In May 1918, the Central Powers claim a victory over another of their Eastern Front enemies when they sign the Treaty of Bucharest with Romania. The Czech Legion, trying to reach Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian Railway, comes into open conflict with the Bolsheviks. In a conference at Spa, Kaiser Wilhelm and Emperor Charles of Austria-Hungary agree to a long-term alliance, economic agreements, and a common high command. On the Western Front, the German Army mounts its third major offensive in as many months, attacking the Allied lines on the Chemin des Dames and advancing to the Marne, where the American Army’s Third Division helps halt the German advance at Chateau-Thierry. Americans conduct their first offensive operation of the war at Cantigny. In Great Britain, the House of Commons defeats a motion by former Prime Minister Asquith to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into charges made against the government in a letter from a British general. RMS Moldavia, a British transport carrying American soldiers, is torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in the English Channel. The Royal Navy tries again to block U-Boat access to the sea at Ostend, this time with more success. The United States Congress enacts the Sedition Act, forbidding the use of disloyal or abusive language about the government in time of war, and the Overman Act, giving the President broad authority to reorganize federal agencies by executive action. Declaring that “politics is adjourned,” President Wilson urges Congress to stay in session through the campaign season. Air mail service begins between New York City and Washington, D.C.
Month: May 2018 (Page 1 of 2)
The projected date for completion of the future National World War 1 Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, DC is now November 11th, 2021. Read the whole story here.
100 years ago in Kansas, June 4 – 9, 1918:
June 4, 1918:
Memorials to the Missing – Soissons
Soissons is an ancient cathedral city on the Aisne River in northern France, about sixty miles from Paris and just five miles from the western end of a prominent ridgeline called the Chemin-des-Dames, which formed an important part of the Western Front. Well within the range of German heavy artillery, the city was heavily damaged during the war.
As a Legionnaire myself, I urge you to join with The American Legion in commemorating those who died in all of our conflicts, including WW1. Learn more here.
Also, I urge you to watch the Memorial Day ceremony at Aisne Marne Cemetery in France which will be broadcast at 9:00 PM Monday on CSPAN3. You can read more about this here.
C-SPAN3 has made sure that it did take note of World War I programming for the Memorial Day weekend, and some of it will be repeated a few times. A reminder that all times posted here are Central, and we’re not responsible for schedule changes.
–Reel America: Chateau – Thierry Sector U.S. Army Silent Film. Mitchell Yockelson and Guillaume Moizan provide commentary for this film from 1918. 11 minutes. Airs Saturday evening, May 26, at 9:00 p.m.; 3:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon, May 27; 1:00 a.m. Monday morning, May 28; 7:44 a.m. Monday morning , May 28; 10:00 a.m. Monday morning, May 28; 10:00 p.m. Monday evening, May 28.
The Library of Congress has digitized the Otto Spengler clipping service files. Read more about this here.
The Blue Army
During the Middle Ages the kingdom of Poland was a vibrant state, a bastion of power and Catholic enlightenment. The dynasty reached its zenith in 1683 when the Polish King Jan III Sobieski led the army that defeated the Ottomans in the Battle for Vienna, which proved to be the high water mark of Ottoman incursion into Central Europe. The subsequent decline of the Polish state paralleled the rise of the Prussian state to the north, and beginning in 1764, Polish territory was nibbled away by Prussia, Russia and Austria, until in 1795 the entire nation had disappeared into the ‘partitions’, the largest of which was Russian and included Warsaw.
In case you aren’t watching the Royal Wedding and all the fanfare that goes with it, there is one WWI program on Saturday morning, May 19th, on C-SPAN3. That is a repeat from last weekend of American Artifacts: World War I Soldiers and Art in the Trenches. It airs at 9:00 a.m. Central.
The time is fast upon us to observe the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day and the end of fighting in World War I. We hope shortly to have more information about plans from the National Centennial Commission . We hope that some people out there have some ideas how they may mark the observance in their communities, and we also hope that you will share the ideas here.