Western Front
6 Zeppelins raid East Anglia (night August 2-3, 1 civilian casualties) despite HMS Vindex launching a Bristol Scout attack (first carrier home defence operation).
6 B.E. 2s and 3 Moranes (1 lost) in 5-hours long-range attack on Brussels Zeppelin sheds (4 near misses); 16 RNAS aircraft strike St Denis Westrem airfield (southwest of Ghent) and RFC bomb Coutrai and Bapaume stations. In Belgium aircraft of No.4 and No.5 Wings, Royal Naval Air Service, experiment with new bombing technique. Guided by signal flares from a Sopwith 1½ Strutter, 11 bombers in line astern attack a target near Ghent.
Battle of the Somme: Very hot day (88°F). RFC helps range 19 batteries and finds 6 MG emplacements. German attack on Delville Wood (Somme) repulsed.
German counter-attack on French at Estrees (southern Somme) repulsed.
(Again, these two may or may not have been more “raids” than determined counter-attacks.)
British and French artillery officers near Saint-Leger-aux-Bois:
http://imgur.com/GLCaXYl © IWM (Q 78214)
Battle of Verdun: German trenches carried south of Fleury, 800 prisoners taken. French then lose Fleury and regain it on August 4.
Eastern Front
Hindenburg appointed to command whole front (he and Ludendorff visit Kovel and Lemberg on August 3 but Austrians then withdraw consent).
German gas attack in region of Smorgon (east Vilna) repulsed.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Turkish counter-attack takes Mush and Bitlis (Armenia) (until August 15): Kemal’s XVI Corps attacks 9,000 Russians at Mus and Bitlis.
Naval and Overseas Operations
Loss of Italian dreadnought "Lionardo da Vinci", at Taranto, by fire and explosion (248 killed); The Italians originally blamed Austro-Hungarian saboteurs for her loss, but the explosion was probably accidental. Italy makes no public announcement but 1917 raid in Zürich on Austrian consulate “proves” sabotage.
Adriatic: 4 Franco-Italian destroyers pursue 2 Austrian destroyers to within 15 miles of Cattaro and on return, survive an ambush from U-4.
Political, etc.
Germany: German Bundesrat adopts a decree authorizing the Chancellor to liquidate British firms’ assets in Germany.
United Kingdom: Government attitude to Resolutions adopted by Allies at Economic Conference in Paris explained by Mr. Asquith.
Two important State Papers on alleged “barbarity” of Germans published.
United States: President Wilson signs a resolution establishing Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
Charles E. Hughes, the Republican nominee for President, announces he supports a constitutional amendment for women’s voting rights.