Western Front
Battle of the Somme: British capture most of Schwaben Redoubt and Canadian Corps advance 1,000 yds north and northeast of Courcelette (until September 30). French advance between Fregicourt and Morval.
Russian expeditionary soldiers dancing at their camp in Mailly, France:
http://imgur.com/UEEHH91* © IWM (Q 78071)
German prisoners coming in from Thiepval, with one carrying a wounded British soldier:
http://imgur.com/Whh7HSs* © IWM (Q 1369)
Nothing remains of the Chateau that stood in Thiepval, Somme:
http://imgur.com/zep25Dn* © IWM (Q 1329)
Eastern Front
Bucharest, Romania has been hit by four air raids in the past four days. Allied forces plan reprisals against Sofia, Bulgaria.
Political, etc.
Germany: German Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollwegg declares a German statesman who does not employ all weapons to shorten the war “should be hanged.”
United Kingdom: Asquith pledges not to recruit skilled workers Board of Trade organizes overland delivery of Italian fruit and vegetables {ed note: seriously, the original read “vegetarians”. See:
http://world-war-one.net/diary-september-28-1916/ .} Munitions holiday (until October 1) replaces postponed Whitsuntide and August holidays. Churchill appears before Dardanelles Commission. Tory Morning Post tells Lloyd George to stick to his desk in Whitehall, possibly in response to this excuse:
Lloyd George: “There is neither clock nor calendar in the British army today…Only the result counts, not the time consumed in achieving it.”
France: Pres. Poincare says {the blatantly hypocritical} Belgium must be avenged or else “nothing would be left for us but to veil in eternal mourning the statues of justice.”
Austria-Hungary: Foreign Minister Burian submits peace offer proposals to Francis Joseph‘s ‘most sympathetic attention’.
German Ambassador describes economic climate as ‘simply wretched’; von Bethmann-Hollwegg forwards to Kaiser on September 30.
Greece: Former Greek Premier Venizelos establish a provisional government in Greek, stating he will revolt unless Greece enters the war. {on the side of the Allies}