods. Next day Wilson addressed Congress.
- 20
- Sinking of the AudOn 20 April 1916 the Libau, disguised as the Norwegian Aud, brought arms for Irish rebels. The British intercepted her, and on 22 April her crew scuttled her.
- Arrest of Roger CasementOn 21 April 1916 the German U-19 landed Roger Casement on Banna Strand, a beach in Ireland. A few hours later he was detained by the police.
- 24
- Key eventOutbreak of the Easter RisingOn 24 April 1916 the Irish Volunteers and the Citizen Army seized central Dublin. Patrick Pearse read the proclamation of the Irish Republic at the GPO.
- Mine barrage off the Belgian coastOn 24 April 1916 Admiral Bacon's ships laid a double line of mines and a belt of mine nets off Zeebrugge against the submarines from Flanders.
- 26
- Key eventSykes–Picot AgreementOn 26 April 1916 Russia and France exchanged secret notes. Russia accepted the Anglo-French plan to partition Asiatic Turkey and secured Armenia for itself.
- News of an agreement on prisoners in SwitzerlandThe British chronology records on 26 April 1916 an agreement to send sick prisoners of war to Switzerland. Other sources point to the beginning of May.
May
- 03
- Loss of Zeppelin L 20On 3 May 1916 the airship L 20, out of fuel after a raid on Scotland, crashed in a fjord near Stavanger. Norway interned the crew.
- First executions of the Rising's leadersAt dawn on 3 May 1916 Patrick Pearse, Thomas Clarke and Thomas MacDonagh, sentenced by court martial, were shot in Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol.
- 09
- Anglo-French exchange of notes on Asia MinorOn 9 May 1916 French ambassador Paul Cambon sent Grey a note with terms for dividing Ottoman lands. It was the French text of the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
- German attack on Kondoa IrangiOn the night of 9–10 May 1916 Lettow-Vorbeck's askaris stormed van Deventer's positions at Kondoa Irangi several times. Every attack was beaten off.
- 15
- Blockade of the Hejaz coastIn mid-May 1916 British warships began blockading the ports of the Hejaz. The blockade was requested by the Sharif of Mecca himself, who was preparing a revolt.
- Russians halt before KhanaqinIn mid-May 1916 Baratov stood before Khanaqin but did not take it. The Turks were bringing reinforcements from Kut and the Russians were told not to attack.
- 31
- Key eventStart of the Battle of JutlandOn 31 May 1916 the Grand Fleet and the High Seas Fleet clashed off Jutland. By day the British lost three battlecruisers but cut off the Germans' way home.
- Entente protest over Fort RupelAt the turn of May and June 1916 France and her allies took the surrender of Fort Rupel as the end of Greek benevolent neutrality and warned of consequences.
June
- 05
- Key eventStart of the Arab RevoltOn 5 June 1916 the sons of the Sharif of Mecca, Ali and Faisal, proclaimed near Medina the Arabs' independence from the Turks. Thus began the Arab Revolt.
- Key eventDeath of KitchenerOn 5 June 1916 the cruiser Hampshire, carrying Lord Kitchener to Russia, struck a mine off Orkney. The war minister died with almost all the crew; 12 survived.
- 21
- Russians take RădăuțiOn 21 June 1916 Petrograd announced the capture of Rădăuți in southern Bukovina. Terek Cossacks had passed through it a day earlier, pursuing the Austrians.
- Entente ultimatum to GreeceOn 21 June 1916 the ministers of France, Britain and Russia demanded that Greece demobilise, form a non-party government and hold elections. Athens gave in.
- Zaimis prime minister of Greece againOn 21 June 1916 King Constantine entrusted the government to Alexandros Zaimis, who accepted all the Entente's demands and formed a cabinet of officials.
- 30
- End of the battle of the StrypaThe British chronology ends the battle of the Strypa on 30 June 1916. Bothmer held the upper Strypa, and Shcherbachev's last big attack had failed on 21 June.
- New agreement with the Netherlands Overseas TrustAt the end of June 1916 London and the Netherlands Overseas Trust extended rationing to further goods, among them cocoa, tin, hides and asbestos.
July
- 01
- Key eventFirst day on the SommeOn 1 July 1916 the British and French attacked on the Somme. The French and the British right succeeded, but the British Army lost 57,000 men.
- First RFC contact patrolsOn 1 July 1916 over the Somme, RFC airmen closely followed the infantry's advance, watching for flares and flashing mirrors. Such trials dated from 1915.
- Ottoman troops retake KermanshahOn 1 July 1916 the Ottoman XIII Corps entered Kermanshah, abandoned overnight by Baratov's Russians. Persian nationalists returned to the city.
- 07
- British occupy TangaOn 7 July 1916 an Indian force entered Tanga unopposed, where the British had been defeated in 1914. The Germans withdrew, wrecking the port and railway.
- Lloyd George becomes Secretary of State for WarIn early July 1916 David Lloyd George succeeded Kitchener at the War Office. Yet he had little influence on strategy, which was decided by General Robertson.
- 14
- Key eventBattle of Bazentin Ridge beginsAt dawn on 14 July 1916, after a night approach and five minutes of shelling, the British took the German second position from Longueval to Bazentin-le-Petit.
- Inter-Allied financial conference in LondonOn 14–15 July 1916 Entente representatives met in London on financing the war. Russia sought new British credits for purchases abroad.
- Warsaw city council electionsOn 14 July 1916 voting ended in the Warsaw city council elections called by the German occupiers. Councillors were elected in six curiae.
August
- 11
- British take MpwapwaOn 11 August 1916 van Deventer's division entered Mpwapwa after two days of marching and fighting. The German rearguard held the hills and slipped away.
- Russians take Stanisławów againOn the morning of 11 August 1916 Lechitsky's Russian Ninth Army entered Stanisławów, abandoned overnight by the Austrians after a lost four-day battle.
- Italians land at SalonikaOn 11 August 1916 General Petitti di Roreto's Italian 35th Division began disembarking at Salonika. A fifth national contingent joined Sarrail's army.
- 19
- Sinking of HMS Falmouth and HMS NottinghamOn 19 August 1916 Scheer's fleet sailed for Sunderland and the Grand Fleet put out to meet it. No battle followed, but U-boats torpedoed two cruisers.
- Battle of Florina endsOn 19 August 1916, after a failed counter-attack at Banica, the Serbs withdrew to the hills above Lake Ostrovo. There the Bulgarian offensive began to bog down.
- 27
- Key eventRomania declares war on Austria-HungaryOn 27 August 1916 a crown council approved Romania's entry into the war. That evening its envoy handed a note in Vienna and troops crossed the Carpathians.
- Russians enter DobrujaOn 27 August 1916, the day Romania entered the war, the first units of Zayonchkovsky's Russian corps crossed the Danube into Dobruja.
- 29
- Key eventHindenburg becomes Chief of the General StaffOn 29 August 1916 Wilhelm II dismissed Falkenhayn. Hindenburg became Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army, with Ludendorff as his deputy.
- Romanians take BrașovOn 29 August 1916 the vanguard of the Romanian Second Army entered Brașov, the second-largest city of Transylvania, abandoned by its defenders and officials.
- British occupy IringaOn 29 August 1916 police of Murray's column, part of Northey's force, entered abandoned Iringa. The Germans withdrew south-east, towards Mahenge.
September
- 01
- Key eventBulgaria declares war on RomaniaOn 1 September 1916 Bulgaria declared war on Romania to regain the Dobruja lost in 1913. Tsar Ferdinand called for a fight against the "treacherous neighbour".
- Conscription comes into force in New ZealandOn 1 September 1916 the Governor of New Zealand proclaimed enrolment for the Expeditionary Force Reserve. The Military Service Act began to work in practice.
- Allies seize German ships at PiraeusOn 1 September 1916 an Entente squadron anchored off Salamis and seized German and Austrian ships at Piraeus. Next day the envoys demanded telegraph control.
- 06
- The Bulgarians take TutrakanOn 6 September 1916 the Romanian fortress of Turtucaia (Tutrakan) capitulated. Its commandant fled across the Danube, and about 28,000 soldiers were captured.
- End of the Battle of GuillemontThe Battle of Guillemont ended on 6 September 1916. The British took Falfemont Farm and Leuze Wood and linked up with the French, but did not take Ginchy.
- 07
- Action at KisakiOn 7–8 September 1916 two of Smuts's columns attacked the Germans separately at Kisaki, south of the Uluguru Mountains. Both were repulsed; the pursuit stalled.
- British occupy KilwaOn 7 September 1916 British ships landed troops at Kilwa Kisiwani and Kilwa Kivinje, south of Dar es Salaam. Both ports were taken almost without a fight.
- 19
- Belgians occupy TaboraOn 19 September 1916 Belgian colonial troops entered Tabora, abandoned by the Germans overnight. The British marching on the town learned of it 6 days later.
- Blockade of the coast of Greek MacedoniaIn September 1916 the Allies declared a blockade of the Greek coast from the Struma to the Mesta, held by the Bulgarians. It also covered Kavala and its gulf.
- 25
- Key eventStart of the Battle of MorvalOn 25 September 1916 the British Fourth Army attacked on the Somme at noon and took Morval and Lesbœufs in three hours. At Gueudecourt the attack failed.
- Venizelos leaves AthensOn the night of 24–25 September 1916 Eleftherios Venizelos and Admiral Kountouriotis secretly sailed from Athens to Crete to lead the National Defence movement.
October
- 09
- Start of the Eighth Battle of the IsonzoFrom dawn on 9 October 1916 Italian guns pounded Austrian positions on the Karst. Austria saw it as the start of the battle; the assault came a day later.
- Central Powers retake BrașovOn 9 October 1916, after two days of street fighting, German and Hungarian troops took Brașov. The Romanian Second Army fell back at night to the passes.
- Terauchi becomes prime minister of JapanOn 9 October 1916 Marshal Masatake Terauchi, Governor-General of Korea, replaced Ōkuma as head of Japan's government. His cabinet did not rest on the parties.
- 22
- Bulgarians and Germans take ConstanțaOn 22 October 1916, after three days of Mackensen's offensive in Dobruja, Bulgarian and German troops entered Constanța, Romania's main port.
- End of the fighting in the Dakhla OasisOn 22 October 1916 the British finished combing the Dakhla Oasis. More than 130 men of the Senussi order were taken prisoner; the rest fled west.
- 28
- Loss of the hospital ship GalekaOn 28 October 1916 the British hospital ship Galeka struck a mine laid by UC-26 off Le Havre. 19 orderlies were killed and the wreck went ashore.
- Death of Oswald BoelckeOn 28 October 1916 over the Somme Oswald Boelcke, creator of fighter tactics and a 40-victory ace, was killed in a collision with a squadron comrade.
November
- 21
- Germans take CraiovaOn 21 November 1916 German cavalry and infantry entered Craiova, the capital of Oltenia, unopposed. The Romanians gave up the city with large stocks of flour.
- Sinking of the hospital ship BritannicOn 21 November 1916 the hospital ship Britannic, sister ship of the Titanic, struck a mine off Kea and sank in 55 minutes. Thirty people died.
- Motono becomes Foreign Minister of JapanOn 21 November 1916 Prime Minister Terauchi handed the foreign ministry to Viscount Ichirō Motono, Japan's representative in Russia for ten years.
- 23
- Mackensen crosses the DanubeOn 23 November 1916, in fog, German, Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian troops crossed the Danube from Svishtov to Zimnicea and set off for Bucharest.
- Möwe sails on her second cruiseOn 23 November 1916 the raider Möwe set out on her second cruise, to break through the British blockade into the Atlantic again. It was her most successful.
December
- 01
- Fighting in AthensOn 1 December 1916 Greek troops fired on the Entente landing party in Athens and French ships shelled the city. In the evening the king gave up six batteries.
- Romanian government moves to IașiIn late November and early December 1916 the ministries, court and Allied legations left Bucharest for Iași. Brătianu's cabinet left on 3 December.
- Turnip winterOn 1 December 1916 the Reich government cut the potato allowance to a pound a day, and from January to three-quarters of a pound. The turnip winter began.
- 03
- The Clémentel agreementOn 3 December 1916 London and Paris signed a shipping agreement. Britain promised France fixed tonnage, and a joint bureau was to charter neutral ships.
- Bombardment of FunchalOn 3 December 1916 the German U-38 entered the Funchal roads on Madeira, sank three Allied ships and a barge, and then shelled the town with her deck gun.
- 08
- Blockade of GreeceAt 8 a.m. on 8 December 1916 the Entente began a blockade of royalist Greece's coast, announced the day before, to last until amends were made for Athens.
- Opening of the Murmansk railwayOn 8 December 1916 the Murmansk railway was officially opened. Built in under two years, partly by prisoners of war, it linked Petrograd with an ice-free port.
- 11
- Lloyd George's coalition governmentOn 11 December 1916 the press published Lloyd George's government. Grey left the Foreign Office for Balfour, Derby took the War Office and Carson the Admiralty.
- End of the battle of the CrnaOn 11 December 1916 the Allies broke off their offensive in Macedonia. The last Serbian and Russian attacks on Hill 1050 in the Crna bend decided nothing.
- Sinking of the battleship Regina MargheritaOn the night of 11–12 December 1916 the Italian battleship Regina Margherita struck mines leaving the Bay of Vlorë. About 675 men were killed.
- 15
- Greece accepts the December ultimatumOn 15 December 1916 the government in Athens accepted the Entente ultimatum and began withdrawing troops from Thessaly to the Peloponnese. The blockade went on.
- Britain recognises Hussein as King of the HejazIn December 1916 Britain, France and Russia recognised Sharif Hussein as King of the Hejaz, but not as King of the Arabs, as he styled himself.
- Barbusse's Under Fire wins the Prix GoncourtOn 15 December 1916 the Prix Goncourt went to Henri Barbusse's Under Fire, a stark picture of a French squad in the trenches, by a volunteer from the front.
- 26
- Central Powers reply to Wilson's noteOn 26 December 1916 Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey, and on 30 December Bulgaria, answered Wilson. They proposed a conference but named no terms.
- Joffre becomes Marshal of FranceOn 26 December 1916 Joffre gave up the last of his authority over the army and was made Marshal of France, the first since 1870. It was a consolation prize.