Western Front
Kaiserschlacht: Operation Blücher-Yorck. Known to the Allies as
Battle of the Aisne 1918 or
Third Battle of the Aisne: Soissons again taken by German forces (see 27th and August 2nd). Further Allied retreat. On left, the Germans sweep over Vregny Plateau, take Soissons; in center gain heights south of the Vesle, make progress towards the Marne, and cross river Ourcq. French forced off ‘Paris Line’. Duchene tells Clemenceau his army ‘simply marching to the rear’. On right, Allied troops covering Reims fall back behind Aisne Canal.
French PoWs who were captured at the opening stages of the German offensive:
https://i1.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...rz-KG.jpg?ssl=1
Germans repulsed near Kemmel.
Bombs on Metz and Thionville; Half of 12-strong formation of No 99 Squadron return with engine trouble.
Four French Spad fighter patrols (1 lost) first encounter new Fokker D-VII and claim to shoot 5 down.
French and British troops defending an open field near Courville: © IWM (Q 6656):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...376371954933760
A French refugee family at Reuil fleeing the German offensive: © IWM (Q 6690):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...409076948029440
German troops enjoying fresh milk from a cow they captured in the French countryside near Soissons: © IWM (Q 55335):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...440592197545989
French and British soldiers on the retreat, along with a pig they brought with them, at Romigny: © IWM (Q 6692):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...470811964891138
Southern Front
Artillery actions on the Doiran-Vardar front and in Serbian sector.
Bad weather hampers activity.
Political, etc
Austria-Hungary: Peace Treaty signed at Vienna between Austria-Hungary and Finland.
Russia: Central Executive Committee decrees partial conscription for Red Army and forms Supreme Revolutionary Tribunal. Martial law in Moscow; Lenin sends Stalin to Tsaritsyn to organize food supplies.
United Kingdom: Report of Food Production Department issued, showing that four million acres have been added for tillage; and that four-fifths of country's food for the year will be home-grown.
United States: U.S. communique sympathising with Czecho-Slovaks and Yugo-Slavs.
Finland: Government forms special 5-man courts to try Reds (67,000 convicted, 265 executed); 11,783 Red PoWs die of disease until August.