Western Front
Rethel taken by French forces.
Meuse: US 1st Division reaches Sedan (see August 29th, 1914): traffic halted on key Mezieres-Montmedy railway; only line to Western Front still available south of Ardennes; 4 German armies are virtually cut off. Army Group Gallwitz ordered to retire to Antwerp-Meuse position. Groener warns Chancellor: ‘
… even Monday will be too late [for an armistice], it must be Saturday at the latest’.
Scheldt: Canadians enter Belgium, forcing Rivers Aunelle and Honelle north of Valenciennes-Mons road; they take 1,750 PoWs from 7 German divisions (November 1-8).
Sambre: British Third Army makes very limited advances owing to Seventeenth Army rearguards and repeated shelling of river crossings; added to heavy rain, bad roads and limited room for manoeuvre.
Oise and Aisne: French recapture Vervins and Rethel.
Lorraine: Foch decides to attack as soon as possible and assigns troops from US Second Army.
American soldiers with French FT-17 tanks are advancing:
https://i0.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...-FT17.jpg?ssl=1
American soldier manning a machine gun near Grandpré, France: © IWM (Q 79595):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...768626323054592
American US Signal Corps photographers taking reconnaissance photos of German lines near Varennes-en-Argonne: © IWM (Q 113418):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...798837177524226
An old French couple greeting American soldiers after they retook Brieulles-sur-Bar:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...829028679573504
Naval and Overseas Operations
Baltic: Following Kiel, the German port of Wilhelmshaven also falls to revolutionary sailors and workers. Revolutionary sailors of battleship SMS
Prinzregent Luitpold:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...859223130058752
Caspian: 5 Royal Navy ships reach Petrovsk (Northern Caucasus) to fetch Bicherakov.
Political, etc
Austria: Emperor formally demobilize armed forces.
Germany: A dozen sailors persuade all 12,000 workers at Hamburg’s Blohm & Voss shipyard to down tools. Friedrich Ebert, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany: “
If the Kaiser does not abdicate, the social revolution is inevitable. But I do not want it, I even hate it like sin.”
Russia: Lenin tells 6th Soviet Congress ‘Germany has caught fire, and Austria is burning out of control.’
United Kingdom: Lloyd George lunches and dines ministers; they agree to call General Election.
Serbia: King Peter of Serbia re-enters Belgrade (see 1st and January 17th, 1916).
Romania: Marghiloman Government resigns at Jassy, General Coanda succeeds.