42 Days until Armistice
Western Front
The so-called Battles of the
Hindenburg Line: Battle of Canal du Nord (27 September-1 October 1918): Battle of the Canal du Nord ends. British and Canadian troops capture the Canal du Nord in France, claiming 36,500 German prisoners.
The so-called
Battles of the Hindenburg Line: Battle of the St. Quentin Canal: St. Quentin retaken by French forces (see September 27th). British progress and take ground south of Le Catelet; stiff fighting near Bony and south of Cambrai.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive: Battle of Champagne and Argonne (see October 15th): Quiet in this sector, relative lull.
The Allied Flanders Advance:
Battle of the Flanders Peaks (see October 10th) and the Fifth Battle of Ypres 1918 (see November 10th, 1917, and October 2nd, 1918): Flanders ridge occupied and Ledeghem seized by British.
RAF drop c.24t bombs and destroy 16 German aircraft.
Somme: BEF about to break through Hindenburg Line last defences after 7-mile advance since September 27. This Wotan position runs west of Lille, Douai and St Quentin to Reims. Behind, Germans have begun 2 other positions Hermann (Ghent-Valenciennes-Le Cateau-Aisne) and Antwerp-Meuse Line (west of Antwerp and Brussels to Mezieres and Sedan). Ludendorff sends staff officer Major Bussche to Berlin to explain to new Chancellor military situation makes peace moves essential. German casualties since March 21 claimed to be 1,222,299 soldiers, and German Ninth Army disbanded due to shortened front.
Artois: Germans evacuate Lens and Armentieres (night October 1-2). British 2nd Division captures Mont sur l’Oeuvre. Canadians (over 1,000 casualties) fight another mile forward north of Cambrai, have captured over 7,000 PoWs and 205 guns since September 27, from up to 12 German divisions.
Champagne: French Fourth Army (Gouraud) advances on 14-mile front.
Western Front, Air: Fine weather all day. Only 11 of 49 D.H.9s reach and bomb Aulnoye rail junction after midnight, mainly due to engine trouble, but 18 of 21 bomb it in the morning, exploding ammo train. In October Major-General Salmond, GOC RAF in France complains D.H.9 day bomber so inadequate it has ‘
to accept battle when, and where, the defending forces choose …’.
Allied supplies move through the destroyed landscape near Hooge, Belgium:
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A British soldier with a captured German soldier at Menin Road near Gheluvelt: © IWM (Q 11764):
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American soldiers moving through a crowded road on motor transports and on horseback on the Western Front: © IWM (Q 70182):
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Southern Front
Albania: Berat retaken by Italian forces (see August 26th).
Austro-Hungarians take defensive measures on their southern frontier in consequence of Bulgarian Armistice.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Syria: Damascus taken by British and Arab forces.
Damascus falls to British and Arab forces, and more than 7000 Ottoman prisoners are claimed. Mounted Sharifan irregulars ride through the city of Damascus: © IWM (Q 11764):
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Naval and Overseas Operations
Germany: During October 179 operational U-boats. Largely propaganda ‘Scheer Programme’ (October 1) envisages increasing monthly U-boat production from 13 to 37 boats (December 1919) building 376-450 U-boats using 69,000 workers and 11 yards.
Britain: Only 257 (5.1%) of 5,018 Royal Navy warships on convoy escort duty.
USA: Shipping Board has 3,115 ships of 17,276,318t building.
Arctic: British flag raised at Ebeltoff Harbour, Spitzbergen.
Black Sea: c.200 Germans take over Russian battleship
Volya; 4 destroyers; 2 torpedo boats; and 1 auxiliary cruiser,
Volya enters service on October 15. By October 26 Berlin urging return to Russians.
North Sea, Channel: Flanders U-boat Flotilla recalls all 8 boats at sea for return to Germany, 4 others scuttled until October 5.
Political, etc
Austria-Hungary: Baron Husarek (Austrian Prime Minister) on situation: open to Peace offers; great row in Reichsrath.
Germany: German majority program issued.
Erich Ludendorff cables government to transmit peace offer without further delay, tells staff ‘
Our own Army is .. heavily infected with the poison of Spartacist Socialist ideas’.
United Kingdom: Wages (men and women) Committee begins.
Milk to be controlled in Great Britain.
RFP 129% (up 13% due to meat, butter, milk and egg rises). Maximum horse ration 7-13lb per day. In October Film Mrs John Bull Prepared.
United States: Senate rejects women’s suffrage third time.
During October Flu pandemic at height (October 2-3) suspends draft in several cities, shuts war plants; 14,636 army cases (300 deaths) in last 24 hours, total 88,461 (1,877 deaths). Student Army Training Corps opens in over 500 colleges.
Sweden: Landslide in Getå, Sweden occurs, which causes a train to derail, killing 42 and injuring 41. It is the worse rail disaster in Swedish history:
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