100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

July 9, 1918


Air War:

0715 German pilot Heinrich Henkel, flying with Jasta 37, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 1. Lts A. Burton and H. McKay of AR 24 parachute safely.

1025 German pilot Joachim von Busse, with Jasta 20, shoots down an SE.5a for victory number 5.

1030 German pilot Waldemar von Dazur, with Jasta 20, shoots down a Sopwith Camel for victory number 2.

1030 German pilot H-R. von Decker, with Jasta 20, shoots down SE.5a 1950 for victory number 2. Lt A.J. Battel is killed.

1030 German pilot Karl Plauth, in a Fokker D.VII with Jasta 20, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 1.

1100 English pilot T.W. Martin and observer John Herbert Hall, flying Bristol F.2b D7896, shoot down an Albatros D.V. Victory number 1 for Martin; number 3 for Hall.

1130 T.W. Martin and John Hall shoot down another Albattros. Victory number 2 for Martin; number 4 for hall.

1150 South African RAF ace William Jordan, in Sopwith Camel D1844, shoots down a DFW C.V for victory number 32.

German 7-victory ace Helmuth Dilthey is killed attacking a flight of DH.9s.

German ace Otto Könnecke, in an Albatros D.V, shoots down Bristol F.2b B1115 for victory number 21. 1st Lt E.D. Shaw and Sgt T.W.Smith are both killed.

English 57-victory ace James McCudden flies across the Channel from England to France to join 60 Sqdn, which he is commanding. He lands at Auxi-le-Château, France, to get directions to his new aerodrome. He takes off again, and almost immediately his plane is seen to climb straight up until it stalls, then come straight down again to crash in the woods. Personnel from the aerodrome he had just departed pull him from the wreckage and rush him to the hospital, where he dies two hours later without regaining consciousness. As usual there is controversy regarding the crasg of a famous ace. The crash is at first thought to have been caused by a faulty carburetor, but some witnesses say McCudden had been "stunting", and possibly lost control of the plane. Also as usual, nothing is known for certain except that another great ace has been lost.

[Jimbuna]

10th July 1918

Western Front

French capture whole of Courcy (village east of Villers-Cotterets).

Eastern Front

General Horvath (Czecho-Slovak Commander) establishes new Siberian Government at Grodekovo (north-west of Vladivostok).

Southern Front

Italians occupy Berat (Albania).

Political, etc.

German Socialists in the Reichstag declare they will not vote on a budget unless Germany’s war aims are clarified.

Soviet Russia adopts its coat of arms with the hammer and sickle and the motto “Workers of the world, unite!”

Mr. Asquith on President Wilson and League of Nations.

Ship Losses:

SMS A79 (Kaiserliche Marine) The A56-class torpedo boat struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 53 of her crew.
Agios Loukis (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (35°45′N 25°19′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.
SMS S62 (Kaiserliche Marine) The V25-class destroyer struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 27 of her crew.
SMS S66 (Kaiserliche Marine) The V25-class destroyer struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of 76 of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

July 10, 1918


Air War:

0650 English RAF pilot Walter Longton, flying SE.5a D6026, shoots down a Hannover two-seater for victory number 2.

1000 English Pilot T.W. Martin and observer Dennis Edward Francis Waight, in Bristol F.2b D7896, shoot down a Pfalz D.III. Victory number 3 for Martin; number 1 for Waight.

1015 English RAF ace pilot Frank Gibbons and observer Valentine Collins, in Bristol F.2b C989, shoot down a Fokker Dr.I. Victory number 7 for Gibbons; number 5 for Collins.

1015 English RAF pilot Frederick Cecil Stanton and observer Clifford John Tolman, in Bristol F.2b D8089, claime two Pfalz D.IIIs. Victories 1 and 2 for both.

1030 Frederick Stanton and Clifford Tolman score their third victory of the day, another Pfalz D.III.

1055 Three French pilots with two different Escadrilles share a victory over a German two-seater:
S/Lt Gaudry (no first name given), Spa 100, victory number 1.
Claude Hegelen, Spa 100, victory number 10.
Charles Nuville, Spa 57, victory number 9.

1109 German pilot Hans Holthusen, with Jasta 30, ahoots down a Sopwith Camel for victory number 2.

1355 German pilot Albert Hets, with Jasta 37, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 2.

French pilot Fernand Bonneton, in a SPAD XIII, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 3.

American pilot Quentin Roosevelt, son of former President Theodore Roosevelt, in a Nieuport 28, shoots down a Fokker for his first and only aerial victory.

German pilot Wilhelm Sommer, flying with Jasta 39, shoots down a Dorand AR.2 for victory number 1.

Twelve American airmen from the 96th Bombardment Squadron are captured when their flight of 6 Bréguet 14s become lost and land at a German airfield:
Bréguet 14 4012, Maj Harry M. Brown and 2nd Lt Harold A MacChesney.
Bréguet 14 4015, 1st Lts Robert C. Browning and James E. Duke, Jr.
Bréguet 14 4020, 1st Lts Henry C. Lewis and Caxton H. Tichenor.
Bréguet 14 4003, 1st Lt Durwood L. McDonald and 2nd Lt Alfred R. Strong.
Bréguet 14 4005, 1st Lts George I. Patterman and Herberd D. Smith.
Bréguet 14 4019, 1st Lt Joseph M. Mellen and 2nd Lt Rowan H. Tucker.

[Jimbuna]

11th July 1918

Western Front

Successful Australian raid near Merris (north of River Lys).

74 British air-raids in Germany during June announced.

Naval and Overseas Operations

U.S. supply ship "Westover" torpedoed and sunk in European waters, 10 lost.

Political, etc.

Count Herling in Committee of Reichstag on foreign policy; to be unchanged.

British Government announces stricter treatment of enemy aliens to be adopted.

Ship Losses:

Agios Constantinos (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (35°38′N 25°12′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.
Bacchus (France) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Ionian Sea 78 nautical miles (144 km) south west of Sapienza (36°25′N 20°19′E) by SM UB-51 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 28 crew.
Kong Guttorm (Norway) The coaster was sunk in the English Channel 30 nautical miles (56 km) south east of Portland Bill, Dorset, United Kingdom by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eleven of her crew.
Marigo (Greece) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (36°59′N 34°08′E) by SM U-27 ( Austro-Hungarian Navy). Her crew survived.
Roberto (Spain) The coaster was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 60 nautical miles (110 km) north of Alexandria, Egypt by SM UC-74 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
USS Westover (United States Navy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Ireland (46°36′N 12°21′W) by SM U-92 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of eleven of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

July 11, 1918


Air War:

0550 English RAF ace George McElroy, flying SE.5a C8869, shoots down a Hannover two-seater for victory number 38.

0700 Three RAF SE.5a pilot share a victory over an Albatros D.V:
Lt J.A. Beeny, B695, nationality and victory number unknown.
ArthurJarvis, Canada, serial number unknown, victory number 4.
Lt W. Ridley, B30, nationality and victory number unknown.

0755 Two American pilots in SPAD XIIIs from the 103rd Aero Sqdn share a victory over a German two-seater:
Eugene B. Jones, victory number 1.
Edgar Gardner Tobin, victory number 1.
(This is probably from FlAbt 179. OfStv Franz Trautman is wounded; Uffz Jucknut is unharmed.

0915 German pilot Heinrich Nebelthau, with Jasta 29, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 1.

0915 German pilot Eugen Siempelkamp, with Jasta 29, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 3.

0920 German pilot Gustav Wackwitz, flying with Jasta 29, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 1.
(It is unknown who shot whom, but the three DH.9s are all from 107 Sqdn RAF:
C2182: 2nd Lts J.D. Cook and H.H. Ankrett are both killed.
C2183: Lt R.A. Arnett and 2nd Lt H.R. Whitehead are both wounded and taken prisoner.
D5647: 2nd Lt A.T. Minons and Lt T.F. Blight are both wounded and taken prisoner.)

1750 Two French pilots from Spa 315 share a victory over a German "Scout":
Lt Fraslon (no first name given), victory number 1.
Gilbert Uteau, victory number 1.

2035 Adolf Gutknecht, with Jasta 43, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 2. This is possibly D1724 from 98 Sqdn. 2nd Lt F.C. Wilton is unharmed, 2nd Lt E.V. Austin is killed.

French pilot Marie Lecoq de Kerland, with Spa 82, claims two "Enemy Aircraft" for victories 4 and 5.

Two French pilots from Escadrille 12 share a victory over an "Enemy Aircraft":
Lt Dagnaux (no first name given), victory number 4.
Joseph Vuillemin, victory number 6.

[Jimbuna]

12th July 1918

Eastern Front

Announcement of Allied force on Murman coast.

Czecho-Slovaks capture Kazan (on River Volga); Czecho-Slovaks control Siberian Railway east of Penza.

Southern Front

French advance on both sides of River Devoli (southern Albania); Austrians retreat.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Japanese battleship Kawachi suffers a magazine explosion and sinks while docked in Tokuyama Bay, resulting in over 600 deaths.

Political, etc.

Count Hertling in Reichstag on Belgium as a pawn.

Prussian Upper House expels Prince Lichnowsky.

Mr. Huges (Australian Premier) re: Pacific islands.

Denaturalisation Bill passes first and second reading in House of Commons.

Ship Losses:

Kawachi (Imperial Japanese Navy) The Kawachi-class battleship suffered an onboard explosion and sank at Tokuyama with the loss of 621 of her 1,059 crew. The hulk was subsequently scrapped.

[Sailor Steve]

July 12, 1918


Air War:

0650 French pilot Paul Homo and observer S/Lt Guerin (no first name given), flying a Bréguet 14, shoot dwon an Albatros fighter. Victory noumber 5 for Homo; number 1 for Guerin. This is Homo's last aerial victory. He will survive the war achieve the rank of Capitaine in 1923 before retiring. Recalled to the service in World War 2, he will reach the rank of Colonel before retiring for good in 1954. He will live until 1968.

0655 Three French pilots from Spa 154 share a victory over an Albatros fighter:
Michel Coiffard, victory number 9.
Jacques Erlich, victory number 4.
Paul Waddington, victory number 5.

0805 English pilot Alan Rice-Oxley, in Sopwith Camel D8240 over the Italian Front, claims a Hansa-Brandenburg D.I and a Phönix fighter for victories 1 and 2.

1055 German pilot Hans Schlieter, with Jasta 70, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 3. American 1st Lt Gilbert N. Jerome of Spa 90 is killed. This is Schlieter's last aerial victory. He will survive the war, but nothing more is known of his life.

Croatia-born Austro-Hungarian pilot Roman Schmidt, in a Phönix D.I, shoots down an Italian SAML two-seater for victory number 4.

Austro-Hungarian 5-victory ace Karl Urban is killed testing a Phönix fighter when the wings come off, causing a fatal crash.

[Jimbuna]

13th July 1918

Southern Front

French General Gramat appointed Chief of Staff to Greek Army.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Turks attack British positions on Jordan and on Abu Tellul ridges (seven miles north of Jericho).

Political, etc.

Demonstrators in Trafalgar Square urge the British government to intern all enemy aliens.

Haiti declares war on Germany.

Ship Losses:

Badagri (United Kingdom) The Elder Dempster 2,956 grt cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 425 nautical miles (787 km) west north west of Cape St. Vincent, Portugal (35°17′N 16°50′W) by SM U-91 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, but her captain was taken as a prisoner of war.
Plawsworth (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 105 nautical miles (194 km) west by north of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (49°36′N 9°10′W) by SM U-60 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
Ponta Delgada (Portugal) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 50 nautical miles (93 km) off Oran, Algeria by SM UC-54 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Ramon de Larrinaga (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 180 nautical miles (330 km) off Cape Finisterre by SM U-92 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

July 13, 1918


Air War:

0645 Four RAF SE.5a pilots share a victory over a Hannover two-seater:
Lt F.H. Knobel, D3528, nationality and victory number unknown.
George McElroy, England, C8869 victory number 39.
Indra Roy, India, B180, victory number 5.
Gilbert Strange, England, B191, victory number 3.

0710 Two RAF Sopwith Camel pilots share a victory over a DFW C.V:
Cecil Brock, Canada, D1835, victory number 6.
Lt A. Hamilton, D6635, nationality and victory number unknown.

0857 American pilot Field Kindley, in Sopwith Camel D8245 with the 148th Aero Sqdn, shoots down an Albatros D.V for victory number 2.

0910 German pilot Reinhold Ritter von Benz, in Albatros D.Va 6024/17, shoots down a Salmson 2.A2 for victory number 1.

0940 German ace Carl Degelow, with Jasta 40, shoots down SE.5a C1818 for victory number 9. Lt W.S. Robertson is killed.

0945 German ace Georg Meyer, flying with Jasta 37, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 7.

0945 German pilot Albert Hets, with Jasta 37, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 3.

0955 German ace Joachim von Busse, with Jasta 20, shoots down SE.5a D6908 for victory number 6. Lt F.J. Church is killed.

1805 German naval pilot Eduard Blass, with Marine Feld Jasta 1, shoots down DH.0 B9346. 2nd W.J. Gilman and Pvt W.J. Atkinson are killed.

2005 George McElroy scores his second kill of the day, shooting down a Nannover two-seater for victory number 40.

2005 Indra Roy scores his second kill of the day, shooting down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 6.

2005 Gilbert Strange scores his second kill of the day, shooting down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 4.

2135 German naval ace Gotthard Sachsenberg, in an Albatros D.V, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 15.

Flgmt Ludewig (no first name given), with MFJ 1, shoots down a DH.9 for victory numer 1.

German pilot H-R. von Decker (2 victories), with Jasta 20, is severely wounded, ending his combat career.

French 5-victory ace Capt Georges Raymond is wounded and sent to a hospital.

[Jimbuna]

14th July 1918

Southern Front

French capture Austrian positions on River Devoli (Albania).

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Defeat of Turks at passages of Jordan and on Abu Tellul ridges, 510 prisoners.

Aviation

Flying a Nieuport 28, the youngest son of former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, Second Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt – serving as a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Service's 95th Aero Squadron – is shot down and killed by a German fighter over Chamery, France.


Political, etc.

Provisional agreement between British and German delegates to Hague re: Prisoners of War.

Ship Losses:

Branksome Hall (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea (68 nautical miles (126 km) north west of Marsa Susa, Libya by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Djemnah (France) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea of the coast of Libya (33°12′N 23°55′E) by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 436 of the 754 people on board.
Hagios Zion (Greece) The sailboat was sunk in the Aegean Sea (38°20′N 25°35′E) by SM UC-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMT Loch Tummel (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date.
Maria José (Portugal) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Bristol Channel 25 nautical miles (46 km) south west of Lundy Island, Devon, United Kingdom by SM UB-65 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Maurice (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Barra Head, Outer Hebrides, United Kingdom by SM U-98 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
SM UC-77 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UC II submarine struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off the coast of West Flanders, Belgium.
Waitemata (United Kingdom) The collier was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 100 nautical miles (190 km) east by north of Marsa Susa (33°12′N 24°10′E) by SM UB-105 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

July 14, 1918


Air War:

0715 Australian AFC pilot Norman Charles Trescowthick, flying Sopwith Camel D1927, shoots down and AGO two-seater for victory number 1.

0730 Irish RAF ace George McElroy, in SE.5a C8869, shoots down a Hannover two-seater for victory number 41.

0815 German ace Erich Löwenhardt, in a Fokker Dr.I, shoots down a Bréguet 14 for victory number 35. Cpl Roger de Elduezabel and Lt de Gallic are listed as Missing.

0835 Scottish RAF pilot Arthur Randall, in SE.5a C1928, shoots down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 4.

0850 German naval pilot FlgMt Held (no first name given), with Marine Feld Jasta 3, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 2.

0930 German pilot Willi Rosenstein, flying with Jasta 40, shoots down an SE.5a for victory number 4.

0935 German ace Carl Degelow, with Jasta 40, shoots down SE.5a C6447 for victory number 10. 2nd Lt B.N. Garrett of 64 Sqdn is taken prisoner.

0940 Carl Degelow scores his second kill of the day, shooting down SE.5a C6490 for number 11. 2nd Lt N.H. Marshall of 85 Sqdn is taken prisoner.

0940 German pilot Hermann Gilly, with Jasta 40, shoots down an SE.5a for victory number 3.

0955 English RAF pilot Walter Longton, in SE.5a D6927, shoots down an Albatros two seater for victory number 3.

German pilot Hans von Freden, flying an Albatros D.Va, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 5.

German pilot Carl Emil Gräper, in an Albatros D.Va, shoots down Nieuport 28 6177 for his first and only victory. 1st Lt Quentin Roosevelt of the U.S. 95th Aero Sqdn, youngest son of former President Theodore Roosevelt, is killed.

German ace Emil Thuy, in a Pfalz D.IIIa, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 25.

[Jimbuna]

15th July 1918

Western Front

Second Battle of the Marne begins. Great German offensive on front of 50 miles east and west of Reims, from Chateau-Thierry on west to Main de Massiges on east. On east Germans held in check. On west Germans penetrate two or three miles on 20-mile front; cross Marne between Dormans and Fossoy (west of Chateau-Thierry).

Americans repulse Germans at Vaux.

Political, etc.

Field-Marshal Conrad von Hotzendorf (Austria) placed on retired list.

Ship Losses:

Barunga (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 150 nautical miles (280 km) west by south of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (49°00′N 15°00′W) by SM U-108 ( Kaiserliche Marine). All on board survived.
Cap Breton (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Gironde Estuary 14 nautical miles (26 km) south west of the Cordouan Lighthouse by SM UB-103S ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMS Speedwell II (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was lost on this date.
Vendée (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay off Soulac-sur-Mer, Gironde by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine).

[Sailor Steve]

July 15, 1918


Air War:

0455 Three French pilots from Spa 57 share a victory over an Albatros two-seater:
Jean Fraissinet, victory number 6.
Charles Nuville, victory number 10,
Adj Vanier (no first name given), victory number 1.

0510 German ace Oskar von Boenigk, in a Pfalz D.III, shoots down a Bréguet 14 for victory number 14.

0632 German ace Karl Thom, with Jasta 21, shoots down a SPAD two-seater for victory number 20.

0750 German pilot Paul Blumenbach, with Jasta 31, shoots down a Dorand AR.2 for victory number 2.

0940 German pilot Erich Stahl, with Jasta 79, shoots down a SPAD for his first and only victory.

German 21-victory ace Friedrich Friedrichs' Fokker D.VII 309/18 catches fire while he is attacking a balloon. Friedrichs bales out but his parachute catches on the tail and tears. Friedrichs falls to his death. It is generally believed that his incindiary ammunition caught fire from the heat of the engine, a prolbem common with the early D.VIIs.

[Jimbuna]

16th July 1918

Western Front

South of Dormans French and Americans counter-attack and take villages of St. Agneau and La Chapelle.

Germans advance up Marne to Montvoison (seven miles from Epernay).

Political, etc.

Trial of M. Malvy, former French Minister of Interior, on charge of treason.

The Romanov family (the Russian tsar, the tsarina, their four daughters and son) are shot on Bolshevik orders at Ekaterinburg, Siberia (now Sverdlovsk). As Russia descends into civil war, the Bolsheviks will show themselves to be ruthless and pragmatic.


Ship Losses:

HMS Anchusa (Royal Navy) The Anchusa-class sloop was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean north of Ireland by SM U-54 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 78 of her 93 crew.
Fisherman (United Kingdom) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 380 nautical miles (700 km) north west by west of Cabo da Roca, Portugal (40°17′N 18°20′W) by SM U-91 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Garibaldino (Regia Marina) The Soldati-class destroyer was rammed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Villefranche-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, France by the destroyer HMS Cygnet ( Royal Navy).
Lyndiane (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay by SM UB-103 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four of her fourteen crew. The submarine then rammed a raft with a number of survivors before departing the area, killing many of them. Eight survivors of the sixteen people on board were rescued by Villanil ( Spanish Navy) and some Spanish fishing vessels.
Miefield (Norway) The barque was shelled and scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 82 nautical miles (152 km) south west of the Fastnet Rock (50°44′N 11°21′W) by SM U-55 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Southborough (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north by east of Scarborough, Yorkshire by SM UB-110 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 30 of her crew.
Vanlock (Sweden) The sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 140 nautical miles (260 km) west of Tory Island, County Donegal, United Kingdom[75] by SM U-92 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
War Swallow (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 72 nautical miles (133 km) south west by south of Malta (34°35′N 15°00′E) by SM UB-50 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seven crew.

[Sailor Steve]

uly 16, 1918


Air War:

0545 German ace Franz Ray, flying with Jasta 49, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 16.

0640 German pilot Lt Stoltenhoff, with Jasta 27, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 1.

0650 German pilot Alfons Nagler, with Jasta 81, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 5.

1125 South African RAF ace William Jordan, in Sopwith Camel D1844, shoots down an LVG two-seater for victory number 33.

1145 William Jordan scores his second kill of the day, shooting down another LVG two-seater for number 34.