Natalia
Author
(1244)1917
January
- 09
- Action at RafahOn 9 January 1917 Chetwode's mounted troops took the Turkish redoubts at Rafah on the Sinai border, capturing over 1,600 men. No Turks remained in Sinai.
- Golitsyn becomes prime minister of RussiaOn 9 January 1917 the Tsar dismissed Prime Minister Trepov. The post went to 66-year-old Prince Nikolai Golitsyn, who had begged to be spared.
- 24
- Greece apologises to the AlliesOn 24–25 January 1917 Greece dismissed General Kallaris and formally apologised to the Entente ministers for 1 December. The flags were saluted on 29 January.
- Allied naval conference in LondonOn 23–24 January 1917 the admiralties of Britain, France and Italy met in London on defending Mediterranean shipping. Much was said of the lack of ships.
February
- 03
- Key eventUS breaks off relations with GermanyOn 3 February 1917 Wilson told Congress that the United States was breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany. Ambassador Bernstorff got his passports.
- Fighting in the Siwa OasisOn 3 February 1917 British armoured cars attacked the Senussi camp at Girba. Sayyid Ahmad escaped, and on 5 February the British entered Siwa.
- 25
- Key eventGermans withdraw from the AncreOn 25 February 1917 the British took Serre and Pys on the Ancre, abandoned by the Germans, in the first stage of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line.
- Raid on Margate and BroadstairsOn the night of 25 February 1917 German torpedo boats from Flanders shelled seaside towns in Kent. According to the Admiralty a woman and a child were killed.
March
- 08
- Death of Ferdinand von ZeppelinOn 8 March 1917 Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin died in Berlin, aged 78. He created the rigid airships with which Germany bombed England and France.
- Strikes and demonstrations in PetrogradOn 8 March 1917, Women's Day, the women workers of Petrograd took to the streets demanding bread. Within four days the protest drew in hundreds of thousands.
- 11
- Key eventBritish take BaghdadOn 11 March 1917 Maude's troops entered Baghdad unopposed, the Turks having left it overnight. It was Britain's greatest success in the Middle East so far.
- Start of the March offensive in MacedoniaOn 11 March 1917 the French 76th Division attacked between Lakes Ohrid and Prespa to outflank the enemy at Bitola. The attack at once bogged down in snow.
- 14
- China breaks off relations with GermanyOn 14 March 1917 China broke off relations with Germany in protest against submarine warfare. The German minister Paul von Hintze was given his passports.
- Lyautey resignsOn 14 March 1917 the Chamber of Deputies shouted down War Minister Lyautey when he said a debate on aviation endangered national defence. He resigned at once.
- 17
- British take BapaumeOn 17 March 1917 the Australians entered burning Bapaume, goal of the Somme battle. The Germans gave it up without a fight, falling back to the Hindenburg Line.
- Russians take KerendIn mid-March 1917 Baratov's Russians reached Kerend on the road from Kermanshah to Baghdad. Ahead lay the Pa Tak pass, where the Turks were waiting.
- 21
- Torpedoing of the hospital ship AsturiasOn the night of 20–21 March 1917 the German UC-66 torpedoed the lit hospital ship Asturias off Start Point. Over 30 people died; the ship was beached.
- Wilson summons CongressOn 21 March 1917 Wilson summoned Congress for 2 April, two weeks earlier than planned. The day before, his whole cabinet had come out for war with Germany.
- 27
- End of the First Battle of GazaOn 27 March 1917 the Turks retook Ali Muntar hill and General Dobell withdrew his troops behind the Wadi Ghuzzee. The British lost nearly 4,000 men.
- Petrograd Soviet appeal to the PolesOn 27 March 1917 the Petrograd Soviet's appeal "To the Polish nation" recognised Poland's right to full independence. It was the first such act in Russia.
April
- 17
- Second Battle of Gaza beginsOn 17 April 1917 British infantry crossed the Wadi Ghazze and, at little cost, took the Sheikh Abbas and Mansura ridges, from which they were to storm Gaza.
- Sinking of the Lanfranc and DonegalOn 17 April 1917 German submarines sank two ships carrying wounded from Le Havre in the Channel. The Lanfranc also carried 167 wounded German prisoners.
May
- 04
- French retake CraonneOn 4 May 1917 the French 36th Division took the ruins of Craonne and broke onto the Californie plateau, one of the last successes of the Nivelle offensive.
- Third Battle of the Scarpe endsOn 4 May 1917 the British pulled the last troops out of the failed Scarpe attack. In Paris Haig and the French agreed the time for a breakthrough had passed.
June
- 05
- Raid on SheernessOn 5 June 1917 Gothas bombed Shoeburyness and the naval port of Sheerness. Thirteen people died, and an anti-aircraft gun downed one bomber into the sea.
- End of the Tenth Battle of the IsonzoOn 5 June 1917 the Austro-Hungarian counter-attack on the Karst died down. The Italians lost most of their gains at Hermada; the Tenth Isonzo battle ended.
July
- 02
- Hague agreement on prisoners of warOn 2 July 1917 Britain and Germany signed an agreement on prisoners at The Hague. The Netherlands offered places for 16,000 internees from both sides.
- Battle of ZborovOn 2 July 1917 a Czechoslovak brigade in the Russian army broke the Austro-Hungarian front at Zborov. Facing it were two Czech regiments.
- 04
- Shelling of Ponta DelgadaOn 4 July 1917 the German submarine cruiser U-155, formerly the Deutschland, shelled Ponta Delgada in the Azores. The US collier Orion drove her off.
- Women's Battalion of DeathOn 4 July 1917 in Petrograd the banner of Maria Bochkareva's women's battalion of death was blessed. The women were meant to shame war-weary soldiers.
- 06
- Arabs capture AqabaOn 6 July 1917 the Arab rebels of Sharif Nasir, Auda Abu Tayi and Lawrence entered Aqaba from inland. The revolt gained a port near the Palestine front.
- Resignation of President Li YuanhongOn 6 July 1917 Vice-President Feng Guozhang assumed the duties of President of China in Nanking from Li Yuanhong, who was hiding in the Japanese legation.
August
- 02
- End of the Battle of Pilckem RidgeOn 2 August 1917 downpours halted the first attack at Ypres. Gough postponed further attacks, and British losses exceeded 30,000 men.
- Mutiny in the German fleetOn 2 August 1917 about 600 sailors of the battleship Prinzregent Luitpold went ashore without leave at Wilhelmshaven, demanding the release of arrested men.
- 06
- Start of the Battle of MărășeștiOn 6 August 1917 the German Ninth Army broke the Russian Fourth Army's front on the Putna. The Romanian 5th Division, rushed over the Siret, closed the gap.
- Second coalition government in RussiaOn 6 August 1917, after three weeks of bargaining and Kerensky's resignation, a second coalition of socialists and Kadets was formed in Petrograd.
- 15
- Key eventBattle of Hill 70 beginsAt dawn on 15 August 1917 the Canadian Corps took Hill 70 above Lens and then broke a series of German counter-attacks with artillery fire.
- Polish National Committee foundedOn 15 August 1917 the Polish National Committee was founded in Lausanne under Roman Dmowski. It soon moved to Paris and sought recognition from the Entente.
- 18
- End of the Battle of Langemarck (1917)On 18 August 1917 the Battle of Langemarck ended. The British broke into Inverness Copse, and Gough sought culprits for the failure, the Irish among them.
- Agreement on Asia MinorOn 18 August 1917 Italy and Britain exchanged notes approving the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne agreement. It was conditional on Russia's consent, never given.
September
- 03
- End of the Battle of MărășeștiOn 3 September 1917 Eben and Grigorescu ordered attacks halted and positions dug in. That evening Ecaterina Teodoroiu, the heroine of the Jiu, fell at Muncelu.
- Air raid on ChathamOn the night of 3 September 1917 Gothas bombed Chatham. Two bombs hit a naval barracks hall where several hundred men were sleeping. About 130 sailors died.
October
- 12
- Key eventFirst Battle of PasschendaeleOn 12 October 1917 Anzacs advanced in the rain on Passchendaele. By evening they were back on their old lines, and 845 New Zealanders were dead.
- Germans take SaaremaaOn 12 October 1917 the Germans landed on Saaremaa and cut off the causeway to Muhu. By 16 October they held the whole island and over 10,000 prisoners.
- 27
- Third Battle of Gaza beginsOn 27 October 1917 the British began shelling Gaza. That day the Turks struck yeomanry outposts at El Buqqar, but did not see through Allenby's plan.
- Regency Council takes officeOn 27 October 1917 the regents took their oath in Warsaw cathedral and took up office at the Royal Castle. The September patent came into force.
November
- 03
- French troops in ItalyOn 3 November 1917 the arrival of French troops in Italy was announced. After Caporetto France sent four divisions there at first, and then two more.
- Tonnage agreement for the AlliesOn 3 November 1917 Britain, France and Italy agreed that ships to carry food for the Allies were a common burden, and divided it among themselves.
- 07
- British take GazaOn 7 November 1917 the British entered Gaza, abandoned by the Turks, and broke their front at Tel esh Sheria. The pursuit northwards began.
- Rapallo ConferenceOn 5–7 November 1917 the British, French and Italian prime ministers met at Rapallo to save Italy after Caporetto and set up the Supreme War Council.
- 15
- Alsace and Lorraine a war aimOn 15 November 1917 Lord Robert Cecil assured the Commons that the return of Alsace and Lorraine to France had been a British war aim from the outset.
- Japan refuses to send battlecruisersOn 15 November 1917 Tokyo rejected a British request for two Japanese Kongō-class battlecruisers to join the Grand Fleet in the North Sea.
- 27
- Permanent military representatives of the Supreme War CouncilIn late November 1917 the military advisers of the Supreme War Council at Versailles were settled: Wilson, Cadorna, Bliss and Foch, who was replaced by Weygand.
- Russian envoys cross the German linesNear Dvinsk three envoys of Krylenko crossed the front to the Germans. On 27 November 1917 they returned with consent to armistice talks set for 2 December.
December
- 06
- Finland declares independenceOn 6 December 1917 the Eduskunta voted 100 to 88 to adopt the declaration of independence presented by Svinhufvud's senate. Finland broke away from Russia.
- Halifax explosionOn 6 December 1917 a French munitions ship blew up in Halifax harbour. Nearly 2,000 people died, about 9,000 were injured and the North End lay in ruins.
- 07
- Ecuador breaks off relations with GermanyOn 7 December 1917 Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, following Peru and Uruguay, which had done so in October.
- American battleships join the Grand FleetOn 7 December 1917 Rear Admiral Rodman's four American dreadnoughts entered Scapa Flow. They joined the Grand Fleet as the 6th Battle Squadron.
- 09
- Key eventSurrender of JerusalemOn 9 December 1917, after the Turks fled overnight, Jerusalem's mayor went out to the British with a white flag. The city surrendered without a fight or damage.
- Armistice of FocșaniOn 9 December 1917 at Focșani the armies of the Romanian Front signed an armistice with the Central Powers. Isolated, unbeaten Romania stopped fighting.
- 12
- Sinking of HMS PartridgeOn 12 December 1917 four German destroyers wrecked a convoy from Lerwick off Norway. The destroyer Partridge, six ships and four trawlers were sunk.
- Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailmentOn the night of 12/13 December 1917 a train carrying French soldiers on leave from Italy derailed and burned in the Alps. At least 425 men died.
- 15
- End of the Second Offensive Battle of VerdunOn 15 December 1917, by French nomenclature, the Second Offensive Battle of Verdun ended. By autumn the fighting was only for positions on the right bank.
- Proclamation of the Moldavian Democratic RepublicOn 15 December 1917 the Sfatul Țării in Kishinev proclaimed Bessarabia the Moldavian Democratic Republic, an equal part of a federal Russian republic.
- 20
- Second conscription referendum in AustraliaOn 20 December 1917 Australians rejected conscription for overseas service for the second time. Almost 54 per cent voted no, more than a year earlier.
- Creation of the ChekaOn 20 December 1917 Lenin's government created the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counter-Revolution and Sabotage, headed by Felix Dzerzhinsky.
- 22
- End of the Battle of JaffaOn 22 December 1917 XXI Corps advanced past the Yarkon, pushing the Turks back to Arsuf against little resistance. Jaffa and its port were out of Turkish range.
- Peace negotiations open at Brest-LitovskOn 22 December 1917 the Central Powers and Soviet Russia opened a peace conference at Brest-Litovsk. Joffe set out six principles of peace without annexations.
- 30
- End of the defence of JerusalemOn 30 December 1917 the British took Beitin north of Jerusalem, and General Chetwode halted the advance. The Palestine campaign of 1917 was over.
- French retake Monte TombaOn 30 December 1917 the French 47th Division took the Monte Tomba ridge above the Piave, with over 1,500 prisoners. It was the first French attack in Italy.
- Sinking of the troopship AragonOn 30 December 1917 off Alexandria UC-34 torpedoed the troopship Aragon, bound for Palestine, and the destroyer Attack rescuing survivors. About 620 died.