Monday 2 September 1918.

Western Front. The rapid Allied advance continues largely due to huge numbers of Germans surrendering without a fight. Locations taken include Cagnicourt, Villers, Queant, Sailly-Sailliesel and St Pierre-Vaast Wood by the British who break through the Drocourt-Queant Line. The French take Neuilly and Terny Sorny.

Gen. Ludendorff orders a retreat to the Hindenburg Line, their last major line of defence in northern France/Belgium.

Russian Civil War. Following the assassination attempt on Lenin on 30 August the Bolsheviks unleash a Red Terror in which thousands will be rounded up and executed; the Whites in turn will adopt a similar strategy.

Italian troops join the Allied Intervention Force in Murmansk.  

Tuesday 3 September 1918.

Western Front. Rapid German retreat, the British take Lecluse, Lens, Rumancourt, Baralle and Richebourg St Vaast. The French cross the river Somme at Epenancourt. 

Wednesday 4 September 1918.

Western Front. The British and New Zealanders take Manancourt, Etricourt, Ruyaulcourt and Ploegsteert. Further gains also by the French.

Russian Civil War. American troops join the Allied force in Murmansk. The Allied army has advanced 73 miles from Archangelsk to Obezerskaya.  

Thursday 5 September 1918.

Western Front. The Germans are falling back along the entire Front; the French cross the Crozat Canal.

Russian Civil War. The Japanese take Khabarovsk north of Vladivostok, an important Bolshevik arms depot.

The Russian Ambassador to GB, Maxim Litvinov, arrested on charges of inciting unrest; he is later released in exchange for the British Ambassador to Russia, Bruce Lockhart, who had been held on similar charges in Moscow.

Middle East. The Turks send 2000 troops into Persia where the British have gained control, their target is the city of Tabriz.

Friday 6 September 1918.

Western Front. The Germans evacuate the Lys salient as the retreat continues; the French retake Ham and Chauny.

The German High Command recommend falling back 20 miles, some had suggested a 45 mile withdrawal.

East Africa. Clash between the British and the Germans in the Pere Hills, the Germans defeated.

Saturday 7 September 1918.

Western Front. The British take the Roisel railway junction, The French cross the Crozat Canal and retake Pithon, Dury and Ollezy.

Russian Civil War. The Russians pay the first £12,500,000 installment of their war indemnity to Germany.  

Sunday 8 September 1918.

Western Front. Continued Allied gains, especially by the French, despite stiffening resistance in places. 150,000 Germans have surrendered in three weeks.

Lydendorff orders the evacuation of the St Mihiel salient. 

Monday 9 September 1918.

Western Front. The British gain Havrincourt Wood overlooking the Hindenburg Line. The French also make significant ground. The first German counter-attacks since the allied offensive fail at Laffaux.

Tuesday 10 September 1918.

Western Front. Continued Allied progress; the French retake Hinancourt and Travecy.

Russian Civil War. Kazan, taken by the Whites and the Czech Legion in August, is retaken by the Bolsheviks in their first success of the summer.

Wednesday 11 September 1918.

Western Front. The Germans counter-attack at Gouzeaucourt and Moeuvres. The British take Vermand, Attilly and Vendelles.

Albert, King of the Belgians appointed to lead the Allied offensive in Flanders.

Russian Civil War. The Allied Intervention Force from Murmansk occupies Fort Ukhtinskaya. An advance southwards from Archangel begins.

Thursday 12 September 1918.

Western Front. Battle of St Mihiel. The USA's first major offensive of the war, 216,000 supported by 48,000 French attack on a 12 mile front following the standard artillery bombardment. They advance five miles taking 8,000 prisoners. The British and Canadians enter Moeuvres, Havrincourt and Trescault, taking over 1,000 prisoners.

Russian Civil War. The Reds retake Simbirsk, Lenin's birthplace which had fallen to the Whites and Czechs in July.

The liner Galway Castle severely damaged by a torpedo from the U82 in the western Atlantic, she sinks on 15 September, 143 killed.   

Friday 13 September 1918.

Battle of St Mihiel. The Americans close the St Mihiel salient taking over 13,000 prisoners. The British and the French take Holnon Wood and Savy.

Saturday 14 September 1918.

Western Front. Further Allied gains as the Germans retreat along the entire Front.

Macedonia. The great Allied offensive against the Bulgarians begins with an artillery bombardment along an 80 mile front, especially in the six mile Sokol-Vetrenik sector.

Russian Civil War. The British and Armenians evacuate the oil-rich Caspian Sea port of Baku which falls to Turkish-Azerbiajani forces, they had been in occupation since early August.

Austria-Hungary issues a note to all parties and neutrals suggesting "non-commital discussions" on neutral soil.

Western Front. The British capture Maissemy. The Germans begin the construction of a new defensive line, the Hermann Line.

Last German air raid on Paris.

Macedonia. The Serbs supported by the French and the Italians lead the ground assault against the Bulgarians at Vetrenik.and Dobropolje, they advance six miles taking all their Day One objectives.

Germany offers peace to Belgium on the grounds of no indemnity or reparations.   

Monday 16 September 1918.

Western Front. The Americans eliminate the St Mihiel salient. The French retake Vailly and Mt des Singes.

Macedonia. The Frenco-Serbs take the Kozyak heights. The Bulgarians ask for German reinforcements, but none are available and pass the request to the Austrians who prevaricate.

Russian Civil War. Clash between Allied forces and Reds south of Archangel, two Russian gunboats sunk.

The monitor HMS Glatton, commissioned less than three weeks earlier, destroyed in an accidental explosion at Dover, 79 killed.

My reading of it is that the Germans wanted Belgium out of the war so they had one less enemy to fight on a shorter front. A neutral Belgium would also deprive the Allies of valuable port facilities.

The German plan after the August disasters was to negotiate from a position of relative strength, hence the withdrawal to the Hermann Line and the hope that Belgium would accept a separate peace, everything was designed to minimize the scale of the defeat they knew was coming. 

The Macedonian Front is the one to keep an eye on in the coming two weeks, it had a large part to play in forthcoming events.

Tuesday 17 September 1918.

Western Front. Continued gains by the Allies along the Front, German counter-attacks at Moeuvres fail.

Macedonia. The Franco-Serb offensive has reached six miles on a 20 mile front. The Bulgarians begin a retreat behind the river Crna. Troops in the 3rd Bulgarian Division mutiny.

Arab Revolt. T E Lawrence and a force of Arabs capture Dara.  .

Wednesday 18 September 1918.

Western Front. The British attack on a 16 mile front towards Epehy taking the town. The Anglo-French take Savy Wood and Fontaine-les-Cleres.

Macedonia. The Anglo-Greek offensive opens with an attack either side of Lake Doiran taking the town of Doiran. However the eastern attack falters under Bulgarian artillery fire.    

Thursday 19 September 1918.

Western Front. Continued Allied gains, the British take Lempire while the French take Essigny le Grand.

Macedonia. The Anglo-Greek assault around the eastern side of Lake Doiran fails. Nevertheless the success of the Franco-Serb offensive forces the Bulgarian High Command to order a retreat.

Palestine. The British offensive to take northern Palestine opens with an artillery barrage before the ground assault. The Turks are also heavily bombed by the RAF. By the end of the day they have advanced 18 miles and taken the Turkish HQ at Tulkarm and 3000 prisoners.

Friday 20 September 1918.

Western Front. The Allied advance continues despite a number of German counter-attacks.

Macedonia. The Bulgarians fall back allowing the Allied armies to advance almost unopposed.

Palestine. Dramatic British advance, Nazareth captured.

Saturday 21 September 1918.

Western Front. Contiuned Allied gains, the French take Benay while the British take Le Petit Priel farm.

The effectiveness of air power was shown for the first time on this day with two devastating strikes on different Fronts -

Macedonia. The RAF bomb the fleeing Bulgarians in the Kosturino and Kryesna Passes killing over 700 and destroying 300 vehicles.

Palestine. The RAF bomb the retreating Turks at Wadi Fara, hundreds killed.

The British enter Nablus.  

It seems like air power was decisive on all 3 fronts.

Sunday 22 September 1918.

Western Front. The Allied advance continues, German counter-attacks fail.

Macedonia. The Allied advance in Bulgaria continues at a pace with the Serbs taking the lead.

Palestine. Turkish resistance is all but extinguished, the road into Syria lies open. In the three days since the offensive began 25,000 Turkish soldiers have surrendered.

The German Government creates a United Duchy of the Baltic, a puppet state carved from territory ceded to Germany by Russia at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March. Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is appointed Grand Duke, but he never visits his new "Kingdom".

General Allenby had his very own dirty tricks dept, who got up to some devious deception and stunts. There was a time, before an offensive, when he had opium cigarettes dropped on the Turkish lines. Maaann far out!

Monday 23 September 1918.

Western Front. Activity all along the Front with the British held up at Epehy. 99 RAF aircraft destroyed or damaged by a German air raid on the Marquise depot.

Macedonia. The French enter Prilep. The Bulgarians have all but ceased to offer resistance and are streaming northwards.

Palestine. The British capture the ports of Acre and Haifa. Inland the New Zealanders take Es Salt while the Arabs take Maan. Here too as in Macedonia the enemy have all but ceased as a fighting force.

Tuesday 24 September 1918.

Western Front. The French capture Dallon and Francilly-Selency. Anglo-French attack on St Quentin.

The German High Command informs the Kaiser that armistice talks are inevitable within weeks.

Macedonia. The Allied armies advance deeper into Bulgaria.

Palestine. The British approach Amman.

Wednesday 25 September 1918.

Western Front. Further Allied gains with desperate German counter-attacks repelled.

Macedonia. The Franco-Sebs capture the Bulgarian supply depot at Gradko, French cavalry reach the Babuna Pass. The British enter Kosturino. Bulgarian deserters seize control of the forward HQ at Kurstendil and commander trains to take them home.

Palestine. The British take Tiberius and Amman.

Italy recognizes the independence of the State of Yugoslavia.

Thursday 26 September 1918.

Western Front. Great Franco-American offensive on a 40 mile front between the rivers Meuse and Argonne; over 700 tanks involved. Day One sees an average three mile advance and the capture of Montfaucon and Varennes.

Macedonia. The British enter Strumitsa, the Serbs capture Veles and Kochana.

The USCGC Tampa sunk in the Bristol Channel by a torpedo from the UB91, all 131 on board killed.   

Friday 27 September 918.

Western Front. A day after the Franco-Americans begin their assault the British open an offensive against the Hindenburg Line, which they penetrate on Day One. They take several villages while the Canadians take Bourlon Wood.

The Franco-Americans also gain ground.

Macedonia. As the Allied advance continues the Bukgarians send out envoys with a request for an armistice.

Palestine. The Arabs massacre 2000 Turks in revenge for a Turkish massacre at the village of Tafas.

Russian Civil War. The Allied Intervention Force's march south from Archangel is blocked after 60 miles by a larger Red Army, they retreat to Borok.