Germany
Germany in the First World War →Tag
(889)1916
January
- 13
- 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.
February
- 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.
- Dispute in Congress over armed merchant shipsIn late February 1916 Berlin maintained that armed Entente merchantmen were auxiliary cruisers. In the US Congress a revolt against Wilson's line grew.
March
- 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.
- Eduard von Capelle becomes naval secretaryOn 15 March 1916 Berlin announced that Tirpitz's successor at the Imperial Naval Office would be Admiral Eduard von Capelle, his long-time collaborator.
April
- 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.
- 30
- End of the Lake Naroch offensiveThe chronology ends the Lake Naroch battle on 30 April 1916. The Russians halted on 30 March, and on 28 April the Germans retook all the lost ground.
- Germany introduces summer timeAt 11 p.m. on 30 April 1916 Germany and Austria-Hungary put their clocks forward an hour. The first summer time in history was meant to save coal and oil.
May
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
August
- 28
- Key eventGermany declares war on RomaniaOn 28 August 1916 Germany declared war on Romania, a day after it turned against Austria-Hungary. The surprise at Pless cost Falkenhayn his post.
- Key eventItaly declares war on GermanyOn 27 August 1916 Sonnino sent a declaration through the Swiss government that from 28 August Italy considered itself at war with Germany.
September
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- 22
- Resignation of JagowOn 22 November 1916 Gottlieb von Jagow left the head of German diplomacy, officially for his health, in reality over the dispute about submarine warfare.
- Zimmermann becomes foreign secretaryOn 22 November 1916 Arthur Zimmermann of Marggrabowa took charge of German diplomacy, the first commoner ever to head the Reich's Foreign Office.
- 23
- Key eventProvisional government declares war on Germany and BulgariaOn 23 November 1916 Venizelos's National Defence government in Salonika declared war on Germany and Bulgaria. Greece now had two governments, one at war.
- 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.
December
- 01
- 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.
- 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.