Western Front
Kaiserschlacht: Operation Blücher-Yorck. Known to the Allies as
Battle of the Aisne 1918 or
Third Battle of the Aisne: French hold Germans up south of Soissons, preventing further advance. Fère-en-Tardenois taken by German forces (see 27th and July 28th): in center Germans capture Fere-en-Tardenois and Vezilly, and increase their pressure towards Ville-en-Tardenois, reach the Marne near Jaulgonne, and gain some forts north-west of Reims. Germans claim capture of 35,000 prisoners and much war material. Germans reach river Marne in strength, capturing Chateau-Thierry and Dormans and advance on Compiegne but 8 Allied divisons arriving including US 3rd Division. French retire from river Ailette. British form Gater’s Force (until June 19) from 21st Division remnants. Foch gives Petain reserve Tenth Army (Maistre) from Picardy.
Banks in Sopwith Camel of No 43 Squadron destroys Friedrichshafen night bomber; RAF bomb towns behind German lines in occupied France and Belgium.
Germany: 16 D.H.4s attack Thionville; direct hits on officers’ billet (10 casualties), rail station, tracks and rolling stock.
France: 6 German bombers raid Paris (and on May 31), 17 bombs cause 6 casualties.
North Sea: 5 German seaplanes (from Borkum) destroy Yarmouth-based flying boat (3 PoWs including US NCF Ensign JJ Roe)
German troops in the ruined streets of Soissons: © IWM (Q 87661):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...501022228025346
Southern Front
Macedonia: Franco-Greek success at Srka di Legen, 1,500 prisoners taken (11 miles west of River Vardar). At 0455 hours Greek Crete and Archipelago divisions (2,659 casualties) storm fortified Bulgarian 49th Regiment salient, rocky outwork of their line 10 miles west of the Vardar, in a morning behind Anglo-French creeping barrage and after diversionary operations since May 28; 1,812 Bulgarian-German PoWs (800 killed), 50 MGs and 60 mortars taken. Brilliant limited military success of great political value in Greece for Venizelos, makes war fashionable. Bulgarian afternoon and night counter-attacks fail.
Greek Evzones in May 1918. The five elite Evzone regiments are used as assault troops, but incurred such heavy losses in the two Balkan and World Wars that they were disbanded in 1944, leaving just the Royal Guard:
https://i1.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...zones.jpg?ssl=1
Trentino: 35 Royal Flying Corps Sopwith Camels bomb (1t) and strafe (9,000 rounds) Austro-Hungarian huts north of Val d’Assa.
Italian Voisin lands air observer Lieutenant Camillo de Carlo behind Austrian lines for 3 months; he discovers date of Piave offensive.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Mesopotamia: British bomb Turks at Fatha (Tigris, above Tekrit) and at junction of Lesser Zab river.
Political, etc
Japan: Publication of Chino-Japanese Note re: military agreements.