Military operations
Category
(1432)1916
January
- 06
- Sinking of the battleship King Edward VIIOn 6 January 1916 the British battleship King Edward VII struck a mine laid by the raider Möwe off Cape Wrath and sank a few hours later.
- Start of the Battle of Sheikh SaadOn 6 January 1916 Younghusband's vanguard attacked the Turkish trenches at Sheikh Saad on both banks of the Tigris. It stalled and the Turks were reinforced.
- 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.
- 13
- Austrians occupy CetinjeOn 13 January 1916 Austro-Hungarian troops entered Cetinje, Montenegro's capital, unopposed. The king and court had left; the government again sued for peace.
- Ottoman troops in KermanshahIn January 1916 Ottoman battalions arrived in Kermanshah. The city was not captured, but was a centre of Persian nationalists allied with Germany.
- 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.
- 23
- Austrians occupy ScutariOn the evening of 23 January 1916 Austro-Hungarian troops entered Scutari unopposed, ending half a year of Montenegrin rule in northern Albania's chief town.
- Austrians take PodgoricaAround 23 January 1916 the Austrians entered Podgorica, Montenegro's largest town. In the turmoil of those days the Albanian leader Isa Boletini was killed.
February
- 02
- Bulgarians take ElbasanAt the turn of January and February 1916 the Bulgarians entered Elbasan in central Albania, forestalling the Austrians, their rivals for influence there.
- Loss of Zeppelin L 19On 2 February 1916 the airship L 19, back from a raid on the Midlands, sank in the North Sea. The trawler King Stephen refused to help; 16 airmen died.
- 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.
- 18
- Russians occupy MuşIn mid-February 1916 Russian Cossacks rode into Muş unopposed. They found the valley, whose Armenian inhabitants had been massacred in 1915, depopulated.
- Key eventSurrender of MoraOn 18 February 1916, after a siege of a year and a half, the German garrison of the mountain above Mora surrendered. It was the end of the fighting in Kamerun.
- 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.
- Airship LZ 77 shot downOn the evening of 21 February 1916 a French anti-aircraft gun shot down the airship LZ 77 near Revigny, flying behind Verdun. None of the crew survived.
- 26
- Charge at AgagiaOn 26 February 1916 the Dorset Yeomanry caught the Senussi retreating from Agagia, broke them with a charge and captured their commander, Ja'far al-Askari.
- Russians take KermanshahAt the end of February 1916 Baratov's corps entered abandoned Kermanshah. Persian nationalists, Germans and Turks fell back towards the Iraqi border.
- 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.
March
- 01
- Extended submarine warfare beginsFrom 1 March 1916 German submarines could attack armed Entente merchant ships without warning. Passenger ships were to be spared.
- Start of the war with the Sultan of DarfurAt the beginning of March 1916 the Governor of Sudan, Reginald Wingate, decided to strike at the Sultan of Darfur, Ali Dinar, who had sided with Turkey in 1915.
- 04
- Möwe returns from her first cruiseOn 4 March 1916 Germany announced the raider Möwe's return from a cruise of over two months. She sank or took 15 ships; her mines sank a British battleship.
- Russian landing at AtinaAt dawn on 4 March 1916 Russian plastuns landed at Atina, behind a Turkish position on the Black Sea. The Turks fled and the road to Rize lay open.
- 11
- Fighting at Latema Nek beginsOn 11 March 1916 Gen. Tighe's troops attacked the Germans on the Latema and Reata hills by Taveta head-on. Day assaults failed; a night bayonet attack followed.
- Start of the Fifth Battle of the IsonzoOn 11 March 1916 the Italian artillery opened fire along the whole Isonzo front. Cadorna began a limited offensive to relieve Verdun at France's request.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 21
- Fighting at KaheOn 21 March 1916 van Deventer's horsemen took Kahe hill and station, while Sheppard's infantry stalled at the Soko Nassai. At night Lettow-Vorbeck withdrew.
- Germans withdraw from KilimanjaroOn the night of 21–22 March 1916 Lettow-Vorbeck left his Ruvu positions and fell back along the Usambara Railway. Kilimanjaro passed to the British.
April
- 06
- Start of the advance on TrebizondOn 6 April 1916 a flotilla with two plastun brigades sailed from Novorossiysk to Lazistan, covered by the Black Sea Fleet. Russia was moving on Trebizond.
- First attack on SannaiyatAt dawn on 6 April 1916, after a night march, the 7th Division attacked the Turkish position at Sannaiyat. Fire halted it hundreds of metres short.
- 17
- Fighting for Kondoa Irangi beginsIn mid-April 1916 van Deventer's mounted troops, after a two-week march in the rain, reached Kondoa Irangi and on 17 April fought the Germans in the hills.
- 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.
- 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.
- Voyage of the JulnarOn the night of 24/25 April 1916 the steamer Julnar, with 270 tons of food, tried to break through to Kut. At Magasis she fouled a cable and fell to the Turks.
- 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.
May
- 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 take RowanduzIn mid-May 1916 a Russian detachment from Persian Azerbaijan stormed Rowanduz in Kurdistan, a few days' march from Mosul.
- 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.
- Ottoman troops retake MamahatunAt the end of May 1916 Vehip Pasha surprised the Russians on the Erzincan–Erzurum road. The Turks broke the thinly held front and retook the town of Mamahatun.
June
- 02
- Battle of Mount Sorrel beginsOn 2 June 1916, after a hurricane bombardment, Württembergers took Mount Sorrel and Tor Top near Ypres. Gen. Mercer of the 3rd Canadian Division was killed.
- Germans take Fort VauxOn 2 June 1916 the Germans broke into Fort Vaux at Verdun. Major Raynal's garrison held out underground until 7 June, when the water ran out.
- 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.
- Ottoman offensive in western PersiaAt the start of June 1916 the whole Ottoman XIII Corps stood at Khanaqin. Baratov's Russians began to fall back, and the Turks moved into Persia.
- 09
- Arabs take JeddahOn 9 June 1916 Arabs of the Harb tribe attacked Jeddah and British warships shelled the port. The Turkish garrison surrendered only on 16 June.
- Fighting at MkaramoOn 9 June 1916 Sheppard's column fought Major Kraut's troops in dense bush on the Pangani. During the night the Germans withdrew towards Handeni.
- 12
- British enter KermanIn June 1916 Percy Sykes, after marching from the Persian Gulf, entered Kerman. There he began raising the first brigade of the South Persia Rifles.
- Russians take ZaleszczykiIn June 1916, after the defeat at Okna, the Austrians gave up the Zaleszczyki bridgehead without a fight. A British chronology dates the Russian entry 12 June.
- 30
- French retake ThiaumontOn 30 June 1916 the French 248th Infantry Regiment attacked the ruins of the Thiaumont work at Verdun. Sources differ on whether it took it and for how long.
- 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.
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.
- Key eventThe Lochnagar mine is blownAt 7.28 a.m. on 1 July 1916 the Lochnagar mine, the largest yet on the Western Front, went up at La Boisselle. The 34th Division's attack still failed.
- 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
- End of the Italian counter-offensive in the TrentinoOn 7 July 1916 the Austrians on the Asiago plateau repulsed the second day of a major Italian attack. Cadorna did not regain the positions lost in May.
- 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.
- 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.
- British take MwanzaOn 14 July 1916 Charles Crewe's troops, carried by steamer across Lake Victoria, took Mwanza. The German garrison managed to withdraw to the south.
- 19
- Key eventAttack at FromellesOn the evening of 19 July 1916 British and Australian troops attacked at Fromelles. By morning the 5th Australian Division had lost 5,533 men and held nothing.
- Ottoman offensive across the SinaiOn 19 July 1916 a British airman spotted Kress von Kressenstein's columns in Sinai. Turks and Germans were marching on Romani to shell the Suez Canal.
- 25
- The rebuilt Serbian army returns to the frontOn 25 July 1916 the rebuilt Serbian army went into action on the Salonika front. The Šumadija Division attacked the Bulgarians in the hills above Meglena.
- Russians take ErzincanOn 25 July 1916 the Russian 39th Division entered Erzincan, abandoned by the shattered Ottoman Third Army. It was the peak of Russian gains in Anatolia.
August
- 06
- Start of the Sixth Battle of the IsonzoOn 6 August 1916 the Italians attacked the Gorizia bridgehead and Monte San Michele. That same day they took Monte Sabotino and the summits of San Michele.
- Ottoman troops retake Muş and BitlisOn 6 August 1916 Mustafa Kemal's XVI Corps drove the Russians from Muş, having forced them out of Bitlis. It was the main success of the Second Army offensive.
- 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.
- 17
- Battle of Florina beginsOn 17 August 1916 the Bulgarian 1st Army attacked the Serbs in western Macedonia and took Greek Florina the same day, forestalling Sarrail's offensive.
- End of the Sixth Battle of the IsonzoOn 17 August 1916 Cadorna halted the offensive on the Isonzo. After taking Gorizia the Italians spent a week vainly storming the new Austrian defence line.
- Brusilov offensive winds downBy mid-August 1916 Brusilov's attacks on Kovel had stalled. On 17 August he set his armies new objectives, but the offensive was already losing momentum.
- 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.
- 29
- 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
- 02
- Central Powers enter DobrujaOn the night of 1–2 September 1916 Toshev's Bulgarian 3rd Army crossed the Dobruja border along its whole length and split the Romanian garrisons apart.
- Key eventAirship raid and the downing of SL 11On the night of 2–3 September 1916, 16 airships set out for London. Lieutenant Leefe Robinson shot down SL 11 over Cuffley, and the rest of the raid collapsed.
- 03
- Key eventBattle of Guillemont beginsOn 3 September 1916 British and Irish troops took Guillemont on the Somme in under three hours, after it had been fought for in vain since late July.
- Battle of Delville Wood endsOn 3 September 1916, by British naming, the Battle of Delville Wood ended. An attack on the wood's eastern edge, supporting an assault on Ginchy, failed.
- End of the Battle of Pozières RidgeOn 3 September 1916 the Australians attacked Mouquet Farm for the last time. They held it for a few hours, but kept only a stretch of trench on the ridge.
- 04
- British occupy Dar es SalaamOn 4 September 1916 Dar es Salaam, capital of German East Africa, surrendered without a fight to a British squadron and to columns that had come from Bagamoyo.
- Romanians take OrsovaOn 4 September 1916 the Austrians left the west bank of the Cerna and Dragalina's Romanian 1st Division took Orsova, having broken through on 1 September.
- 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.
- 17
- British occupy LindiOn 17 September 1916 British warships landed the Indian 40th Pathans at Lindi. Soon the whole coast of German East Africa was in British hands.
- Allies retake FlorinaOn 17 September 1916 French and Russian troops entered Florina, taken by the Bulgarians a month before. The Serbian victory at Gornichevo opened the way.
- Richthofen's first victoryOn 17 September 1916, in the first fight of Boelcke's squadron, Manfred von Richthofen downed a British F.E.2b near Cambrai, the first of his 80 victories.
- 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.
- 22
- End of the Battle of Flers–CourceletteOn 22 September 1916 the Battle of Flers–Courcelette ended. After a week of fighting in rain and mud the British were preparing to attack Morval and Thiepval.
- The Arabs take TaifOn 22 September 1916, after a three-month siege, the Turkish garrison of Ta'if surrendered to Emir Abdullah. Hejaz governor Ghalib Pasha was captured.
- 26
- Key eventStart of the Battle of Thiepval RidgeOn 26 September 1916 the Reserve Army attacked Thiepval Ridge on the Somme. The 18th Division broke into Thiepval and the 11th at last took Mouquet Farm.
- Battle of Hermannstadt beginsOn 26 September 1916 the German Ninth Army attacked the Romanians at Hermannstadt, and the Alpenkorps came down onto the Red Tower Pass road behind them.
- 28
- End of the Battle of MorvalOn 28 September 1916 the Battle of Morval died down. The British held the villages taken and handed part of the front to the French, but could not go on.
- End of the Battle of Thiepval RidgeOn 28 September 1916 the British broke into the Schwaben Redoubt above Thiepval. The Germans, however, held part of the redoubt until mid-October.
October
- 01
- Key eventStart of the Battle of the Transloy RidgesOn 1 October 1916 the British Fourth Army attacked on the Somme at Eaucourt l’Abbaye and the Flers Line, aided by tanks and New Zealanders. Next day it rained.
- Key eventStart of the Battle of the Ancre HeightsOn 1 October 1916 the Canadians attacked Regina Trench beyond the Thiepval ridge on the Somme. Uncut wire and German marines repelled almost the whole assault.
- Shooting down of airship L 31On the night of 1–2 October 1916 Wulstan Tempest shot down L 31 near Potters Bar, killing Heinrich Mathy, the most famous German airship commander.
- 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.
- 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
- 11
- End of the Battle of the Ancre HeightsOn the night of 10–11 November 1916 the 4th Canadian Division took the rest of Regina Trench. After six weeks the whole Thiepval ridge was in British hands.
- British enter ShirazOn 11 November 1916 Percy Sykes's column, after marching from Isfahan, entered Shiraz, a year after pro-German gendarmes had driven the British out.
- 13
- Key eventCapture of Beaumont-HamelOn 13 November 1916, in fog, Scots of the 51st Division took Beaumont-Hamel, where the Newfoundlanders had bled on 1 July. At Serre the attack failed again.
- Central Powers retake OrsovaOn 13 November 1916, after three days of street fighting, the Romanians left Orsova on the Danube for the far bank of the Cerna. It returned to Austria-Hungary.
- 15
- Start of the British advance on El ArishThe chronology dates to 15 November 1916 the nominal start of the march across Sinai to El Arish. There was no single event: railway and pipeline set the pace.
- Fourth skirmish at Hafiz KorOn 15 November 1916 guns and aircraft broke up a Mohmand gathering at Hafiz Kor. The tribes had tried to hinder the building of a blockade line.
- 18
- Key eventEnd of the Battle of the SommeOn 18 November 1916, in the first snowstorm of winter, the British attacked on the Ancre for the last time. After four and a half months the Somme was over.
- End of the Battle of the AncreOn 18 November 1916, in the first snowstorm, Canadians and British attacked Desire Trench and Grandcourt on the Ancre. At Serre the attack failed again.
- 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.
- 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.
- Hospital ship Braemar Castle damagedOn 23 November 1916 the British hospital ship Braemar Castle, carrying wounded from Salonika, struck a mine off Mykonos. Four died and the ship was beached.
- 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.
- 26
- German destroyer raid off the Suffolk coastOn the night of 26 November 1916 German destroyers from Flanders approached the Suffolk coast, sank the armed trawler Narval and took her crew prisoner.
- Sinking of the battleship SuffrenOn 26 November 1916 the German U-52 torpedoed the French battleship Suffren off Portugal. The ship blew up and sank within seconds with all hands.
- 30
- Allies land at PiraeusOn the night of 30 November to 1 December 1916 about 3,000 Entente soldiers and sailors landed at Piraeus to force the Greeks to hand over their weapons.
- Wolf sets out on her cruiseOn 30 November 1916 Karl August Nerger's raider Wolf, a disguised freighter meant to lay mines and sink ships in the Indian Ocean, sailed from Kiel.
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.
- Start of the Battle of the ArgeșOn 1 December 1916 General Prezan’s Romanian strike group hit the flank of the Danube Army near Bucharest. But the Germans captured the Romanian battle plan.
- 11
- 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.
- 21
- British occupy El ArishAt dawn on 21 December 1916 Anzac horsemen surrounded El Arish in Sinai. The Turks had left the day before and the town was taken unopposed.
- Seeadler sets sailOn 21 December 1916 Felix von Luckner's sailing ship Seeadler put to sea disguised as a Norwegian timber ship. She was the third raider sent out that winter.