100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

July 31, 1918


Air War:

0915 South African RAF pilot Gerald Anderson, flying Bristol F.2b D8062 with an unnamed observer, shoots down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 2.

0930 English RAF pilot Rupert Gifford, in Sopwith Camel D1862, shoots down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 2.

0930 Englsih RAF ace Edward Johnstone, in a Sopwith Camel, shoots down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 15.

0930 South African RAF ace William Jordan, in Sopwith Camel D1845, shoots down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 36.

0930 Irish RAF ace George McElroy, in SE.5a E1310, shoots down a Hannover two-seater for victory number 47.

1050 Canadian RAF pilot John Gillanders and English observer Eric Walker, flying a DH.4, are credited with shooting down two Pfalz D.IIIs. Victories 3 and 4 for Gillander; 5 and six for Walker. This is also Eric Walker's last aerial victory. He will survive the war and live until 1983.

1110 Scottish RAF pilot Andrew MacGregor, in DH.4 D8398 with Lt J.F.D. Tanqueray as observer, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 1.

1115 Two RAF Camel aces share a victory over a Fokker D.VII:
Lawrence Coombes, India, D9673, victory number 14.
Ivan Sanderson, England, E1405, victory number 5.

1115 American RAF ace Kenneth Unger, in Sopwith Camel D9608, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 6.

1130 English RAF pilot Thomas Nash, in Sopwith Camel B7176, shoots down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 2.

Irish 47-victory RAF ace George Edward Henry McElroy, known as "McIrish" to his friends, does not return from his second patrol of the day and is reported as Missing. It turns out that, like Mick Mannock (and Manfred von Richthofen) before him, McElroy was killed by ground fire while flying too low.

[August]

100 years ago today my Great Grandfathers unit, the 8th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, part of the 14th Bavarian Infantry Division (2nd Army) arrived in the Castel-Bois Senecat sector of Western front east of Amiens to relieve the 21st Infantry Division.

[Jimbuna]

1st August 1918

Western Front

Allies advance on Ourcq, on north, reaching line Cramoiselle-Cramaille (north-west of Fere-en-Tardenois), on south take Cierges (south-east of Fere-en-Tardenois).

French capture Romigny (south-west of Reims).

Eastern Front

Allied forces land at Archangel and capture defences.

Political, etc.

Speech of Mr. Balfour on League of Nations.

Ship Losses:

Columbia (Denmark) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Port Said, Egypt by SM UC-34 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
Mikula Selyaninovich (Soviet Navy) Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War; The icebreaker was scuttled at Archangelsk to prevent capture by British forces.
Svyatogor (Soviet Navy) Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War; The icebreaker was scuttled at Archangelsk to prevent capture by British forces.

[Sailor Steve]

August 1, 1918


Air War:

0720 English RAF pilot Richard Gammon and Canadian observer Percival Appleby, flyijg a DH.9, shoot down a Pfalz D.III. Victory number 2 for both.

0810 Three American pilots in Nieuport 28s share a victory over a Rumpler two-seater:
Donald Hudson, victory number 3.
R.V. Navius, victory number 1.
Jerry Vasconcells, victory number 2.

0811 Donald Hudson shoots down another Rumpler for victory number 4.

0815 Donald Hudson and Jerry Vasconcells share a victory over a Fokker D.VII with a third pilot:
Donald Hudson, number 5.
Ivan Roberts, victory number 2.
Jerry Vasconcells, victory number 3.

0830 English RAF pilot George Henry Benjamin Smith and observer William Harrop, in a DH.9. shoot down a Pfalz D.III Victory number 1 for both.

0900 Two French SPAD aces with Spa 154 share the destructon of a German observation balloon:
Michel Coiffard, victory number 18.
Jacques Erlich, victory number 11.

0902 Michel Coiffard and Jacques Erlich share a second victory over a balloon. Number 19 for Coiffard; number 12 for Erlich.

0905 Michel Coiffard and Jacques Erlich flame a third balloon. Victories 20 and 13 respectively.

0910 German ace Franz Hemer, with Jasta 6, shoots down a Nieuport 28. 1st Lt Arthur L. Whiton, of the American 27th Aero Sqdn, is listed as Missing.

0915 German pilot Richard Wenzl, with Jasta 6, shoots down SPAD XIII 15143 for victory number 5. 1st Lt Oliver T. Beauchamp of the 27th Aero is killed.

0930 German pilot Alfred Fleischer, flying an Albatros D.Va, shoots down a Nieuport 28 for victory number 2. 1st Lt Clifford A. McElvain of the 27th Aero is taken prisoner.

0930 English RAF pilot Harry Goode, in Sopwith Camel E1494 over the Italian Front, shoots down a Roland C.II for victory number 3.

0930 German pilot Johannes Jessen, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a Nieuport 28 for victory number 1. 1st Lt Richard C. Martin of the 27th Aero is taken prisoner.

0930 German pilot Egon Koepsch, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down Nieuport 28 6259 for victory number 5. 1st Lt John L. Hunt, 27th Aero, is killed.

0930 German ace Ernst Udet, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down Nieuport 28 6275 for victory number 41. 1st Lt Charles B. Sands of the 27th Aero is killed.

0940 Three French pilots from Spa 154 share the destruction of a German observation balloon:
Paul Barbreau, victory number 6.
Adj Chevalier (no first name given), victory number 3.
Paul Waddington, victory number 8.

0945 German ace Ludwig Beckmann, with Jasta 56, shoots down DH.9 D2855 for victory number 6. Capt J.W. Mathews and 2nd Lt W.A. John, 206 Sqdn, are both killed.

0945 German ace Rudolf Berthold, in a Fokker D.VII, claims a Dorand AR.2 for victory number 41. This is probably one of several Salmson 2.A2s shot down this day.

0945 German pilot Ernst Binkenstein, with Jasta 51, shoots down a DH.9 for victory number 2.

1005 Three American SPAD XIII pilots with the 94th Aero Sqdn share a victory over a Fokker D.VII:
Robert Z. Cates, victory number 3.
Harvey Weir Cook, victory number 1.
William F. Loomis, victory number 1.

1915 Two RAF SE.5a pilots share a victory over a DFW C.V:
Robert Holme, England, D6155, victory number 5. This is Holme's last aerial victory. He will survive the war and take a permanent commission in the RAF. He will die as a passenger in an air crash at Kirkuk, Iraq in 1922.
Henry Rath, Canada, E5964, victory number 4.

1100 German ace Gustav Dörr, with Jasta 45, shoots down a Nieuport 28 for victory number 18.

1100 French ace René Fonck, in a SPAD XIII, shoots down a German two-seater for victory number 57.

1150 Australian AFC pilot James Joseph Wellwood, in SE.5a D6913, shoots down a Rumpler two-seater for victory number 1.

1215 Ernst Udet scores his second kill of the day, shooting down a Bréguet 14 for number 42.

1245 German ace Oskar von Boenigk, flying a Pfalz D.III, shoots down a SPAD VII for victory number 17. ADj-Chef J. Raszewski is listed as Missing.

1245 German ace Karl Thom, with Jasta 21, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 26.

1305 German ace Gisbert-Wilhelm Groos, with Jasta 11, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 7. This is Groos' last aerial victory. He will survive the war and become the director of the Westdeutschen Steinzeug-Werke. He will live until 1997, the last surviving member of Jasta 11, and die at age 103.

1310 German ace Lothar von Richthofen, commanding Jasta 11, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 31. The Jasta was in the process of transitioning from Fokker Dr.Is to D.VIIs at this time, and sources are unclear about which plane the pilots are flying on a given day.

1500 Australian AFC ace Roy Phillipps, in SE.5a D6860, claims a DFW C.V and a Fokker D.VII for victories 13 and 14.

1640 English RAF ace Albert Jones, flying Sopwith Camel C200, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 7. This is Jones' last aerial victory. He will transfer to the Home Establishment on August 13. After that there seems to be no information available.

1752 German ace Robert Heibert, with Jasta 46, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 11.

1755 German pilot Oskar Hennrich, with Jasta 46, destroys a British observation balloon for victory number 5.

1758 Oskar Hennrich brings down a second balloon for victory number 6.

1800 Robert Heibert flames his second balloon of the day for victory number 12.

1850 Four American SPAD XIII pilots with the 13th Aero Sqdn shart a victory over two Albatros D.Vs:
Charles Biddle, victories 3 and 4.
H.B. Freeman, victory numbers unknown.
John Joseph Seerley, victories 1 and 2.
William Howard Stovall, victories 1 and 2.

2025 Lothar von Richthofen scores his second kill of the day, shooting down a SPAD for number 32.

2030 Ernst Udet gains his third victory of the day, shooting down a SPAD for number 43.

French ace Eugene Camplan, with Spa 84, shoots down a "Scout" for victory number 7. Camplan is wounded in this fight, ending his combat career. He wil survive the war and live until 1944.

French 23-victory ace Gabriel FErnand Charles Guérin is killed when his SPAD VII spins into the ground while taking off for a patrol.

[Jimbuna]

2nd August 1918

Western Front

French re-take Soissons.

Germans retreating to River Vesle.

Eastern Front

Pro-Entente revolution in Archangel. Anti-Bolshevik forces, with Allied naval and aerial support, take the city of Arkhangelsk, Russia from the Soviets.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Turks occupy Urmia, north-west Persia.

Naval

British 20th Destroyer Flotilla wanders into a German minefield in the Heligoland Bight, resulting in the sinking of the HMS Vehement and the HMS Ariel, resulting in around 97 deaths.
HMS Vehement


Political, etc.

Japanese Government decides to act with U.S.A. in sending troops to Vladivostok.

Ship Losses:

HMS Ariel (Royal Navy) The Acheron-class destroyer struck a mine at the western end of the Heligoland Bight and sank with the loss of 49 of her 70 crew.
Dornfontein (Canada) The four-masted auxiliary schooner was set afire in the Atlantic Ocean 25 nautical miles (46 km) west north west of Brier Island, Nova Scotia by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). She was towed in to port but was a total loss.
Flevo X (Netherlands) The sailing vessel was sunk in the North Sea 40 nautical miles (74 km) east of the Shipwash Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-104 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Floréal (French Navy) The Pluviose-class submarine collided with the armed boarding steamer HMS Hazel ( Royal Navy) and sank in the Aegean Sea.
Malvina (United Kingdom) The cargo ship sank in the North Sea 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) north north east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire with the loss of fourteen of her crew.
Portugal (Belgium) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) west north west of Trevose Head, Cornwall, United Kingdom (50°32′N 5°07′W) by SM U-113 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Remke (Netherlands) The sailing vessel was shelled and sunk in the North Sea 55 nautical miles (102 km) west north west of the Hoek van Holland, South Holland by SM UB-104 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMT Scania (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date.
T-15 (Soviet Navy) The T-13-class minesweeper was shelled and sunk at Archangelsk by Prince Pozharsky ( Russian Navy) White Movement. Salvaged by the Whites, repaired and returned to service.
Tokuyama Maru (Japan) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the United States (39°12′N 70°23′W) by SM U-140 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMS Vehement (Royal Navy) The V and W-class destroyer struck a mine in the Heligoland Bight and was consequently scuttled.

[Sailor Steve]

August 2, 1918


Air War:

0045 English RAF ace Stanley Cockerell, Flying Sopwith Camel C6717 on a Home-Defence night patrol, shoots down a Gotha bomber for victory number 7.

0930 Two RAF SE.5a pilots share a victory over an LVG two-seater:
George Gauld, Canada, C6468, victory number 2.
Frederick Stanley Gordon, New Zealand, D3438, victory number 1.

German ace Arthur Laumann, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 16.

[Jimbuna]

3rd August 1918

Western Front

Allies reach Fismes (on River Vesle), and retake 50 villages.

Germans retreat behind River Ancre from Hamel (north of Albert) to Dernancourt (south of Albert).

Eastern Front

British forces land at Vladivostok.

Naval and Overseas Operations

British ambulance transport "Warilda", homeward bound, torpedoed and sunk, 123 lost.


Political, etc.

Anti-Greek riots break out in Toronto over rumours that a Canadian veteran was mistreated in a Greek café. Thousands of Canadians destroy Greek businesses in the city and clash with police and militia.

Ship Losses:

Annie Perry (United States) The schooner was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 40 nautical miles (74 km) off Seal Island, Nova Scotia, Canada by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Berwind (United States) The cargo shp was sunk in the English Channel off Audierne, Manche, France (47°55′N 4°28′W) by SM UB-88 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of six of her crew.
Cambrai (France) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, United Kingdom by SM UB-104 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 25 of her crew.
Chrysolite (United Kingdom) The cargo ship collided with Geraint ( United Kingdom) in the Bristol Channel off Morte Point, Devon and sank.
Lake Portage (United States) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 km) south of Audierne (47°56′N 4°44′W) by SM UB-88 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.
Ludvig (Denmark) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the North Sea east of the Shetland Islands, United Kingdom (60°35′N 3°41′E) by SM UB-120 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Maceio (Brazil) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Ortegal, Spain (45°02′N 10°27′W) by SM U-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Muriel (United States) The fishing vessel was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 45 nautical miles (83 km) west by north of Seal Island by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Rob Roy (United States) The fishing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 35 nautical miles (65 km) east of Seal Island by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Skjold (Denmark) The three-masted schooner was shelled and damaged in the North Sea off Lindesnes, Rogaland, Norway by SM UC-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine) and was abandoned by her crew. The derelict vessel was sunk on 12 September by SM UB-125 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Sydney B. Atwood (United States) The ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 30 nautical miles (56 km) off Seal Island by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
SM UB-53 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UB III submarine struck two mines and sank in the Strait of Otranto (39°40′N 18°40′E) with the loss of ten of her crew.
Vouga (Portugal) The schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean north west of Spain (45°40′N 10°28′W by SM U-43 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMAT Warilda (Royal Australian Navy) The hospital ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 32 nautical miles (59 km) south south west of the Owers Lightship ( United Kingdom) (50°10′N 0°13′W) by SM UC-49 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 123 of the 801 people on board.

[Sailor Steve]

August 3, 1918


Air War:

0650 Canadian RAF ace Roy Manzer, Flying SE.5a C8732, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 10.

0735 American RAF pilot Francis Warrington Gillet, in Sopwith Dolphin C3887, destroys a German observation balloon for victory number 1.

0945 German ace Ludwig Beckmann, with Jasta 56, shoots down Sopwith Camel E5159 for victory number 7. Lt Murray K. Spidle, with the US 17th Aero Sqdn, is listed as Missing.

1025 German pilot Vfw Dettmering (no first name given), with Jasta 68, shoots down a Dorand AR.2 for victory number 3. This is Dettmering's last aerial victory. He will survive the war but nothing further is known.

1130 Australian AFC pilot Edward Kenny and observer Leslie Sutherland, in Bristol F.2b C4626, shoot down an Albatros two-seater. Victory number 3 for Kenny; number 4 for Sutherland.

1145 Edward Kenny and Leslie Sutherland score their second kill of the day, shooting down another Albatros two-seater. Victory 4 for Kenny; number 5 for Sutherland.

1210 Edward Kenny and Leslie Sutherland bring down a third Albatros C-type, for victories 5 and 6 respectively. This one is shared with Australian pilot Paul Joseph McGuinnes and observer Wilmot Fysh in F.2b B1223. Victory number 2 for both.

1720 Gernab pilot Karl Schmückle, with Jasta 21, shoots down a SPAD two-seater for victory number 3.

1725 German pilot Max Kuhn, with Jasta 21, destroys a French observation balloon for victory number 3.

1835 English RAF pilot Cyril Hayes Sawyer, in Sopwith Camel B9253, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 1.

1935 Two French aces flying with Spa 154 share the destruction of a German observation balloon:
Paul Barbreau, victory number 7.
Michel Coiffard, victory number 21.

1937 Paul Barbreau and Michel Coiffard blow up another German balloon, for victoies 8 and 22 respectively.

French pilot Jean Pierre Joseph de Gaillard de la Valdène, with Spa 95, shoots down a German two-seater for victory number 5. This is Gaillard's last aerial victory. He will survive the war and have an adventurous life. He will marry two well-know women, first being Spanish tennis star and feminist Lili Alvarez and later wealthy race-horse heiress Diana Guest. In the Second World War he well go to Algeria and Morocco to recruit pilots for the Free French Air Force. Gaillard will live until 1977, dying at age 91.

Two French pilots with Spa 37 share a victory over an "Enemy Aircraft":
Fernand Goyou, victory number 5.
MdL Martin (no first name given), victory number 1.

German naval pilot Flgmt Held (no first name given), with Marine Feld Jasta 2, makes an unusual "kill". He is tasked with shooting down an observation balloon from his own side which has broken loose from its tethers. Held, like most of his contemporaries, will never make a claim against an enemy aircraft.

German pilot Hans Horst, flying with Jasta 81, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 4. This is Horst's last aerial victory. He is listed as surviving the war, but there is no further information.

German pilot Vfw Kautz (no first name given), with Jasta 46, shoots down RE.8 D4882 for victory number 1. Lt A.F. Forsyth of 9 Sqdn RAF is wounded and taken prisoner; 2nd Lt E.S. Coombes is taken prisoner.

Canadian RAF pilot William Swaze, in a Bristol F.2b with 2nd Lt E.M. Nicholas as obserer, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 4.

[Jimbuna]

4th August 1918

Western Front

Americans take Fismes; Allies on right bank of Vesle.

End of Second Battle of the Marne.

Eastern Front

General Kirchbach takes command at Kiev.

Political, etc.

On recommendation by Lieutenant Hugo Gutmann, a German Jewish soldier, Gefreiter Adolf Hitler is awarded the Iron Cross, First Class.


Ship Losses:

Clan Macnab (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Irish Sea 14 nautical miles (26 km) north north west of the Pendeen Lighthouse, Cornwall (50°20′N 5°55′W) by SM U-113 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 22 crew.
Don (Norway) The barque was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 350 nautical miles (650 km) west of the Skellig Islands (50°44′N 16°21′W) by SM U-157 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Hundvaagø (Norway) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off Groix, Finistère by SM UB-88 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.
Nelson A. (United Kingdom) The schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 25 nautical miles (46 km) south of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
O. B. Jennings (United States) The tanker was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 100 nautical miles (190 km) off the coast of Virginia (36°40′N 73°58′W) by SM U-140 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two crew. One of the survivors was taken as a prisoner of war.
Reinhard (Russia) The schooner was shelled and sunk in the Irish Sea north east of Ireland (55°27′N 6°45′W) by SM U-96 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Remonstrant (Norway) The barque was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 280 nautical miles (520 km) west of the Fastnet Rock (50°30′N 18°00′W) by SM U-157 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

August 4, 1918


Air War:

0810 German ace Gustav Dörr, flying with Jasta 45, shoots down a Bréguet 14 for victory number 19.

0810 German ace Karl Schlegel, with Jasta 45, shoots down a SPAD XI two-seater for victory number 13.

0830 Canadian RAF ace Roy Manzer, in SE.5a C8732, shoots down an Albatros D.V for victory number 11.

0840 New Zealander RAF pilot Ronald Burns Bannerman, in Sopwith Dolphin C3879, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 1.

1415 German ace Arno Benzler, with Jasta 60, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 8.

1415 German ace Gunther Dobberke, flying with Jasta 60, shoots down a SPAD two-seater for victory number 6.

1415 German pilot Arthur Korff, with Jasta 60, shoots down a SPAD for vicory number 1.

1930 German ace Oskar von Boenigk, in a Pfalz D.III, Destroys an Allied observation balloon for victory number 18.

1930 German Max Kuhn, with Jasta 21, destroys an Allied observation balloon for victory number 4.

1930 German pilot Heinrich Haase, with Jasta 21, destroys an Allied observation balloon for victory number 2.

1935 Oskar von Boenigk scores his second kill of the day, shooting down a SPAD two-seater for number 19.

1937 German ace Karl Thom, with Jasta 21, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 27.

2005 German pilot Johannes Jessen, with Jasta 4, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 2. This is Jessen's last aerial victory. He will survive the war, but nothing else is known of his life.

2005 German ace Ernst Udet, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a SPAD VII for victory number 44.

German ace Gerhard Fieseler, with Jasta 25 over the Macendonian Front, shoots down a Nieuport for victory number 9. Lt A.E. Utman of Serbian Escadrille 503 is killed.

German ace Herbert Knappe, flying with Jasta 81, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 6.

[Jimbuna]

5th August 1918

Aviation

Five German airships attack East Anglia; no casualties. One brought down in flames 40 miles from land.

Political, etc.

Message of Mr. Lloyd George to British Empire to "Hold Fast".

U.S.A. Man-power Bill introduced into Congress; military age from 18 to 45.

Ship Losses:

Agnes G. Holland (United States) The trawler was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Belaya Akatsiya (Soviet Navy Red Movement) The armed boat was run aground and abandoned on the Volga River during a battle with Czech Legion gunboats.
Burtak (Soviet Navy Red Movement) The armed boat was run aground and abandoned on the Volga River during a battle with Czech Legion gunboats.
Freshfield (Canada) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) north east by nort of Capo Colonna, Calabria, Italy by SM UC-25 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.
Luz Blanca (Canada) The tanker was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 35 nautical miles (65 km) off Halifax, Nova Scotia by SM U-156 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of two of her crew.
Stanley M. Seaman (United States) The sailing vessel was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 110 nautical miles (200 km) east of Cape Hatteras, Virginia by SM U-140 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

August 5, 1918


Air War:

0815 Canadian RAF ace Gerald Bell, flying SE.5a 3495 over the Italian Front, shoots down a Siemens-Schuckert D.III for victory number 13.

0920 English RAF pilot Harry Goode, in Sopwith Camel E1494 over the Italian Front, destroys an observation balloon for victory number 4.

German ace Gerhard Fieseleer, with Jasta 25 over the Macedonian Front, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 10.

[Jimbuna]

6th August 1918

Western Front

Germans attack south of Morlancourt (south of Albert), retaking part of Australian gains.

General Foch promoted Marshal of France.

Political, etc.

Speech of Mr. Montagu on Indian Constitutional Reform.

M. Malvy sentences to five years' banishment.

Czech's, Yugo-Slavs, some Poles vote against Austrian Budget.

Retirement of Herren Ballin and Holtzendorff from Council of Central Europe.

Ship Losses:

Biruta (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 8 nautical miles (15 km) nort west of Calais, France by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine with the loss of twelve of her crew.
Clan Macneil (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 10 nautical miles (19 km) north of Alexandria, Egypt (31°21′N 29°47′E) by SM UC-34 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMS Comet (Royal Navy) The Acorn-class destroyer collided with another vessel and sank in the Mediterranean Sea.
Diamond (United States Lighthouse Service) The lightship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by SM U-140 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Merak (United States) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (34°57′N 75°40′W) by SM U-140 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

August 6, 1918


Air War:

1045 English RAF pilot Alec Williamson and observer Edward Hoare, flying Bristol F.2b C4720, shoot down a Fokker D.VII. Victory number 3 for Williamson; number 4 for Hoare.

1250 German ace Karl Schlegel, with Jasta 45, destroys an American observation balloon for victory number 14. 1st Lt W.S. Amderson, 1st Balloon Company USBS, parachutes safely.

German ace Walter Blume, with Jasta 9, shoots down a SPAD two-seater for victory number 18.

German ace Gunther Dobberke, with Jasta 60, shoots down a SPAD two-seater for victory number 7.

German pilot Otto Stockmann, with Jasta 66, shoots down a two-seat SPAD XI for victory number 2.

[Jimbuna]

7th August 1918

Western Front

French and American troops cross the Vesle River and advance against the Germans on a 5-mile front.

Naval and Overseas Operations

French cruiser "Dupetit Thouars" torpedoed in Atlantic, 13 lost.


Ship Losses:

Dupetit-Thouars (French Navy) The Gueydon-class cruiser was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 400 nautical miles (740 km) west of Brest, Finistère by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Highland Harry (United Kingdom) The cargo liner was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 83 nautical miles (154 km) north by west of Eagle Island, County Mayo (55°28′N 11°15′W) by SM U-96 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 24 lives.
Lorna (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 300 nautical miles (560 km) west of Ouessant, Finistère (47°00′N 12°00′W) by SM U-62 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.