Military operations
Category
(1432)1918
January
- 28
- Arabs destroy the Dead Sea flotillaAt dawn on 28 January 1918 Abdullah al-Fair's Bedouin raided the Al-Mazraa landing, sank the Turkish grain flotilla on the Dead Sea and took 60 prisoners.
- End of the operations at TafilehOn 28 January 1918 the operations at Tafileh ended. The Arabs held the town and stopped shipping on the Dead Sea, but snow halted their march north.
- Battle of the Three MountainsOn 28 January 1918 the Italians attacked on the Asiago plateau and by 31 January retook Col del Rosso, Col d'Echele and Monte Valbella, with 2,600 prisoners.
February
- 24
- Turks retake TrebizondOn 24 February 1918 Ottoman troops entered Trebizond without a fight. After the Russian Caucasus Army fell apart, the Turks were regaining lands lost in 1916.
- Germans take DorpatOn 24 February 1918 the Germans entered Dorpat (Tartu), the university town of Livonia, unopposed. That day the Estonians declared independence in Tallinn.
- Wolf returns homeOn 24 February 1918 the raider Wolf returned to Kiel after 451 days at sea, with 467 prisoners on board. That day her prize Igotz Mendi ran aground off Skagen.
March
- 21
- Key eventOperation Michael beginsOn 21 March 1918, after a five-hour bombardment and in thick fog, three German armies broke the British front on the Somme. The British lost over 38,000 men.
- Crossing of the JordanOn the night of 21–22 March 1918 London swimmers took ropes across the swollen Jordan at Hajlah. By 23 March the British had built five bridges over the river.
- Destroyer action off DunkirkBefore dawn on 21 March 1918 Allied destroyers intercepted a German raid off Dunkirk. They sank two torpedo boats, but a French torpedo hit HMS Botha.
- 24
- Key eventGermans take Bapaume and PéronneOn 24 March 1918 the Germans crossed the old Somme battlefield. Péronne was theirs, the British gave up Bapaume at night, and at Dury Pétain alarmed Haig.
- Fighting at Es SaltOn 24–25 March 1918 London infantry broke weak defences below the hills of Moab; on the evening of the 25th Australian horsemen rode into Es Salt unopposed.
- 26
- Germans take Albert, Chaulnes and RoyeOn 26 March 1918 the Germans took Roye and Chaulnes south of the Somme, and in the evening entered the ruins of Albert with its famous "Leaning Virgin".
- Fighting at Khan al-BaghdadiOn 26 March 1918 the 15th Division's infantry took the Turkish trenches at Khan al-Baghdadi on the Euphrates; cavalry and armoured cars cut off the retreat.
- 27
- Key eventFighting at RosièresOn 27 March 1918 six exhausted divisions of British XIX Corps held off an attack by eleven German divisions before Rosières, on the road to Amiens.
- Germans take MontdidierOn 27 March 1918 French corps at the junction with the British fell back, and the German 18th Army entered Montdidier, south of Amiens, without a fight.
- Attack on AmmanFrom 27 to 30 March 1918 Australian and New Zealand horsemen, the Camel Brigade and London infantry assaulted Amman. In rain and mud they failed to take it.
- 28
- Key eventGerman attack at ArrasOn 28 March 1918 the Germans attacked at Arras in Operation Mars. The British defence held; in the evening Ludendorff called it off and turned to Amiens.
- British occupy AnaOn 28 March 1918 British armoured cars drove unopposed into Ana on the Euphrates, and beyond the town freed two officers whom the Turks had taken prisoner.
April
- 03
- Germans land at HankoOn 3 April 1918 von der Goltz's German Baltic Division, about 9,500 men from Danzig, landed at Hanko. Red Finland began to crumble.
- Germans take YekaterinoslavIn early April 1918 the Bolsheviks abandoned Yekaterinoslav on the Dnieper and German troops entered the city. The road to the Donbas lay open before them.
- 04
- Key eventFighting on the AvreOn 4 April 1918, in the rain, the Germans struck at Amiens. By evening they were at Villers-Bretonneux, but an Australian counter-attack threw them back.
- Scuttling of British submarines at HelsinkiIn early April 1918 the British scuttled seven of their Baltic submarines off Helsinki to keep them from the Germans landing in Finland.
- 05
- Key eventFighting on the AncreOn 5 April 1918 the Germans attacked on the Ancre. At Dernancourt the Australians lost the embankment but held the ridge. Ludendorff then ended Michael.
- Landing at VladivostokOn 5 April 1918, after a Japanese was killed, Japanese and then British sailors landed at Vladivostok. It was the first step of the intervention in Siberia.
- Turks retake VanIn early April 1918 Ottoman troops returned to ruined Van, held by the Russians and Armenians since 1915. The Armenians had left the town beforehand.
- Turks take SarıkamışOn 5 April 1918 the Turks regained Sarıkamış, scene of Enver's defeat in 1914–15. The Armenians had left the town in the night, fearing encirclement.
- 10
- Key eventGermans take MessinesOn 10 April 1918 the German 4th Army attacked in fog north of Armentières and took Messines. In the evening the South Africans briefly retook the village.
- Shelling of MonroviaOn 10 April 1918 the German U-cruiser U-154 shelled Monrovia, destroying the French radio station, having first sunk Liberia's only warship.
- 12
- Key eventStart of the Battle of HazebrouckOn 12 April 1918 the German Sixth Army struck at Hazebrouck. It broke through at Pacaut and Doulieu, but the Guards and 5th Division held it at Nieppe Forest.
- Last airship raid with casualtiesOn the night of 12–13 April 1918 five German airships bombed central England, killing seven in Wigan. It was the last airship raid to cause casualties.
- 13
- Key eventBattle of Bailleul beginsOn 13 April 1918 the Germans attacked the hills between Bailleul and Neuve-Église. The British gave up an exposed salient but held the Ravelsberg ridge.
- Germans take HelsinkiOn 12–13 April 1918 the Baltic Division took Red Helsinki after street fighting. The White government declared the Germans had come to Finland at its request.
- 15
- Germans take BailleulOn 15 April 1918 the Germans took the Ravelsberg ridge east of Bailleul. That night the British left the town, which in later months was reduced to ruins.
- End of the Battle of HazebrouckOn 15 April 1918 the front before Hazebrouck settled at Nieppe Forest. Artillery broke up German attempts to attack the 5th Division and the Australians.
- Second Kattegat raidOn 15 April 1918 British light forces again broke into the Kattegat and sank ten German armed trawlers. Their crews were rescued.
- 19
- Germans enter the CrimeaOn 18–19 April 1918 German troops broke the Reds' defences on the Perekop Isthmus and entered the Crimea. Their goal was Sevastopol and the Black Sea Fleet.
- End of the First Battle of Mount KemmelOn 19 April 1918 the French 28th Division took over Mount Kemmel. The Germans halted their attack on the Belgians and prepared a new, methodical assault.
- 25
- Key eventGermans take Mount KemmelOn 25 April 1918, after a gas bombardment, the Alpenkorps took the French-held Kemmelberg in just over an hour. The British held the flank at Ypres.
- Ottomans occupy KarsOn 25 April 1918, on orders from Tiflis, the Armenians gave up Kars fortress to the Turks without a fight, with its guns and stores. Russia took it in 1877.
- 29
- Key eventFighting for the ScherpenbergOn 29 April 1918 the Germans attacked the Scherpenberg and Mont Rouge. The French and British repulsed them, and that evening Ludendorff halted the offensive.
- Whites take VyborgOn 29 April 1918 the Whites took Vyborg, the last capital of Red Finland. After taking the city they shot hundreds of prisoners and several hundred Russians.
May
- 07
- British take KirkukOn 7 May 1918 the British entered Kirkuk unopposed after the Turks left it overnight. Lack of supplies made them withdraw from the town by 24 May.
- End of the Finnish Civil WarIn early May 1918 the Whites took Kotka and Hamina, and the last Reds laid down their arms on the Kymijoki. The Finnish Civil War was over.
- 15
- Shelling of St KildaOn 15 May 1918 the German submarine U-90 shelled St Kilda, the remotest archipelago of the Hebrides, and destroyed a Royal Navy radio station. No one died.
- Turks take AlexandropolOn 15 May 1918 the Turks crossed the Arpaçay without awaiting a reply to an ultimatum and took Alexandropol. The Armenians fell back to Erivan and Karakilisa.
- 19
- Last air raid on LondonOn the night of 19 May 1918 over 40 German bombers attacked London, killing 49 people. The Germans lost seven machines. It was their last raid on England.
- Air raid on ÉtaplesOn the night of 19 May 1918 the Germans bombed the railway bridge at Étaples. Bombs hit hospitals and camps, killing 182 people, including a Canadian nurse.
- 27
- Key eventThird Battle of the Aisne beginsOn 27 May 1918, after a bombardment by over 1,000 batteries, the Germans took the Chemin des Dames, broke British IX Corps and crossed the Aisne to the Vesle.
- Germans retake CraonneAt dawn on 27 May 1918 the Germans took the Californie plateau and the ruins of Craonne, held by the British. The Allies had held the village since May 1917.
- 29
- Germans retake SoissonsOn 29 May 1918 the Germans took Soissons on the Aisne. Their troops had entered it the evening before but were pulled back. The occupation lasted until August.
- Germans take Fère-en-TardenoisOn 29 May 1918 the Germans took Fère-en-Tardenois, a railway junction and supply centre of the French Sixth Army. Clemenceau nearly fell into their hands there.
June
- 06
- End of the Third Battle of the AisneOn 6 June 1918 the British retook the hill at Bligny and the German Aisne offensive died down. The Germans stood on the Marne, but in a narrow, exposed salient.
- Sinking of the Koningin RegentesOn 6 June 1918 the Dutch hospital ship Koningin Regentes, carrying prisoners for exchange, was torpedoed in the North Sea. Seven seamen were killed.
- Americans attack at Belleau WoodOn 6 June 1918 US Marines took Hill 142 and Bouresches and broke into Belleau Wood. The brigade lost more than a thousand men that day.
- 07
- British occupy KemOn 7 June 1918, on news of a Finnish White march on Kem on the White Sea, General Poole sent marines and Serbs there. They took the town without a fight.
- Czechoslovaks take OmskOn 7 June 1918 the Bolshevik soviet fled Omsk by steamer down the Irtysh. Russian anti-Bolsheviks took the city, and next day Czechoslovak trains arrived.
- 14
- End of the Battle of the MatzIn mid-June 1918 the Battle of the Matz died down. After Mangin's counter-attack of 11 June the Germans broke off their attack without reaching Compiègne.
- Turks retake TabrizIn June 1918 Ottoman troops entered Tabriz for the second time in the war. A Turkish communiqué of 14 June cited the need to cover the Caucasus front's flank.
July
- 20
- Germans withdraw back across the MarneOn the night of 19–20 July 1918 the Germans left their bridgehead south of the Marne, won on 15 July. In the morning the French found empty ground ahead.
- Last aeroplane raid on BritainOn 20 July 1918 a German aeroplane appeared briefly over Deal in Kent and dropped no bombs. It was the last German aeroplane flight over England in the war.
- Defence of RashtOn 20 July 1918 about 2,500 of Kuchik Khan's Jangalis attacked the British in Rasht. Soldiers of the Hampshires and Gurkhas beat off the assault.
August
- 02
- Allies retake SoissonsOn 2 August 1918 the Germans left Soissons and blew the Aisne bridges; the French entered the burnt town. So ended the battle of the Soissonnais and Ourcq.
- Allies in ArchangelOn 2 August 1918 conspirators overthrew Bolshevik rule in Archangel and General Poole's ships sailed into the city. Nikolai Chaikovsky formed a government.
- 03
- British land at VladivostokOn 3 August 1918 the 25th Middlesex arrived at Vladivostok from Hong Kong, the first Allied land unit of the intervention in Siberia.
- Sinking of the *Warilda*On 3 August 1918 UC-49 torpedoed the ambulance transport Warilda in the Channel as she carried wounded from Le Havre. 123 people died.
- 07
- Second Battle of the Marne endsOn 6 August 1918 Pétain halted attacks on the German line beyond the Vesle; on 7 August he proclaimed victory. The Americans still fought for Fismette.
- Sinking of the Dupetit-ThouarsOn 7 August 1918 U-62 torpedoed the French armoured cruiser Dupetit-Thouars in the Atlantic as it escorted a convoy from New York. About a dozen sailors died.
- Czechoslovaks take KazanOn 7 August 1918 Vladimir Kappel's detachment and the Czechoslovaks took Kazan after two days of fighting, capturing over half of Russia's gold reserve.
- 08
- Key eventBattle of Amiens beginsOn 8 August 1918, in fog, Canadians, Australians and tanks broke the front at Amiens, taking over 15,000 prisoners. Ludendorff called it the "black day".
- Key eventStart of the Battle of MontdidierOn 8 August 1918 Debeney's French First Army attacked alongside the British at Amiens. It took Moreuil and crossed the Avre, but did not reach Arvillers.
- 11
- Battle of Amiens endsOn 11 August 1918 Haig halted the Amiens offensive, which had stalled on the old 1916 trenches. At Avesnes Ludendorff offered his resignation.
- Destruction of L 53On 11 August 1918 off Terschelling a Camel launched from a lighter towed by a destroyer shot down L 53, the last Zeppelin shot down in the war.
- Japanese in VladivostokOn 11 August 1918 the Japanese 12th Division began landing at Vladivostok. Japan had promised up to 12,000 men, but by November it had sent over 70,000.
- 15
- End of the Battle of MontdidierOn 15 August 1918 Haig persuaded Foch not to attack Roye frontally. The French First Army called off its attack and returned to Pétain's orders.
- Battle of BayramalyIn mid-August 1918 the Bolsheviks routed the forces of the Transcaspian government at Bayramaly. Their retreat was covered by Indian machine guns.
- 18
- Key eventCapture of Outtersteene RidgeAt noon on 18 August 1918 the Scottish 9th Division surprised the Germans near Bailleul and took Outtersteene Ridge. The clearing of the Lys salient had begun.
- Bolsheviks take MervIn August 1918 the Bolsheviks from Tashkent took Merv and its oasis from the Transcaspian government. Ashkhabad lost its main source of food.
- 22
- British retake AlbertOn 22 August 1918 the British 18th Division crossed the Ancre and retook the ruins of Albert; III Corps wiped out the German salient between Somme and Ancre.
- Austrian counter-offensive in AlbaniaOn 22 August 1918 Pflanzer-Baltin's troops attacked the Italians in Albania. The reinforced Orientkorps broke the front in the centre, between Fier and Berat.
- 26
- Key eventStart of the Battle of the ScarpeAt 3 a.m. on 26 August 1918 the Canadians attacked east of Arras and retook Monchy-le-Preux by 8 a.m. The Allied offensive spread to the First Army front.
- Austrians retake BeratIn late August 1918 the Austrians regained Fier and Berat, and the Italians fell back to the Mallakastra hills. Lack of supplies and malaria halted the advance.
- Defence of Baku beginsOn 26 August 1918 the Turks took the Mud Volcano near Baku. A North Staffordshire company fought without Armenian support and lost more than half its men.
- 29
- New Zealanders retake BapaumeOn 29 August 1918 the Germans abandoned Bapaume by night after holding it against the Third Army for days. In the morning New Zealand patrols entered it.
- French retake NoyonOn 29 August 1918 Humbert's French Third Army retook Noyon, lost in March. That day the French ended the Second Battle of Noyon and the Third Battle of Picardy.
- 30
- Battle of the Scarpe (1918) endsOn 30 August 1918 the Canadians took the rest of the Fresnes–Rouvroy line at Vis-en-Artois. Horne and Currie put off the Drocourt–Quéant attack to 2 September.
- British retake BailleulOn 30 August 1918 British patrols entered Bailleul, abandoned by the Germans. The town, lost in April, lay in ruins. The Germans were retreating from the Lys.
- 31
- Germans abandon KemmelOn 31 August 1918 troops of the British Second Army occupied Mount Kemmel, taken by the Germans in April and now abandoned. Americans fought at its foot.
- Key eventSecond Battle of Bapaume beginsOn 31 August 1918 Australians attacked Mont Saint-Quentin above Péronne as the Third Army beat off counter-attacks beyond Bapaume. The battle began.
September
- 12
- Key eventStart of the Battle of Saint-MihielOn 12 September 1918 Pershing's American First Army attacked the German Saint-Mihiel salient. In the rain it got through the wire and advanced about 8 km.
- Key eventBattle of Havrincourt beginsOn 12 September 1918 Byng's Third Army took Havrincourt and Trescault in front of the Hindenburg Line, while New Zealanders fought the elite Jäger Division.
- Fighting at ChamovoIn mid-September 1918 the British, supported by a river flotilla, drove the Bolsheviks out of Chamovo on the Dvina. The monitor M25 disabled a Red steamer.
- 15
- Battle of Dobro Pole beginsOn 15 September 1918 the Serbs and French took the Dobro Pole–Sokol–Vetrenik ridge in Macedonia, and on 16 September the Bulgarians' second position on Kozjak.
- Fall of BakuOn the night of 14–15 September 1918 the British sailed from Baku and the Caucasian Army of Islam entered. Its capture came with a massacre of Armenians.
- 16
- End of the Battle of Saint-MihielOn 16 September 1918 the Battle of Saint-Mihiel ended. The Americans dug in on the Haudiomont–Vandières line as their divisions left for the Meuse and Argonne.
- Last air raid on ParisOn the night of 15/16 September 1918 German bombers attacked Paris for the last time. Bombs fell on the northern and eastern districts and the suburbs.
- Sinking of the GlattonOn 16 September 1918 a magazine fire broke out on the monitor Glatton in Dover harbour. To save the town, the British sank the ship with their own torpedoes.
- 18
- Key eventBattle of ÉpehyOn 18 September 1918, in rain and fog, the British and Australians attacked the outposts of the Hindenburg Line. They took over 9,000 prisoners and Épehy.
- The Japanese take BlagoveshchenskOn 18 September 1918 Amur Cossacks and a Japanese detachment crossed the Amur and took Blagoveshchensk without a fight. Soviet power on the Amur collapsed.
- Battle of Doiran beginsOn 18 September 1918 the British and Greeks attacked the Bulgarian defences by Lake Doiran. The Greeks took the forward line, but the main attack broke down.
- 23
- Capture of Haifa and AcreOn 23 September 1918 lancers from Jodhpur and Mysore took Haifa by a charge, and Acre fell almost unopposed. Beyond the Jordan New Zealanders took Es Salt.
- French take PrilepOn 23 September 1918 French cavalry rode into Prilep, abandoned by the Bulgarians and Germans. The Eleventh Army's right wing fell back towards Skopje.
- 25
- Serbs retake Štip and VelesOn 25 September 1918 Serbian cavalry entered Štip, abandoned by the Bulgarians, and on 26 September the Serbian First Army took Veles on the Vardar.
- Capture of AmmanOn 25 September 1918 New Zealand and Australian horsemen took Amman and cut the Hejaz Railway. That day the battles of Megiddo came to an end.
- 29
- Key eventBattle of the St Quentin Canal beginsOn 29 September 1918 the British 46th Division crossed the St Quentin Canal in fog, while Americans and Australians stormed the Hindenburg Line at Bellicourt.
- Allies retake PasschendaeleOn 29 September 1918 the Belgians consolidated on the retaken Passchendaele ridge, took Moorslede and recovered Diksmuide, lost in November 1914.
- The Ma'an garrison surrendersOn 29 September 1918 at Ziza, south of Amman, the Turkish garrison of Ma'an, surrounded by Bedouin, surrendered to Australian light horsemen.
- Lettow-Vorbeck returns across the RovumaAt the end of September 1918 Lettow-Vorbeck's force crossed the Rovuma and, after ten months in Mozambique, returned to German East Africa.
October
- 01
- End of the Battle of the Canal du NordOn 1 October 1918 the Canadians attacked north of Cambrai for the last time. They gained 1.5 km and a hill above the city, after which Horne halted the advance.
- French retake Saint-QuentinOn 1 October 1918 Debeney's French First Army entered Saint-Quentin, abandoned by the Germans. The town, evacuated in 1917, lay in ruins.
- Capture of DamascusOn 1 October 1918 Australian horsemen galloped through Damascus, followed by Faisal's Arabs with Lawrence. Four hundred years of Turkish rule were over.
- The Otranto BarrageThe British chronology records on 1 October 1918 a fixed barrage of mined nets in the Strait of Otranto. It was to close the exit from the Adriatic to U-boats.
- 02
- End of the Fifth Battle of YpresOn 2 October 1918 Belgian, French and British attacks in Flanders failed. In the evening Plumer ordered the Second Army to dig in and wait for artillery.
- End of the Battle of the St Quentin CanalOn 1–2 October 1918 the British Fourth Army took Joncourt and the rest of the Hindenburg Line at Bony and broke into the Beaurevoir Line, but lost Sequehart.
- Bombardment of DurrësOn 2 October 1918 Italian and British cruisers shelled Durrës, the Austrian base in Albania. The submarine U-31 torpedoed the British cruiser Weymouth.
- 03
- Key eventStart of the battle of the Beaurevoir LineOn 3 October 1918 the British and Australians broke the Beaurevoir Line, the Hindenburg Line's last position. Montbrehain fell, but the Germans retook it.
- The British retake Armentières againIn early October 1918 the Germans abandoned Armentières, taken in April on the Lys. The British returned to a town that had been reduced to ruins.
- Clash at Lake PyaozeroIn early October 1918 Red Finns of the Murmansk Legion routed the last White Finnish detachment at Lake Pyaozero in Karelia.
- British take LensOn 3 October 1918 the British entered Lens, abandoned by the Germans. After four years of occupation the mining town was a field of rubble.
- Italians retake BeratOn 3 October 1918 the Italians, pursuing the retreating Austrians, again took Berat in Albania. The enemy fled north, burning his depots.
- Lost Battalion surrounded in the ArgonneOn 3 October 1918 Germans trapped Major Whittlesey's force of the 77th Division in the Argonne's Charlevaux ravine. The press called it the "Lost Battalion".
- 05
- End of the battle of the Beaurevoir LineOn 5 October 1918 the Australians took Montbrehain in their last battle of the war, and in the evening the British entered Beaurevoir.
- Serbs retake VranjeIn early October 1918 the Serbian First Army threw back the Austro-Hungarian 9th Division and regained Vranje, the first large town in the Morava valley.
- 06
- Occupation of SidonOn 6 October 1918 the vanguard of the Indian 7th Division, advancing along the coast from Haifa towards Beirut, entered Sidon. It was supplied by sea.
- Sinking of HMS OtrantoOn 6 October 1918 off Islay, in a storm, the transport Kashmir rammed Otranto, which was carrying American soldiers. About 470 people died.
- 07
- French occupy BeirutOn 7 October 1918 French warships entered the port of Beirut, where the Arab flag had been flying for several days. British infantry arrived a day later.
- Italians take ElbasanOn the afternoon of 7 October 1918 Italian troops advancing from Berat up the Devoll valley entered Elbasan. The Austrians were leaving Albania northwards.
- Relief of the Lost BattalionOn the evening of 7 October 1918 the 307th Infantry broke through to Major Whittlesey's men, trapped in the Argonne. Of about 550 soldiers, 194 walked out.
- 10
- Sinking of the LeinsterOn 10 October 1918 UB-123 sank the mail steamer Leinster at the entrance to Dublin Bay. Over 500 died, the worst loss in the history of the Irish Sea.
- French retake PristinaIn October 1918 General Tranié's Franco-Greek force advanced from Skopje via Kačanik to the Kosovo plain and took Pristina, abandoned by the Austrians.
- 13
- French retake LaonOn 13 October 1918 the French Tenth Army entered Laon and the First Army La Fère. Both towns had been in German hands since the first days of September 1914.
- Capture of TripoliOn 13 October 1918 British cavalry and armoured cars took Tripoli in Lebanon without a fight. The port was to supply the pursuit deep into Syria.
- 14
- Key eventBattle of Kortrijk beginsOn 14 October 1918 the Belgians, British and French attacked again in Flanders. They broke through the last German position and retook Roeselare.
- Italians take DurrësOn the morning of 14 October 1918 Italian infantry entered Durrës, abandoned by the Austrians. The same day the Italians took Tirana.
- French take Craonne once moreOn 14 October 1918, French sources say, the French 320th Infantry Regiment freed the ruins of Craonne. The Germans gave up the Chemin des Dames unopposed.
- Battle of DushakOn 14 October 1918 Punjabis and Indian cavalry took Dushak station in Transcaspia. They suffered heavy losses, but the Bolsheviks soon fell back.
- 15
- End of the Battle of Champagne and ArgonneOn 15 October 1918 the Battle of Champagne and Argonne ended by the French naming. Gouraud's Fourth Army reached the Aisne, while the Americans fought on.
- Allies take MenenOn 15 October 1918 the British entered Menen on the Lys, abandoned by the Germans, and at Comines crossed the river to its southern bank.
- Capture of HomsIn mid-October 1918 the British 5th Cavalry Division and Faisal's Arabs occupied Homs, abandoned by the Turks. The road to Aleppo lay open.
- 17
- Allies retake Lille and OstendOn 17 October 1918 the Germans gave up Ostend, Douai and Lille unopposed. After four years the Belgian port and the largest city of northern France were free.
- Key eventStart of the Battle of the SelleOn 17 October 1918 the British Fourth Army, with two American divisions, forced the Selle in fog and by evening had retaken Le Cateau.
- 25
- End of the Battle of the SelleOn 25 October 1918 the Battle of the Selle ended. The British reached the Sambre–Oise Canal and the Forest of Mormal, taking about 20,000 prisoners.
- British retake KirkukOn 25 October 1918 the Turks left Kirkuk at dusk, and General Lewin's column entered the town after dark. The British returned five months after withdrawing.
November
- 01
- Key eventBattle of Valenciennes beginsOn 1 November 1918 the Canadians took Mont Houy near Valenciennes in under an hour, supported by fire such as no other brigade had ever had.
- Serbs retake Belgrade againOn 1 November 1918 the Serbian First Army entered Belgrade, which the last Central Powers troops left that day across the Sava and Danube, blowing the bridges.
- British occupy MervOn 1 November 1918 Transcaspian government troops and an Indian detachment entered Merv, abandoned by the Bolsheviks after their defeat at Dushak.
- Attack on FifeOn 1 November 1918 Lettow-Vorbeck struck the British post of Fife in Northern Rhodesia. The entrenched garrison held, and on 2 November the Germans left.
- Sinking of Viribus UnitisOn 1 November 1918 two Italians mined the dreadnought Viribus Unitis at Pola, handed to the State of SCS a day earlier. Admiral Vuković and hundreds died.
- Fighting for Lviv beginsOn the night before 1 November 1918 Ukrainian soldiers seized Lviv and proclaimed it the capital of a Ukrainian state. That same day its Poles took up arms.
- 03
- Capture of ValenciennesOn 2 November 1918 the Canadians cleared Valenciennes, and on 3 November the Germans abandoned the Scheldt line. The occupation had lasted over four years.
- Italians take TriesteOn the afternoon of 3 November 1918 the Italian destroyer Audace docked at Trieste. General Petitti di Roreto took possession of the city for the King of Italy.
- 04
- Key eventBattle of the Sambre beginsOn 4 November 1918 the British crossed the Sambre–Oise Canal and Mormal Forest in fog, and the New Zealanders took Le Quesnoy. Wilfred Owen fell at Ors.
- End of the Battle of Vittorio VenetoAt 3 p.m. on 4 November 1918 the guns fell silent on the Italian front. Before that the Allies crossed the Tagliamento and whole enemy divisions surrendered.
- Italians take BarOn 4 November 1918 the Italian navy occupied Bar (Antivari), the Montenegrin port abandoned by Austro-Hungarian troops in the last days of the war.
- British occupy MosulOn 3 November 1918, after the armistice with Turkey, British cavalry entered Mosul. Ali Ihsan Pasha protested, but by 10 November the Turks had left the city.
- 06
- The French take RethelOn 6 November 1918 the French entered ruined Rethel on the Aisne. The Germans, threatened along the whole front, were already falling back to the Meuse.
- Americans at SedanOn 6–7 November 1918, racing for Sedan, the Americans reached the heights above the town and cut the German railway. But Foch sent the French into Sedan.
- 09
- Occupation of AlexandrettaOn 9 November 1918 British and French warships entered the Gulf of Alexandretta. Mustafa Kemal wished to defend the port, but Constantinople made him yield.
- Lettow-Vorbeck takes KasamaOn 9 November 1918 Lettow-Vorbeck's vanguard took the abandoned town of Kasama in Northern Rhodesia. The Germans pushed south towards the Chambeshi depots.
- Sinking of HMS BritanniaOn 9 November 1918 UB-50 torpedoed the battleship Britannia at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. About 50 sailors died; more than 700 survived.
- 10
- French retake MézièresOn the eve of the armistice the French recovered Mézières on the Meuse, long a key German command centre. Fighting on the river went on until 11 November.
- Belgians retake GhentOn 10 November 1918 the Germans left Ghent and the Belgians entered the city. The occupation of the capital of East Flanders, in place since 1914, was over.
- Romania re-enters the warOn 10 November 1918 French battalions crossed the Danube at Ruse, and King Ferdinand called on the Romanians to take up arms against the Germans again.
- Sinking of HMS AscotOn 10 November 1918 UB-67 torpedoed the minesweeper Ascot off the Farne Islands. All 50-odd crew died. She was the last Royal Navy ship sunk by the enemy.
December
- 18
- Germans leave DorpatOn 18 December 1918 the Germans withdrew from Dorpat (Tartu). A few days later the Estonians gave up the town without a fight and the Red Army entered it.
- French land at OdessaOn 18 December 1918 General Borius's French division landed at Odessa. At the French demand, the Directorate's troops began to leave the city.
- 30
- Allies take KodishOn 30 December 1918 Americans of the 339th Infantry, backed by Canadian artillery, retook the village of Kodish from the Bolsheviks south of Archangel.
- Reports of the capture of BirskThe British chronology records Kolchak's troops taking Birsk on 30 December 1918. Russian sources do not confirm it; the Whites took the town in spring 1919.