Western Front
Western Front: In January Record of 18 Jastas (including 48-63) formed after 7 in December 1917; 14 new airfields opposite BEF Fifth Army.
Germany: In January monthly aviation fuel delivery 6,000t only 50% of target.
Britain: During January 3 National Aircraft Factories begin production (5 more by July).
British soldiers trying out a pillory they found in Bapaume, France: © IWM (Q 10646):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...394435154432000
Australian soldier at a mine rescue station at Hulluch, France. The apparatus helps him breath in the tunnels underneath the trenches:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...712778948333571
Eastern Front
Ukraine: (Listed for yesterday): The city of Kiev, Ukraine is paralyzed as the Bolshevik uprising strengthens and many other workers also go on strike.
Southern Front
Strong Austro-Hungarian counter-attack on Monte di Val Bella defeated.
Naval and Overseas Operations
North Sea: U-boat minelayers attempt until late September to seal off Forth to Grand Fleet and Norwegian convoys with batches of 36 mines at 10-mile intervals in a semi-circle, but after third batch British locate and sweep without Germans realizing.
‘Battle of May Island’: In sortie with 5 battlecruisers from Rosyth 2 K-class submarine flotillas suffer record disastrous night collisions in which
K.4 and
K.17 are lost (103 die); 2 others damaged along with battlecruiser
Inflexible and cruiser
Fearless (night January 31 to February 1).
Admiral Frederick Sturdee leaves Grand Fleet to be C-in-C the Nore, Vice-Admiral Sir M Browning takes over 4th Battle Squadron.
Allied and neutral shipping lost to U-boats: 123 ships (57 British with 291 lives) worth 302,088t (British 179,973). U-boat figure 160 ships worth 295,630t including 61 ships of 141,166t in Mediterranean (7 of 26,020t to Austrians); 10 U-boats sunk (3 unknown cause).
Germany: World’s largest destroyer S-113 launched at Elbing (Baltic) by Schichau, 2415t and 347ft overall with 4×5.9in guns, 4 torpedo tubes and 40 mines. Top speed 36 kts but poor seakeeping prevents her and 6 others launched by Armistice from being operational.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Two Royal Flying Corps Spads shoot down German two-seater near Falluja but crew escape. RFC loses 4 aircraft to engine failure in month.
Political, etc
Austria-Hungary: Colonel-General Boehm-Ermolli made Field Marshal.
Germany: Martial Law in Berlin, Hamburg, etc.; Trade Unions refuse strike pay. Several factories militarized, many workers drafted. OHL prepares divisions for home use.
Russia: Third Soviet Congress adopts ‘Fundamental Law of Land Socialisation’ (decree published on February 19) and replaces Julian with Gregorian Calendar.
Red 1st Northern Flying Column (including 400 sailors) takes Orenburg (Urals) from Ataman Dutov.
Lenin as a hero of the revolution:
https://i2.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...ution.jpg?ssl=1
France: Gare de Lyons ticket offices ‘besieged’ following German air raid on Paris.