Western Front
Navy airships
L-6 and
L-9 destroyed in accidental fire on ground.
Battle of the Somme: British repulse counter-attack near Courcelette, but 5 German relief divisions now oppose exploitation. Allies capture Dunibe (Danube?) Trench. NZ Division advances north and west of Flers, Mouquet farm (Thiepval) captured.
Hindenburg arrives at Cambrai, orders construction of semi-permanent defence line (5-30 miles) to the rear (called by the Western Allies the “Hindenburg Line”; the German name was “Siegfriedstellung” (Siegfried Line)).
Royal Flying Corps aircraft and balloon collide with fatal results. (I wish I could find more information on this:
http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1916.htm doesn’t even list it).
Eastern Front
Ex-CoS Falkenhayn takes command of Ninth Army.
Brusilov Offensive, Galicia: Second Battle of the Narajowka and Zlota Lipa (until September 17): 4 Russian divisions with gas attack Turkish XV Corps which holds despite c.5,000 casualties. Along the Narajowka many Germans taken as well as Turks.
Transylvania: Rumanian Second Army occupies Baraoltu dominating Kronstadt-Foldvar railway 30 miles from frontier.
Dobruja: Mackensen attacks Rasova-Tuzla line (until September 20), but retires to re-stock with heavy shell. Turk 25th Division repulses Rumanian counter-attacks on September 22.
Southern Front
Seventh Battle of Isonzo: Italians capture San Grado di Merna, Hill 208S, and all of Hill 144, but fail to take Hill 123 and Veliki Kribach farther east.
Macedonia: Serbs fighting Bulgars in forest on Mt Kajmakcalan foothills (until September 18).
Naval and Overseas Operations
East Africa: Lindi (port in southern German East Africa) occupied by British.
Political, etc.
Germany: 39 industrialists tell War Ministry workers cannot exceed 9 hours per day. Army to release skilled workers and ‘open the great Belgian labour basin’.
United Kingdom: Lloyd George, British Secretary of War, claims there is a German plot to drive a wedge between U.S.-British relations.
Churchill to Fisher:
‘My poor land battleships have been let off prematurely and on a petty scale. In that idea resided one real victory’.
Austria-Hungary: A German-led Central Powers Supreme War Council agreed but Emperor Charles revokes Austrian signature after November 21.
Canada: Frank McGee, Canadian hockey player (later inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame), is killed in action at the Somme:
http://imgur.com/toj4JyH
Italy: Lieutenant Colonel Douhet, CoS Italian 5th Division and air power advocate, arrested for writing strong criticisms of Commndo Supremo to War Minister; court-martial imprisons him for a year from October 15.
Greece: Nikolas Kalogeropoulos forms new Greek Ministry, becomes the new Prime Minister:
http://imgur.com/VxwzEgH Expected to observe “benevolent neutrality” towards Entente.