18th April 1916
Western Front
Battle of Verdun: German bombardment of Avocourt Wood and Hill 304.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres
Russians, after nine days' fighting take a position of left bank of Kara Dere.
Naval
3,117 British civilians have been killed at sea since the war’s start, according to the British Board of Trade.
Political, etc.
U.S. Senate votes 43 to 37 to increase the U.S. Army to 250,000 men with another 750,000 reserves and militia.
General Funston sends another 2,300 U.S. soldiers into Mexico to reinforce General Pershing due to recent clashes with Mexican troops.
In his ultimatum, dated 18 April 1916, Wilson condemned Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, which resulted in merchant vessels being sunk without warning should they be suspected of trading with the Allies.
Wilson warned that the U.S. would not tolerate the continuation of such a policy and demanded it be revoked by the German government (a stance re-iterated in a speech to Congress the following day).
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/...sultimatum.htm
Ship Losses:
Ravenhill (United Kingdom) The full-rigged ship was shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 72 nautical miles (133 km) west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly by
SM U-69 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.