Western Front
Unternehmen Michael/Second Battle of the Somme: First Battle of Bapaume phase (24th/25th): Bapaume and Péronne taken by German forces (see March 17th and 18th, 1917 and August 29th and September 1st, 1918). Germans also cross Somme between Peronne and Ham, and take Nesle and Peronne, and further south capture Guiscard and Chauny. They now claim 30,000 prisoners and 600 guns. Germans destroy 500-strong South African Brigade.
Separation of BEF and French Armies threatened. A shaken Petain orders Fayolle above all to keep ‘
the solid connection of the French armies and then, if possible, to preserve contact with the British Forces’. At 2300 hours Petain visits Haig and refuses further reserves as he expects main German blow in Champagne at any moment. Haig enquires if he means to abandon BEF right flank and allow Germans to penetrate; Petain nods assent. Haig cables War Office for Wilson and War Minister Milner to come to France at once, emphasizing ‘
unless General Foch or some other determined general is given supreme command of the operations … there will be a disaster’.
Petain, the hero of Verdun, inspects a new barbed wire assembly:
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German artillery pulled by horses towards the front to support the ongoing offensive: © IWM (Q 29951):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...212163352875009
British Mark IV Tank in the streets of Peronne: © IWM (Q 10832):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...242353571454978
British 3rd Cavalry Division going towards the front to meet the German offensive: © IWM (Q 10790):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...544333858607104
Waves of 20-80 French bombers intervene in BEF’s Somme battle, Group Fequant from Soissons and Fareen-Tardenois, with Group Manard from Chalons (March 25), effort especially against German convoys continues (March 26-29). Captain J L Trollope in Sopwith Camel of No 43 Squadron Royal Fling Corps scores 6 victories. Royal Flying Corps lose 65 aircraft to claim of 42 German (17 in Flanders). German claim is 35 Allied for 14 lost. Germans night bomb Albert and Amiens (10 hours interruption to rail traffic).
Germany: British airplanes raid Mannheim by day and Cologne by night, the latter by Handley Page bombers (first raid on Cologne since 1914 (night March 24-25)).
A photograph of the massive “Paris Gun, used to bombard Paris from a distance of 75 miles:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...257455011942400
Southern Front
Italy: 3 French divisions recalled to Western Front (until March 26); Corsican Graziani replaces Maistre as C-in-C.
Naval and Overseas Operations
India: Northwest Frontier: A British air raid drops 3 bombs, killing 14 armed tribesmen at Marri district capital (submits April 19).
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Palestine: British advance nine miles towards Es Salt (Jordan); British 60th Division captures El Haud Hill with 3 guns. There are now 9,600 British soldiers with 82 guns vs 5,500 (maximum) Turks and Germans with c.26 guns. Eight RFC aircraft bomb Amman.
Political, etc
Germany: Germany recognizes the independence of Lithuania, declared on February 16, but very little changes as the country remains occupied by Germany.
United States: Scottish-American magician William E. Robinson (stage name Chung Ling Soo) dies after failing to do the “bullet catch” magic trick:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...514134282670080